| Kalle Rovanperä | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Rovanperä at the2023 Central European Rally | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (2000-10-01)1 October 2000 (age 25) Jyväskylä, Finland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related to | Harri Rovanperä (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kalle Alex Rovanperä (Finnish:[ˈkɑlːeˈroʋɑmˌperæ]; born 1 October 2000) is a Finnish professionalrally andracing driver who competes in theWorld Rally Championship (WRC) forToyota Gazoo Racing WRT, alongsideco-driverJonne Halttunen. He is a double World Champion, having won the 2022 and 2023 World Championships back to back. As the son of former WRC driverHarri Rovanperä, he garnered international attention by starting rallying at an exceptionally young age.
Rovanperä won two titles inLatvia, before making his WRC debut in2017. He won theWorld Rally Championship-2 Pro in2019, and was promoted to the top tier by Toyota as theirworks driver in2020. In2021, Rovanperä became the youngest driver to win aWorld Rally Championship event by winning the2021 Rally Estonia. In2022, he became the youngest everWorld Champion after winning the2022 Rally New Zealand a day after his 22nd birthday.
Rovanperä was born inJyväskylä, Central Finland.[2] He is the son of formerWRC driverHarri Rovanperä, who was afactory driver for several teams and wona WRC round in Sweden in2001.[3] 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.[4] Prior to his participation in the professional championships, he was coached by many compatriots, includingEsapekka Lappi, who commented that a young Rovanperä already knew as much as him.[5]
In 2015, at the age of 14, Rovanperä competed in Latvia where having a driver's license is not a requirement to take part inrallying.[6][7] He won the Latvian rally championship with hisCitroën C2 R2 Max car in the R2 class.[8][9]
For the first three rallies of the 2016 Latvian rally series, Rovanperä drove a 220 kW (300 hp)four-wheel-driveŠkoda Fabia S2000, which was a completely newWRC-2 class rally car with a two-litre naturally aspirated engine.[10] He won the first rally, setting the fastest time at every stage.[11] He finished as the runner-up the second rally despite apower steering issue.[12] Rovanperä switched to a newŠkoda Fabia R5 following another second-place finish in the Kurzeme rally.[13] He scored four more podiums, including two victories for the rest of the season.[14] 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.[15]
In January 2017, the Finnish motorsport associationAKK-Motorsport granted a 16-year-old Rovanperä special permission to take part in Finnish rally races and the Ralli SM national championship series.[16] In addition to entering the rallies in theFinnish Rally Championship, he also participated in two other national championships: Latvia andItaly.[17] Rovanperä also made hisEuropean Rally Championship debut in2017 by entering theRally Liepāja, where he finished second overall.[18] He also successfully defended his title in Latvia by finishing every rally on the podium.[19]
Having acquired hisdriving licence, Rovanperä made his WRC debut at the2017 Wales Rally GB, driving anM-Sport-enteredFord Fiesta R5,[20] as well as competing at the2017 Rally Australia.[21] 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.[22]
Rovanperä joinedŠkoda Motorsport for the2018 season.[23] He recorded two victories at the2018 Wales Rally GB and the2018 Rally Catalunya,[24][25] completing the championship third.[26] Rovanperä also contested some events in theAsia Pacific Championship series.[27]
Rovanperä was retained by the team for the2019 season.[28] He took his first victory of the season at the2019 Rally Chile,[29] and took over the championship a round later at the2019 Rally de Portugal.[30] He would go on to win three more rallies during the rest of the season and eventually sealed the title at the2019 Wales Rally GB.[31] His only retirement of the season was at the2019 Tour de Corse, where he crashed out during the ninthspecial stage.[32]
In November 2019,Toyota announced that Rovanperä would drive for the Japanese manufacturer in2020, alongside world championSébastien Ogier andElfyn Evans.[33]
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Rovanperä chose 69 as his car number.[34] He scored his first podium at his second outing in the top class at the2020 Rally Sweden by finishing third.[35] At 19 years, 4 months and 16 days, Rovanperä became the youngest WRC podium finisher.[36] Rovanperä eventually finished fifth at the end of season.[37]
Rovanperä's 2021 campaign started with a fourth at the2021 Monte Carlo Rally and a second at the2021 Arctic Rally Finland, which was enough to lead the WRC championship for the first time in his career.[38] Following a series of troublesome events, Rovanperä took his first WRC career victory at the2021 Rally Estonia.[39] The victory saw him become the youngest driver to win aWorld Rally Championship event at 21 years and 289 days, breaking the previous record of 22 years and 313 days held by his team bossJari-Matti Latvala.[40] Later in 2021, he also won the2021 Acropolis Rally.[41] Rovanperä eventually finished fourth at the conclusion of the championship.[42]
