The key steps on Rovanpera's romp to a history-making WRC title

It was somehow appropriate that the rise of a new rallying superpower should coincide with the World Rally Championship celebrating its 50th season and ushering in a new hybrid era. For the best part of two decades, rallying’s top tier had been dominated by two Frenchmen, Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier, the duo’s stranglehold punctuated only once since 2004 when Ott Tanak marched his way to the 2019 title.

With Loeb and reigning champion Ogier taking only part-time cameo roles this year with M-Sport and Toyota respectively, the prospect of a new name on the world championship trophy seemed likely. But few would have predicted Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera to rip up the record books and redefine the WRC winning formula so comprehensively.

The son of former WRC rally winner Harri Rovanpera dominated the championship, scoring six wins and ending 20 years of Finnish national hurt to become the youngest ever champion at the age of 22. It’s a record unlikely to be beaten.

PLUS: How trailblazer Kalle Rovanpera has ripped up the WRC record book

It was a changing of the guard on several levels. Out went the much-loved previous WRC beasts, introduced in 2017, and in came the all-new monsters courtesy of Rally1 regulations. Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford burned the midnight oil over a busy off-season to create bespoke cars from the ground up as the WRC embraced arguably its most seismic set of rule changes.

The most significant was the introduction of a control 100kW hybrid unit married to the existing 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, now powered by 100% sustainable fuel. This was surrounded by a new tougher spaceframe chassis, while trick centre differentials were replaced by simpler front and rear alternatives. Suspension travel and the effect of aero were also significantly reduced. The new beasts were capable of 500bhp in short bursts using hybrid power, initiated by the throttle pedal.

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Rovanpera struggled on the season-opening Monte Carlo on his way to finishing fourth, but was right on the pace thereafter

Photo by: Toyota Racing

The WRC couldn’t have asked for a better start to Rally1 than rally legends Ogier and Loeb going toe to toe to deliver a battle for the ages in Monte Carlo. Loeb ultimately came out on top after Ogier suffered a dramatic puncture heartbreak on the penultimate stage. It was Loeb’s 80th career win, and the first for maths teacher-turned-co-driver Isabelle Galmiche.

PLUS: How Monte masters stole the show as WRC's hybrid era blasted off

It would have been a brave bet to back Rovanpera for the title after his display in the principality. He was among the pre-season title contenders after breakthrough wins in Estonia and Greece last year, but had struggled to gel with the new GR Yaris on the Monte, ending the first day more than minute adrift.

Rovanpera even suggested that he was slower than Rally2 machinery, such was his pace deficit, but something began to click as the rally continued. He would ultimately power from 12th to fourth, claiming the first of seven signature powerstage wins.

It was in Croatia where the youngster sent a message to his WRC rivals, and ‘Full Send’ Rovanpera was born, as emblazoned on the back of his crash helmet

“At the mid-point of the rally he was not performing very well,” acknowledged Toyota boss Jari-Matti Latvala. “You could see he was angry with himself and he is normally very calm.

“His mind was processing all the time that he needed to improve and that was significant. Somehow he managed to change his mind and worked out how the car needs to be driven.”

Indeed, a fire had been lit. A first win of the season arrived at the next outing on the Swedish snow, after seeing off challenges from Tanak’s Hyundai and Elfyn Evans’s Toyota. A hybrid failure ended Tanak’s bid. While Evans pushed Rovanpera hard, a penalty for a wild shortcut in the Saturday superspecial, followed by a crash on Sunday, helped Rovanpera to victory.

PLUS: Rovanpera grabs the Rally Sweden spotlight

It was in Croatia where the youngster sent a message to his WRC rivals, and ‘Full Send’ Rovanpera was born, as emblazoned on the back of his crash helmet. He dominated the wet asphalt roads, opening up more than a one-minute lead on Friday. A puncture brought Tanak back into the fight, and it was here when Rovanpera’s credentials were tested.

Rovanpera was supreme on Croatia's tricky gravel to defeat Tanak after the setback of a puncture

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

The soft-tyre-shod Tanak overhauled a 28.4s deficit to snatch the lead, capitalising on a rain shower on the penultimate stage. But Rovanpera blitzed Tanak on the final powerstage to pinch the victory by a mere 4.3s, in a seemingly against-the-odds triumph that he labelled as the toughest of his career to date.

PLUS: Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sends a message to his WRC rivals

Rovanpera completed his hat-trick of wins on the gravel in Portugal, and was beginning to show a key attribute honed by Loeb and Ogier on their way to multiple titles – the ability to win despite the disadvantage of being first on the road.

It was also in Portugal where Rovanpera unleashed a party trick that would prove pivotal in his title campaign. When rain hit, he was simply untouchable, allowing him to overhaul Evans for victory. He had now conquered gravel, snow and asphalt.

