As Rallyjournal.com reported earlier, Halttunen and his fellow co-drivers Scott Martin, Aaron Johnston and Martijn Wydaeghe spent their post-Rally Paraguay break holidaying in Peru. The programme included, among other things, a trekking trip to Machu Picchu.
Halttunen now tells Rallyjournal.com that the co-drivers’ trek was one of the toughest imaginable. Especially for him, as he fell ill during the trip.
“The Inca Trail is bloody tough,” Halttunen laughed.
“Forty kilometres of trekking in the mountains, rising to an altitude of 4.2 kilometres at its highest point. I can tell you, it’s not the best thing to do when you’ve got the flu,” Halttunen continued.
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Halttunen nevertheless made it through the challenge.
“Well yes, but I was close to tears. I’ve never experienced anything so demanding before. It would have been tough anyway, but being ill made climbing in the mountains really difficult,” Halttunen explained.
Halttunen’s difficulties started right at the beginning of the trek.
“I fell ill on the very first day. And the only way out from there would have been by helicopter. The terrain was extremely challenging, it snowed, and temperatures dropped below zero,” Halttunen recalled.
Despite everything, Halttunen feels the trip was worth it. The views of Machu Picchu will stay in his mind’s eye forever.
“It was still one of the greatest experiences of my life,” he concluded.
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Next, Halttunen will travel to Chile, where he and Kalle Rovanperä face round 11 of the World Rally Championship season. The WRC title race is extremely tight, with Rovanperä currently second in the drivers’ standings before Chile, just seven points behind leader Elfyn Evans.
