PLUCKY KOPECKY PUTS HIS YOUNG RIVAL IN HIS PLACE SUPPORTS
Jan Kopecky, metaphorically, had his pants well and truly pulled down by young whizkid Kalle Rovanpera on Friday. But it was Kopecky who took the Rally Germany WRC 2 Pro victory and was left laughing at the end of the rally.
Kopecky entered Rally Germany one weekend after storming to his ninth Barum Czech Rally Zlin victory and his fifth in a row. It’s one of the fastest Tarmac rallies in Europe, so it should have been the perfect preparation for the Czech native.
Rovanpera meanwhile, who only did his first proper Tarmac rally in 2017, hasn’t driven on asphalt since Corsica where he crashed out, although he was chasing a fifth consecutive class win.
The two fought it out for the win last year as well, Kopecky victorious by under four seconds on his way to the WRC 2 title.
But Rovanpera took five of the first seven stages and held a dominant 19.6-second lead into Saturday morning. But that’s where it all fell apart.
“Sometimes to find the limit you have to go over it,” said Rovanpera, carrying too much speed into a left-hander where he went off the road and got beached on a tree stump.
“It was a stupid mistake, I didn’t have it as narrow in my notes and I went too wide and got stuck in the grass.”
He lost over four minutes, and then lost another 23s on the next stage after running wide into a ditch which took two attempts to get out of. Jonne Halttunen – Rovanpera’s co-driver – celebrated the escape with a shake of the fist.
“I am really sorry for the team – I am doing [some] stupid mistakes all of the time but I have to learn,” added Rovanpera.
That gave Kopecky a 42s lead over Mads Ostberg, who never looked a threat thanks to braking difficulties with his C3 R5 that he is helping Citroen to develop. He tried a trick that worked on his
Volvo when he was 17, by putting worn brake pads on the front and new pads on the back in a bid to improve too much brake bias at the front.
A puncture for Ostberg on SS13 on Saturday gifted Eric Camilli second for M-sport in its new Ford Fiesta R5. Camilli needed to adapt his driving style to the new car on asphalt and, once he’d done that, the times began to improve.
Another puncture for Ostberg on Saturday night promoted Rovanpera onto the podium behind Kopecky and Camilli.
In WRC 2 – for privateer R5 cars – French Volkswagen drivers looked set to dominate but both crashed. Ex-citroen WRC driver Stephane Lefebvre had an accident at low speed around a sweeping righthander, while Nicolas Ciamin destroyed the right-rear of his car taking a wheel off.
Two German drivers emerged, 2016 and 2017 German champion Fabian Kreim romping to victory as his countryman Marijan Griebel and Pole Kajetan Kajetanowicz battled over second. European junior champion Griebel held on ahead of the Polo of treble European title-winner Kajetanowicz.
WRC 2 title contender
Nikolay Gryazin had a puncture and transmission issues and settled for fifth.
Brits Rhys Yates and James Morgan suffered a baptism of fire on what is a very specialist asphalt event, but succeeded in their target of building pace and finishing the event in their Skoda Fabia R5.