Rovanpera to “give it his all” to leave WRC with third title

Kalle Rovanpera says he will be “giving his all” to claim a third World Rally Championship title after announcing plans to retire from rallying and move to circuit racing in 2026.

The two-time world champion stunned the motorsport world last week by revealing plans to make a sensational career switch to single seater racing, beginning with a stint in Japan’s Super Formula next year, with Formula 1 the ultimate goal.

Confirming plans to cut ties competing in the WRC, this weekend’s Central European Rally will mark the start of the Finn’s farewell tour with the 25-year-old still firmly in the title fight, 21 points behind championship leader Sebastien Ogier.

“Obviously this year has not been the best but we are still in the top three fighting so it is not the worst either,” said Rovanpera.

“There has been some back luck on the side and many things happening where we could have had some more points. I would say it has been so bad.

“It has not been the most comfortable this year but there is still three rallies to go and the fight will be on. Knowing that these are the three last rallies for us at least for a while for me I will give it my all to fight for the title and do some good results for the team and myself.”

Rovanpera will be eager to recover lost ground after disappointing double header in South America where punctures suffered in Paraguay and Chile robbed the Finn of early rally leads.

The championship’s return to asphalt this week could bode well for Rovanpera’s title aspirations having dominated the last round on tarmac roads in the Canary Islands in April, albeit this weekend’s stages in the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany will be vastly different from those experienced on the Spanish island.

“The South American events didn’t go our way but with three rallies to go, we are still in the fight and we’re not giving up. It’s going to be interesting to go back to asphalt,” Rovanpera added.

“The Central European Rally doesn’t have nice clean asphalt like we had in Canaries, as there’s quite a lot of cuts and mud. So it’s definitely a tricky rally, but it’s a nice event all the same and we’ll try to make it a good one.

“We had good pace in 2023, and we have good memories from then of when we won the title. We’ve had a nice pre-event test and the feeling with the car is quite good, so let’s see what this year’s rally brings.”

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