Kalle Rovanperä pulled off an amazing comeback on the final Wolf Power Stage of the Croatia Rally to snatch victory from Ott Tänak by just 4.3s, at the climax of an amazing final leg during which Finn’s hopes had appeared to slip away.
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The Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT driver, who had led the rally from the first stage on Friday morning, appeared destined for a heartbreaking defeat following the penultimate stage on Sunday morning. He entered the 13.15-kilometre Trakošćan – Vrbno test with an advantage over Tänak of 28.4s. But heavy rain and a variation in tyre choice caught out Toyota and wiped out his lead. Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team driver Tänak ran with a crossover pair of soft-compound Pirellis and two wet-weather tyres, with Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen on two hard and two rain tyres – and it worked out in Tänak’s favour. He was 29.8s faster to jump into a slender lead of 1.4s with just the Wolf Power Stage to go.
But in dry conditions and on a mixed tyre choice of two hard-compound Pirellis and two wet-weather tyres, versus Tänak on softs all-round, Rovanperä overturned the deficit with a fantastic stage-winning run. Tänak crossed the beam 5.7s down to lose the rally by 4.3s.
“It’s amazing,” said Rovanperä, 21, whose fourth WRC victory at the Croatia Rally has increased his points lead in the 2022 standings. “We pushed really hard and we deserve it this weekend. For sure, it’s the best win of my career and the toughest one.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team principal Jari-Matti Latvala said: “It’s incredible. I was absolutely sure we were not going to win this event, I thought Kalle wouldn’t have a chance in these conditions. When you see the mud around you know soft tyres are the correct tyre, and that’s what Kalle told himself, that soft tyres would have been best for the stage! I don’t know how he managed to do it. This kid is a miracle,…
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