Paraguay will host a WRC round for the very first time next week. The gravel rally will be staged in the south of the country, around the city of Encarnación.
Drivers and co-drivers are travelling to Paraguay well in advance. The journey from Europe to South America is long, and WRC crews also need time to adapt to the time difference before the demanding rally week begins.
Kalle Rovanperä’s co-driver Jonne Halttunen began his long trip towards Paraguay already on Thursday. This way, he would have plenty of time to familiarise himself with the rally base and the liaison sections before recce gets underway on Tuesday.
However, Halttunen immediately ran into problems after his first flight. On Thursday evening, he was left stranded at Frankfurt International Airport, as his onward flight to Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires was delayed by more than 16 hours.
“Retired on SS1 Airplane, due to mechanical issues. Superrally tomorrow,” Halttunen joked in an Instagram story.
Halttunen will only be able to continue his journey on Friday afternoon. The Finn is not alone with his travel woes – Takamoto Katsuta’s co-driver Aaron Johnston is also stuck in Frankfurt.
“Luckily I have the pride of Ireland with me,” Halttunen quipped, referring to Johnston.
For WRC drivers and co-drivers, it’s a long trip ahead. Just two weeks after Paraguay, the championship continues in Chile. The competitors will not return to Europe between the two events but will instead spend their downtime on the same time zone.
According to information obtained by RallyJournal.com, Rovanperä and his team-mate Sami Pajari are planning to spend the break holidaying in Florida, which shares the same time zone as Chile.
Recce for Rally Paraguay takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with shakedown scheduled for Thursday. The real action begins on Friday, 29 August, with eight special stages.
Rovanperä and Halttunen currently sit second in the championship standings ahead of the South American gravel double-header. Leading the way are Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who hold just a three-point advantage over their Finnish team-mates.
