Jonne Halttunen, who won two world championships as Kalle Rovanperä’s karter, revealed what Rovanperä’s best aspects are.
Pertti Lappalainen,
Micke Suopuro
Kalle Rovanperän karter Jonne Halttunen visited Urheilu’s recent podcast episode and spoke warmly about the young champion driver. This season, Rovanperä and Halttunen secured their second consecutive rally world championship even before the final rally of the coming weekend in Japan.
Micke Suopuro and Henri Haapamäki in the interview, Halttunen, when asked, praises Rovanperä profusely. The episode also talks about the duo’s success, the map reader’s work, and the situation in which Halttunen’s health was in danger.
Halttunen has worked with Rovanperä since 2017. The 37-year-old top karter practically knows the central Finnish rally ace inside out. The relationship between a map reader and a driver is often compared to a marriage, and Halttunen does not disagree.
– Kalle and I know each other damn well through thick and thin. We don’t have to message each other every day, but when we do, we immediately know what the other is talking about, says Halttunen in the podcast.
Rally people have been given the image of Rovanperä as an analytical and calm top driver. Halttunen says that the image created via television is not wrong. According to Karttur, the best thing about Rovanperä is its character.
– He is reasonable, fair and really goal-oriented. Kalle is also very empathetic. He is such a good person, Halttunen describes the rally champion.
Karter and driver spend a lot of time together both during rallies, preparing for them and traveling. Halttunen says that the other person’s character traits are inevitably visible.
One of Rovanperä’s abilities almost confuses the working couple. Rovanperä always has time for his fans.
– Even if I feel that there is no time now, Kalle will find that time somewhere. If he sees a little boy over there, he runs over there and takes the group photo the boy wants, Haltunen reveals.
– Many others may not care at that moment. Maybe that’s about empathy.
A tight duo is like an old couple
Like Rovanperä, Halttunen, who was born in Jyväskylä, describes the duo’s way of notating music specifically. Accuracy has polished the duo’s cooperation to a seamless one. In practice, the friendship between the two is also seamless.
Halttunen compares it to the relationship of an old couple, but only in a good way.
– A bit like breaded, in a good way. You don’t have to be around all the time, we talk when there’s something to do and everything works, Halttunen laughs with his analogy.
According to him, together with Rovanperä, they know exactly what the other likes and how things should be handled. This makes it a lot easier, for example, in competition situations. They don’t really need to discuss the events during the race or the methods of operation.
– It is nice. There is no such adjustment, everything is very simple, Halttunen emphasizes.
He says the “old couple’s” honeymoon is over.
– We don’t need to hear from each other every day. Neither of them’s day will be ruined if we don’t hear, Halttunen smiles.
At the same time, however, he emphasizes that the interaction between friends is very friendly, despite the close work cooperation. For example, Rovanpera might receive a video from Halttunen’s cell phone of the new exhaust pipe bought by the rally star.
– We talk a lot about life and other things. After the season, we immediately take a holiday trip when we go to Abu Dhabi to watch the Formula 1s, Halttunen muses.
Rovanperä was 17 years old when the two started working together. During the years together, Halttus has been described several times as Rovanperä’s big brother. However, Rovanperä is now 23 and Halttunen challenges the general view.
– I don’t know who is playing the big brother role today. Even that could have developed a bit, Halttunen laughs.
Listen here to Urheilu’s podcast, where Jonne Halttunen is a guest.