Kalle Rovanpera expressed that losing what seemed to be his first World Rally Championship victory on his home turf during the penultimate stage is “a rather surreal feeling” after nearly flawless performance at Rally Finland.
The two-time world champion was on track to become the first Finnish winner since 2015, having claimed victory in 11 stages, which gave the Toyota driver a commanding 45.8-second advantage over his teammate Sebastien Ogier before stage 19.
Unfortunately, Rovanpera hit a rock on the road that caused his GR Yaris to roll, ending his rally instantly and handing the win to Ogier.
This marks the second consecutive year Rovanpera has rolled out of a lead at his home event. The Finnish driver stated there was “no way” to dodge the rock.
“It was basically the last significant corner of the stage, a fast fourth-gear corner, and when you entered the driving line a bit later in the corner, there were some rocks that you couldn’t avoid,” Rovanpera explained to Autosport.
“We just took the impact, and it was substantial; then we noticed the rock later and it was indeed a big one.
“There was no rock for those ahead of us; I only saw the onboard footage, and there was nothing there.”
Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
After relinquishing a potential victory following his impressive run, Rovanpera remarked: “It’s quite an unbelievable feeling to execute the whole weekend perfectly; the team and everyone involved did an exceptional job, and we were extremely fast with no hiccups or problems; we were in control throughout.
“And then, out of nowhere, something like this happens, and you find it impossible to avoid it; it’s such an unreal feeling.”
Rovanpera’s teammate Elfyn Evans, who crashed out at the very first corner of the same stage just before Rovanpera’s incident, commented that it was “incredibly unlucky.”
“I truly empathize with him; there’s nothing you can do in that situation,” Evans stated to Autosport.
“We’ve witnessed so many drivers fall victim to accidents like this in the past; Seb [Ogier] experienced one in testing, and [Hayden] Paddon had a similar issue here once and couldn’t even start the rally.
“It’s certainly one of the biggest risks in Rally Finland, encountering a loose stone positioned atop a rut like that. At high speeds, the car is low to the ground, and you essentially become a passenger.”
