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Kalle Rovanpera aims to bounce back at Safari Rally Kenya, overcoming tyre struggles to revive his WRC title defense in 2025.
Double world champion Kalle Rovanpera has his sights firmly set on turning his season around as the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) heads to Africa for next month’s Safari Rally Kenya.
After a steady yet unspectacular start to his title defense, the Toyota Gazoo Racing star finds himself third in the standings following a fourth-place finish at Rallye Monte-Carlo and a fifth in Sweden.
While those results have kept him in the championship fight, Rovanperä knows he needs a big result in Kenya to regain momentum.
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12:40 - 28.02.2025
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“Now we need to focus on the next rally on gravel with a completely different tyre and work to be stronger there,” said Rovanpera told WRC portal.
“Sweden was a difficult weekend — we were trying to push hard but just didn’t have the pace or performance we wanted.”
A key challenge for the Finn has been adapting to the new Hankook tyres introduced to the WRC this season. The change has proven to be trickier than expected, with Rovanpera and his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 struggling to extract the desired level of grip and consistency.
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The upcoming Safari Rally Kenya presents a completely different challenge from the fast, snowy roads of Sweden.
The African event, known for its punishing terrain, deep ruts, and unpredictable weather, will demand a fresh approach—especially as Rovanpera and his Toyota team work to optimize their car’s setup with the gravel-spec Hankook tyres.
“We have one day of testing before Safari. I don’t know about the specification for the tyre, which one it will be. It’s another new thing [to be running on the gravel-spec Hankook] and we have to see how it goes,” Rovanpera explained.
“There’s not really much we can do to prepare before the test, I just hope it’s going to be working more in a way which works for me.”
Despite the early-season struggles, the 23-year-old arrives in Naivasha with an impressive record at the Safari Rally.
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21:40 - 27.02.2025
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He clinched victory in 2022 and 2023, while also finishing second in 2021, proving his ability to master one of the WRC’s most demanding events.
Toyota has been dominant in Kenya since the rally returned to the WRC calendar in 2021, winning all three editions in the hybrid Rally1 era.
Rovanpera will be looking to extend that streak while also closing the gap to early championship leader Thierry Neuville.
With just a single pre-event test day, Rovanpera’s ability to quickly adapt will be crucial.
The rough Kenyan terrain is notorious for its car-breaking potential, meaning reliability and strategy will play a major role in the outcome.
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