Kalle Rovanpera runs fast even in circuit races. The Finnish ace, the youngest ever winner of a World Rally Championship, is enjoying it more and more and above all he is increasingly taking the right measures.
After winning two races in the summer (Imola and Red Bull Ring) in the Carrera Cup Benelux, last weekend under the banner of the Prima Ghinzani team he also made his debut in Monza in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia.
A first Italian experience at the wheel of the 911 GT3 Cup in what this year was the most competitive national single-make series of the German manufacturer, in an event with almost all the best at the start and on a circuit that he had previously attended only in the context of the its “natural habitat”, namely rallies. In fact a complete debut.
But with the way he approached and competed in the last round of the Porsche Italia series, Rovanpera has already left his mark. And it was clear, despite his inevitably limited experience, how well he is really making progress in his “pistard” preparation.
It will only be understood later (probably only after 2025 in which he will return on a permanent basis to world championship rallying commitments) how much time and commitments the young son of art (turned 24 just last October 1st) will dedicate full time to motoring on the track, he certainly found some answers in Monza and experienced a weekend with a bit of everything in it. Including rain.
The wet conditions of Friday’s free practice messed up the plans a bit, because Rovanpera had to face Saturday morning’s qualifying almost “in the dark”, starting from the fact that he got there without having covered even one lap on Michelin slicks. Talent helped him not to get lost.
Then, after just 40 minutes of official testing and the work carried out on the data collected together with his teammates, starting with Simone Iaquinta (who was positively impressed by what the Finn showed even on this side of the pit wall), two races of comeback concluded from P21 to P6 on Saturday (ninth at the finish line, then “promoted” due to the penalties of others) and from P15 to P8 on Sunday.
Aside from the result, which was already positive in itself, in both races the pace shown was not at all far from that of the best. In particular, race 2 was played at a dizzying pace (the winner Robert De Haan was unleashed) and Rovanpera was not far behind even the best.
“I had a lot of fun – said the two-time world rally champion –. Qualifying didn’t go well, but I expected that since it was my first real session and you can’t try too much. It was difficult. At that point I was looking forward to the two races a lot. And the race pace there was really good. I had some good duels, stayed out of trouble, made some overtakes and finished in a good position at the finish line. Yes, I’m happy.”
Happy with the weekend, but not amazed at how much good was seen in the Temple of Speed: “I’m not surprised. I always expect a lot from myself. I wouldn’t say because I know my qualities, rather because my initial plans always include doing well. If you want to make it, it’s essential.”.
Of course, this does not mean that moving from rallies to the track, regardless of the car you drive, does not require an adaptation: “The most complex thing is adapting to even the small details. Putting it all together is much more difficult than rallying, where the driving matters more and you can make more of a difference. On the circuit you need everything: car, setup, tire pressure, driving, which must be very precise… And everything must work well together”.
In short, the track is more technical: “Much more technical – concludes Rovanpera –; in rallies if you decide to go fast go fast, on the track you can’t decide that, everything has to work”.
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