Rovanperä secured fourth place in Monte-Carlo, but a bigger surprise came in Sweden, where the Finnish driver finished only fifth in one of his favourite events. According to Rovanperä, the biggest issue has been Hankook’s new tyres, which require a different driving style from him.
Rovanperä won two world titles driving a hybrid-powered car equipped with Pirelli tyres. This year, the tyre supplier changed, and hybrids were also scrapped. Adapting to the changes may have taken longer than expected for the Finnish star.
Monte-Carlo always presents unique conditions, and Sweden’s snowy stages add their own challenges. Kenya, however, will be the first gravel event with the new Hankook tyres. Rovanperä has some concerns about how things will play out in the March event.
“Normally, I would go into the rally with a good feeling, but this is the same situation as in the other rallies this season – driving on gravel with these tyres for the first time. Let’s see what kind of mess it will be,” Rovanperä said.
Rovanperä has celebrated victory in Kenya twice, but this time, there are many variables. Toyota is expected to conduct pre-event testing in Southern Europe, but the Finn is unsure whether he will be able to adjust his driving style to suit the new tyres before the rally.
“I’m not making any assumptions at this point,” Rovanperä stated.
Even though things haven’t gone as hoped and his confidence in the car hasn’t been at 100%, Rovanperä has remained composed and avoided overdriving. He has collected the points that have been available.
“You just have to drive carefully and push hard. The goal is to always drive as well as possible,” Rovanperä said.
“Hopefully, we’ll be where we need to be on gravel. If not, then something needs to improve – but I don’t know what.”
Rovanperä dismissed the idea that the team had made the wrong setup choices in pre-event tests for the first two rounds.
“Testing doesn’t really matter. From the start, it was clear that these tyres would be difficult for me. We just haven’t been able to get them to work. The only hope is that the situation won’t be as bad on gravel.”
The Kenyan WRC round will take place from 20–23 March in the familiar surroundings of Naivasha, about 90 kilometres from the capital, Nairobi.
