The weekend in Croatia was typically successful for Toyota. Elfyn Evans finished second, securing a splendid one-two finish for the Japanese manufacturer.
The rally was unusually even for an asphalt competition. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Evans engaged in quite a cat-and-mouse game all Saturday, with significant gaps only emerging on Sunday.
On Sunday, both Evans and Neuville made mistakes and fell behind Ogier.
“The competition was intense, and the battle was fierce. And when you fight this hard and the conditions are this challenging, mistakes are bound to happen at some point,” Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala summarized.
“This morning was exactly that situation. Things were getting tense as Evans was closing in on Neuville. Then things started to happen, and both of them went off the track. From there, Ogier, with his champion’s experience, rose to victory,” Latvala continued.
“It’s unfortunate for both Evans and Neuville, but it was surprising that nothing happened earlier given how intense the competition was. Today, the slipperiness caught them off guard.”
The rally’s most dramatic moments occurred early in the morning on the second stage, when both Evans and Neuville made errors.
“I was watching that stage. I saw that Evans’ bumper was a bit damaged and then I felt that disappointment that it was all over for him. It was then a surprise that Neuville also came along 15 seconds later and I started wondering what had happened. It was quite a surprise that both had gone off,” Latvala recounted the morning’s dramatic events.
“Rallying is harsh and honest. In the end, it showed, and a lot of drama unfolded on this final day.”
The last day offered not only drama but also positive surprises, at least for the Toyota camp. Takamoto Katsuta was the fastest driver on “Super Sunday.”
“It’s a really great thing for Takamoto. He started this rally quite cautiously. The start did not go very well for him and it was a bit of a struggle. But his speed increased steadily and then he capped it off with a top performance on the last day. I’m really happy for Katsuta,” Latvala praised.