Rovanperä started2022 with a fourth place at the2022 Monte Carlo Rally, before he went on to win a hat-trick events.[43] Following a fifth place at the2022 Rally Italia Sardegna, he secured back-to-back victories to build a commanding lead in the championship.[44][39] Despite a number of eventful rallies, he returned to form to claim his sixth rally of the season at the2022 Rally New Zealand.[45] The performance was enough to secure the first world title of his career.[46] At the age of 22 years and 1 day, Rovanperä became the youngestWorld Rally Champion, breaking the previous record set byColin McRae at the age of 27 years and 89 days in1995.[47] He also became the first Finnish World Rally Champion sinceMarcus Grönholm in2002.[48]
Rovanperä did not win a rally until the fifth round of the championship, the2023 Rally de Portugal, which helped him to lead the championship.[49] He won two more events later in the year, consolidating his championship lead.[50][51] At the2023 Central European Rally, major title rivalElfyn Evans was out of contention, whist Rovanperä finished second, which was enough to seal a back-to-back world title.[52]
Rovanperä signed a multi-year contract with Toyota following the end of2023 season.[53] However, it was announced that Rovanperä would only contest a partial season in2024 before returning full time in 2025.[54]
Rovanperä made his racing outside rally debut in 2024, where he competed inPorsche Carrera Cup Benelux. He ended on 4th place with three wins on his name, although he missed two rounds.[55] He made his endurance debut in 2025 where he competed in2025 Middle East Trophy with Proton Huber Competition.[56]
On 9 October 2025, Rovanperä announced his retirement from the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2025 season, and that he would be moving on to single seater racing.[57] Rovanperä is set to compete in theSuper Formula Championship for the 2026 season with the support of his rally manufacturerToyota Gazoo Racing.[58]
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.[59] In 2023, he entered two rounds of the Formula Drift Japan with aToyota GR Corolla, claiming a win at Ebisu and a second place at Okayama.[60][61] He also entered three rounds of the Drift Masters European Championship with a Toyota Supra.
Rovanperä announced to enter four rounds of the 2024Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux.[62] 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.[63]
In November 2024, Rovanperä was able to test anF1 car withRed Bull Racing at the AustrianRed Bull Ring.[citation needed]
Rovanperä said on Instagram on Christmas Eve that he will be seen in theDubai 24 Hour race from 10 to 12 January2025.[citation needed]
In October 2025, Rovanperä was able to test anF2 car withHitech TGR at theCircuito de Jerez in Spain.[citation needed]
In June 2017, the Finnish transport safety agency Trafi granted Rovanperä special permission to apply for adriver's license when he turned 17.[64] On 2 October 2017, a day after his 17th birthday, Rovanperä successfully completed the mandatorydriving test after having completed the theory part beforehand.[65]
In 2020, Rovanperä moved to Estonia.[66] He has lived inMonaco since 2022.[67]
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  2021 Rally Estonia | 2021 |  Jonne Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | [70] |
| 2 |  2021 Acropolis Rally | 2021 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | [71] |
| 3 |  2022 Rally Sweden | 2022 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [72] |
| 4 |  2022 Croatia Rally | 2022 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [73] |
| 5 |  2022 Rally de Portugal | 2022 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [74] |
| 6 |  2022 Safari Rally | 2022 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [75] |
| 7 | 2022 Rally Estonia | 2022 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [76] |
| 8 |  2022 Rally New Zealand | 2022 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [77] |
| 9 | 2023 Rally de Portugal | 2023 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [78] |
| 10 | 2023 Rally Estonia | 2023 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [79] |
| 11 | 2023 Acropolis Rally | 2023 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [80] |
| 12 | 2024 Safari Rally | 2024 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [81] |
| 13 |  2024 Rally Poland | 2024 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [82] |
| 14 |  2024 Rally Latvia | 2024 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [83] |
| 15 |  2024 Rally Chile | 2024 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [84] |
| 16 |  2025 Rally Islas Canarias | 2025 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [85] |
