However, Yamamoto earned his first point at the World Rally Championship level in his debut rally driving a Rally2 car, finishing tenth in his class. The Japanese hopefuls’ coach, Juho Hänninen, was pleased with the weekend’s outcome, even though both drivers faced their own challenges.
Kogure finished 20th in his class after retiring once on Saturday evening.
“We knew that this was going to be a tough challenge for Hikaru and Yuki but even though it was only their second event in the Rally2 car and the conditions were really demanding, it was a positive weekend,” Hänninen summarised.
“Yuki drove all the stages and Hikaru did almost all of them, so they gained a lot of experience, and when they were able to get through cleanly with no mistakes then the stage times were pretty good, I would say.”
Hänninen emphasised that Yamamoto and Kogure are still at the very beginning of their rally careers.
“The conditions on Friday especially were tough for everyone and given they don’t have experience of that in these cars, they managed it pretty well. Still after that, the grip was changing a lot and it’s difficult to adapt your driving accordingly when you don’t have experience” Hänninen reflected.
“They certainly learned a lot and that will make their next event in Finland easier for them.”
Yamamoto was the more successful of the duo in terms of results. However, a puncture cost him a lot of time. At his best, the Japanese driver was seventh in the WRC2 class.
“It’’’s been a really good rally even if sometimes it’s been challenging. The conditions were really different on each day, but that’s been nice experience and good for learning,” Yamamoto summarised.
They gained experience in a variety of conditions.
“Friday was really tricky with a lot of snow and massive ruts, but I was still able to have a good feeling in those conditions. At the end of Saturday I hit a rock and had to go really slowly on the last stage,” Yamamoto reflected.
“But on Sunday the conditions were so nice and the feeling has been getting better and better. It’s been nice to follow the lines of the fastest drivers and compare with their times. It’s been a really good weekend and I’m sure I’ll keep learning and do better in the next rally.”
