Kalle Rovanperä (; born 1 October 2000) is a Finnish professional

rally driver Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

who competes in the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

(WRC) for

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team is a competitor of the World Rally Championship (WRC) based in Finland, serving as the entry for the car manufacturer Toyota. Its team principal is former WRC driver Jari-Matti Latvala and its drivers for ...

, alongside

co-driver A co-driver is the navigator of a rally car in the sport of rallying, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, commonly by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver (what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity ...

Jonne Halttunen Jonne Halttunen (born 13 December 1985) is a Finnish rally (sports), rally co-driver. Currently, he is the co-driver of Kalle Rovanperä, driving the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Previously, they represented Škoda Motorsport to participate in the 20 ...

. He is a double World Champion, having won the 2022 and 2023 World Championships back to back. As the son of former WRC driver

Harri Rovanperä Harri "Rovis" Rovanperä (; born 8 April 1966) is a Finnish rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship from 1993 to 2006. He drove for SEAT (1997– 00), Peugeot (2001– 04), Mitsubishi (2005) and Red Bull Škoda Team ...

, he garnered international attention by starting rallying at an exceptionally young age. Rovanperä won two titles in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, before making his WRC debut in . He won the

World Rally Championship-2 Pro The FIA WRC2 is a support championship of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The calendar consists of the same rallies and stages as the parent series and crews usually compete immediately after Rally1 class crews. WRC2 is limited to production ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, and was promoted to the top tier by Toyota as their works driver in . In , Rovanperä became the youngest driver to win a World Rally Championship event by winning the

2021 Rally Estonia The 2021 Rally Estonia (also known as the Rally Estonia 2021) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 15 and 18 July 2021. It marked the eleventh running of the Rally Estonia. The event was the seventh round o ...

. In , he became the youngest ever

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

after winning the 2022 Rally New Zealand a day after his 22nd birthday.

Early life and background

Rovanperä was born in

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Central Finland. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Jyväskylä is approximately , while the Jyväskylä sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately ...

, Central Finland. He is the son of former

WRC WRC may refer to: Broadcasting stations * WRC-TV, a television station (virtual channel 4, digital channel 34) licensed to Washington, D.C., United States * Several radio stations in the Washington, D.C. area: ** WWRC, a radio station (570 AM) l ...

driver

, who was a factory driver for several teams and won a WRC round in Sweden in . He garnered international attention at the age of eight, when footage of him driving a rally car was uploaded to the Internet, and participated his first rally at just ten years old. Prior to his participation in the professional championships, he was coached by many compatriots, including

Esapekka Lappi Esapekka Lappi (; born 17 January 1991) is a Finnish rally driver. He is the 2012 Finnish Rally Champion, 2014 European Rally Champion and the 2016 WRC-2 Champion. He now drives for Hyundai Motorsport. In 2024, he won his second ever event in ...

, who commented that a young Rovanperä already knew as much as him.

Rally Career

2015–2017: Success in Latvia, two other national series, ERC and WRC debut

In 2015, at the age of 14, Rovanperä competed in Latvia where having a driver's license is not a requirement to take part in

rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

. He won the Latvian rally championship with his Citroën C2 R2 Max car in the R2 class. For the first three rallies of the 2016 Latvian rally series, Rovanperä drove a

four-wheel-drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case provi ...

Škoda Fabia S2000 The Škoda Fabia S2000 is a Super 2000 rally car built by Škoda Motorsport. It is based upon the Škoda Fabia road car. History It made its début at Rallye Monte Carlo 2009, with factory team Škoda Motorsport and drivers Jan Kopecký and ...

, which was a completely new WRC-2 class rally car with a two-litre naturally aspirated engine. He won the first rally, setting the fastest time at every stage. He finished as the runner-up the second rally despite a

power steering Power steering is a system for reducing a driver's effort to turn a steering wheel of a motor vehicle, by using a power source to assist steering. Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver can ...

issue. Rovanperä switched to a new

Škoda Fabia R5 The Škoda Fabia R5 is a rally car built by Škoda Motorsport. It is based upon the Škoda Fabia road car and is built to R5 (rallying), R5 regulations. It made its competition début in 2015 as a successor to the Škoda Fabia S2000. The car pro ...

following another second-place finish in the Kurzeme rally. He scored four more podiums, including two victories for the rest of the season. Rovanperä eventually won the championship and became the youngest driver ever to win a national open class rally championship in any country at the age of 16. In January 2017, the Finnish motorsport association AKK-Motorsport granted a 16-year-old Rovanperä special permission to take part in Finnish rally races and the Ralli SM national championship series. In addition to entering the rallies in the

Finnish Rally Championship The Finnish Rally Championship is the national rally championship in Finland. The series currently has four classes; Super4 (including R5, S2000 and old WRC cars), Production4 (including Group N cars), R2 (including R2 and R1 cars) and Super2 (inc ...

