The child prodigy who almost missed out on a race due to military service: This is Kalle Rovanpera, the historic first winner of the WRC Rally Islas Canarias.

 

At the age of eight, he was already driving rally cars on snow under the watchful eye of his father, Finnish driver Harri Rovanperä. A few years later, he not only followed in his father's footsteps but surpassed his legacy, becoming the youngest world champion in history.

 

It's Kalle Rovanperä, who has become the great revolution of the historic debut of the WRC Rally Islas Canarias, which celebrated its first day this Saturday with six timed stages. Six challenges for the best drivers in the world that the 24-year-old Rovanperä knew how to trace as if he had known the island's roads all his life.

 

The Finn made history by setting the fastest time on 12 consecutive stages, equaling the record set by nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb at the 9 Tour de Corse. He was unable to beat the record after backing off on the show stage, which was won by his teammate and current world championship leader, Welshman Elfyn Evans.

 

A technique that worked for the Finn, who managed to win the Super Sunday and the WOLF Power Stage, achieving the milestone of winning the race and setting the best time in 15 of the 18 stages contested.

 

However, Rovanperä's self-importance and innate talent (he hails from Jyväskylä, home of the legendary 1000 Lakes Rally and birthplace of the sadly deceased Henri Toivonen) put him on track to win the first world championship held on the island from Friday onwards. 

 

At 24 years old, Rovanperä managed to beat his teammate, Sébastien Ogier, an eight-time world champion, by 53.5 seconds in the overall standings. Ogier finished second in his first visit to the island, a visit that will not be his last, according to the eight-time champion himself on social media.

 

The lead over third-placed rider Elfyn Evans, world championship leader and recent Rally Kenya winner, was 1:17.10.

 

 

Kalle has the world of motor racing in his blood, son of the legendary Harri Rovanpera (who marked an era in the 90s aboard the classic Seat Ibiza Kit Car and Seat Cordoba WRC ), Kalle holds the record for being the youngest WRC champion in history, after having won the world crown on October 2, 2022, at 21 years old.

 

A feat he would repeat in 2023, thus becoming a two-time world champion and also the new Finnish star of the WRC, thus continuing a national lineage closely linked to the world of rallying and which includes names such as Juha Kankkunen (his current team principal), Tommi Makkinen or Marcus Grönholm, the last Finnish champion before Kalle, who took over from him years later, becoming the country's first world champion in two decades.

 

However, despite his precocious talent, Kalle doesn't dream of breaking records or competing until he's 40 like his teammate Sébastien Ogier. In an interview before the 2022 Rally Catalunya , shortly after winning his first title, the Finn stated that he "just wants to enjoy it" and doesn't see himself competing until he's 38. For Rovanperä, his main goal is "to have a good career, get more wins, and see how it goes . "

 

In 2024, at the height of his career, there was speculation that the young talent could see his career put on an involuntary hiatus due to having to complete his mandatory military service in Finland. 

 

Rovanperä had already been called up in 2019 and had completed 10 days of service, but his contract with the Toyota Gazoo Racing team "saved" the driver, and Nordic country legislation allowed him, due to his status as an elite athlete, to postpone his service. 

 

Despite this, Kalle will have to complete his military service before turning 30, so he'll have to find the best way to accommodate this "break" in his career so that it's minimally affected.

 

A drifting enthusiast , he had the opportunity to test a Formula 1 car at the Spielberg circuit (Austria) thanks to his sponsorship with Red Bull. Despite this, he claims he's not particularly interested in Formula 1, although he considers his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen (the last Finnish Formula 1 champion) "a decent guy."

 

Another of Rovanperä's hobbies is collecting; in his homeland, he owns an enviable collection of classic models such as a BMW E30 M Tour de Corse, of which only 50 units were produced. Furthermore, the young man can boast of owning his own customized version of a Toyota Yaris GR , marketed under his surname—a special edition Toyota created in collaboration with Sébastien Ogier and limited to just 100 units of each vehicle.

 

With this victory, Kalle Rovanperä has written his name into the history of the Canary Islands Rally, an event he entered in sixth place in the world championship and from which he finished second after scoring 35 points following a weekend that bordered on perfection.