Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen are two-time rally world champions! This is how the second championship was secured in the Central European World Rally Championship

Kalle Rovanperä secured his second consecutive World Rally Championship in the stage-rich Central European World Rally Championship. by Elfyn Evans Saturday’s interruption was the final nail in the Finn’s championship. Rovanperä drove second, which secured the second championship.

– I have a really good feeling. This win is more important to me than the last one. The competition was tougher now, Rovanperä said at the finish of the rally.

He thanked his map reader Jonne Halttus.

– Big thanks to Jonne, he is the best map reader in the world. Big thanks to the team. Everyone supported me, my family and close friends.

– I’m going to enjoy this more than last year’s championship, Rovanperä decided.

The difference between Rovanperä and Evans in the World Championship points before the Central European rally was 31 points in favor of the Finnish driver, so Evans would have needed at least two points more than Rovanperä from the weekend’s rally.

The Finnish ace’s championship was secured when Evans only got five points from the Power Stage and Rovanperä drove second in the rally by Thierry Neuville double cloth.

– Kalle was very strong on Friday and our speed was not enough to match him. Of course we kept trying, but it didn’t bring results, Evans summed up the weekend.

Ott Tänak was third in the Central European rally.

Rovanperä was convincing on Friday

Rovanperä benefited from his starting position as the first car on Friday. The world champion used the advantage masterfully. Rovanperä drove four bottom times on the first long driving day of the rally.

In rainy weather, the asphalt roads got dirtier, the more cars drove on the roads. In the end, Rovanperä took a 36.4-second lead over Thierry Neuville. Teammate Evans was no less than 47.2 seconds behind.

Otherwise, the day was quiet in Finnish terms. Esapekka Lappi stopped as a result of a violent exit in the fifth special test. According to the driver, the rear of Lapland’s Hyundai went under, as a result of which the car crashed into trees at high speed.

– The rear of the car went under as soon as I touched the brake pedal. I must have gone a little too far, that is, the edges of the outer tires, or at least the rear tire, were partially on the side of the road with mud, Lappi assessed the situation of the run-out in an interview with .

A dramatic Saturday decided the World Cup battle

The starting position for Saturday was clear. Rovanperä tried to secure his lead, and Evans had to attack to catch Rovanperä’s lead. Evans set the stage for the ninth special stage, but Rovanperä, who was third, only lost by 2.1 seconds.

In the next special test, Rovanperä caused the hearts of Finnish rally people to palpitate. He spun in a slippery corner and lost about 20 seconds of time.

After the mistake, Rovanperä definitely drove to the finish line and was 24.7 seconds behind Neuville, who ran the fastest time. Evans came within 24.2 seconds in the overall standings.

– Spinnas in slippery braking. It was much slicker than I expected. There is a lot of shit on the road, Rovanperä summed up the special test at the finish line.

On the eleventh special stage, Evans made a driving mistake and had to stop. Evans failed to brake on a right-hand bend, the car slid wide into the yard of a house and hit the wall of an outbuilding.

– The new asphalt is a little slippery, but nothing so amazing. The wheels locked up on entry and I drifted off the line. Unfortunately, the damage was so bad that I couldn’t continue, Evans told the rally website In an interview with DirtFish fresh after going out.

Rovanperä was informed of Evans’ exit before starting the special test. At the same time, the 23-year-old Finnish champion slowed down his pace and started securing his world championship.

– I knew that Evans drove out, so why would I risk anything anymore, Rovanperä justified the stop at the goal.

The backup paid off

During the rest of Saturday’s special tests, Rovanperä definitely drove to the finish line and did not take any more risks or seriously challenge Neuville for the rally victory. On Sunday, the weather was significantly better than the previous days, so the drivers were able to enjoy easier conditions and sunshine.

On the final day, the top drivers stayed out of trouble, so Teemu Suninen and Takamoto Katsuta the fight for fifth place was the most interesting shot of the day. In the end, Katsuta beat Suninen by 18 seconds.

Rovanperä drove a flawless day at the end of the rally. This is how the Finn became the youngest two-time world champion in World Rally Championship history.