Rovanperä dominated the event from start to finish, miraculously avoiding all rocks and other pitfalls.
This season, Rovanperä is competing in only half of the WRC, but next season he will return to contest the full calendar.
Four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen, who was watching Rovanperä’s victorious event in Kenya, revealed to DirtFish that Rovanperä had sought his opinion on taking a lighter season. Kankkunen viewed the idea positively.
“To be honest, he is young – OK, he is not the kid, he is a man who has already won twice the world championship. But he has been using all of his young time in the car. It’s seven or eight years and he has been driving every day,” Kankkunen reminded.
The idea of Rovanperä matching his tally of world championships does not bother Kankkunen.
“When we talked about it I told him he has plenty of time still. He is 23 now and this is the age I was when I managed to take my first factory drive! There is a lot of years for him to come back and drive,” Kankkunen said.
Rovanperä is now focusing on having fun. Thanks to his lighter rally schedule, he can try out circuit racing and continue his drifting hobby. Plus, Rovanperä now has more time for his friends.
“All of this is good for the future and good for him,” Kankkunen outlined.
“He will be back in the world championship definitely and he will win another one, two or maybe 10 titles,” Kankkunen predicted.
According to Kankkunen, Rovanperä is continually gaining valuable experience, the importance of which cannot be understated.
“The sport (of rallying) is about the experience, this is so important and he will be building this. The drivers (today) are coming younger, but also they are retiring younger – I won (Rally) Finland when I was 40,” Kankkunen chuckled.
