Latvala turned 40 last week, but there was no time for big celebrations. The reason was his trip to Japan this week.
Latvala has a busy schedule ahead of him in Japan.
“It’s a proper work trip. There are meetings with Toyota’s partners and then some PR activities. I’ll also visit a round of the local rally series while I’m there,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRJ will contest the Tour de Kyushu asphalt rally in Karatsu with two cars. Tomoyuki Shinkai, who raced as a driver until last season, has since taken over team principal duties, but he is unavailable next weekend. As a result, Latvala will step in as team principal.
Shinkai had earlier visited Toyota’s Finnish headquarters during the Rally Sweden in winter and was highly impressed by what he saw.
“It was impressive to see how a championship-winning team adheres to the basics and builds its work through a simple and rational process. Their mindset – thorough preparation and planning that ensures flexibility in problem situations – made a big impact. I have immediately adopted this thinking, prioritised tasks, and applied the process step by step,” Shinkai told Japan’s RallyPlus website.
During his visit to Finland, Shinkai decided to test the waters and posed a bold question to Latvala.
“While at Toyota, I discussed a temporary team principal role with Latvala, and he agreed willingly,” Shinkai said.
“Having him lead the team at Karatsu will surely be a major inspiration for the team and an interesting story in the rally world,” Shinkai added.
Shinkai is just starting his career as a team principal, whereas Latvala has years of experience leading a team, providing valuable insight.
“Latvala shared deep insights about leadership with me, and I plan to put them into practice in future rallies,” Shinkai said enthusiastically.
