The organisers of the Rally Chile released the entry list on Tuesday, confirming that Rovanperä will also be competing in the South American gravel event.
It was already known that Toyota drivers Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta, and French star Sebastien Ogier would be racing in Chile. Ogier announced after Rally Finland, which was held last month, that he intends to compete in all the remaining rounds of the season and fight for the drivers’ championship.
However, it is a bit of a surprise that Toyota has decided to send four Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 crews to Chile. This move signals that Toyota is now employing all possible strategies in its battle against Hyundai for the manufacturers’ title.
Hyundai currently holds a 20-point lead over Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship, with four rounds remaining. Toyota suffered a significant setback at their home rally in Finland, where both Rovanperä and Evans crashed out on the final day. As a result, a promising points haul turned into a 19-point loss to Hyundai.
Check the World Rally Championship standings here.
In Chile, Ogier, Evans, and Rovanperä will compete for manufacturers’ points for Toyota. Meanwhile, Japanese driver Katsuta can race without the pressure of scoring team points.
Hyundai is sending its expected trio to Chile. The team’s regular drivers, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, will be joined by Esapekka Lappi in the third car. The Finnish driver’s participation in the gravel event was practically a given in advance.
It remains to be seen whether the Chilean event will be Lappi’s last as a Hyundai driver. It is unlikely that he will have a role in the final rounds of the season in Central Europe and Japan, both of which are tarmac events. Lappi’s contract with Hyundai is set to expire at the end of the year.
M-Sport Ford will also have three cars on the starting line. It was confirmed last week that Latvian rally hopeful Martins Sesks will be driving the third Ford Puma Rally1 car, which will not have a hybrid unit this time. This will be Sesks’ third appearance in the main class of the World Rally Championship.
WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg will compete in Chile for his last points-scoring event of the season. Frenchman Yohan Rossel, also aiming for the WRC2 title, will be present as well.
Among the leading names in the second tier, Sami Pajari will skip the Chilean round, making it likely that his final points-scoring event will be the Central European Rally in October.
The Chilean WRC round will take place from 26th to 29th September. This weekend, points are up for grabs at the Acropolis Rally in Greece.
