Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera, a double world rally champion from Finland, has announced that he will be taking a break next season after signing a multi-year agreement with the Japanese manufacturer. The 22-year-old became the youngest world rally champion in history and won a second successive crown this season. In a statement on Monday, Rovanpera revealed that he has been driving rally cars for 15 years and has found the previous seasons to be both mentally and physically demanding. He expressed that it is time to recharge and come back to fight for the championship once more.
During his break, Rovanpera is looking forward to trying his hand at drifting and other forms of motorsport. Meanwhile, Sebastien Ogier, an eight-time world champion from France, will continue part-time with Toyota. The full-time drivers for 2024 will be Welshman Elfyn Evans and Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta. Evans, who has finished as a runner-up three times in the last four years, stated that he is determined to build on his progress and be even better in the next season. This news was reported by Alan Baldwin in London and edited by Ken Ferris.
