Last year, Toyota, typically strong in snowy conditions, was markedly outshone in Umeå by its competitors. Driving for M-Sport Ford at the time, Ott Tänak celebrated victory, with Hyundai’s Craig Breen and Thierry Neuville securing the following positions.
This time, the team’s preparation has not fallen short in terms of test kilometres driven. Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans first competed in the Arctic Rally, covering 200 kilometres of special stages, and then each undertook an additional day of testing at Toyota’s own test site in Central Finland. Takamoto Katsuta, on the other hand, spent two days testing at the team’s facility.
“We had a solid start to the season at Rallye Monte-Carlo and now we are looking forward to Rally Sweden, which is a little bit like a home rally for our team: it’s where we got our first victory back in 2017 and the winter conditions are something familiar for us,” says team principal Latvala.
“Last year it was a bit more difficult, so we have really tried to prepare well this year because we want to be back in the fight for the victory. Taking part in the Arctic Rally alongside our testing in Finland has helped us to be as ready as we can be.”
For this year’s Rally Sweden, Toyota has a significant advantage with two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä starting his season from Umeå. Since Rovanperä did not compete in Monte Carlo, he will start the snow rally from an excellent position.
The team’s main goal this season is the manufacturers’ championship, so it hopes for a top result in Sweden to ensure the championship train is on the right track.
“Kalle starts his season in Sweden and can be really strong on this kind of event, and his starting position should help him to fight at the front. Elfyn has also won in Sweden before and we’ve focused on making sure he can have the best performance possible in the conditions he’ll face nearer the front of the order,” Latvala explains.
“Taka can also be strong on snow and had very good speed last year, so I hope it can be a good event for all our drivers.”
Rally Sweden begins with a shakedown stage on Thursday morning. The actual race starts on Thursday evening with a spectator stage near Umeå.
The event features a total of 18 special stages, covering just over 300 kilometres.
