Rovanperä hasn’t been able to take a proper summer holiday in years, but now it’s finally possible.
However, the Finn’s holiday won’t be all about idleness, as Rovanperä will be driving in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series during his vacation.
Rovanperä will compete next on June 7-9 in Zandvoort, the Netherlands. Rovanperä’s experience with the car is still rather thin, and he jumps into the series pretty much cold.
“Unfortunately, we only get to drive one test day during the race week. There hasn’t been enough driving time with the car yet, as I only drove a half test day in Belgium earlier. You’ll get the training in the race, but it’s known that the first races will be about training,” Rovanperä tells RallyJournal.com.
Rovanperä tested his new Porsche for the first time in the spring in Belgium. The feedback was immediately good.
“We drove the tests with quite worn-out tyre sets. My best lap was probably about the same as last year’s winner. In principle, at least in the tests, the race pace was about the same as the race winner. On the track, it always depends on so many things, what the pace is on a particular day. Based on the test, it seems that there could be speed, but you’ll only see that in the race,” Rovanperä anticipates.
For Rovanperä, circuit racing is still a part-time hobby, but it’s not just a Sunday drive.
“It’s never just for fun when you put the helmet on, but I won’t set any goals at first because I have no idea where I even am. It’s pointless to start planning. After the first race, you’ll see what the vibe is there,” Rovanperä emphasises.
Circuit racing offers Rovanperä a completely new challenge. Now it’s man against man instead of the clock.
“That’s the most interesting part,” Rovanperä enthuses.
“I can’t say yet how I’ll fare, but I believe I’ll do better in race pace than in time trials. Time trials will certainly be more difficult when you have to get one lap right, and it depends on so many things. Even just how you prepare a new tyre when you only have two laps to do it. That requires experience,” Rovanperä said.
“Those are things you have to learn – how it should feel and what to do to get one fast lap right. But then again, in the race, I’ve always done better at least on the simulator compared to the time trial,” Rovanperä anticipates.