The rough gravel stages of Sardinia didn’t suit the Toyota, but a fifth place kept the scoreboard ticking over, while Tanak finally put Hyundai on the top step of the podium, after a myriad of reliability issues with its rushed i20 N.

PLUS: Tanak turns the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph

By the halfway mark in Kenya, the title seemed likely, such was Rovanpera’s dominance. There was a minor scare on the opening stage, where he almost rolled, but that was the only blemish. He breezed through the gruelling savannah wilderness to record a fourth win from six events, as Toyota underscored its claim to have the fastest and most reliable car thanks to a stunning 1-2-3-4. The key to victory again was Rovanpera’s unique ability when the rain hit, enabling him to slide his way clear of the chasing Evans.

A familiar script unfolded as Rovanpera completed a dominant fifth win in Estonia, where again he was in a different league when conditions became wet and slippery, defeating Evans by more than a minute. It was a matter of when the title would be claimed, not if.

PLUS: Rovanpera's latest Estonia masterclass leaves his WRC rivals stumped

Rovanpera didn’t have it all his own way though. As Hyundai began to tame its i20 N, Tanak emerged as a genuine thorn in his side. The Estonian began to mount a challenge, and upset Rovanpera’s homecoming thanks to a sublime Rally Finland victory. It will be remembered among the 2019 world champion’s best wins, as he corralled a wild i20 N that was far from the best.

Rovanpera again took advantage of rain to win in Estonia, a result that only underlined the inevitability of his title

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Chinks in Rovanpera’s armour emerged in Belgium and Greece, two events where he could mathematically wrap up the title. A rattled Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen, following a delayed start to stage two in Belgium, were sent into a series of barrel rolls after an “optimistic pacenote”. But the accident failed to dent Rovanpera’s impenetrable mature, calm and collected approach, and he ended the rally with the powerstage bonus points. Even so, Tanak turned the screw with his third win of the year.

PLUS: Tanak triumphs amid a series of Belgium WRC blunders

A collision with a tree wiped out his GR Yaris’s tailgate in Greece, but again Rovanpera salvaged four points from the powerstage at a rally where Toyota was very much second best to Hyundai, underscored by a 1-2-3 led by Thierry Neuville. The incidents only served to delay the inevitable, with Rovanpera sealing the title in style in New Zealand as the nation’s famous cambered gravel roads returned to the WRC for the first time in 10 years.

Normal service was resumed as Rovanpera delivered another wet-weather masterclass to comfortably beat Ogier and win the rally a day after his 22nd birthday. A powerstage win wasn’t necessary but added the icing on the cake, and was somewhat fitting given these one-stage showdowns have become Rovanpera’s forte, evidenced by 50 of his 255 points tally.

The reserved Finns, overtaken by emotion, celebrated by clambering onto the roof of the GR Yaris to perform a dance, which Rovanpera explained “was not really prepared”. Fittingly, his title ended Finland’s 20-year wait in the same country where Marcus Gronholm had claimed the previous crown for the rally-mad nation in 2002. The feat was not lost on Rovanpera, alongside his obliteration of Colin McRae’s record as youngest ever world champion by five years and 88 days.

"I went into the year hoping with the new car we can be in the title fight, but I was not sure we would be as strong as we were. I was not thinking about the title in Monte, I was thinking about what else I could do with my life" Kalle Rovanpera

“Of course it means a lot,” said Rovanpera. “There is huge support from all the Finnish fans and it has been nice to see that the sport has been gaining more traction again. I’m not one to think about records, but taking it from Colin McRae is quite special. I went into the year hoping with the new car we can be in the title fight, but I was not sure we would be as strong as we were.

“I was not thinking about the title in Monte, I was thinking about what else I could do with my life as I was struggling. I don’t know why my driving style is good for these wet conditions. I always take these wet conditions on stages as an opportunity to push hard and make a difference.”

Toyota added to the drivers’ and co-drivers’ title successes by clinching a sixth WRC manufacturers’ crown, courtesy of Ogier’s run to victory on the smooth Tarmac of Rally Spain. It was a long overdue win for the eight-time world champion after suffering punctures in four of his six rallies.

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Part-timer Ogier was the only other Toyota driver to win in 2022, taking his #1 car to victory in Spain

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Toyota’s campaign was boosted by four second-place finishes for Evans. The two-time championship runner-up was tipped to challenge for the title, but struggled to gel with the new GR Yaris and went without a win for the first time since 2019. Mistakes in Monte Carlo, Sweden and New Zealand proved costly, while there was misfortune thanks to punctures in Croatia and Japan, among mechanical issues in Sardinia and Greece.

Esapekka Lappi proved a valuable addition to Toyota, delivering three podiums from seven events on his return to the WRC’s top flight, sharing the third car with Ogier. The Finn proved capable of challenging for rally wins, which ultimately led to Hyundai signing him full-time for 2023.

