After the Rally Chile in the autumn, Ferm announced that his professional career as a co-driver had come to an end. While Lappi, who has driven for Hyundai in recent years, has not yet retired, Ferm has decided not to continue competing at the top level.
However, Ferm’s expertise is still in demand, and last weekend he began working with Toyota star Kalle Rovanperä. Ferm and former rally driver Juuso Nordgren were part of Rovanperä’s gravel crew during the Rallye National Hivernal du Devoluy in France.
Gravel crews drive through the special stages ahead of the competing cars, providing up-to-date information on conditions and making adjustments to the pacenotes. In France, Nordgren and Ferm supplied Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen with the latest details and corrections for the stages.
Rovanperä and Halttunen used the Rallye National Hivernal du Devoluy as preparation for the 2025 season, during which they will once again compete in all WRC events with Toyota’s Rally1 car. It appears that Nordgren and Ferm will form the gravel crew for Toyota’s top drivers in tarmac events.
Next year, the WRC calendar will feature four tarmac rallies. The season will begin with the iconic Rally Monte Carlo, followed in April by the debut of asphalt stages in the Canary Islands. Later in the season, the Central European Rally and Rally Japan will also take place on sealed surfaces.
The Rallye National Hivernal du Devoluy provided Rovanperä and Halttunen with valuable training for the Rally Monte Carlo. The event was held in wintery conditions in the same region where several of Monte Carlo’s stages are run.
Rovanperä finished second in the rally, 15.5 seconds behind Adrien Fourmaux, who debuted Hyundai’s Rally1 car in the event.
