Kalle Rovanperä facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kalle Rovanperä |
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Rovanperä at the 2023 Central European Rally
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| Born | 1 October 2000 Jyväskylä, Finland |
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| Related to | Harri Rovanperä (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kalle Rovanperä (born October 1, 2000) is a Finnish professional rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship (WRC) for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT. His co-driver, who sits next to him and gives directions, is Jonne Halttunen. Kalle is a two-time World Champion, winning titles in 2022 and 2023. He is the son of Harri Rovanperä, who was also a WRC driver. Kalle became famous at a very young age for his amazing rallying skills.
Kalle won two championships in Latvia before he even started in the WRC in 2017. He won the World Rally Championship-2 Pro in 2019. After that, Toyota promoted him to their main team in 2020. In 2021, Kalle became the youngest driver ever to win a WRC event when he won the 2021 Rally Estonia. Then, in 2022, he became the youngest ever World Champion. He won the title at the 2022 Rally New Zealand, just one day after his 22nd birthday.
Contents
Early Life and His Start in Rallying
Kalle Rovanperä was born in Jyväskylä, Finland. His father, Harri Rovanperä, was a famous WRC driver. Harri won a WRC race in Sweden in 2001. Kalle first got attention when he was only eight years old. Videos of him driving a rally car were shared online. He took part in his first rally when he was just ten years old. Before he joined professional championships, other Finnish rally drivers helped him learn. One of them, Esapekka Lappi, said that young Kalle already knew as much about rallying as he did!
Kalle's Rally Career Highlights
Early Success in Latvia and First WRC Races (2015–2017)
In 2015, when Kalle was 14, he started racing in Latvia. In Latvia, you don't need a driver's license to compete in rallies. He won the Latvian rally championship in the R2 class with his Citroën C2 R2 Max car.
In 2016, Kalle drove a powerful four-wheel-drive Škoda Fabia S2000. This car had 300 horsepower! He won his first rally that year, setting the fastest time in every part of the race. He won the championship and became the youngest driver ever to win a national rally championship at just 16 years old.
In 2017, Kalle got special permission to race in Finland. He also raced in Italy and made his first appearance in the European Rally Championship. He finished second in the Rally Liepāja. He also won his title in Latvia again that year.
After getting his driving license, Kalle made his WRC debut at the 2017 Wales Rally GB. He drove a Ford Fiesta R5. He also competed in the 2017 Rally Australia. He won the WRC-2 category in Australia, becoming the youngest winner of a WRC-2 race.
Improving Skills and Winning the WRC-2 Pro Title (2018–2019)
Kalle joined Škoda Motorsport for the 2018 season. He won two races: the 2018 Wales Rally GB and the 2018 Rally Catalunya. He finished third in the championship that year.
He stayed with Škoda for the 2019 season. He won his first race of the season at the 2019 Rally Chile. He then took the lead in the championship at the next race, the 2019 Rally de Portugal. He went on to win three more rallies that season. Kalle finally won the WRC-2 Pro title at the 2019 Wales Rally GB.
In November 2019, Toyota announced that Kalle would join their main team for 2020. He would race alongside world champion Sébastien Ogier.
Joining the Top Tier and Making History (2020–2021)
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Kalle chose the number 69 for his car. He got his first podium finish (top three) in his second race in the top class. This was at the 2020 Rally Sweden, where he finished third. At 19 years old, Kalle became the youngest WRC driver to finish on the podium. He ended the 2020 season in fifth place overall.
Kalle's 2021 season started well with a fourth place at the 2021 Monte Carlo Rally and a second place at the 2021 Arctic Rally Finland. These results helped him lead the WRC championship for the first time. After some tough races, Kalle won his first WRC race at the 2021 Rally Estonia. This win made him the youngest driver ever to win a WRC event. He was 20 years and 289 days old, breaking the record held by his team boss, Jari-Matti Latvala. Later in 2021, he also won the 2021 Acropolis Rally. Kalle finished the 2021 championship in fourth place.
