Rovanperä didn’t have much time to celebrate his victory at the WRC Rally Islas Canarias, as he continued his journey straight to Portugal.
Rovanperä revealed on his social media channels that there were some bumps along the way, but in the end, he and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen made it to the rally location and began testing for the WRC Rally Portugal, which takes place in mid-May.
Portugal’s gravel roads have suited Rovanperä well in past years. The Finn won the traditional gravel rally in both 2022 and 2023.
He also took part in the event last year, but on that occasion, Rovanperä went off the road.
However, social media revealed a more surprising piece of news. The WRC Portugal Instagram account published photos and videos showing Esapekka Lappi also testing in Portugal.
The situation wasn’t explained much further. Lappi was testing in a Škoda, and his car was fitted with a “snorkel” similar to those typically seen in Safari Rally Kenya.
Last year, Lappi drove part of the WRC season in Hyundai’s Rally1 car, but he did not get a seat with the team for this season. Earlier this year, Lappi surprised many by announcing he would contest the full Finnish Rally Championship season together with his co-driver Enni Mälkönen.
Lappi has already won one event in the Finnish championship. His first victory of the season came at the Savonlinna rally at the beginning of March. The next round of the national series will be held at the end of May in Turku.
WRC Rally Portugal will take place from 15–18 May.
You can watch the video of Kalle Rovanperä’s testing below:
