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Flying Finn Rovanpera Wins in Sweden, Plenty of Seconds Ahead

At 21 years old, Flying Finn Kyle Rovanperä clinched a fantastic win at Rally Sweden on Sunday, securing the lead in the World Rally Championship.
Rovanpera wins in Sweden 10 photos
Photo: WRC on Facebook
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It was his third win in the championship, and many fans said that Kyle emulated his father, Harri, because his only WRC victory was in Sweden in 2001. After the finish, Kyle explained why he didn't rejoice as he probably should have: "I didn't feel like celebrating much now. It has been a really difficult week for the people in Ukraine, and I hope they can find strength and hope in these difficult times."

Kyle's teammate and last winner here in Sweden, Elfyn Evans, had a difficult weekend and Sunday wasn't better. On Saturday, the Welshman crashed into a snowbank on the final corner but powered back onto the road. Even though he passed the photocell marking, the marshals said he had not followed the marked route, and they slapped him with a ten-second penalty.

On Sunday, Evans crashed again in a snowbank and damaged his front end so hard he had to retire. Rovanpera won the stage and cruised to victory with a 22 second lead over second place, Thierry Neuville. "I am really pleased. I didn't think that we could be this good. The car was working great all the time," said Kyle. The Hyundais were back to form in Sweden, winning the last three out of for stages after a disappointing Monte Carlo performance.

With the rally legends (Sebastien Loeb and Ogier) being semi-retired, the World Rally Championship is up for grab this year. A battle of the bravery of the new rising stars and the experience of the rally veterans will lead to close confrontation and fantastic moments.

With a long break coming up, we cannot wait for the upcoming Croatia Rally, which will take part at the end of April.
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About the author: Silvian Irimia
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Silvian may be the youngest member of our team, being born in the 2000s, but you won't find someone more passionate than him when it comes to motorsport. An automotive engineer by trade, Silvian considers the Ferrari F50 his favorite car, with the original Lamborghini Countach a close second.
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