The high-speed home event remains unconquered for Rovanperä. Last year, he came tantalisingly close to victory, but a loose rock on the penultimate stage crushed the Finn’s hopes of a win.
This year, Rovanperä hasn’t been in his usual top form. The Toyota star did produce a stunning performance at the tarmac rally in the Canary Islands in April, but his pace has otherwise been lacklustre.
For example, at last weekend’s Rally Estonia – his favourite event – the Toyota driver had to settle for a fourth-place finish.
“I haven’t been able to reach the pace I should be at with the Hankook tyre,” Rovanperä told RallyJournal.com.
“My natural driving style doesn’t suit it, and we haven’t found any magic setup in the car that would make it feel better. That’s probably the biggest issue – the one between the seat and the steering wheel,” he summed up.
“I haven’t been in my comfort zone, and I haven’t been able to get out of that situation.”
Rovanperä now needs to find more speed on gravel if he wants to seriously fight for this year’s world title. He currently sits fourth in the standings, 24 points behind championship leader Ott Tänak of Hyundai.
“Of course, we’ll go for the maximum result in Finland, as always,” Rovanperä says.
“The last couple of years, we’ve had a good feeling and the pace has been strong. I don’t think we’ll have quite the same feeling with the tyres this time, as we haven’t had it in other rallies either.”
“I’m pretty realistic about my goals and results. I’m not expecting the moon from the sky if I know it’s not going to happen. But that doesn’t mean we won’t try in every rally and put in the work.”
Rally Finland gets underway next Thursday, 31 July.
