Having worked as the head of Toyota’s WRC team in recent years, Jari-Matti Latvala participated in the Arctic Lapland Rally for the third time. His previous two visits to the Arctic Circle had ended in retirements, but last weekend, he managed to reach the finish line of the race.
“The third time’s the charm, and we made it through the adventure,” Latvala smiled to RallyJournal.com.
Latvala and his co-driver Juho Hänninen competed in the historic class with a Toyota Celica. Latvala fought hard for a top-ten position, but due to a time penalty incurred from a delayed service, he ultimately had to settle for 20th place overall.
Without the time penalty, Latvala would have finished ninth, ahead of Hikaru Kogure and Yuki Yamamoto, who are part of Toyota’s development program.
“We had the potential for a good overall result, but we had to change the gearbox. The gearbox change was a bit distressing, as it didn’t want to fit in place,” Latvala explained.
Although the goal of finishing in the top ten was not achieved, Latvala was visibly satisfied with his weekend’s work. The experienced driver and old racer provided spectacular action for the numerous spectators around Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi.
“This yellow Celica has been through a lot, so we were a bit anxious about whether it would withstand this trip, even though we had prepared well. The mountain is quite a tough competition for an old car,” Latvala noted.
“Modern cars easily get through bumpy and rough spots, but it’s tougher for an old car, as it bounces and jumps a bit wherever,” the Toyota boss laughed.
Next week, Latvala will resume his duties as team principal at the Sweden World Rally Championship, but he will be back behind the wheel of the Celica in just over a month. At that time, a round of the Finnish Rally Championship will be held in his home region of Tuuri Finland.
