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Rovanpera still looking for "happy place” on gravel as WRC heads to Portugal
Kalle Rovanpera dominated the World Rally Championship field on asphalt last month, but is still looking for his “happy place” on gravel as the series returns to loose surfaces in Portugal this week.
Two-time world champions Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen were in a league of their own last time out in Rally Islas Canarias as they claimed 15 of the 18 asphalt stages, on their way to a first victory of the season.
Early season title favourite Rovanpera had endured a tough start to the campaign before heading to the Canary Islands, having struggled to adapt his driving style to this year’s all-new Hankook tyres.
While the Finn managed too finally unlock the secrets to speed on the tyre on asphalt, he is still working towards feeling as comfortable driving on gravel.
Less than 48 hours after igniting his title charge with victory in the Canary Islands, Rovanpera was back driving a GR Yaris on gravel in a test to prepare for Rally Portugal - an event he previously won in 2022 and 2023.
“It felt good to win again in the Canaries after quite a while,” said Rovanpera.
“Now we go back to gravel, where I’m still working to feel as comfortable as I do on asphalt. On gravel there’s always less grip and you’re sliding a lot more, and with the different weight balance of the car and new tyres this year, I’m still looking for the happy place.
“Together with the team we were working hard on it during our test last week and hopefully we can find a good, consistent pace to keep scoring the points on these next rallies.
“The style of the stages in Portugal is really nice, I always enjoy driving them and hopefully we can be fast there again this year.”
While it remains to be seen how competitive Rovanpera will be on gravel this week, Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvaia is confident his driver will soon find the edge again.
“Kalle came back strong in the Canaries and we’re sure he can soon find that feeling on gravel too,” said Latvala.
The first of Rally Portugal’s 24 scheduled stages will begin on Thursday night.
2025 World Rally Championships dates and races
| No. | Dates | Rally | Rally headquarters |
| 1 | Jan 23-26 | Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo | Gap, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France |
| 2 | Feb 13-16 | Rally Sweden | Umeå, Västerbotten County, Sweden |
| 3 | Mar 20-23 | Safari Rally Kenya | Nairobi, Nakuru County, Kenya |
| 4 | Apr 24-27 | Rally Islas Canarias | Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain |
| 5 | May 15-18 | Rally de Portugal | Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal |
| 6 | Jun 5-8 | Rally Italia Sardegna | Olbia, Sardinia, Italy |
| 7 | Jun 26-29 | Acropolis Rally Greece | Lamia, Central Greece, Greece |
| 8 | Jul 17-20 | Rally Estonia | Tartu, Tartu County, Estonia |
| 9 | Jul 31-Aug 3 | Rally Finland | Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland |
| 10 | Aug 28-31 | Rally del Paraguay | Encarnación, Itapúa, Paraguay |
| 11 | Sep 11-14 | Rally Chile | Concepción, Biobío, Chile |
| 12 | Oct 16-19 | Central European Rally | Bad Griesbach, Bavaria, Germany |
| 13 | Nov 6-9 | Rally Japan | Toyota, Aichi, Japan |
| 14 | Nov 27-30 | Rally Saudi Arabia | Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia |
Watch 2025 World Rally Championship on DAZN
The 2025 World Rally Championship is available through DAZN on its own dedicated app channel, Rally TV.
It is available either as a dedicated Rally TV subscription, or as part of your existing DAZN subscription for a small add-on fee.
DAZN is the home of Rally TV worldwide, excluding Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Rally TV also broadcasts every race from the European Rally Championship.
Watch every WRC and ERC race this year on DAZN's 24-hour dedicated Rally TV channel. For more information on prices, subscriptions and more, click here.
