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Kalle Rovanpera Dominates Rally Islas Canarias
Kalle Rovanpera showcased an exceptional performance at the Rally Islas Canarias, impressively surpassing his competitors in a manner that eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier described as being in a “different league.”
Teaming up with co-driver Jonne Halttunen, Rovanpera demonstrated remarkable skill on the Canary Islands’ smooth asphalt surfaces, securing victory by winning 15 out of the 18 stages. This triumph marks Rovanpera’s first win of the season and reignites his quest for a third world championship title.
Initially encountering challenges in adapting to the new Hankook tires, Rovanpera ultimately mastered their nuances, complemented by an impressive performance in a Toyota GR Yaris that demonstrated a strong match for the rally’s conditions.
Ogier, Rovanpera’s more seasoned teammate known for his expertise on asphalt, found himself unable to match the Finn’s impressive pace, finishing 53.5 seconds behind.
“There is a lot of positive and satisfaction out of the weekend. First of all, we nearly got a perfect team result, which was the priority for me,” Ogier shared with Autosport. “I still believe my performance was pretty okay, but unfortunately for me and all the other drivers, Kalle was just in a very different league this weekend and delivered a performance that we don’t often see in this sport.”
Ogier reflected on his own experiences, noting, “I have sometimes been in this situation during my career, but it’s rare to see such a clear domination at a single event.”
He added, “It was evident he was very comfortable, as winning almost every stage shows a significant advantage. We attempted to improve the car’s set-up early in the weekend, which didn’t instill the best confidence initially, but by the end of the rally, I was quite satisfied with the vehicle.”
Ogier’s accolades for Rovanpera were echoed by Juha Kankkunen, a four-time world champion and Toyota’s deputy team principal, who rated the young driver’s performance as a “10 out of 10” effort.
Looking back on the weekend, Rovanpera expressed that this was among the finest performances of his 16 wins in the World Rally Championship, particularly noting that he had previously only won on similar surfaces once, in Croatia in 2023. “It has to be one of the best rallies we have done. It’s not common these days to have a weekend where you consistently outpace everyone else,” Rovanpera stated. “I haven’t had many clean tarmac rallies in my Rally1 career, and I must admit, I prefer this type of event to the dirty tarmac stages.”
Source
www.autosport.com