Kalle Rovanperä received congratulations from Toyota’s new boss – “You are incredible!”
After securing victory, Kalle Rovanperä celebrated his third consecutive first-place finish in Estonia by jumping on top of the Toyota with his co-driver Jonne Halttunen to celebrate. Later, he received a big hug from his mother Tiina, who had come to witness her son’s stunning performance on the Kambja stage.
Present at the scene were also Toyota’s team principal Jari-Matti Latvala and the top executive of the Japanese car manufacturer, Koji Sato. Sato had assumed the role of Toyota’s CEO earlier in the year, taking over from Akio Toyoda.
Sato, like everyone else, was amazed by Rovanperä’s dominant display and expressed his excitement, telling Rovanperä, “You are incredible!”
Rovanperä’s impressive performance, which included securing 13 consecutive stage wins, allowed him to extend his lead in the championship by 55 points.
“For the championship, it was crucial to earn good points here. That was our plan, and it worked,” said Rovanperä, who earned the maximum 30 points in the fast gravel rally in Estonia, winning the Power Stage as well.
“This is my favorite event in the entire series, so I knew we had to push hard here, and we succeeded. A big thank you to the team – the car is really fast, and I enjoyed it a lot,” he added.
Rovanperä also expressed gratitude to the organizers and the fans of the Estonian rally.
“I love this country and these fans, both the Finnish and the Estonian supporters. I receive a lot of support from Estonian fans as well, so this is an incredible feeling. I really enjoy this rally, so it’s a shame that it won’t be part of the WRC next year,” Rovanperä revealed.
The next round of the WRC will take place in the Jyväskylä area from August 3rd to 6th.
