The Japanese manufacturer claimed six consecutive wins in the early part of the season, but Hyundai’s Ott Tänak brought that streak to an end in Greece. Team principal for the Estonia round, Juha Kankkunen, shared updates from the squad with RallyJournal.com on Thursday.
“Everything is fine. None of the lads had any complaints after the shakedown. Now we’ve moved on to cleaner, faster roads. There’s certainly speed in the car now, with this rally and then Jyväskylä coming up. It’s a bit different compared to the rocky roads in Greece,” Kankkunen said.
The biggest question mark remains whether Kalle Rovanperä has found any solutions regarding the new tyre supplier for the WRC, Hankook. Rovanperä has not looked like his usual self on gravel rallies this season, but Rally Estonia has traditionally been a strong event for him. He has, after all, won the last three editions of the rally.
“He’s surely found something, but he still doesn’t have full confidence in them – and probably won’t until they manage to develop the tyres a bit more so they can grip better,” Kankkunen summarised.
“I’ve said it before, it also took Pirelli a year and a half before their tyres were good. I drove with the Hankooks myself last weekend at Goodwood (Festival of Speed), and it just didn’t work at all. I thought everything I’ve ever learned had just gone. It really is a tricky tyre.”
Although there are some doubts around Rovanperä’s performance, the four-time world champion believes that Rovanperä remains the team’s strongest driver on the ultra-fast gravel roads of Estonia.
“I’d still rate Kalle as the strongest of our drivers. Kalle and (Ott) Tänak form one pair, and then you’ve got Elfyn (Evans) and Thierry (Neuville) as the other. Those two pairings are going to be pushing each other hard. Then we’ll see who can really keep the pedal to the metal,” Kankkunen said.
“Tänak is in absolutely top form. Let’s not forget, he also won the championship for our team at Toyota. He knows how to drive and is a tough competitor. He won’t be easy to beat here either.”
Kankkunen is also expecting more from Evans, who has struggled in previous rough-surfaced gravel events where his early road position severely hampered his performance.
“I thought he drove incredibly wisely in those rallies. He was mature and went as fast as he could. Since Sweden, he’s been starting in the front. I don’t think the road position will be quite as damaging here or in Jyväskylä. There’ll still be a bit of a disadvantage, of course, but probably not as bad as in the earlier rallies. The gap shouldn’t grow too large, so he should be able to stay in the fight as the rally goes on.”
