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What were you doing when you were 16? If it was hanging out in the local park drinking cider, we won’t tell anyone. What was Kalle Rovenperä doing when he was 16? Racing in the World Rally Championship…
Video: This 16‑year‑old can drive faster and better than you
It puts all our young angst and worries into perspective a little. When we were studying for GCSEs/worrying if that girl really likes you, the son of ex-WRC ace Harri was gearing up to take part in the WRC2 class of the WRC in an R5-spec Skoda Fabia. And it wasn’t his first foray into the world of sliding either – he made his debut in the Latvian national championship when he was just 14. Why Latvia? Simply because he didn’t need a proper driving licence to take part…
By 15 he’d won a championship, and was already able to command a 300bhp Fabia S2000 and entering rallies all over eastern Europe to gain more experience. Come 16 and he was to be thrown into the world of WRC2. Thankfully someone strapped a camera to his helmet to capture the moment he tested a real R5 rally car on snow to prepare himself. He handles the experience with such aplomb, you have to keep reminding yourself as you watch this that the driver is just 16. Yes, SIXTEEN!
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