The two-time WRC champion made his track debut last weekend, taking fourth and fifth place in the two races of the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux in Zandvoort.
Rovanpera is expanding his horizons to the track this year after deciding to enter a part-time WRC program with Toyota with a view to a full-time return in 2025.
Speaking after his experience at Zandvoort, the 23-year-old Finn admitted that 24-hour races at Le Mans and the Nurburgring are on his bucket list, as well as a test in the WEC’s Toyota GR010 hypercar.
“I’ve always wanted to race on circuits and I have some dreams, especially 24-hour races like Le Mans or the Nurburgring, but first let’s see how the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux races go,” Rovanpera told Finnish rally site Rallit. fi.
“I would really like to try the Toyota GR010. You can see how well Toyota is doing in the WEC. We have to do a simulator test first and it depends on this: you have to be fast enough to drive the real car.”
Sebastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Rovanpera is not the first Toyota WRC driver to want to race at Le Mans. Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, who shares the third Yaris Rally1 GR with the Finn this year, made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022, driving a Richard Mille Racing LMP2 prototype, finishing ninth classy place.
Ogier also had the opportunity to test Toyota’s hypercar in the 2021 WEC rookie test in Bahrain, as well as on two other occasions in 2022.
Following Rovanpera’s statements, Motorsport.com asked Rob Leupen, director of Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, on the occasion of this week’s 24 Hours of Le Mans if the Finn had the opportunity to test the WEC team’s simulator and carry out a possible test with the hypercar.
While not aware of Rovanpera’s wishes or any discussions for a test with the WRC champion, Leupen said: “We did it with Seb Ogier. Let’s see what happens. It would be a nice thing to do. He would have a good benchmark with Seb”.
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