, he also participated in two other national championships: Latvia and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Rovanperä also made his

European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champion ...

debut in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

by entering the Rally Liepāja, where he finished second overall. He also successfully defended his title in Latvia by finishing every rally on the podium. Having acquired his

driving licence A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, car ...

, Rovanperä made his WRC debut at the

2017 Wales Rally GB The 2017 Wales Rally (formally the 73. Dayinsure Wales Rally GB) was the 12th round of the 2017 World Rally Championship. The rally was being held over four days between 26 October and 29 October 2017, and was based in Deeside, United Kingdom. Br ...

, driving an M-Sport-entered

Ford Fiesta R5 The Ford Fiesta R5 is a rally car built by M-Sport and based upon the Ford Fiesta ST road car. It was the first car homologated under the R5 regulations that were introduced in 2013. The Fiesta R5 made its competitive début in 2013 and has comp ...

, as well as competing at the

2017 Rally Australia The 2017 Rally Australia (formally the 26. Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2017) was the 13th and final round of the 2017 World Rally Championship. The rally was held over three days between 17 November and 19 November 2017, and was based in Coffs ...

. He won the event in the WRC-2 category, becoming the youngest winner of a WRC-2 round, though he was the only contestant in the class.

2018–2019: Steady improvement and WRC-2 Pro crown

Rovanperä joined

Škoda Motorsport ŠKODA Motorsport is the sports factory team of the car manufacturer Škoda Auto, currently focusing on the development and construction of racing cars. The latest model from Škoda Motorsport's workshops is the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, which was ...

for the 2018 season. He recorded two victories at the 2018 Wales Rally GB and the

2018 Rally Catalunya The 2018 Rally Catalunya (formally known as the 54. RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada) was a motor racing event for rallying, rally cars that took place between 25 and 28 October. The event was open to entries competing in World Rally Cars and car ...

, completing the championship third. Rovanperä also contested some events in the Asia Pacific Championship series. Rovanperä was retained by the team for the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

. He took his first victory of the season at the 2019 Rally Chile, and took over the championship a round later at the 2019 Rally de Portugal. He would go on to win three more rallies during the rest of the season and eventually sealed the title at the

2019 Wales Rally GB The 2019 Wales Rally GB (also known as Wales Rally GB 2019) was a motor racing event for rally cars held over four days between 3 and 6 October 2019. It marked the seventy-fifth running of Wales Rally GB and was the twelfth round of the 2019 Worl ...

. His only retirement of the season was at the 2019 Tour de Corse, where he crashed out during the ninth special stage. In November 2019,

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

announced that Rovanperä would drive for the Japanese manufacturer in , alongside world champion

Sébastien Ogier Sébastien Eugène Emile Ogier (; born 17 December 1983) is a French Rallying, rally driver, competing for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He is currently teamed with co-driver Vincent Landais. He has won 8 List ...

and

Elfyn Evans Elfyn Rhys Evans (born 28 December 1988) is a Welsh professional rallying, rally driver. He has competed full-time in World Rally Championship since 2014, originally for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, M-Sport Ford and currently for Toyota Gazoo ...

2020–2021: Top tier debut and youngest WRC event winner

Rovanperä chose 69 as his car number. He scored his first podium at his second outing in the top class at the

2020 Rally Sweden The 2020 Rally Sweden (also known as the Rally Sweden 2020) () was a motorsport, motor racing event for rallying, rally cars that was held over four days between 13 and 16 February 2020. It marked the sixty-eighth running of Rally Sweden and was ...

by finishing third. At 19 years, 4 months and 16 days, Rovanperä became the youngest WRC podium finisher. Rovanperä eventually finished fifth at the end of season. Rovanperä's 2021 campaign started with a fourth at the

2021 Monte Carlo Rally The 2021 Monte Carlo Rally (also known as the 89e Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 21 and 24 January 2021. It marked the eighty-ninth running of the Monte Carlo Rally, and ...

and a second at the 2021 Arctic Rally Finland, which was enough to lead the WRC championship for the first time in his career. Following a series of troublesome events, Rovanperä took his first WRC career victory at the

. The victory saw him become the youngest driver to win a World Rally Championship event at 21 years and 289 days, breaking the previous record of 22 years and 313 days held by his team boss

Jari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala (; born 3 April 1985) is a Finnish rally driver who has competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC). His co-driver for most of his career was Miikka Anttila, who co-drove for Latvala between the 2003 Rallye Deutschland and ...

. Later in 2021, he also won the 2021 Acropolis Rally. Rovanperä eventually finished fourth at the conclusion of the championship.

