Kalle Rovanperä: "I don't want to win ten titles or break records, just enjoy"

With that air of absent-minded genius, blond pulling albino under his cap, husky eyes, pale pink sneakers to match his skinny legs the color of wax, the new world rally champion appears from the Toyota garages, Kalle Rovanperä (Jyväskylä, 2000), “the man of the moment”, as his press officer introduces him in the RallyRACC Catalunya service park.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
21 October 2022 Friday 22:31
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Kalle Rovanperä: "I don't want to win ten titles or break records, just enjoy"

With that air of absent-minded genius, blond pulling albino under his cap, husky eyes, pale pink sneakers to match his skinny legs the color of wax, the new world rally champion appears from the Toyota garages, Kalle Rovanperä (Jyväskylä, 2000), “the man of the moment”, as his press officer introduces him in the RallyRACC Catalunya service park.

At just 22 years and one day old, the man-child was enthroned on October 2 as the youngest king in rally history. A record earliness that defines the Finnish prodigy. The kid Rovanperä, son of the former driver Harri – who raced for Seat in the World Championship from 1996 to 2000 –, is as sober and confident behind the wheel as he was before the recorder in his meeting with La Vanguardia before starting to compete.

How did you get to the RallyRACC Catalunya after being champion?

Of course I arrive more relaxed after having taken off the pressure of having to win the World Cup. I want to win every rally I go to and I'll try to do it here too.

In New Zealand he surpassed Colin McRae as the youngest champion in more than 5 years (27 years and 109 days, in 1995). How does it feel to be the youngest champion?

It's a good feeling. I feel good about winning the title, but I don't look any different now than I did before. At the height of it, it was a nice feeling. I feel relieved to have achieved something that I had been chasing for a long time. He had a lot of weight on him.

At the age of 13, he was already piloting devilishly through the snowy forests of Finland. Does being so fast have anything to do with having started driving so early, when you were only eight years old?

I do not know. It is impossible to really know. I've ridden a lot since my childhood and I've managed to go faster and faster. It's hard to say, but you can...

Has that made you miss a lot of school classes?

I went to regular school until 9th ​​grade [the last year of primary school in Finland, until 15-16 years old] and then I had to stop and leave because of the rallies.

Having a former rally driver father and being Finnish are two compelling reasons to be a driver. Is it true that he wanted to leave rallying at 19, before becoming WRC-2 Pro champion?

No, it was when I was 13 or 14 years old. It's not that she wanted to leave him, it's that she wanted to make a break, but there was no problem.

What is the main piece of advice your father has given you?

I'm sure I've learned a lot of things of great value from him, but I couldn't say which has been the most special, there have been many different things.

Who was your idol as a child?

My father, but I haven't had too many idols, really. I haven't followed anyone in particular.

I thought Kimi Räikkönen would say, for example.

No... Of course Kimi is a legend in Finland, I love his style, he's a decent guy, but I wasn't too interested in F-1...

What does he have left to learn as a champion?

One is always learning. You learn from experiences, from situations that come your way. I have to learn to be more consistent, to be calm.

Plus? Dani Sordo says when he sees it on the on-board cameras that everything comes out easy for him, that he does everything naturally... How does he do it?

I have always driven very relaxed behind the wheel, I try to feel comfortable and relaxed.

What skills does he have that the other pilots don't?

I do not know. It is very difficult for me to say it; I think that all the riders in the World Championship are at a top level, we all have many skills and at a certain moment they come to your mind. The way you handle situations is what makes the difference. Me, when I focus on going fast, I feel like I am.

How far do you want to go in your career?

I just want to get more victories, more years of good results, and that's it. To be honest, I don't want anything special. I don't want to break any records. I just want to have a nice race and enjoy myself.

Now he is 22 years old. Sébastien Loeb won his 9th title at the age of 38. If you keep winning every year until you're 38, you could reach 16 World Cups... How do you see it?

I will not be piloting so many years! I sure don't want to win ten world titles, this is not my goal. What I want is to enjoy motorsport, there are different things that I like, like drifting. I hope to win the World Cup next year, we will have to work hard. I will try to fight for the title and we will see what we can do.