Hänninen will call pacenotes for Latvala in the Savonlinna SM Rally, which part of the Finnish Rally Championship is set to take place on 8 March.
The duo has raced together multiple times before, including in last year’s Arctic Lapland Rally and Rally Finland. Latvala and Hänninen always have fun together, but over the years, they haven’t been without their fair share of mishaps.
“There have been plenty – really a lot. For some reason, I’ve had the most of them with Jari-Matti,” Hänninen laughed on the Savonlinna SM Rally podcast.
Hänninen recalled one particular incident from the Turku SM Rally, where they nearly missed a stage start.
“A few years ago, we were competing in Turku with a Celica, and we had service in the morning. We were at the Paimio Neste driving practice track, and it was only 500 metres to the time control. We had a 30-minute morning service, and like everyone else, Jari-Matti was still reviewing his notes,” Hänninen explained.
“I was having my coffee and told Jari-Matti that we’d be leaving in ten minutes. But nothing happened. Then there were five minutes left, then three. I told the service crew member to go and tell Jari-Matti that we should start getting ready. I sat in the car, and our starting minute was coming up. Then the rally’s official called, and he asked when we were coming, and I said, ‘As soon as we get the driver in the car,’” Hänninen laughed.
When Latvala finally arrived at the car, he was slightly confused.
“Jari-Matti came running, and we went full throttle to the time control. It was a close call. Jari-Matti then said that I could be a bit firmer with him. I told him, ‘These are your toys, and you’re the one who wants to drive here. I’m not a babysitter,’” Hänninen recalled.
The lesson was learned, and since then, the same situation hasn’t happened again.
“Ever since, he has learned to check the correct start time and has always been there on time,” Hänninen smiled.
Latvala and Hänninen will compete in Savonlinna with a Toyota Rally2 car. In the SM1 class, they will face competition from the likes of Esapekka Lappi, Tuukka Kauppinen, and Teemu Asunmaa.
