Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen have secured their second consecutive FIA World Rally Championship titles with Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Staff after ending in second place on the penultimate spherical of the 2023 season on Sunday (29 October), the Central European Rally.
After being topped the youngest World Rally Champion in 2022, 23-year-old Rovanperä has now develop into the sixth driver to attain back-to-back titles within the historical past of the WRC, driving the Toyota Yaris Rally1 Hybrid.
It’s the fifth yr in a row {that a} TGR-WRT crew has received the drivers’ and co-drivers’ crowns, and the third straight hat-trick of titles for the crew after they clinched the producers’ championship on the earlier rally in Chile.
The crew entered the inaugural cross-border Central European Rally within the information that solely Rovanperä or his team-mate Elfyn Evans might develop into this yr’s drivers’ champion. With 31 factors between them, Rovanperä needed to keep away from being outscored by Evans to make sure the title with a spherical to spare. He made a robust begin on the primary full day of the rally on Friday, successful 4 out of six levels on demanding moist asphalt roads within the Czech Republic to guide by 36.4 seconds.
Circumstances remained difficult because the rally moved into Austria on Saturday morning. Rovanperä suffered a spin however was in a position to proceed with a lowered lead. Working in third total, Evans wouldn’t be as lucky, going off the highway in SS11 and sustaining injury that stopped him and co-driver Scott Martin from going additional.
Evans would restart on Sunday with the possibility to nonetheless rating factors within the rally-ending Energy Stage, however Rovanperä now solely required a strong factors end to clinch the title. Contemplating the scenario and the treacherous circumstances, the Finn adopted a cautious method after SS11, conceding the rally result in Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) however remaining in a cushty second place which he managed rigorously by means of the ultimate day.
The outcome was his seventh podium of the season, one through which he has taken three victories and crucially completed within the high 4 in all however one of many 12 rounds held thus far.
Sébastien Ogier completed in fourth total, combating again with 4 stage wins following an early setback in Friday’s opening take a look at. Evans scored his fourth stage win of the weekend after giving his all within the Energy Stage.
Takamoto Katsuta took fifth after displaying progress together with his velocity throughout the occasion in a fourth entry supported by the TGR WRC Problem Program
Staff Quotes
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman): “Kalle, Jonne, congratulations on successful your second consecutive drivers’ and co-drivers’ championship titles. Because the youngest defending champion, Kalle gave the impression to be struggling a bit within the first half of the season. However he steadily gathered factors and began to guide the drivers’ standings from the center of the season, displaying us what a robust champion is like. Nonetheless, there may be one factor they haven’t achieved but. That’s to face on the rostrum along with me. I’m trying ahead to it in Japan.
“I additionally wish to thank Elfyn quite a bit for his aggressive driving and for not giving up till the tip. His driving with the sturdy need to win was spectacular. The 2023 season is just not over but. Elfyn and Scott missed one thing in Japan final yr. I hope they are going to accumulate it this yr and let me stand on the rostrum subsequent month.
“Really the crew missed another factor. Seb and Vincent confirmed us their sturdy efficiency in Rally Japan final yr, nevertheless it didn’t result in a outcome. I’m hoping for good luck for them this yr. And, in fact, I additionally wish to see Takamoto and Aaron on the rostrum in Japan following final yr, presumably trying down on me from a good larger place. Sadly, it’s not doable for all 4 crews to face on the rostrum as it might take solely six folks so I actually hope I can have a good time along with any of our three crews. I’m certain Jari-Matti and his crew will make it come true.”
Jari-Matti Latvala (Staff Principal): “I’m pleased with Kalle and Jonne: they actually deserve this second championship. Kalle has been amazingly constant throughout the season. This title has been harder for him to win than final yr, and Elfyn has been doing an excellent job to maintain the strain on, however Kalle was in a position to get it finished in the long run. I’d say his method has been extra like Juha Kankkunen, calculating and desirous about the factors you want relatively than going for each victory. Elfyn has additionally had a really good season. He wanted to outscore Kalle right here to maintain it alive. Sadly, it didn’t work out for him, however he did all that he might in that scenario. Now now we have all three titles secured, we are going to return to Rally Japan with no championship strain and ask our drivers to push for the victory there.”
Kalle Rovanperä (driver automotive 69): “It feels actually good proper now. I’m relieved, as a result of it’s at all times an enormous burden in your shoulders if you’re combating for a title. I feel this yr, it was harder and extra of a problem than final yr. The competitors was tighter however we did a very good job. I’m actually pleased with the season that we’ve had and I feel I’m going to take pleasure in this another than the primary one. This was a troublesome occasion with a number of the trickiest circumstances we’ve had for a very long time, however we stored our cool and caught to our plan. We needed to make of use our beginning place on Friday, which we did, however as soon as Elfyn went out, it was clear we didn’t must battle for the win any extra as a result of there was an even bigger purpose we had been aiming for. An enormous due to Jonne and the entire crew, and to everyone who’s supporting us. Now I’m going to take pleasure in Rally Japan.”
Elfyn Evans (driver automotive 33): “I wish to say an enormous congratulations to Kalle and Jonne – in addition to the entire crew – for successful these titles. They’ve labored arduous and finished an unbelievable job and so they deserve the title. From our aspect, there’s disappointment in fact however we knew it was a protracted shot coming into the weekend and we needed to give it a go. In equity to Kalle, he was very sturdy on Friday and we didn’t have the tempo to observe him. After that we continued to attempt, it didn’t work out this time, however typically that’s the best way it goes and we’ll attempt once more subsequent yr. We managed to get just a few factors from the Energy Stage and now we will look ahead to Rally Japan.”
Sébastien Ogier (driver automotive 17): “This rally was not my strongest and I feel there wasn’t a lot we might do with our begin place in these circumstances, even with out our difficulty on Friday morning. However in the direction of the tip of the weekend, the circumstances had been extra pleasing with some dry sections the place we might push a bit and have enjoyable within the automotive. So at the very least now we have some quick instances we will take from this weekend. Congratulations to Kalle and Jonne: that they had one other spectacular season and I’m certain this won’t be the final one. On the identical time, I really feel sorry for Elfyn as a result of he made an excellent battle with Kalle this season. Now we’ll attempt to end the yr on a excessive at Rally Japan.”
PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, CENTRAL EUROPEAN RALLY
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) 2h52m39.9s
2 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +57.6s
3 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) +1m52.8s
4 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +2m08.6s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +2m48.3s
6 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +3m06.3s
7 Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) +4m22.3s
8 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +11m35.8s
9 Nicolas Ciamin/Yannick Roche (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +11m53.1s
10 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Benjamin Veillas (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) +12m04.3s
31 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +39m58.2s
(Outcomes as of 16:00 on Sunday, for the most recent outcomes please go to www.wrc.com)
* Topic to the official publication of the outcomes by the FIA
What’s subsequent?
The 2023 season will conclude on residence roads for TGR at Rally Japan, 16 -19 November. The occasion returned to the WRC calendar final yr on demanding asphalt roads within the mountains of the Aichi and Gifu prefectures, across the service park in Toyota Metropolis close to Nagoya.
ENDS
