Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera, a two-time world rally champion from Finland, has announced that he will be taking a break from competition next season. He has reached a multi-year agreement with the Japanese manufacturer and will only be driving some events next year. Rovanpera stated that he has been driving rally cars for 15 years and the previous seasons have been demanding both mentally and physically. He feels it is time to recharge and come back to fight for the championship once more.

During his break, Rovanpera plans to explore other forms of motorsport, including drifting. Meanwhile, Sebastien Ogier, an eight-time world champion from France, will continue part-time with Toyota. The full-time drivers for 2024 will be Welshman Elfyn Evans and Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta. Evans has been a runner-up three times in the last four years and is eager to build on his progress and be even better in the next season. This news was reported by Alan Baldwin in London and edited by Ken Ferris.