Kalle Rovanperä Leads Rally Estonia Shakedown Ahead of Title Contenders

Tartu, Estonia — Kalle Rovanperä set a quick pace during the Rally Estonia shakedown on Thursday, showing he remains a top contender for the title in the World Rally Championship. The event, which is known for its high-speed gravel routes, is the first of two back-to-back races this summer.

Rovanperä clocked a benchmark time of 1 minute and 56.3 seconds, leading the field by 0.9 seconds over Takamoto Katsuta. “It’s so nice to be back here, my favorite race of the year,” Rovanperä said. He acknowledged the struggles his team faced this season, stating, “Obviously, this year we’ve not had as good a feeling as it has been always before, but for sure this weekend we try to do something well.”

Elfyn Evans, the current championship leader, holds a narrow 12-point lead over his closest rival, Ott Tänak. Tänak, racing in front of a home crowd, initially set the pace but ended up fourth overall with a time of 1 minute and 57.8 seconds. “The feeling wise in the car is obviously not great,” Tänak noted, expressing concerns over his vehicle’s performance. “In the fast gravel, you need the car to be very precise,” he added.

Thierry Neuville, the reigning world champion, finished the shakedown as the fastest Hyundai driver, securing the third-best time, only 0.1 seconds slower than Katsuta. Rovanperä’s fellow Toyota driver, Oliver Solberg, made an impressive return, taking fifth place with a time just 0.3 seconds behind Tänak.

Solberg shared his enthusiasm about the car, saying, “It’s just absolutely incredible. What a car, first of all. It’s just so nice to drive.” Mãrtiņš Sesks and Sami Pajari followed Solberg, rounding out the top seven. Evans settled for eighth, just shy of the top ranks.

The event officially starts this evening with a city-center launch in Tartu, followed by a short super special stage. Competitors will face 20 competitive tests over 300 kilometers across Estonia’s fast roads.