Rovanperä has enjoyed success in recent years on the special stages of the World Rally Championship, but now the Finnish star has ventured into a new business. Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen announced on social media this week that they are now new shareholders in the Jyväskylä-based car dealership MPS Motors.
MPS Motors is a car dealership founded in 2011, with founder Mika Sissonen continuing as the company’s majority owner. However, Rovanperä and Halttunen have joined with a significant investment.
“I’m sure we will have plenty of good times with this group and we’ll bring our additional car expertise to the company,” Rovanperä said in his Instagram post.
“I have a huge passion for cars so this is somehow a dream come true for me for long time. With these guys, days are never boring,” Halttunen added in his own post.
Two-time World Rally Champion Rovanperä is still relatively inexperienced as an entrepreneur. He is currently also a shareholder in the Jyväskylä-based Apex Invest Oy, which is involved in the real estate business.
Jonne Halttunen, on the other hand, is an experienced entrepreneur. Halttunen’s company, Hydromachin Oy, has consistently been profitable in recent years. In 2021, Halttunen was named Muurame’s young entrepreneur of the year. He still serves as the chairman of the company’s board.
This weekend, Rovanperä is also making another foray, as he competes for the first time in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series in Zandvoort, Netherlands.
Rovanperä and Halttunen will compete in only part of this year’s WRC season. Next season, they plan to compete for the full season with Toyota’s factory team.