In the Toyota team, it is quite clear that Welshman Elfyn Evans will continue in the World Rally Championship with a full season programme. According to the original plan, Kalle Rovanperä, who has only driven selected events this season, should return as a full-time driver.
If multi-champion Sebastien Ogier wants to continue driving some WRC rallies, it would mean that Toyota could have a part-season programme available. Takamoto Katsuta is likely to continue with a full-year contract, as the Japanese manufacturer wants one of their home country’s drivers to compete in the World Rally Championship. There is no challenger for Katsuta from Toyota’s young driver programme next year.
“Usually negotiations start after the Rally Finland. We haven’t gone into that area in great detail yet. We have a pretty good group of drivers here. Of course, the question mark is how the programmes will go next year. We are obviously aiming for Kalle to have a full programme next season,” Toyota team boss Jari-Matti Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
“Then another question is how much Ogier wants to drive and whether there is an opportunity to bring someone else to share those rallies a bit.”
Finnish prospect Sami Pajari will make his debut next week in the Rally Finland with Toyota’s Rally1 car. Perhaps Pajari would be an ideal name to share driving responsibilities with Ogier.
“Let’s say that young drivers could have the opportunity to drive some races. Toyota has a direction and idea that we want to develop young drivers. There could be a place for a young driver, but let’s see who that could be. This is still speculation at this stage,” Latvala pondered.
In addition to Pajari, Latvala highlights two young drivers who he believes are closest to a Rally1 driver’s spot next season.
“I clearly highlight three. They are Pajari, Martins Sesks and Oliver Solberg. Those are the most interesting names. And I don’t think they are only interesting in our eyes, but all teams think the same.”
Of the trio, Solberg already drove Hyundai’s Rally1 car the season before last, but the results were poor. Now the young Swede has gained two years of experience with Skoda’s Rally2 car, and the results have been excellent.
Sesks, on the other hand, debuted in the main class in Poland and immediately finished fifth, despite the Latvian not having a hybrid unit.
In his home rally in Latvia last weekend, Sesks clocked two fastest times with a Ford Puma Rally1 car equipped with a hybrid unit and was even in contention for a podium position. However, the great race was ruined when a technical fault dropped the Latvian from third to seventh on the final stage.
