The New Zealand-based series now has only its fourth and final race weekend remaining. Four final races will be contested this coming weekend at the Highlands Motorsport Park circuit.
Despite being a two-time World Rally Champion, Rovanperä effectively started from scratch in New Zealand, so it was expected that the Finnish driver’s performance level would improve weekend by weekend. Even so, it was something of a small miracle that he was not clearly off the pace right from the start.
At the opening race weekend at Hampton Downs, Rovanperä’s best result was 12th out of a 19-car field. At Taupo, he broke into the top ten for the first time. And last weekend, he took his first podium finish, claiming an impressive third place in a rain-affected race.
Rovanperä’s former team-mate and close friend Takamoto Katsuta has been closely following his progress in New Zealand. A broad smile appeared on the Toyota driver’s face after last weekend’s Rally Monte Carlo when the conversation turned to Rovanperä’s third place at Teretonga Park.
“I’m super happy for him,” Katsuta enthused to RallyJournal.com.
“Succeeding in formula racing is never easy, not even in the smaller categories. People don’t realise how much experience is required there as well. And it’s completely different from rallying,” Katsuta pointed out.
Rovanperä’s first podium finish came as a surprise to Katsuta.
“It’s actually incredible that he has already taken a step onto the podium. In this series in New Zealand, there are so many young talents every year and plenty of other fast drivers. It’s never easy to reach the podium there. That’s why it’s amazing,” Katsuta praised.
Rovanperä is using his time in New Zealand to build experience ahead of the Japanese Super Formula Championship, which gets underway in April.
