Kovalainen took the win at the Highland Masters rally last weekend. He faced a tough battle on tarmac against Hiroki Arai, but the former F1 driver ultimately came out on top. Arai suffered a turbo issue on the final stage, leaving him half a minute behind Kovalainen.
This victory marked Kovalainen’s first since undergoing major heart surgery in March.
“After everything that happened this year, I’m really happy to be back rallying and to win here as planned,” Kovalainen told Japan’s rallyplus.net.
“It was unfortunate that Hiroki had trouble at the end, but we pushed all the way to the finish. This is the best result for the team.”
Kovalainen also shared some exciting news about his future plans.
“The next one is the big one, WRC Japan in a few weeks’ time,” Kovalainen revealed.
Kovalainen has previously competed twice in the WRC2 category at Rally Japan. Last year, he had to retire, but in 2022, he finished fourth in the WRC2 class.
Rally Japan will take place from 21st to 24th November.
