Rovanpera returns to Rally1 car, but next year's plans still undecided

Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera got behind the wheel of the current-specification Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 on Sunday in Tennessee, USA, performing demonstration runs. It marked the first time the 25-year-old Finn had driven a genuine top-level rally car since the Rally Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to DirtFish, Rovanpera said the drive had been enjoyable. He explained that it doesn't take long behind the wheel of such a car to realize how much he had missed it. He also mentioned recently driving Jonne Halunen's Toyota Corolla in Finland, but said the Rally1 experience was something completely different. According to him, he first ran a few laps to make sure he remembered everything, then simply drove and enjoyed it.

Future remains unclear

Asked what his return to the Rally1 car might mean for his future, Rovanpera declined to give a definitive answer. He said that, as already discussed in Finland, nothing has yet been decided regarding next year. The Finn added that he is in talks with Toyota about what options are possible, and that things will become clearer later.

Rovanpera noted that his time in the US doubled as a short personal holiday — the previous evening he had attended a NASCAR race, which he described as a great experience.

Before Sunday, Rovanpera's last time behind a competition car's wheel had been in the drift project "Dream Run" with his Toyota Supra, filmed on the closed streets of his hometown Jyväskylä. He said it had been enjoyable not just for the driving itself, but also for being part of the filming project as a whole.