Rovanperä to stop or double in New Zealand

If a victory in Rally New Zealand can nearly assure him to be topped, Kalle Rovanperä will above all should keep away from a brand new misstep this weekend.

Kalle Rovanperä must cease the bleeding in New Zealand! Nonetheless chief of the championship, the Finn has certainly been engaged in a really unhealthy collection for 3 rallies and has not even tasted the fun of the rostrum since his residence spherical in early August.

The Toyota driver has solely scored 9 factors within the final two rounds, on the Ypres Rally and the Acropolis Rally, in comparison with 50 for his most critical opponent within the title race, Ott Tänak (Thierry Neuville can be nonetheless within the recreation, however relegated to 76 models). Nonetheless, with a lead of 53 factors, Rovanperä nonetheless has the opportunity of profitable the title once more this weekend, offered he manages to attain eight factors greater than the Estonian.

It will not be simple, particularly for the teenager, who will flip 22 on Saturday in an occasion he’ll participate in for the primary time: Rally New Zealand, which final passed off in 2012, was initially scheduled to return to the calendar in 2020 however the Covid pandemic led to the cancellation of the final two editions.

Underneath these situations, it’s troublesome to hold out an applicable preparation and it’s above all of the D system that prevails. “I’ve heard nothing however good issues about New Zealand, about rallying and the way good the roads are there”Nonetheless, Rovanperä broadcasts entry, which doesn’t quit being optimistic. “As a part of our preparation, we tried to seek out movies to get a primary concept of ​​what the phases appear like, and what we’re going to want on the automotive earlier than we go there.

Pressured to open the way in which by his place as chief within the championship, the Finn appears to be as soon as once more doomed to do wonders in New Zealand if he doesn’t wish to see Tänak once more take factors from him. He thus hopes to restrict the injury throughout the first stage earlier than letting go of the horses afterwards, and why not play for victory.

A objective that isn’t only a fantasy, as a result of in any case it had managed to win on gravel rallies whereas opening the way in which on the primary day of the Rally of Portugal and the Safari Rally . “The final rallies have not gone very properly for us, however we all know what we have to enhance, and we’re working exhausting to have extra tempo and be extra snug”he continues. “We must open the street once more however hopefully we are able to get some good pace, benefit from the race and end with end result.”

Rovanperä has gathered pilot errors within the final rounds, accusing his first retirement of the season in Belgium earlier than hitting a tree in Greece.

Roads more easy than on the Acropolis

If the very tough course of the final spherical in Greece brought about many issues for Toyota (the Japanese producer conceded its worst accounting file of the yr there with solely 23 factors scored), the rather more rolling profile of the New Zealand roads ought to nonetheless be extra appropriate for the GR Yaris.

In any case, that is the opinion of the boss of the workforce, Jari-Matti Latvala, winner within the land of the lengthy white cloud in 2010 after a high quality duel in opposition to Sébastien Ogier, who may also be a part of it. this weekend for the good thing about the Japanese model. “Greece was after all a disappointing spherical for us, and there are classes that we needed to be taught to be stronger in all these rallies sooner or later”explains the Finn. “Rally New Zealand nonetheless is a really totally different rally [de celui de l’Acropole]. The floor is extra linear, the roads are quick and flowing, and the a number of slopes make you’re feeling such as you’re in a ballet with the automotive. These are actually unimaginable roads, which you do not discover wherever else within the WRC.”

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