Toyota's 23-Year-Old Rally Champion Is Going Part-Time

Kalle Rovanperä is 23 years old, has won the last two World Rally Championship driver's titles, and has a contract to continue racing with Toyota as a factory driver going forward. In 2024, though, all of that is going on hold. The reigning rally champion is scaling back to a part-time schedule for 2024, a one-year rest before chasing the title again in 2025.

In a Toyota press release also announcing his latest contract extension, Rovanperä says that "while the last seasons have been amazing of course, they have also been really demanding mentally and physically." He notes that he has been driving rally cars for 15 years, dating back to when he was eight years old, and adds that "now would be a good moment to take a year for recharging the batteries." In addition to his part-time WRC schedule, he plans to spend 2024 in drifting and "maybe some other cool events" in the world of motorsport.