Rovanpera’s Polish Victory: One for the WRC History Books
Kalle Rovanperä, a young talent from Toyota Gazoo Racing, achieved a memorable victory at the Rally of Poland, marking his 13th career triumph. This remarkable feat came after a series of dramatic and intense events, testing the Finnish driver’s resilience and skill.
Rovanperä wasn’t even scheduled to participate in the rally, being called at the last minute to replace Sébastien Ogier, who suffered an accident during reconnaissance on Tuesday. With less than 48 hours to prepare, Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen faced a marathon of frantic preparations before Thursday afternoon’s ceremonial start.
However, this accelerated preparation did not affect Rovanperä’s performance. He dominated the stages with his Pirelli-equipped GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, surpassing his teammate Elfyn Evans by 28.3 seconds, culminating in a Toyota one-two. Hyundai rival Andreas Mikkelsen, who started the final day just 9.4 seconds behind Rovanperä, saw his chances of victory disappear due to tire damage, falling to sixth place.
“It was an incredible week,” Rovanperä said. “We worked hard and are really tired now. The best thing is that we came here and helped the team a lot, scoring many points for the manufacturers’ championship.”
Mikkelsen, seeking his first FIA WRC victory since 2016, led the race on Friday before losing the lead to Rovanperä in the penultimate stage. The degradation of Mikkelsen’s i20 N Rally1 Hybrid tires hindered his performance, and he opted to complete the final stages at a controlled pace.
“It was sad what happened today,” Mikkelsen said. “We were really unlucky. The right thing to do after that was to bring the car back for the team.”
The four-day rally, blessed with hot weather, provided edge-of-the-seat drama as drivers competed for tenths of a second on fast, challenging roads. Despite a tire delamination on Saturday and a slow deflation in the Wolf Power Stage, Evans managed to stand out among the main title contenders, reclaiming second place in the drivers’ championship.
Ott Tänak, forced to retire due to an unavoidable impact on Friday, managed to restart the next day and salvage 11 points on Super Sunday. His Hyundai teammate, Thierry Neuville, won the Wolf Power Stage but finished fourth, having to clear the road of loose stones on the first day.
M Sport Ford star Adrien Fourmaux, who scored his third podium of the season, finished 28.1 seconds ahead of Neuville. Mārtiņš Sesks, making his top-flight debut, impressed by finishing fifth, driving a non-hybrid Puma.
Rovanperä’s victory in Poland not only solidified his position as one of the emerging talents in the WRC but also provided one of the most impressive performances of the season, leaving an indelible mark on the championship’s history. With six rounds remaining, the battle for the title promises to be intense, with every point crucial in the race for the world championship.
