Kalle Rovanperä is on his way to become world rally champion, the first Finn in 20 years. But the championship is unlikely to be celebrated this week in Belgium.
18.8. 11:47•Updated 18.8. 12:42 p.m
Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä rolling irresistibly towards the rally world championship. The championship is on break already this week in Belgium, but it would take miracles. Rovanperä should win and rivals, Hyundai Ott Tänak too and by Thierry Neuville fail miserably.
Rovanperä’s lead over Tänak is 94 points and 95 points over Neuville, with five more World Cup rallies to go. Rovanperä will celebrate the championship already in Belgium, if his World Championship lead breaks to at least 121 points after the Belgian competition.
A lead of 120 points is still not enough in theory, because in this case Rovanperä and Tänak could still end up with equal points at the end of the season. Tänak would have a theoretical straw to rise to the championship.
You can get a pot of 30 points from one rally if you drive to victory and are also number one on the Power Stage.
– It’s quite clear that Kalle will become a champion. But I would bet that the championship will be decided in Greece. In Belgium, the championship is not only up to Kalle himself, because even if Kalle wins, the others cannot succeed, Urheilu’s expert Miikka Anttila anticipate.
Belgian driver Neuville will start as a clear favorite in his home rally. On the other hand, the Belgian rally may not suit Rovanpera very well. However, the balance of power is balanced by the race route, which has been modified quite a bit since last year.
– This year’s route has almost a hundred kilometers of roads, which are driven in a different direction than last year. In practice, two-thirds of the route requires new notes. This way, almost everyone is on the same page, but Neuville and Craig Breen are drivers who have more experience in Belgium than others, Anttila points out.
Will Tänak continue his rampage?
Tänak had a hard time in the recent Jyväskylä World Rally Championship. The Estonian drove to victory in Jyväskylä with a difference of 6.8 seconds to Rovanperä.
– Tänak is capable of a strong performance in Belgium as well, but he has less experience than Neuville. It’s exciting to see if Hyundai’s car is as capable on asphalt as it was on Jyväskylä’s gravel, Anttila thinks.
Hyundai drivers have suffered from numerous technical problems this season. But the confirmation of Rovanperä’s championship already at this stage depends on a very thin thread anyway.
Even rainy weather can cause its own surprises.
– It has rained in Belgium, there is still a threat of rain. In the Belgian rally, there is a lot of cutting and stuff gets on the road. Dirt gets on the road regardless of whether it’s dry or wet. And if it’s wet, the roads are really slippery, Anttila describes.
Esapekka Lappi drives Toyota’s third car in Belgium. Jari Huttunen starts the race with a Ford Rally2 car.
Belgian World Rally Championship schedule and broadcast information
Shakedown (7.34 km) at 17:01
Preliminary moods at 18:45–19:15 TV2
EK 1 (11.97 km) at 11:16
EK 2 (19.60 km) at 12:08
EK 3 (7.99 km) at 13:03
EK 4 (8.95 km) at 13:53
Daycare at 3:00 p.m
EK 5 (11.97 km) at 16:16
EK 6 (19.60 km) at 17:08
EK 7 (7.99 km) at 18:03
EK 8 (8.95 km) at 18:53
Highlights at 10:00 p.m Areena and 23:30–00:00 TV2
EK 9 (15.00 km) at 11:13
EK 10 (14.29 km) from 12:00 to 13:00 TV1
EK 11 (15.00 km) at 13.00
EK 12 (22.32 km) at 13:55
Daycare at 3:00 p.m
EK 13 (15.00 km) at 16:13
EK 14 (14.29 km) from 17:00 to 18:00 TV2
EK 15 (15.00 km) at 18:00
EK 16 (22.32 km) at 18:55
Highlights at 10:00 p.m Areena and 23:30–00:00 TV2
EK 17 (12.36 km) at 09:43
EK 18 (13.31 km) at 10:30–11:30 TV2
Day care at 11:49
EK 19 (12.36 km) at 12:49
Rally highlights & EK 20 Power Stage from 14:00 to 15:30 TV1