Kalle Rovanperä is toying with the idea of GT3 races on the Nürburgring Nordschleife

The 25-year-old Finn had made a surprise withdrawal from the World Rally Championship at the end of last season to pursue a new dream in circuit racing. With Toyota’s support, Rovanperä had planned to compete in the Japanese Super Formula series this year. However, health problems forced him to pull out of the entire season even before the first race.

After several months’ break, Rovanperä is keen to get back into the thick of things. “At the moment, everything is still up in the air. Next, I’ll be speaking to Toyota to find out what the management want and to see if that aligns with my own plans.” According to Rovanperä, racing in single-seaters remains his top priority. “I don’t like giving up. So, naturally, single-seater racing is still right at the top of my list. Things went pretty well quite quickly in the lower categories, such as Formula 4 in New Zealand. And it’s also clear that I’m not getting any younger,” Rovanperä told Motorsport aktuell. “The question now is whether Toyota wants us to give it another go together and challenge at the top.”

Ex-Rallye-Weltmeister Kalle Rovanperä konzentriert sich auf die Rundstrecke

Foto: Red Bull

The 2022 and 2023 champion does not see a return to the World Rally Championship as his preferred option. As much as he loves rallying, the events, the tight schedules, the intensive preparations plus testing and so on aren’t really his thing. On top of that, he doesn’t see the appeal of the next generation of cars. That’s why, alongside formula racing, the sports car scene would be an option. In 2024, Rovanperä enjoyed success in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux with a Porsche 911 GT3. A particular focus is on competing in the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. “That would be right up my street,” says Rovanperä. The 25-year-old blond-haired driver explained that GT4 cars are intended more for up-and-coming drivers and that he prefers a GT3 programme. “The GT3 and the Nordschleife – that would be something really special. Like many other drivers, I’ve already done a few laps there during public driving sessions,” Rovanperä admits.

This year, four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen took part in the Eifel Marathon at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Rovanperä’s former Toyota team-mate Sébastien Ogier watched the race in person as a spectator. Just like Rovanperä, record world champion Ogier also seems keen on such an outing. “The 24 Hours of the Nordschleife in a Toyota GT3 would be a brilliant idea. But it’s not up to me. A GT3 car is probably the closest thing to a Rally1 car on tarmac. I’d be up for it – and I reckon Seb (Ogier) would be too,” Rovanperä is convinced.

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