After two failed attempts in Belgium and Greece, Finnish Toyota driver Kali Rovanpera will attempt to make history by taking his first professional world title by entering the 11th round of Rally New Zealand and becoming world champion. have to be wary of Hyundai’s star racers of late in an attempt to delay their crown.

The young Finn, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Saturday, is looking to take his first world title and break Britain’s Colin McCrae’s previous record as the youngest ever world champion, who was crowned in 1995 at the age of 27.

However, New Zealand will be a new discovery for the Finn, who, unlike some of his rivals, has not previously participated in this rally, returning to the international calendar this year after a ten-year absence.

Rovanpera explained that in order to prepare for this draw, “we watched every possible video to get a general idea of ​​how the stages go and to understand what we might need there.”

Rovanpere will need to be well versed in rally circuits to get a good result after the setback he suffered in Belgium last August, when he withdrew from the Ypres Rally after his car left the race track after losing control of the track. corner, then three weeks later in Greece, where his car was damaged when he crashed into a tree, he finished in fifteenth place with just four points thanks to his second best time in the “Power Stage”, which boosted him to 207 points to finish first place overall.

– Return of Ogier –

Rovanpera has won five out of 10 rallies this year after becoming the youngest driver to win a world event (Rally Estonia) last year, and he will enter New Zealand with a 53-point lead over his direct pursuit of the Estonian. Hyundai driver Ott Tanak (154 points).

Unlike his young Finnish rival, who was only 11 years old when the last New Zealand rally took place, the 34-year-old Estonian knows the tracks well.

“I participated in Rally New Zealand 10 years ago and I have fond memories of it, so I can’t wait to get back there,” said the 2019 world champion.

Tanak hopes to thwart Rovanpera’s plans and delay the world title, as he did with fellow Hyundai Belgian Thierry Neuville and Spaniard Dani Sordo, who took the top three places in the Greek Acropolis Rally.

This is the first time in Hyundai’s history that it has taken the top three places in the World Rally (WRC) since its participation in the World Championship in 2014, and the second time this year for a single manufacturer after reaching Toyota at the Kenya Safari Rally. where the Japanese manufacturer dominated the first four places.

For Rovanpera to win the title on Sunday, he needs to score eight extra points from Tanaka by the end of the rally. If he manages to score the five points assigned to the one with the best time in the “Power Stage” (extra points), the Finn will be crowned regardless of the outcome of his opponents.

Following Rovanpera and Tanaka, Neuville is still in the race for the title with 131 points, 76 points behind the overall leader, but his chances are slim with 90 points left in the season.

However, Rovanpera is well aware that he will have to contend with winning Hyundai drivers in the final three rounds, with Tanak winning in Finland and Belgium and Neuville in Greece against his teammates Tanaka and Sordo.

At Toyota, in addition to Rovanpera, the Finnish-based Japanese team will also see the return of eight-time world rally champion Sebastien Ogier of France, who is running a partial program this season.

Ogier has missed the speed stages since his participation in the Kenya Safari Rally, when he finished fourth at the end of June last year, knowing that he also announced his participation in the last two stages in Spain (20-23 October) and Japan (10-23 October). November 13 (November).