Toyota entered the South American event after two major disappointments. In August, at Rally Finland, the team suffered a massive setback when both Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans retired on the final day. Then, at the Acropolis Rally in early September, all of Toyota’s factory team drivers faced challenges, with Sebastien Ogier even rolling his car during the Power Stage.
Following the Acropolis Rally, Latvala declared that Toyota had fallen behind Hyundai in both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships. However, the excellent result in Chile has brought Toyota firmly back into the fight for the manufacturers’ title, reducing Hyundai’s lead to just 17 points.
Check the full WRC championship standings here.
“I can raise my hand (and admit a mistake). I was more negative than I should have been in Greece. But it was still a moment when Ogier had crashed. I didn’t actually realise that he was able to come back from the stage, which helped the situation a little bit,” Latvala admitted.
“We had a bit of a talk within the team before coming here, and we tried to make everybody believe that we still had a chance. I think the work we did here shows that we still have a chance. Of course, there are still 17 points to go, but there are two more rallies left. This gives a big boost and motivation for the team,” the team boss added.
Toyota took the maximum haul from Chile, earning 55 points. Rovanperä and Evans led Toyota to a one-two finish, and both Rovanperä and Ogier secured full points for the team on Super Sunday.
It was exactly the kind of success that Toyota needed.
“We had two devastating Sundays, and before Chile, we were under quite a lot of pressure. But now, with this result and getting the maximum points here in Chile, it really puts us back in the fight for the manufacturers’ championship title. That gives us a big relief, but also shows the team in Japan that we still have a chance,” Latvala sighed with relief.
The next round of the WRC season, Central European Rally, takes place in just under three weeks.
