2023-06-28 07:00:00
Body language often says more than long speeches. In the finish area where the crews were waiting for the end of the Power Stage, Kalle Rovanperä had great difficulty in hiding her disappointment. All the rest of the afternoon, the Finn kept a closed face, brooding over his dissatisfaction. It must be recognized that failing to 6.7 of a second victory in a row at Safari after such a battle can prove difficult to digest. In a way, it’s a pretty good sign to see the reigning world champion still annoyed by the defeat.
Mano a mano with Ogier
In Kenya, however, Kalle had little to be ashamed of. Leading the way during the first stage, he superbly managed to limit the effects of the sweep at the start of the rally. This phenomenon is not present everywhere on the Safari course which offers a wide range of different surfaces. Rovanperä has succeeded in exploiting every clean kilometer. In the same way, some very sandy sections tended to widen as the repeated passage of cars. Being first on the road was an advantage this time. This was confirmed in the special at Kedong (SS4) where he suddenly took 9”4 from Sébastien Ogier who was, it is true, out of hybrid. Very quickly, the last two world champions isolated themselves at the head of the race. Despite the setbacks that slowed down Kalle’s rivals in the championship one by one, and allowed him to consider a very interesting accounting operation, he always remained focused on winning.
Victory at any cost
No longer having to worry about the threat of 3rd, the driver from Jyväskylä (Finland) focused entirely on how to beat Sébastien Ogier. As in Monte-Carlo (January 19-22), Kalle took very big risks to catch up and keep up the pressure. With success. After SS 12, the gap peaked at 32”, but while the infernal ES Sleeping Warrior demanded caution and patience, Rovanperä once again displayed their mastery in the rain. In addition to benefiting from Ogier’s two punctures, the curly-haired kid was flawless in the storm. Halving his delay, he allowed to believe in a Sunday with a stake. He displayed all his nerve there in the “construction site” of SS14. ” I knew no one would want to attack in this very selective stagehe smiled mischievously. It was a good time to try something. We pushed hard, but without taking any risks. “Returned suddenly to 8”6 from Ogier, Kalle could consider winning.
Comfortable championship lead
Now his teammate under pressure, he was ready to take advantage of the slightest failure of the Frenchman, but the latter was very solid. While the gap continued to narrow, Ogier did not make the mistake that could have tipped the victory in the youth camp. Slowed down by his engine which had become asthmatic because of the fech-fech swallowed in SS18, Rovanperä was not able to aim for 5 points in the Power Stage, which caused him a frustration that he did not even try to hide. ” I always try to win and when it doesn’t work I can’t be satisfiedpleaded the one who lived three days without committing a fault or experiencing a puncture. I didn’t have enough power in the last stretch. There is disappointment. I recognize that it is a good operation for the championship, but when you are so close to victory it is infuriating not to get it. A few hours after the finish, his situation improved further with the exclusion of Thierry Neuville. In addition to having a comfortable lead (41 points over Evans, 42 over Ogier), Kalle tackles rounds which are favorable to him on paper (Estonia, Finland). And his cumbersome French teammate will not be there to block his way to success… and the title.
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