Rising star Kalle Rovanperä takes TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to their fifth consecutive win in Estonia

Rally Estonia brought smiles all round for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team. It was another win for the team, their fifth consecutive and sixth out of seven rounds. It was Kalle Rovanperä’s and co-driver Jonne Halttunen’s first victory, following a difficult start to the season. Rovanperä also became the youngest driver at 20 years to win a round of the WRC, a record that was previously held by Team Principal, Jari-Matti Latvala. Additionally, all three of the team’s cars finished inside the top five, with Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia coming fourth and Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin taking fifth.

Setback to breakthrough

Reversing misfortunes in earlier rounds of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship, Kalle Rovanperä put in strong performances from the start of Day 1 of Rally Estonia, on 15th July. He began setting the pace over three attempts in the pre-event shakedown. Meanwhile, team-mates Sébastien Ogier finished fifth, Elfyn Evans fourth and TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta in his Yaris WRC, came third.

When it was time for the opening stage of the first day, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team’s youngest driver claimed a narrow early lead. Rovanperä recorded the fastest time by just 0.1 seconds. Ogier was 10th overall, but only 1.2s away from Rovanperä’s time, with Katsuta and Evans the next of the World Rally Cars behind.

Day 2 saw the first full day of competition on high-speed gravel stages, where Rovanperä was able to maintain his lead, along with his co-driver Jonne Halttunen. After briefly dropping to third place, after the first of Friday’s eight forest stages, he moved back into the lead as the fastest driver in the remaining three tests of the morning loop. He won three more stages in the afternoon, beating his nearest rival by 8.5 seconds.

Sébastian Ogier climbed to third by the end of the morning loop, and fourth in the afternoon. Elfyn Evans had been in second place temporarily, but due to overshooting a junction, fell 15.7 seconds behind Ogier at the end of day 2. Takamoto Katusta and co-driver Dan Barritt were forced to retire from the rally, having been in third at one point, because of Barritt’s reported neck and back pain following heavy landing from one of the many jumps.

Maintaining and extending Rovanperä’s advantage

Having won six of Friday’s eight stages, Day 3 saw further success for Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen, who were looking to secure their maiden WRC victory. Rovanperä began by finishing 10 seconds quicker than anyone else in the longest stage of the rally, the 23.53-kilometre Peipsiääre test, putting him 35.7 seconds ahead overall.

Even due to the challenges of deep ruts through the soft and sandy stages, Rovanperä used his skills to maintain the condition of the Toyota Yaris WRC and continue extending his advantage. Team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans continued to battle over third position but finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Rovanperä enjoyed a lead of 50.7 seconds from the opposition by the end of the longest day of Rally Estonia.

On 18th July, Rovanperä, Ogier and Evans competed in the final day of Rally Estonia. Rovanperä’scomfortable lead, gained the day before, extended to almost a minute at 59.9 seconds, due to his expertly controlled drive through the last six stages.

After their victory at the end of day 4, Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen had achieved more than their first win in a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Rovanperä became the youngest driver to ever win at 20 years and 290 days, a record that was previously held by Team Principal, Jari-Matti Latvala (who was just over two years older when he won Rally Sweden in 2008). He had also led the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team to their fifth win in a row. Additionally, three of the team’s cars finished inside the top five, with Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia coming fourth and Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin taking fifth.

Speaking of Rovanperä’s victory, Akio Toyoda, Team Founder, said: “Kalle, Jonne, congratulations on the victory! I’m really relieved that you could finally go flat-out throughout the rally, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has this feeling.

“The winning Yaris WRC was built in our factory based in Estonia. Therefore, Estonia is also our home ground. It is great that the first event after the halfway point of the season started with a victory in one of our home events and more home rallies are lining up: Rally Finland in October and Rally Japan in November.”

Jari-Matti Latvala, Team Principal, said: “It’s an amazing day today, and a record-breaking win in more ways than one. Every victory is special and enjoyable, but for me to see Kalle’s first victory today has a big meaning. I’m so happy to see him become the youngest ever to win a WRC rally and take the record from me: It keeps up the Finnish tradition, after Henri Toivonen held it before me. He did such a fantastic job this weekend. To take our fifth win in a row – a record for Toyota – is also unbelievable.”

Kalle Rovanperä said: “It feels really good to take the win. We’ve been aiming for this, and I have to say a big thanks to the team. Even though this year has been difficult for me, they have been supporting me so well. It’s really nice to have this record as the youngest winner. Jari-Matti told me that he wanted it to be me who would take it, so that means something to me. Today I had a surprisingly good feeling, I didn’t feel so much pressure and I could drive normally, still with good pace. For sure, this result should help a lot now: When you can get a win, it helps to release a bit of the feeling and the pressure.”

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will return soon, as the FIA World Rally Championship makes its first appearance at the Ypres Rally in Belgium on 13-15 August. The classic route, which was first held in 1965, is known for being a demanding asphalt event on farmland roads lined with ditches. It’s also set to feature a final day held around the famous Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit.