Harri Rovanperä

Harri Rovanperä
Born	Harri Rovanperä (1966-04-08) April 8, 1966 Jyväskylä, Finland
Other names	Rovis
Occupation	Rally driver
Years active	1993–2006 (WRC)
Known for	World Rally Championship driver
Notable work	Winner of 2001 Swedish Rally; Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy winner (2001)

Harri "Rovis" Rovanperä (born 8 April 1966) is a Finnish rally driver who participated in the World Rally Championship from 1993 until 2006. Throughout his career, he represented teams such as SEAT (1997–2000), Peugeot (2001–2004), Mitsubishi (2005), and the Red Bull Škoda Team (2006). Renowned for his expertise on loose surfaces, he is also the father of the 2022 and 2023 World Rally Drivers' Champion, Kalle Rovanperä. He was previously married to Tiina Rovanperä.

Career

In 1995, Rovanperä secured the small Group A title in the Finnish Rally Championship behind the wheel of an Opel Astra. Following multiple national appearances in the World Rally Championship at Rally Finland, he joined SEAT, piloting the SEAT Ibiza Kit Car, with which he contributed to SEAT's third straight 2L World Rally Championship crown in 1998. The next year, competing in the premier category with the SEAT Córdoba WRC E2, he achieved a podium finish by placing third at the season's final round, the 55th Network Q Rally of Great Britain.

Rovanperä was recruited by Peugeot in 2001, driving a Peugeot 206 WRC. He earned his inaugural WRC win at the Swedish Rally and concluded the season fifth overall in the championship standings, trailing champion Richard Burns by just eight points despite missing two events.

On 9 December 2001, at Gran Canaria’s Race of Champions, Rovanperä triumphed individually, receiving the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and being crowned Champion of Champions after defeating German competitor Armin Schwarz in the final round.

2002

The 2002 campaign started at the Monte Carlo Rally, where Rovanperä entered as a privateer with a Bozian Racing Peugeot 206 WRC but had to retire on stage seven due to steering failure. The rally victory went to Tommi Mäkinen, followed by a penalized Sébastien Loeb and third-place finisher Carlos Sainz.

Returning to official Peugeot machinery for the Swedish Rally, Rovanperä secured second place, finishing 1 minute and 24 seconds behind teammate Marcus Grönholm, having led between stages three and fourteen and winning two special stages.

Competing for Bozian on tarmac events such as Tour de Corse and Rally de Cataluñya, he was unable to score championship points, finishing eleventh and seventh respectively—surfaces that have historically posed challenges for him.

In Cyprus, battling heavy rain conditions while driving Peugeot’s factory car, Rovanperä finished fourth and claimed one stage win; Grönholm took first place.

The Argentine rally proved difficult for Peugeot; Rovanperä retired on special stage ten due to engine trouble. Although Grönholm and Burns initially took first and second places, they were later disqualified for technical infringements, promoting Sainz ahead of Petter Solberg to victory.

Enduring hot and rugged terrain in Greece, Rovanperä placed fourth with one stage victory; rally winner was Colin McRae.

At the challenging Safari Rally, he achieved second place, trailing McRae by 2 minutes and 50 seconds in an event marked by numerous retirements.

During his home rally in Finland, Rovanperä demonstrated strong pace by leading after stage twelve but crashed subsequently damaging his suspension and forcing withdrawal. Grönholm claimed his third consecutive win there.

For Germany’s debut WRC event, Rovanperä substituted for injured tarmac specialist Gilles Panizzi, but retired from a rally ultimately won by Loeb driving Citroën’s first Xsara victory.

Back with Bozian at San Remo on asphalt, Rovanperä struggled to finish ninth; Panizzi soon after recovered from injury to take victory.

In New Zealand, despite hydraulic system troubles, he managed second place behind Grönholm who clinched his second world title.

At Rally Australia, Rovanperä again finished runner-up to Grönholm by a margin of just 57 seconds while winning eight stages.

The season wrapped up in Wales where several errors dropped him to seventh place.

Rovanperä concluded the year seventh overall with thirty points—forty-seven points adrift of champion Grönholm but only seven behind second-placed Solberg.

Upcoming Seasons

During the 2003 and 2004 World Rally Championship campaigns, Rovanperä remained with Peugeot, primarily competing on gravel surfaces and achieving three podium finishes—one in 2003 and two in 2004. In 2005, he transitioned to Mitsubishi's Ralliart team for a full WRC season, concluding the year seventh in the overall standings, including a podium placement in Australia behind François Duval. Following Mitsubishi's withdrawal from the series at the end of 2005, he participated in six rallies in 2006 for the semi-works Red Bull Škoda Team, with his top result being ninth place in Wales.

In 2007, Rovanperä took part consistently in the Finnish Rallycross Championship (SRC), driving rear-wheel-drive vehicles—a Ford Focus and a Volvo S40—finishing 11th overall despite encountering mechanical difficulties.

October 2010 saw Rovanperä and co-driver Jouni Närhi secure the overall victory at La Carrera Panamericana, piloting a 1953 Studebaker Land Cruiser and edging out Mexican competitor Michel Jourdain Jr. by just 12.9 seconds.

WRC Victories

#	Event	Season	Co-driver	Vehicle
1	50th International Swedish Rally	2001	Risto Pietiläinen	Peugeot 206 WRC

WRC Results

... [Subsequent years follow similar formatting] ... ... [Following years continue with consistent layout] ...

Year	Team	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
1993	Harri Rovanperä	Opel Manta	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	ARG	NZL	FIN Ret	AUS	ITA	ESP	GBR				NC	0
2005	Mitsubishi Motors	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05	MON 7	SWE 4	MEX 5 ... [Remaining results summarized accordingly] ...	7th	39

External links

• Official website