Championship leader Kalle Rovanpera says that forecast rain will increase his chances of a third consecutive Rally Estonia victory.

As the first car on the road – particularly on high-speed gravel rallies – a little sprinkling of rain from above can make all the difference to the fortunes of a driver in the World Rally Championship.

It is a known fact that when the weather decides to turn inclement, the time lost ‘sweeping’ the top layer of loose dirt whilst simultaneously carving out a racing line for the cars following behind tends to be much less. Adding water to the equation helps to bind the stones and dirt together and gives the tyres something to latch on to thus reducing wheelspin.

Rovanpera knows this better than most but whereas his often-outspoken Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Sebastien Ogier has repeatedly called for the rules surrounding running order to be looked at by the sport’s decision-makers, the 22-year-old Finn tends to just get on with the job in hand.

However, that doesn’t mean the youngest ever World Rally Champion is not in the game of praying for conditions that work in his favour – as turned out to be the case last year on his way to victory – especially on the Friday leg which often helps or hinders the podium prospects of a driver.

“Rally Estonia is definitely one of my favourite events on the calendar,” said Rovanpera who, through consistent points scoring coupled with misfortune striking his Rally1 rivals so far this season, tops the table on 140 points – 41 clear of Elfyn Evans and a further point up on both Ogier and M-Sport Ford driver Ott Tanak.

“I have spent a lot of time in Estonia and the fast and flowing roads suit my driving style really well. I have good memories from the rally and it has always been an enjoyable one for me. Even in 2020 when I didn’t have much experience we could fight for the podium, and then 2021 was very special as it was our first win.

“Last year the weather was making a difference and I hope we can have some rain this year too, because we will be opening the road again on Friday. Like on any rally, the plan will be to aim for the win, and especially as this is one we have been so strong on before.”

Rally Estonia – the eighth round of the World Rally Championship – gets underway on Thursday with the traditional shakedown stage before the action commences proper later that evening with a Super Special Stage in the host city of Tartu.

Friday is the longest day of the weekend and comprises seven stages totalling 133km, followed by Saturday which is made up of nine speed tests (102km). Sunday is the shortest, with crews facing 61 competitive kilometres that includes the points paying Power Stage.