Rovanperä performed excellently on Thursday in the unofficial practice sessions of the Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Rovanperä tamed the rainy conditions superbly and set the sixth-fastest time in the afternoon practice session.
The performance can be considered very successful, as this was the first time in his career that Rovanperä drove a formula car in wet conditions. In formula racing, wet weather is regarded as a true test of driving skill.
In Formula 1 over the years, numerous wet-weather masters have been seen, such as Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, as well as current drivers Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Wet conditions are therefore considered the true conditions of champions.
More wet-weather running may still be on the cards, as rain and unstable weather have been forecast for the Taupō circuit area for the entire weekend.
The fastest driver in the first session of the unofficial practice was Louis Sharp, while Yevan David set the quickest time in the afternoon session.
On Friday, three official practice sessions will be held at the Taupō circuit. On Saturday, the programme consists of qualifying and two races. Sunday follows the same format: qualifying and two races.
The Formula Regional Oceania Championship began last weekend with four races. Rovanperä was able to improve his lap times over the course of the weekend, but in the races themselves his best result was 12th place.
This season, Rovanperä is competing in the Japanese Super Formula series. He has described the season, which begins in April, as the biggest challenge of his career so far.