| 17 | 2025 Rally Finland | 2025 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [86] |
| 18 |  2025 Central European Rally | 2025 | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | [87] |
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  2017 Rally Australia | 2017 | Jonne Halttunen | Ford Fiesta R5 | [88] |
| 2 |  2018 Wales Rally GB | 2018 | Jonne Halttunen | Škoda Fabia R5 | [89] |
| 3 | 2018 Rally Catalunya | 2018 | Jonne Halttunen | Škoda Fabia R5 | [90] |
| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 Rally Chile | 2019 | Jonne Halttunen | Škoda Fabia R5 | [91] |
| 2 | 2019 Rally de Portugal | 2019 | Jonne Halttunen | Škoda Fabia R5 evo | [92] |
| 3 |  2019 Rally Italia Sardegna | 2019 | Jonne Halttunen | Škoda Fabia R5 evo | [93] |
| 4 | 2019 Rally Finland | 2019 | Jonne Halttunen | Škoda Fabia R5 evo | [94] |
| 5 | 2019 Wales Rally GB | 2019 | Jonne Halttunen | Škoda Fabia R5 evo | [95] |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux | RedAnt Racing | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 134.5 | 4th |
| Porsche Carrera Cup Italia | Prima Ghinzani Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 19th | |
| 2025 | Middle East Trophy - GT3 | Proton Huber Competition | |||||||
| 2026 | Super Formula | TBA |
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kalle Rovanperä | Ford Fiesta R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | FRA | ARG | POR | ITA | POL | FIN | GER | ESP | GBR 35 | AUS 10 | 25th | 1 | |
| 2018 | Kalle Rovanperä | Škoda Fabia R5 | MON 11 | SWE | 22nd | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Škoda Motorsport | MEX 35 | FRA | ARG Ret | POR | ITA | FIN 14 | ||||||||||||
| Škoda Motorsport II | GER 10 | TUR | GBR 9 | ESP 12 | AUS | |||||||||||||
| 2019 | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Fabia R5 | MON 18 | SWE 18 | MEX | FRA Ret | ARG | CHL 8 | 12th | 18 | ||||||||
| Skoda Fabia R5 evo | POR 6 | ITA 9 | FIN 9 | GER 16 | TUR 18 | GBR 9 | ESP 12 | AUS C | ||||||||||
| 2020 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota Yaris WRC | MON 5 | SWE 3 | MEX 5 | EST 5 | TUR 4 | ITA Ret | MNZ 5 | 5th | 80 | |||||||
| 2021 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota Yaris WRC | MON 4 | ARC 2 | CRO Ret | POR 22 | ITA 25 | KEN 6 | EST 1 | BEL 3 | GRE 1 | FIN 34 | ESP 5 | MNZ 9 | 4th | 142 | ||
| 2022 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | MON 4 | SWE 1 | CRO 1 | POR 1 | ITA 5 | KEN 1 | EST 1 | FIN 2 | BEL 62 | GRE 15 | NZL 1 | ESP 3 | JPN 12 | 1st | 255 | |
| 2023 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | MON 2 | SWE 4 | MEX 4 | CRO 4 | POR 1 | ITA 3 | KEN 2 | EST 1 | FIN Ret | GRE 1 | CHL 4 | EUR 2 | JPN 3 | 1st | 250 | |
| 2024 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | MON | SWE 39 | KEN 1 | CRO | POR 31 | ITA | POL 1 | LAT 1 | FIN Ret | GRE | CHL 1 | EUR | JPN | 7th | 114 | |
| 2025 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | MON 4 | SWE 5 | KEN Ret | ESP 1 | POR 3 | ITA 3 | GRE 26 | EST 4 | FIN 1 | PAR 5 | CHL 6 | EUR 1 | JPN 6 | SAU | 3rd* | 248* |
| Source:[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
* Season still in progress.
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kalle Rovanperä | Ford Fiesta R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | FRA | ARG | POR | ITA | POL | FIN | GER | ESP | GBR 15 | AUS 1 | 15th | 25 |
| 2018 | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Fabia R5 | MON | SWE | MEX 5 | FRA | ARG Ret | POR | ITA | FIN 4 | 3rd | 90 | |||||
| Škoda Motorsport II | GER 2 | TUR | GBR 1 | ESP 1 | AUS | ||||||||||||
| Source:[96] | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Fabia R5 | MON 2 | SWE 2 | MEX | FRA Ret | ARG | CHL 1 | 1st | 176 | ||||||||
| Skoda Fabia R5 evo | POR 1 | ITA 1 | FIN 1 | GER 3 | TUR 3 | GBR 1 | ESP 3 | AUS C | ||||||||||
| Source:[97] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kalle Rovanperä | Ford Fiesta R5 | ACO | ESP | GRC | CYP | POL | CZE | ROM | LVA 2 | 12th | 30 |
| Source:[98] | ||||||||||||
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | RedAnt Racing | Porsche 911 GT3 | BEL | BEL | NED 4 | NED 5 | ITA 2 | ITA 1 | NED | NED | AUT 1 | AUT 6 | BEL 3 | BEL 1 | 4th | 134.5 |
| Source: | ||||||||||||||||
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Prima Ghinzani Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT3 | MIS | MIS | IMO1 | IMO1 | MUG | MUG | IMO2 | IMO2 | VAL | VAL | MON 6 | MON 8 | 19th | 18 |
| Source: | ||||||||||||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TBA | Toyota | MOT | MOT | AUT | SUZ | SUZ | FUJ | FUJ | SUG | FUJ | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Autosport International Rally Driver Award 2022–2023 | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | World Rally Champion 2022–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | Youngest rally winner 20 years, 289 days (2021 Rally Estonia) | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Youngest World Rally Champion 22 years, 1 day (2022 season) | Succeeded by Incumbent |