FIA World Rally Championship sensation Kalle Rovanperä has committed to racing two rounds of the 2022 Drift Masters European Championship, starting with the season opener in Ireland on May 7-8. As the WRC’s youngest-ever rally winner and current overall leader, the Finn is in top form – and he brings a passion for drifting and his own finely tuned car to the DMEC grid.
Fans of the Drift Masters European Championship will soon get to know the new star of the FIA World Rally Championship, as Finland’s Rovanperä makes his DMEC debut as a wildcard. While continuing his charge in the WRC, the 21-year-old will take the wheel of his own Toyota Supra Gazoo Racing drift car when the DMEC season kicks off at Ireland’s Mondello Park on May 7-8, and he’ll drift again when the third round comes to Sweden’s Drive center Arena on July 1-2.
“I’ve been doing some drifting over the years, and it’s always been the plan to do some international events if possible,” Rovanperä says. “I think what I like most about drifting is, for me, it’s more free. It’s still really hard and on the limit, just in a different way. Of course when you put the helmet on you always try to push as much possible and have the best possible results, but that is not the only goal for us. The car is quite new for me, so we’re also here to have fun, train and hopefully give a good fight to the drivers who do this as their main sport.”
Rovanperä has just a little drifting experience in his native Finland only, but his win of 2021’s Kokkola Venetsia Drifting competition was indication of his love for the sport and potential for the pro scene globally. He’s eager to test himself against the DMEC field.
“It’s hard to say how Kalle will handle the two rounds – drifting at this level is very difficult, but on the other hand, many people don’t realise how good a drifting driver Kalle is,” says DMEC President Arkadiusz Dudko. “In addition, he will have a well-prepared drift car, a new Toyota Supra made by drifting legend Daigo Saito. I cannot wait for his start and the confrontation of one of the best WRC drivers with the world’s best drifters.”
Initially launched in 2014, DMEC is the pinnacle of drifting in Europe, featuring a grid of champions from across the globe. In a knockout format, drivers face off in ‘twin battles’, with the chase driver aiming to follow the lead driver as closely as possible as they drift door-to-door at high speeds.
The first of six rounds, Mondello Park will feature 60 drivers from 28 countries. Among them is young home favorite Conor Shanahan, 18, who most recently won Round 3 of the 2021 stop in Latvia.