Becoming the Youngest World Rally Champion (2022–2023)
Kalle started the 2022 season with a fourth place at the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally. Then, he won three races in a row! After a fifth place in Italy, he won two more races, building a big lead in the championship. He won his sixth rally of the season at the 2022 Rally New Zealand. This amazing performance secured his first world title. At 22 years and 1 day old, Kalle Rovanperä became the youngest World Rally Champion ever. He broke the record set by Colin McRae in 1995. Kalle also became the first Finnish World Rally Champion since Marcus Grönholm in 2002.
In 2023, Kalle didn't win a rally until the fifth race, the 2023 Rally de Portugal. This win helped him take the lead in the championship. He won two more events later that year, making his lead even stronger. At the 2023 Central European Rally, his main rival, Elfyn Evans, was out of the running. Kalle finished second, which was enough for him to win his second world title in a row!
After the 2023 season, Kalle signed a new contract with Toyota. However, he announced that he would only race part-time in 2024. He plans to return to full-time racing in 2025.
Other Activities and Interests
In 2022, Kalle Rovanperä also tried his hand at drifting. He competed in the Drift Masters European Championship with a Toyota Supra car. He reached the round of 16 in one event. In 2023, he entered two rounds of the Formula Drift Japan series. He won one event and finished second in another. He also competed in three rounds of the Drift Masters European Championship again.
Kalle also announced that he would race in four rounds of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux. He finished well in his first race weekend. Then, he got his first circuit race victory in Imola, finishing second and first in two races.
In November 2024, Kalle got to test an F1 car with Red Bull Racing at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. He also shared on Instagram that he will be racing in the Dubai 24 Hour race in January 2025.
Personal Life
In June 2017, the Finnish transport safety agency gave Kalle special permission to apply for a driver's license when he turned 17. On October 2, 2017, the day after his 17th birthday, Kalle successfully passed his driving test.
In 2020, Kalle moved to Estonia. Since 2022, he has been living in Monaco.
Awards and Honours
- Autosport Awards International Rally Driver of the Year: 2022–2023
Rally Victories
WRC Victories
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  2021 Rally Estonia |
2021 |  Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota Yaris WRC | |
| 2 |  2021 Acropolis Rally |
2021 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota Yaris WRC | |
| 3 |  2022 Rally Sweden |
2022 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 4 |  2022 Croatia Rally |
2022 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 5 |  2022 Rally de Portugal |
2022 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 6 |  2022 Safari Rally |
2022 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 7 | 2022 Rally Estonia |
2022 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 8 |  2022 Rally New Zealand |
2022 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 9 | 2023 Rally de Portugal |
2023 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 10 | 2023 Rally Estonia |
2023 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 11 | 2023 Acropolis Rally |
2023 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 12 | 2024 Safari Rally |
2024 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 13 |  2024 Rally Poland |
2024 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 14 |  2024 Rally Latvia |
2024 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | |
| 15 |  2024 Rally Chile |
2024 | Jonne Halttunen |
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 |
WRC-2 Victories
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  2017 Rally Australia |
2017 | Jonne Halttunen |
Ford Fiesta R5 | |
| 2 |  2018 Wales Rally GB |
2018 | Jonne Halttunen |
Škoda Fabia R5 | |
| 3 |  2018 Rally Catalunya |
2018 | Jonne Halttunen |
Škoda Fabia R5 |
WRC-2 Pro Victories
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 Rally Chile |
2019 | Jonne Halttunen |
Škoda Fabia R5 | |
| 2 | 2019 Rally de Portugal |
2019 | Jonne Halttunen |
Škoda Fabia R5 evo | |
| 3 |  2019 Rally Italia Sardegna |
2019 | Jonne Halttunen |
Škoda Fabia R5 evo | |
| 4 | 2019 Rally Finland |
2019 | Jonne Halttunen |
Škoda Fabia R5 evo | |
| 5 | 2019 Wales Rally GB |
2019 | Jonne Halttunen |
Škoda Fabia R5 evo |
Images for kids
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Rovanperä at the 2023 Central European Rally
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Rovanperä at the 2018 Rally Finland
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Rovanperä at the 2020 Rally Sweden.
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Rovanperä at the 2023 Rally Finland
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Rovanperä at the 2024 Rally Poland
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Rovanperä at the Red Bull Ring in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Kalle Rovanperä para niños
