TOYOTA GAZOO RACING CALLS ON RISING STAR KALLE ROVANPERA FOR RALLY POLAND
In a dramatic turn of events, Toyota GAZOO Racing has announced that rising WRC star Kalle Rovanpera will replace the injured Sebastien Ogier for the upcoming Rally Poland event. This decision comes after Ogier and his co-driver Vincent Landais were involved in a road traffic accident while preparing pacenotes.
“We are pleased to confirm that Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen will step in for their team-mates Seb and Vincent and participate in Rally Poland: rising to the challenge and showing the great spirit in our team,” the team stated.
The incident occurred when the Ogier’s GR Yaris reconnaissance car collided with another vehicle. While the driver and passenger of the other car, as well as two members of the public, were also hospitalized, it has been confirmed that all those involved have undergone scans and shown no signs of serious injury.
Landais has since been discharged from the hospital, but Ogier will remain under medical observation overnight and will not be able to participate in the Rally Poland event. In response, Toyota has requested and received permission from the FIA stewards to field Rovanpera and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen in the third GR Yaris at this weekend’s gravel rally.
This will be Rovanpera’s fourth event of his part-time WRC campaign, following successful outings in Sweden, Kenya, and Portugal. The 23-year-old Finnish prodigy has already proven his mettle by securing a victory at the Safari Rally Kenya in March.
“Duty calls. Rally Poland here we come,” Rovanpera posted on his Instagram, eager to take on the challenge of representing Toyota in the absence of the experienced Ogier.
Rovanpera’s versatility has been on full display, as he recently made his circuit racing debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux at Zandvoort, where he finished fourth and fifth in the two races.
As the WRC season heats up, all eyes will be on Kalle Rovanpera and his performance at Rally Poland, as he steps up to the plate to fill in for the injured Ogier and further solidify his reputation as one of the brightest talents in the world of rallying.
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