Rovanperä has had a subdued start to the World Rally Championship season so far. The Finn finished fourth in the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo and only managed fifth in Rally Sweden in February.
In the Safari Rally Kenya at the end of March, Rovanperä was forced to retire. An electrical failure on the final day put an end to his chances altogether.
Rovanperä is currently only sixth in the drivers’ championship standings and is already 57 points behind his team-mate Elfyn Evans, who leads the championship. This effectively means the Finn can no longer afford any so-called zero-point rallies if he hopes to fight for the world title this season.
However, Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala believes Rovanperä has a good chance of success at Rally Canary Islands, which takes place next week.
“It should be quite a clean tarmac rally. There won’t be any cuts and the driving is very much like on a circuit. And Kalle has always enjoyed driving on track. I believe he’ll be quite strong there,” Latvala told Rallyjournal.com.
“New rallies have usually been strong for Kalle. Everyone is starting from the same position and no-one has prepared pace notes. That’s a good thing,” Latvala added.
Rovanperä and the other Toyota drivers will also have support in the Canaries from eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier. The Monte Carlo winner from January will be competing in his second rally of the season in Spain.
“At the same time, it’s really good that Ogier is joining us. He always brings a boost to the team. I can say that his desire to win is stronger than I’ve seen in anyone else,” Latvala stated.
“He wants to win so badly that it energises the whole team. I believe that will also be good for Kalle,” Latvala continued.
Rally Canary Islands takes place from 24th to 27th April.
