KALLE ROVANPERÄ

Nationality	FIN
Date of Birth	01.10.2000
Birthplace	Jyväskylä, Finland
First Rally	2017, Wales Rally GB
Co-Driver	Jonne Haltunen
WRC titles	1 (2022)
WRC wins	9
WRC podiums	16
WRC stage wins	128
Social media	https://www.facebook.com/KalleRovanperaRacing/

The story so far

Rovanperä has rallying in his blood. His father, Harri, was a factory driver for several teams and won a WRC round in Sweden in 2001.

Because Finnish law doesn’t usually allow participation in rallies before the age of 18, Rovanperä went to Latvia, starting with rally sprints at the age of 12.

For the next couple of years, co-driver Risto Pietiläinen, father Harri’s former co-driver, had to drive the road sections. It didn’t stop young Kalle from winning the Latvian Junior Championship in 2015, following up with the main championship in 2016 and 2017 in a Škoda Fabia.

Rovanperä came under the patronage of manager legend Timo Jouhki, who sent him to the Italian Championship in 2016 for asphalt experience.

Rovanperä passed his driving test in 2017, a day after his 17th birthday, courtesy of a waiver by the Finnish government. He started Rally GB three weeks later and in the season finale in Australia he became the youngest driver ever to win a WRC2 round.

He signed for Škoda Motorsport in 2018 and drove a Fabia R5 in WRC2, finishing third with two wins. Twelve months later he became the youngest winner of a WRC title by topping WRC2 Pro for the Czech squad.

He joined Toyota for 2020 and on just his second event in Sweden he became the youngest podium finisher in WRC history at 19 years and 139 days.

In 2021, aged 20 years and 290 days, he became the youngest rally winner in WRC history in Estonia. He added another victory to his tally shortly afterwards in Greece, before ending the season in fourth.

The 2022 season - only Rovanperä’s third in the sport’s top-flight - was when he really hit the big time.

Aged just 22 years and one day old, he become the youngest champion in WRC history, clinching the title when he scored his sixth win of the year at Repco Rally New Zealand. In doing so, Rovanperä swept aside the record previously held by Colin McRae, who was more than 27 years old when he took the title in 1995.