With his victory in the Safari Rally, Kalle Rovanperä took the lead by as much as 65 points in the World Rally Championship. It is no longer difficult to stop the championship train, says Henri Haapamäki, an expert in Sports.
Toyota’s Finnish star Kalle Rovanperän dominance in the World Rally Championship continued in the Kenyan Rally, which ended on Sunday. The fourth win of the season was sealed more than 50 seconds apart by a teammate To Elfyn Evans.
– Once again an extremely cold show. The role of the Aura car was feared and perhaps even the enthusiasm of youth, as it was an endurance rally. The fastest man won it, but it was definitely an endurance competition, Sports Expert Henri Haapamäki points out.
Even before Power Stage, which ended the rally, it was wondered whether Rovanperä would drive without risks and secure his victory.
– It was feared that Kalle would start to try five extra points looking forward to her youth when the roads were in challenging poor condition. But he restrained to drive calmly and stood on the roof of the car as the rally winner. What’s more awesome!
Rovanperä described the Safari rally he was running as the toughest battle of his career.
– I totally believe it. Had to work so hard, the longest race of the season was hot. It had many aspects that made the competition very heavy, Haapamäki estimates.
Haapamäki admitted that the words of praise describing Rovanpera are beginning to fade.
– It is no longer known what could exceed expectations. Winning the rally and five points from Power Stage are starting to be a normal good performance. After all, it is incomprehensible, such has not been seen in the world of rally for a while.
Rovanperä’s World Cup points lead is crushing, ahead of Hyundai Thierry Neuvilleen is already 65 points as the mid-season looms.
– This train is no longer turning back. Of course, anything is still possible if there are bad technical problems, more interruptions or outings. But Kalle’s entire career has so far been reliable and up-and-coming. I see no reason why we should not celebrate the world championship this autumn, Haapamäki estimates.
Spiritual superiority of opponents – “Now no more laughing”
Rovanperä is already starting to have a mental advantage over his opponents.
– It hasn’t been long since we were still on the levels and Neuville and the partners thought this little boy was pretty hard to count on. But now no more laughing, now others are wondering what they could do, Haapamäki sees.
– High-speed drivers like Evans drive the same car as Kalle, but are unable to keep up with Rovanperä’s pace. Hard to do.
Haapamäki estimates that Rovanperä’s mental toughness is a decisive factor on the road to becoming a great champion.
– Rovanperä is under pressure, and he is completely steadfast, even if he is in charge of the rally. Kalle tends to do the dirty and quiet work that is done behind the scenes. And we have seen the end result, Haapamäki says.
Next in the World Rally Championship series are the Estonian and Finnish races. So let’s get to the rallies, where Rovanperä is definitely strong again.
– Thanks to Kalle, the rally jump starts to rise. Everyone who is able to nail is sure to be in Jyväskylä. The organization organizing the Finnish rally must be quite satisfied, Haapamäki said.