The Spanish asphalt rally is part of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship and serves as the season opener. Held in the city of Girona, north of Barcelona, it is one of the most prestigious events in the historic rally championship.
Costa Brava is a truly traditional event, celebrating its 73rd edition this year. A total of 170 crews have registered for the rally, which consists of 13 special stages covering 151.2 competitive kilometres.
Latvala, who is contesting the historic rally series this season, is clearly excited when discussing the Costa Brava Rally.
“I’m really looking forward to it. But I have to say, I was surprised by how much there was to plan and organise when heading to a rally in Europe,” Latvala laughed in an interview with RallyJournal.com.
“We had to think about spare parts, tyres, and fuel for the car. Since I’m going there with my own team, there was quite a lot to sort out. The car’s customs clearance was left until the very last minute. But now, everything is ready, though we almost ran out of time,” Latvala explained.
Latvala has some previous experience on the asphalt roads of Costa Brava, but that knowledge may not be particularly useful anymore – it has been over 20 years since he last competed in the area.
“It’s exciting to go there and drive. The last time I competed in that region was back in 2004, so I have some kind of idea,” Latvala said.
“I generally like Spanish rally roads, so I have a good feeling about this. It will be interesting to see how the Celica handles on asphalt,” he added.
Rally Costa Brava kicks off on Thursday evening with one night stage. Both Friday and Saturday will feature six stages each.
Latvala aims to compete in seven rounds of the European Historic Rally Championship this year. Due to his driving commitments, he will reduce his duties as Toyota’s WRC team principal. For example, at next week’s Safari Rally Kenya, Toyota’s deputy team principal Juha Kankkunen will step in for Latvala.
