Kalle Rovanperä has been proclaimed champion of the WRC with his victory in the New Zealand Rally. The fight for the runner-up position and for the constructors’ title, open fronts in the WRC ahead of his last two rounds.
The fight for the WRC title is over. Kalle Rovanperä is the new champion, the youngest in history, after win the New Rally Zealand ahead of Sébastien Ogier and Ott Tänak. The Estonian’s attempts to lengthen the resolution of the title were useless before the power shown by Kalle from the second stage of the test.
Rovanperä can boast that he is the youngest champion of the history of the World Rally Championship after winning the title at the age of 22 years and 1 day, which in turn draws a totally new scenario in the WRC. Resolved the title in the absence of two rallies, the main focus of interest in the remainder of the season it happens to know which pilot is going to get the runner-upas well as the brand that takes the title of constructors.
Toyota Gazoo Racing has extended its lead in the constructors’ standings in New Zealand
As far as the fight for the runner-up is concerned and once Rovanperä with 237 points is out of the picture, the duel between the Hyundai drivers could be really attractive. There are 50 points left at stake and the difference between Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville is 29 units in favor of the Estonian. Already ruled out of the fight is Elfyn Evans after adding two consecutive retirements in the last two rallies.
In fact, Takamoto Katsuta is 16 points behind the Welshman, so an interesting duel is also drawn for fourth position in the championship and being the best Toyota driver apart from the champion. Few issues remain at stake in the queen class, although it will also be interesting see the resolution of the WRC2 category title now that Kajetan Kajetanowicz is thirteen points behind the leader with at least one test to go.
Loading tweet…
1576425136546230273
two rallies
The two scenarios in which the runner-up and the constructors’ title will be decided are the Rally RACC de Catalunya and the Rally of Japan, two appointments on asphalt that, however, are almost antagonistic to each other. The Spanish roads are really fluid, while the sections that make up the Japanese event have a more ‘stop & go’ factor.
All in all, Spain and Japan will not only serve to resolve the open battles, but also so that some pilots can claim back after a complex season and thus secure a seat next season. Therefore, it cannot be said that the development of the RACC Rally is going to be boringsince it is also a scoring event for the European Championship.
Go for the triplet
Returning to open fights, Toyota Gazoo Racing has taken an important step towards the constructors’ title in New Zealand, but still has work to do. The Japanese manufacturer adds 455 points in his locker after the 1-2 in the Kiwi stages, so holds an 81-unit lead over Hyundai Motorsport. An important income, but above all that is drawn after a change in dynamics.
Hyundai had approached the Japanese brand in recent rallies, especially after the Acropolis Rally, a test in which the South Korean firm achieved a brilliant triplet with Thierry Nueville, Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo. However, New Zealand has left Toyota in a very favorable position to clinch the title.
Photos: Toyota Gazoo Racing