How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
Written on Kalle Rovanpera’s crash helmet are the words “full send”. Seemingly it was this approach that allowed the World Rally Championship’s new star to somehow conjure up an against-the-odds victory in a Rally Croatia thriller.
Rally fans are simply being spoilt this season as Croatia’s unique asphalt roads served up a second final-stage showdown in three events, following January’s Sebastien Loeb versus Sebastien Ogier Monte Carlo blockbuster. Perhaps Croatia’s dramatic WRC debut 12 month ago, when Ogier defeated Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans by 0.6 seconds – the third-closest winning margin in WRC history – was an omen. However, nobody could have predicted the climax that unfolded.
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