Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera, a double world rally champion from Finland, is taking a break next season after reaching a multi-year agreement with the Japanese manufacturer. Rovanpera became the youngest world rally champion at the age of 22 and won a second successive crown this season. In a Toyota statement on Monday, he announced that he will only be driving some events next year due to his previous 15 years of experience driving rally cars. He felt that it was time for him to recharge and come back stronger in the future.
Rovanpera also mentioned that he is looking forward to trying out other forms of motorsport during his break, including drifting. Sebastien Ogier, an eight-time world champion from France, will also continue part-time with Toyota. The full-time drivers for 2024 will be Welshman Elfyn Evans and Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta. Evans has been a runner-up three times in the last four years and is determined to improve his performance and win the championship next season. According to a report by Alan Baldwin in London, edited by Ken Ferris.
