Toyota has three drivers in the top four after eight special stages of the fast gravel rally. Kalle Rovanperä leads the race ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Latvian sensation Martins Sesks, who is wedged between the Toyota drivers. Among the Japanese manufacturer’s stars, Sebastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta hold the next positions.
The most significant aspect for Toyota is that the best Hyundai driver, Ott Tänak, is only in sixth place. Toyota is trailing Hyundai in the manufacturers’ championship battle, but now the team has a great opportunity to collect a bigger haul on Saturday evening when the first conditional points are up for grabs.
After Thursday’s shakedown, it looked like Hyundai might be strong in Latvia. Team boss Latvala revealed that there was a slight atmosphere of fear within the team. Even world champion Rovanperä admitted that he did not have a good feeling after the shakedown.
But by the end of Friday, there was no trace of fear.
“This was a positive surprise. After the shakedown, there was a bit of tension as it seemed Hyundai was going very fast and was really strong. We were wondering how this would go,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
“But today has been really strong for us. Of course, everyone has complained about grip and slipperiness. It seems that when the grip varies, it suits our car,” Latvala summed up.
Latvala also praised the team’s drivers. Rovanperä strengthened his lead during the afternoon loop and arrived at the evening service with a 15.7-second lead over Sesks. Ogier is 21.6 seconds behind Rovanperä, and Katsuta is 33.2 seconds back.
“Kalle had a strong start, as did Ogier. “Taka” has been able to progressively increase his speed throughout the day,” Latvala said.
Toyota driver Elfyn Evans, who is fighting for the world championship, suffered from his second starting position in Friday’s special stages. He is seventh in the race, 52.7 seconds behind the leader.
“Elfyn has had a challenging place to drive, which is of course reflected in the results. The most important thing is that he can stay ahead of Thierry Neuville,” Latvala referred to the Hyundai driver leading the championship.
Neuville had to sweep loose gravel from the roads as the first car on Friday. He will start Saturday’s stages from ninth place.