2022–2023: Youngest World Rally Champion

Rovanperä started with a fourth place at the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally, before he went on to win a hat-trick events. Following a fifth place at the

2022 Rally Italia Sardegna The 2022 Rally Italia Sardegna (also known as the Rally Italia Sardegna 2022) was a motor racing event for rally cars held from 2 June to 5 June 2022. It was the nineteenth running of the Rally Italia Sardegna. The event was the fifth round of the ...

, he secured back-to-back victories to build a commanding lead in the championship. Despite a number of eventful rallies, he returned to form to claim his sixth rally of the season at the 2022 Rally New Zealand. The performance was enough to secure the first world title of his career. At the age of 22 years and 1 day, Rovanperä became the youngest

World Rally Champion The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. Each season lasts one calendar year, and typi ...

, breaking the previous record set by

Colin McRae Colin Steele McRae, (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007), was a British rally driver. He was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and in 1995 became the first British driver to win the World Rally Championship Drivers' title. At 27, ...

at the age of 27 years and 89 days in . He also became the first Finnish World Rally Champion since

Marcus Grönholm Marcus Ulf Johan "Bosse" Grönholm (born February 5, 1968) is a Finland, Finnish former rallying, rally and rallycross driver, being part of a family of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland lineage. His son, Niclas Grönholm, is an upcoming ...

in . Rovanperä did not win a rally until the fifth round of the championship, the 2023 Rally de Portugal, which helped him to lead the championship. He won two more events later in the year, consolidating his championship lead. At the

2023 Central European Rally The 2023 Central European Rally (also known as the Central Europe Rally 2023) was a motorsport, motor racing event for rallying, rally cars which was held from 26 to 29 October 2023. It marked the first running of the Central European Rally, and w ...

, major title rival

was out of contention, whist Rovanperä finished second, which was enough to seal a back-to-back world title. Rovanperä signed a multi-year contract with Toyota following the end of 2023 season. However, it was announced that Rovanperä would only contest a partial season in before returning full time in 2025.

Other activities

In 2022, Rovanperä competed at the Mondello Park round of the Drift Masters European Championship with a Toyota Supra, where he reached the round of 16. In 2023, he entered two rounds of the Formula Drift Japan with a

Toyota GR Corolla The is a compact car manufactured by Japanese marque Toyota since 2022 with assistance from the company's Gazoo Racing (GR) division. It is a hot hatch variant of the Toyota Corolla (E210), E210 series Corolla. The GR Corolla was introduced o ...

, claiming a win at Ebisu and a second place at Okayama. He also entered three rounds of the Drift Masters European Championship with a Toyota Supra. The Finn announced to enter four rounds of the 2024

Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux The Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux is the Belgian & Netherlands-based Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Carrera Cup series for Porsche 911 GT3 Carrera Cup races, launched in 2013. The series is supported by Porsche Motorsport, Porsche Belgium, and Porsc ...

. He finished his first race weekend in Zandvoort in 4th and 5th place, and afterwards took his first circuit victory in Imola, finishing 2nd and 1st. In November 2024, Rovanperä was able to test an F1 car with

Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...

at the Austrian

Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...

. Rovanperä said on Instagram on Christmas Eve that he will be seen in the

Dubai 24 Hour The Dubai 24 Hour Race is both a sports car and touring car automobile endurance race held annually at the Dubai Autodrome in Dubai, UAE. It was inaugurated in 2006. Entrants and participants As with all races in the 24H Series, promoted by Dut ...

race from 10 to 12. January 2025.

Personal life

In June 2017, the Finnish transport safety agency Trafi granted Rovanperä special permission to apply for a

driver's license A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, ca ...

when he turned 17. On 2 October 2017, a day after his 17th birthday, Rovanperä successfully completed the mandatory

driving test A driving test (also known as a driving exam or driver's test in some places) is a procedure designed to test a person's ability to driving, drive a motor vehicle. It exists in various forms worldwide, and is often a requirement to obtain a dr ...

after having completed the theory part beforehand. In 2020, Rovanperä moved to Estonia. He has lived in

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

since 2022.

Awards and honours

Autosport Awards The Autosport Awards are a series of awards presented by British motorsport magazine ''Autosport'' to drivers, constructors, executives and promoters for achievements that season in auto racing and rallying. Select awards are voted for by the ...

International Rally Driver of the Year: 2022–2023

Rally victories

WRC victories

WRC-2 victories

WRC-2 Pro victories

Career results

WRC results

Season still in progress.

WRC-2 results

WRC-2 Pro results

ERC results

Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux results

Porsche Carrera Cup Italy results

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rovanperä, Kalle 2000 births Living people 21st-century Finnish sportsmen Finnish rally drivers Škoda Motorsport drivers Sportspeople from Jyväskylä Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers World Rally Champions World Rally Championship drivers Finnish expatriates in Estonia Finnish expatriates in Monaco Finnish racing drivers Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux drivers Porsche Carrera Cup Italy drivers Finnish Twitch (service) streamers Proton Competition drivers