Kalle Rovanperä is a double champion of the World Rally Championship, the likes of which has never been seen before.
Rovanperä has won “only” three races this season compared to six last season. Despite that, the Finnish ace secured his world title in the last previous competition.
Sports expert Henri Haapamäki especially sees the stability and certainty that brought Rovanpera another championship. The Finnish striker has not exactly fallen into mistakes.
– Kalle has been satisfied with taking the place that he has achieved by doing his best in competitions where there has been no chance to realistically win. For example, the fourth places have been worth their weight in gold, Haapamäki estimates.
The same point was made by Toyota’s team manager Jari-Matti Latvala In an interview with .
– Kalle has managed to take fourth and fifth place. He has thought about the whole more through reason, Latvala compared to last season when the championship was decided.
In addition to safety, top speed has been stored. Six Power Stage wins and 72 special stage lap times is a convincing sample that no other World Series driver has been able to match.
– He is the most complete overall package in rally car racing ever, Haapamäki uploads.
He says that Rovanperä’s speed and car handling and notation skills are unmatched. In addition, as a young and well-behaved driver, Rovanperä suits the car factory very well for marketing purposes.
– I can’t think of anything to add, Haapamäki summarizes.
Thousands of hours are visible
Rovanperä’s attitude and hunger for victory convince Haapamäki. One example was obtained from the beginning of the season after the World Rally Championship in Croatia. In the interview, Rovanperä demanded that he better prepare for the rallies after the race, which ended in fourth place.
– The first thing that comes to mind is that you have to prepare better when you don’t win. It was such a wake-up call for himself and also for the team, Haapamäki assessed the behavior of the 23-year-old driver.
An expert praises Rovanperä and a map reader Jonne Halttunen cooperation. In addition, the calmness of the double champion convinces Haapamäki. He says Rovanperä’s calmness and maturity are completely exceptional for a young driver.
Rovanperä also started in the WRC class very young, only 20 years old.
– It’s not simple for a young boy like that to travel hundreds of days a year around the world and make his own decisions, tire choices and so on. The body is in his twenties, but his mind is in his forties, Haapamäki laughs.
Rovanperä’s driving skills constantly gather incense, regardless of the conditions. An experienced expert says that Rovanperä has a huge number of repetitions and hours of driving different vehicles for his age.
According to Haapamäki, for example, lessons driven by microcars, ATVs and mopeds are seen nowadays especially in variable and challenging conditions, for example on a weekend in Central Europe.
– Competence can be seen when you have to adapt your driving to the prevailing conditions and weather very quickly. Even then, Kalle gets the maximum speed out of it. Haapamäki analysed, the “feeling” for the car is unimaginably strong.
The champion’s future is telling
In the case of Rovanperä, it has been thought for some time how long the young superstar wants to drive in the World Rally Championship. He is known as a passionate motor sportsman for whom rallying is not his whole life.
Haapamäki sees that the current competitive situation in the World Rally Championship does not motivate Rovanperä to continue his career for years.
– If this continues like this, that he wins the championships before the final rally of the season, then I don’t think that he will drive ten world championships or something like that under any circumstances, says Haapamäki.
He sees it as a more likely scenario that Rovanperä would aim for success or even dominance in other sports, for example drifting. According to the expert, the possibility of changing disciplines is supported by the rally champion’s young age.
– His age is really quick to learn and assimilate, says Haapamäki.
The motivation to continue rallying for longer can be found in a medicine familiar to athletes: tougher competition. Haapamäki speculates that a challenger who is evenly matched or repeatedly beats Rovanperä would ignite the winning character into even stronger flames than before.
– Being humiliated would not suit her in any way, Haapamäki states.
The experienced rally man adds that it is in the nature of a motor sportsman to compare who is the fastest and strongest driver. He says that an even tougher comparison is Rovanperä’s and for example Sebastien Ogier’s with masters like those who dominate the sport.
Being ostracized is the worst poison for champions.
– It would take so much to the brain that Rovanperä would not be able to swallow it. It would be the best if there were drivers who could be on an equal footing with Kalle.
The Finnish, and why not the international, rally crowd got some pleasant nuggets of information on Sunday. Latvala said that Rovanperä’s extension contract with Toyota is 95% complete.
Haapamäki sees one clear motivator in Rovanperä’s near future: the second-generation rally star is still missing a victory at the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship.
– He wants to be a celebrated hero in Jyväskylä and stand in front of the sea of people when the blue cross flags are flying, Haapamäki says.