Young Rally sensation, Kalle Rovanperä, is facing a tough challenge as he battles to adapt to the Hankook gravel tires in the World Rally Championship. Despite his recent dominant performance on asphalt in Canarias, Rovanperä’s struggles resurfaced on the gravel tracks of Portugal.
The Finnish driver, a double world champion, expressed his frustration with the Hankook tires, indicating that he may never fully adjust to their characteristics. Hankook took over as the sole tire supplier for the WRC this season, replacing Pirelli, which had been the control tire manufacturer for most of Rovanperä’s career at the top level of rallying.
Rovanperä complained about the lack of grip during Rally Portugal, attributing it to his driving style not aligning well with the Hankook compound. Despite his best efforts to push the tires harder, he faced increased wear without a corresponding improvement in pace. The young driver admitted, “I think these are never going to be natural for me… for sure we lack some grip.”
Although Hankook introduced modifications between Kenya and Portugal to address driver feedback, Rovanperä still struggles to find the same comfort and performance he had with the previous Pirelli tires. He acknowledged that the adaptation process might be prolonged, stating, “I don’t know if I will ever be happy with these… it’s probably always going to be tricky.”
With Toyota opting out of a pre-event test before Rally Italy Sardinia, Rovanperä is apprehensive about finding the right setup balance with the Hankook gravel tires for the upcoming round of the season. His concerns are amplified by the challenging nature of the Sardinian rally compared to Portugal.
As Rovanperä continues to grapple with the demands of the Hankook tires, the rallying world watches eagerly to see if the young prodigy can overcome this obstacle and maintain his competitive edge in the World Rally Championship.
