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    WRC Champ Rovanpera Sets Sights on Le Mans and Nürburgring: Toyota Teases Circuit Racing Debut

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    WRC Champion Rovanpera Eyes Le Mans and Nurburgring 24-Hour Races, WEC Test

    In a surprising twist, two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera made his circuit racing debut last weekend, finishing an impressive fourth and fifth in a pair of Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux races at Zandvoort. This outing marks a significant expansion of Rovanpera’s motorsport horizons, as he participates in a part-time WRC programme with Toyota ahead of a full-time return in 2025.

    Rovanpera’s Circuit Racing Aspirations

    Speaking after his impressive debut at Zandvoort, the 23-year-old Finnish driver expressed his desire to tackle 24-hour races at Le Mans and the Nurburgring, as well as test Toyota’s GR010 Hybrid WEC Hypercar.

    “I have always wanted to race on the circuit, and I have a few dreams, particularly 24-hour races like Le Mans or Nurburgring, but let’s first see how the races in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux go,” Rovanpera told Finnish rally website Rallit.fi.

    Comparisons to Teammate Ogier’s Circuit Racing Ventures

    Rovanpera’s aspirations are reminiscent of those of his Toyota WRC teammate, eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, who made his Le Mans 24 Hours debut in 2022, driving a Richard Mille Racing LMP2 prototype to ninth in class. Ogier also tested Toyota’s WEC Hypercar in the WEC’s 2021 Bahrain rookie test, along with two further outings in 2022.

    Toyota’s Openness to Rovanpera’s Circuit Racing Ambitions

    When asked about the possibility of Rovanpera securing a run in the WEC team’s simulator and a potential hypercar test, Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe director Rob Leupen expressed his openness to the idea.

    “We did it with Seb Ogier. Let’s see what happens. It would be a nice thing to do — he’d have a good benchmark with Seb,” Leupen stated at this week’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

    While Rovanpera’s WRC commitments remain his primary focus, his interest in circuit racing and WEC adds an exciting dimension to his career. As the 2023 WRC season unfolds, fans will be eagerly watching to see if the Finnish driver can make his Le Mans and Nurburgring dreams a reality.

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