Rovanperä drove what is, for now, the final WRC rally of his career at the end of November. The Finnish driver will move next season to compete in Japan’s Super Formula series, with the ultimate aim, of course, being a rise to the pinnacle of motorsport, Formula One.
In Rovanperä’s latest video blog, attention returns to the atmosphere surrounding the Finn’s final WRC event. In the video, competitors heap praise on Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen for the past few years. Among those speaking is Toyota team-mate Sébastien Ogier, who secured the ninth world championship of his career in Saudi Arabia.
“Thank you, Kalle, for being such a good team-mate to me in recent years. You and Jonne have been so competitive, so the battle has been good. And that is what I like about this sport,” Ogier says in the video.
Rovanperä himself appeared quite reserved after his final rally, but even he became slightly emotional when speaking to the cameras immediately after the end of the last event.
“A pretty big chapter of my life has now come to an end. You can imagine it, because the only thing in my life that I have done and that I have known anything about has been driving rally cars, Rovanperä says.
“I have just driven my final special stage. I will miss rallying a lot and these people, especially the team members. At the same time, I am very proud of what we have achieved together,” Rovanperä continues.
Rovanperä also outlines his tough objective for the next two years of his life.
“I am proud of the decision I have made. The next two years will be the biggest challenge of my life, and I am ready to show what we rally drivers can do,” Rovanperä states.
You can watch Rovanperä’s latest video blog below.
