Latvala is mainly focusing on the European Historic Rally Championship, during which he’s replaced in his team boss role by four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen. Latvala was present at last weekend’s Rally Sardinia, where he revealed more about his plans for the summer.
There has already been speculation that Latvala will once again compete in Rally Finland, as he has done in recent seasons. In 2023, he drove a Rally1 car to a strong fifth place. Last year, he competed in the WRC2 category with Toyota’s Rally2 car, finishing second.
With Latvala having turned 40 in April and the upcoming Rally Finland potentially being his 20th career start at the event, signs are pointing strongly toward his participation.
“Well, the plan is quite far along. I’d say it’s 95 percent certain, but that last five percent is still missing,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com with a big smile.
Latvala no longer wants to compete on the fast gravel roads of Central Finland in a top-tier Rally1 car. His competitive instincts are strong, and whenever he enters a rally, he wants to perform. But he admits the gap since his last Rally1 drive is now too large for him to feel confident.
“It would be the Rally2 car again, the same one we used last year. That’s enough for me at this point. I know that if I drove a Rally1 car, I’d need a lot of testing to be able to aim for a proper result,” Latvala said.
“I can’t just jump in and expect a strong finish. That fifth place in 2023 was probably the best I could’ve hoped for. There’s no way I could reach the podium now — it would require taking big risks. That’s why the Rally2 car is a much easier option.”
Of course, Latvala would most love to take on the legendary Rally Finland stages in his historic Toyota Celica, the car he’s competing with in this year’s European Historic Championship.
“It’s a bit too tough of a rally for the Celica. Still, it would be amazing to blast through Myhinpää with it and compare my time to Kankkunen’s in 1993,” Latvala laughed.
Rally Finland takes place at the turn of July and August. Before that, the WRC season continues with rounds in Greece and Estonia.
