Kalle Rovanperä’s style was again more astonishing than the statistics – the Finnish driver made a new statement in the rally history

Markku Alénin the utterance made famous is an iconic part of rally history. Alén drove, as he said, and therefore was not spared the chunks.

Finnish rally drivers are not well-known asphalt specialists, but Alén’s two victories in Corsica make him the blue-and-white of the long-distance roads. The World Rally Championships in Corsica in the 1980s were the most demanding asphalt races in the history of the sport. Alén’s 1984 victory in the thousands-bend race was over 13 hours and 43 minutes.

Alén is deservedly part of a few champions who have been able to win the World Championships on all three platforms: snow, gravel and asphalt. Although the World Championships have been run for almost 50 years, only 13 drivers have been able to do this trick.

There are now six Finns on that list. The name of the newest – and youngest – member is, of course Kalle Rovanperä.

When it comes to demanding, the Croatian World Rally Championship 2022 is a good modern version of Corsica: an extreme challenge. There are only a fraction of the special test kilometers, but instead it rained every day and the roads were filled with mud.

Therefore, it is only appropriate that the 21-year-old Rovanperä joined the group led by Alen – and at the same time finally brought a new saying to the rally history.

These words are recorded in Rovanperä’s helmet. He also showed these words when he had won Ott Tänakia on Saturday’s closing spot by more than half a second per kilometer.

You can see the situation from above in the main picture.

Rovanperä had suffered a flat tire earlier in the day and the lead seemed to melt into his hands. But as if from scratch Rovanperä slipped to the table for a performance that should not have been possible at his starting point. The Finn beat the Estonian in his own game.

Attacking the floor on the floor alone did not solve the rally, as Sunday, with all its variations in circumstances, wrote another chapter in a dazzling rally race in all respects.

Even today, there is no reason for the weather group to be annealed over the years. The Estonian made the only choice that could still challenge Rovanperä. The sky opened and Rovanperä’s half-minute lead changed by just over a second.

Thus, another “full send” of the Toyota star was needed in the final piece. Today also had a tire advantage, as the soft-alloy tires offered significantly better traction in the muddy front of the Power Stage than the Rovanperä mixed tire with rain tires and hard-alloy tires.

Rovanpera thus had no guarantee that the risks he had taken while driving would pay for themselves. Instead, the chance of getting out and thus losing the entire points pot was real.

Watch the Power Stage final solutions in the video below.

Rovanperä saw no threat, but an opportunity. Problems will inevitably come as the season progresses. In Croatia, Rovanperä made sure that there was nothing left to do.

Rovanperä has now won in less than a year on gravel, snow and asphalt. In Croatia, he did not have to win, as the conditions were completely new to him. The previous year’s race had also ended after five kilometers.

Still, Rovanperä found a way to win. That is why he has deservedly written his name in the statistics alongside the great legends in a small number.