A minor rally comeback: Rovanperä to drive a Corolla in Finland

The 18-time World Rally Championship stage winner will be driving the Toyota Corolla of his long-standing co-driver, Jonne Halttunen.

Toyota Corolla GT mit Heckantrieb: Auto von Rovanperä beim Mini-Comeback

Foto: Rallye Finnland

Much to the delight of his many Finnish fans, the 25-year-old Rovanperä is now actually returning to rallying in his home country for one race.

The blond-haired driver had ended his rallying career at the end of last year and intended to switch to single-seater circuit racing for this season. To this end, he was aiming to compete in the top-flight Japanese Super Formula Series.

However, after his first test drive, Rovanperä was forced to put his racing commitments on hold for the time being. A balance disorder caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo forced him to take a break – which has continued to this day – whilst he recovers.

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Die zweimaligen Rallye-Weltmeister: Kalle Rovanperä und Jonne Halttunen

Foto: Red Bull

Rovanperä, who was a guest at the Rally Estonia two weeks ago whilst on holiday with his mother, has now confirmed that he will be driving Halttunen’s Toyota Corolla GT on the Harju special stage at this week’s Rally Finland on Thursday.

A statement from the organisers regarding this appearance reads: “The two-time World Rally Champions and last year’s Rally Finland winners, Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen, will once again line up together in a rally car at the 75th anniversary edition of Rally Finland. On Thursday 30 July, the pair will take part in a demonstration run on Special Stage 1 at Harju in Jonne Halttunen’s classic rear-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla GT AE86 – shortly before the first special stage of the World Championship round gets underway that evening.”

Rovanperä/Halttunen wirbelten in Rallye-WM mit 18 Siegen viel Staub auf

Foto: Red Bull

Halttunen will be back behind the wheel of his car on Friday (31 July) in Harju, putting on another spirited display.

His Toyota forms part of the activities of his ‘Jorma J’ team, which can also be followed in the TV series ‘From Co-driver to Driver’ on MTV3 and Katsomo. The TV series follows Jonne Halttunen’s season as a driver in regional rally series.