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How a trip to Lapland prepared Rovanpera for WRC Rally Sweden
Two-time world rally champion Kalle Rovanpera is “feeling pretty good’ about his WRC Rally Sweden prospects after a positive data learning mission at the Arctic Lapland Rally.
Toyota used the 60th edition of the famous Finnish event to help prepare Rovanpera for this week’s second round of the 2025 World Rally Championship on Sweden’s iconic snow covered roads.
With the WRC adopting brand new control tyres, supplied by Hankook, this season, seat time has proved increasingly more important this year as drivers aim to understand how to adapt to the new rubber.
Sweden will mark the debut of Hankook’s bespoke snow tyre, which features seven millimetre length studs, designed to dig into the icy roads to proved WRC crews with grip on the slippery surfaces.
Rovanpera declared the outing “an important weekend” for his Rally Sweden preparations after admitting this year’s snow tyre has different characteristics compared the Pirelli version utilised by the championship across the last four years.
The Finn finished the Arctic Lapland Rally in second overall, 11.5 seconds behind compatriot Tuuka Kauppinen, whose lower class Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 was running Michelin tyres featuring nine millimetre studded tyres.
“It was really cool to be driving in the Arctic Rally again," said 2022 Rally Sweden winner Rovanpera. “Every year it is a super cool event and this year it was really important too with the new Hankook tyres, to get a bit more feeling on those and get some more kilometres on those on the snow and try to find the best set up and way to go for us to go.
“I think it was an important weekend getting the extra kilometres. There is quite a lot of work to do with the car and everything, the tyre is quite different from what we have seen previously. It was good to be here. The feeling is pretty good heading to Sweden.”
Rovanpera started 2025 as the hot favourite to lift a third WRC title as the Finn makes his full-time return to the championship after contesting a partial season last year.
The 24-year-old heads to Sweden sitting fourth in the championship after a challenging opening round in Monte Carlo last month, where he struggled to adjust to Hankook’s new slick tyre.
Rovanpera however is expected to shine in Sweden having finished inside the top four in three of his last four outings at the rally.
Watch all the action from WRC Rally Sweden through Rally.TV. Rally Sweden begins with the opening stage on Thursday night from 6:05pm GMT.
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