Rovanperä retired due to a crash from the lead on Friday. The two-time world champion returned to the rally on Saturday, but the enjoyment was gone. On Sunday, however, Rovanperä shifted gears and secured 11 WRC points, including being the fastest driver on the Power Stage.
Rovanperä is taking a sort of sabbatical year from rallying, choosing to participate in selected events only. Speculation has been rife about his rally schedule, but Rally Sweden provided a clue to Rovanperä’s next WRC rally.
The championship continues in Kenya at the end of March, and there was a strong consensus in the paddock that this event is specifically for Rovanperä, not Toyota’s other part-time driver Sebastien Ogier.
“Kenya looks very much like Kalle’s race,” admitted Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala.
Teams prefer to announce their driver selections for each WRC event themselves, but Rovanperä’s participation in the Kenyan round seems almost certain. Rovanperä celebrated victory there in 2022 and finished second last year.
Rovanperä himself did not confirm his participation but gave some insight into what to expect. The last three seasons in Kenya were held summer, but now the legendary Safari Rally is moving back to its traditional March slot.
“We’ll see. The conditions could be quite extreme. I can’t say what it’ll be like in that weather. It’s definitely going to be interesting. I don’t know yet if I’ll be driving there. It hasn’t been decided,” Rovanperä mused.
