Toyota scored maximum points in the event, halving the gap to Hyundai down to 17 points. While the gap remains significant, Chile’s success was a crucial boost after challenging rounds in Finland and Greece.
In their home rally in Central Finland, Toyota lost both Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans to crashes on Sunday. Rovanperä’s crash, in particular, was extremely unfortunate. Greece also posed challenges, with both Evans and Sebastien Ogier suffering from the same technical issue right from Friday.
“I must say that after Finland, and then especially after Greece, you could feel the whole team’s mood was going down. I think we all thought the championship was gone – especially I did can raise my hand here – I made a mistake because I almost gave up,” Latvala explained to RallyJournal.com.
“In Chile, Kalle came back and made the whole team stronger. Right from the start of the rally, you could feel that everyone was calm and confident. We had all our top drivers, and we knew we could secure a strong result. And we did, which was a huge relief for everyone.”
The situation in the Central European Rally, which kicked off on Thursday, is more challenging for Toyota, as Rovanperä isn’t competing. Latvala revealed that the rally was initially in Rovanperä’s schedule, but his substitute appearance in the Polish round filled his contractual commitment of a half-season.
It’s clear that in Central Europe, the pressure rests solely on the shoulders of Ogier and Evans. Finnish prospect Sami Pajari is making his tarmac debut in a Rally1 car, and Toyota can’t count too heavily on Takamoto Katsuta, who has been struggling.
“We need a strong result by the end of Saturday’s rally and then solid performances on Sunday, especially on the Power Stage. Realistically, we need to beat Hyundai in all of these rounds. Just winning the rally won’t be enough,” Latvala summarized.
“We don’t have high expectations for Sami – it’s his first time on tarmac with a Rally1 car. We hope he’ll deliver a steady, solid drive like he did in Chile. The same goes for Taka, who needs to secure some points as the third car. When it comes to results, we’re counting entirely on Sebastien and Elfyn.”
Latvala predicted that this year’s Central European Rally would be easier than last year’s. In 2022, rain caused severe challenges on Friday’s Czech stages, giving the leading cars a significant advantage as mud and other debris accumulated with each passing car.
“The weather is much drier and better now compared to last year. There are also more anti-cuts, which makes things a bit easier. Conditions are more consistent now, so starting position shouldn’t be as much of a factor,” Latvala explained.
“That’s good for us. In the Czech stages, grip is lower compared to Germany and Austria. The gravel is more aggressive, and in a way, those stages are more challenging as they’re faster.”
