Latvia is making its debut in the WRC calendar this year, but the country has a long history of rallying.
The fast gravel roads of Latvia are familiar to Toyota’s Finnish star Kalle Rovanperä from his junior years, making him one of the biggest favourites for the weekend’s competition.
“It’s likely to be an interesting and good weekend. That’s always the hope, of course,” Rovanperä said after the shakedown.
Although the Latvian roads are familiar to Rovanperä, it doesn’t provide much advantage now.
“I calculated that it’s been eight or seven years since I last drove here, so it wasn’t much help. Some stages were driven then, but I didn’t remember them much. Just a few places or areas, but it will be like a new rally,” Rovanperä admitted candidly.
The roads in Latvia are narrow and fast. They should suit Rovanperä very well. However, the wooden poles used as anti-cutting barriers have raised eyebrows.
“It’s fast here, but they’ve tried to make the roads a bit slower with those anti-cutting poles. I think on the small roads they are a bit unnecessary. It’s not nice for the driver, as they make the roads very unnatural. The natural flow is gone, and those poles make the corners a bit slower. It’s very difficult to capture in the notes which corners tighten and which open up. It’s a bit of a strange decision, but I still think it will be quite fast,” Rovanperä predicted.
Rovanperä’s goal for Rally Latvia is clear. However, achieving it may not be easy.
“A podium finish is the goal. The shakedown didn’t leave a very good feeling, and our cars weren’t very fast compared to Hyundai. I think it will be quite a difficult weekend. Usually, if this feeling comes in the shakedown, it proves to be true. We will probably be a bit slower than Hyundai.”
Rovanperä competed in Latvia for the first time at the age of 12. It has helped his career move forward.
“It’s been really important to be able to drive proper rallies here from notes. It was very important,” Rovanperä noted.
Rovanperä’s career has developed quite differently from many other WRC drivers. He is pleased with the decisions he has made along the way.
“There are always things you could have done better or differently, but there haven’t been any major blunders along the way,” Rovanperä laughed.
