Kalle Rovanpera Secures Second Consecutive World Rally Championship

23-Year-old Finnish Rally Star Defends Title Crown After Competition Tightens; Only the Sixth Pairing to Secure Back-to-Back Championship

Kalle Rovanpera secures his second consecutive world rally championship, despite only needing to maintain his points margin to be sure of the title.
Rovanpera's win came after the Central European Rally, where he was runner-up; a rally won by Hyundai's Belgian Thierry Neuville.
Rovanpera's main rival and teammate, Elfyn Evans, crashed out in the penultimate leg, allowing Kalle to extend his lead to 44 points and defend the title.
With this achievement, Rovanpera and his co-driver, Jonne Halttunen, join an elite group of only six pairings to have defended a championship title.
Rovanpera joins a list of two-time champions that includes renowned drivers such as compatriot Marcus Gronholm, Spaniard Carlos Sainz Sr, Germany's Walter Rohrl and Italy's Miki Biasion.
Only four drivers have won the championship more than twice: fellow Finns Juha Kankkunen (4), Tommi Makinen (4), and the French drivers Sebastien Ogier (8) and Loeb (9).