BACK FROM THE GAP

Kalle Rovanpera must be looking for a new contract in the World Rally Championship.

How else to explain the most dramatic reversal of form in the recent history of the series?

Rovanpera was a back-to-back prodigy when he first joined Toyota, claiming the world title in 2022 and 2023, but has looked anything but a winner after taking a 'gap year' in 2024 to play and race in everything from the Carrera Cup to drifting.

In his first three starts this season he was outgunned by his Toyota team-mates, as Sebastian Ogier won in Monte Carlo and Elfyn Evans swept Sweden and the Safari Rally in Kenya.

Rovanpera's failure to fire allowed his middling team-mate Evans to take up the front running in the GR Yaris squad and the lead in the world title chase.

Evans is good without being outstanding and is usually tailing when Rovanpera is firing or feisty old-timer Ogier – a seven-time WRC champion – jumps in to play in one of the Yaris GRs.

Then came Rally Islas Canarias in Spain - and Rovanpera was back.

He won 12 straight stages and never looked threatened, partly because he was so good and partly because Toyota's opposition – Hyundai – was miserable. The Japanese maker's Yaris held the top five places until youngster Sami Pajari, not surprisingly, crashed.

Rovanpera was unflustered, unchallenged and sublime.

So, what happened?

Neal Bates, multiple Australian rally champion who has also achieved plenty of success in circuit racing, might have the answer.

"It was a tarmac rally. And that's the closest thing to what he was doing in the Carrera Cup last year," Bates tells Race.news

But does that explain what had gone wrong before Spain?

Rovanpera complained about the tyres at the Monte, complained about the set-up of his car in Sweden, and was outgunned by Evans on the Safari.

But he was much happier in Spain and chirping about the enjoyable roads and a car that was doing what he wanted.

“It's quite amazing,” Rovanperä enthused. “It has not been the best start of the season, but we are definitely - at least in these kinds of condition, we are back now."

"We have just been enjoying the driving. The car has been super fast.

"It's probably one of my best wins so far. It’s not so often on this level when you can be so consistently fast through the whole weekend."

Rovanpera is now looking ahead to the first 'normal' gravel rally of 2025, in Portugal, and is confident.

His car will also have a new look as the Yaris GR fronts in silver instead of the boring matt black used until now, including in Australia with Harry and Lewis Bates, for its rally efforts.

But it will still be on the Hankook tyres he has struggled to like through 2025, apart from on the bitumen in Spain.

"Something new to learn,” he says.

“I think so far the feeling is pretty good. So yeah, now the testing is really important to get a good feeling and get everything together and have a good pace.”

Can he win? Will he win? Is the old Kalle back, or even an improved new one?

“Yeah, it has not been the easiest start of the season,"
he admits.

"But, yeah, still we are not too far from the (title) fight. Of course now when we go on gravel we have a new chance to again start to push harder and try to get back into the fight."