His most talked-about accomplishment was a third in Finland after recovering from a roll on the final day that necessitated a dash to a nearby lake to fill up a leaking radiator, before he and co-driver Janne Ferm donned goggles to reach the finish without a roof and windscreen.

PLUS: How a Toyota lifeline reignited Lappi's WRC career

Much like its dependable GR Yaris, Toyota also boasted the championship’s most consistent driver in Takamoto Katsuta, who recorded well-deserved thirds in Kenya and Japan among his 12 points finishes from 13 rallies, earning him a promotion to the factory squad for next year.

The Japanese manufacturer was, however, beaten in both its home events: Hyundai took the spoils in Finland (where its team is based) and the season-ending Rally Japan, with Neuville beating Tanak in a 1-2 to complete a stunning turnaround for the marque after the bleakest of starts.

PLUS: Hyundai and Neuville gatecrash Toyota's homecoming party

Hyundai was forever playing catch-up, stemming from the fact it was the last of the manufacturers to commit to the new Rally1 rules, but ended the year with five wins, its best total across a single season. At one point the team admitted that it was six months behind the opposition with the development of its i20 N, and it showed in Monte Carlo.

The i20 N was unreliable and lacked speed, with Neuville its best-placed finisher in sixth, almost eight minutes adrift. Tanak had crashed out, while the team’s nightmare start was compounded by the withdrawal of Oliver Solberg, who was suffering from inhaling fuel fumes that had entered the cockpit.

PLUS: The snowball effect behind Hyundai's WRC Rally1 false start

Tanak's season got off to a difficult start as Hyundai toiled early on, but he soon emerged as Rovanpera's closest challenger and took three wins

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Podiums quickly arrived in Sweden and Croatia before Tanak delivered a first win in Sardinia. Reliability issues returned in Kenya, including a freak snapped gear lever for Tanak. But by mid-year Hyundai had got its act together to apply pressure to Toyota despite ongoing internal management struggles, with powertrain boss Julien Moncet installed as deputy team director as an interim replacement for team principal Andrea Adamo, who had left the team in the off-season.

The peak was Hyundai’s first 1-2-3 on the rough gravel roads of the Acropolis Rally, although this victory was shrouded in controversy after the team elected against applying team orders to Neuville to hand Tanak, Rovanpera’s nearest title rival, the win to keep the pressure on the runaway Finn. A souring of the relationship resulted in Tanak leaving the team at the end of the year.

PLUS: Could team orders make Hyundai's historic Acropolis Rally a Greek tragedy?

The ever-reliable Dani Sordo scored three podiums from five outings and was only let down by a spectacular fire in Japan, while Solberg showed flashes of pace to claim four points finishes, including a fourth, before the team elected to part ways with the Swede.

Apart from a second in Sardinia, Breen's season began to unravel as errors became a regular occurrence, with crashes in Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Belgium and New Zealand, resulting in a premature end to a two-year deal

“We have mixed feelings as it has been our most successful season but we won nothing,” said Moncet. “Thinking 10 or 11 months back, to win one race it would have been impossible. I think we have to be happy with that we have achieved.”

M-Sport’s season endured a different trajectory to Hyundai’s – it started bang on form with Loeb’s Monte Carlo victory, but that was the peak. The Ford Puma was able to match the best in the hands of Loeb, who led three of the four rallies contested, before a rare driver error in Portugal, followed by an engine fire in Kenya and an alternator failure in Greece, ended any hopes of a return to the podium. The team’s nadir came in Belgium where Craig Breen, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux all finished outside the points.

Breen was signed to lead the team’s charge and it seemed the perfect partnership after Monte Carlo. Apart from a second in Sardinia, his season began to unravel as errors became a regular occurrence, with crashes in Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Belgium and New Zealand, resulting in a premature end to a two-year deal.

Fourmaux recorded five retirements and was lucky to emerge unscathed from a huge shunt in Monte Carlo when his Puma fired off a cliff. Extra stress on the team to complete car repairs plus budget constraints forced the Frenchman to sit out Greece, New Zealand and Japan. Greensmith continued his progression, netting two stage wins and five top-seven finishes, but was also susceptible to mistakes and reliability issues.

An all-too familiar sight for M-Sport in 2022 as Breen couldn't capitalise on his full-season drive and parted company at season's end

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

A seven-round deal for Pierre-Louis Loubet provided a glimmer of hope and the Frenchman impressed many by claiming two stage wins and leading in Greece on merit, while scoring two career-high fourth-place finishes.

PLUS: How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021

The battle for the WRC2 honours went down to the wire. Finnish pair Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hamalainen beat reigning champion Andreas Mikkelsen and fellow Skoda driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz to the crown.

But the 2022 season will go down in history as the year when the WRC was redefined by Rovanpera, who appears on course to become one of rallying’s all-time greats.

If Rovanpera can continue his current trajectory, the record books may need re-writing several times over

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool