Jari-Matti Lavala is happy about Kalle Rovanperä’s WRC title not only as Toyota team boss, but also as a Finn: “He is a superhero “
Shortly after the triumph of his protégé Kalle Rovanperä, Toyota team boss Jari-Matti Latvala experienced a rollercoaster ride of emotions. “I would like to cry, but I can’t,” said the Finn after his young compatriot crowned himself the youngest World Rally Champion in WRC history with victory in Rally New Zealand at the age of 22 years and one day.
“What Kalle has achieved is really important. It’s amazing that a 22-year-old breaks all these records and takes the championship title,” said Latvala. But he seemed almost more happy about Rovanpera’s title win as a Finn than as a Toyota team boss, as it marks the end of a long drought for his home country.
“It’s so important for Finland as well, because 20 years has been a long time,” Latvala said. Rovanperä is the seventh Finnish World Rally Champion after Ari Vatanen [1981], Hannu Mikkola [1983], Timo Salonen [1985], Juha Kankkunen [1986-87, 1991, 1993], Tommi Mäkinen [1996-1999] and Marcus Gronhölm [2000, 2002], but since Grönholm’s last title win, the rally-loving Finns have had to wait a long time for the next champion.
“Me and Mikko Hirvonen were close but couldn’t secure a title. There were two Sebastiens [Loeb and Ogier] and one [Ott] Tänak,” Latvala looks back at the only three different world champions in the past 18 years. “I’m so grateful that Kalle made it. It’s great, I don’t have words – he’s a superhero.”
Rovanperä’s successes his also very important for the development of rallying in Finland. “You could feel that the interest in rallying was decreasing more and more. But since Kalle has been so good, things are looking up again,” says Latvala, who even recognises a “Kalle phenomenon” – similar to what is currently happening in the Netherlands with Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen or in Germany in the 1990s with Michael Schumacher.
“I have never experienced that the fans at the stages create an atmosphere like in a football stadium,” says Latvala. “Every now and then you need champions like this to keep the interest high. It also helps to get young people into the sport at all levels. Not only for Kalle, but also for Finland, this is a very important championship.”
Latvala also believes that Rovanperä’s triumph at a young age will change rallying, where for a long time experience counted above all else and many drivers only reached their best form when they were more than 30 years old. “Drivers are getting younger and younger and will also retire earlier. If you get to the top of the sport so early, you won’t still be driving at almost 50 like Sebastien Loeb,” Latvala is convinced.
