Acting as Toyota’s WRC team principal, Latvala is also competing in the WRC2 category this weekend with co-driver Janni Hussi. On Thursday morning’s Ruuhimäki shakedown, Latvala was truly in his element – and the stopwatch agreed.
On his first run, Latvala topped his class, beating the likes of Oliver Solberg, who came into the event fresh off an impressive WRC victory in Estonia. Solberg is back in the seat of a Toyota Rally2 car in Jyväskylä.
“The shakedown time was a positive surprise. I had a quick chat with Oliver, and he said it was difficult for him to get into rhythm after coming from a Rally1 car. He said he couldn’t quite find the flow,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
“After the first run, I had a real adrenaline rush – my hands were just shaking. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to getting into this rally.”
Last year, Latvala also competed in WRC2 on the gravel roads of Central Finland and finished a strong second behind Solberg. This year, Solberg is again the clear favourite in Jyväskylä, but Latvala is widely seen as the second-strongest contender.
Latvala’s main goal is to reach the finish – but he’s not holding back unnecessarily.
“I’ll try to go flat out and drive at the pace I know and can manage. I’ll avoid taking crazy risks. If tomorrow feels like today’s test stage, we’ll see what it’s enough for.”
“I know there are young guys here who are going to be pushing hard. Let’s see what I can do among them,” Latvala laughed.
“A top-class co-driver”
Latvala and Hussi are now competing together for the eighth time. Their partnership began last summer at a historic rally in Lahti, and this year they’ve been competing in the European Historic Championship.
Latvala had only praise for Hussi, who began her co-driving career just three years ago.
“Janni has prepared really well for this rally too. What I’ve noticed is that when there are long corners and I try to include a lot of detail in the notes, those become harder. So I’ve tried to simplify the pace notes for those sections.”
“I tried reading pace notes myself a few weeks ago and realised how tough it is – especially when you can’t lift your head much. I tip my hat to Janni. She’s improved tremendously just this year. Janni is becoming a truly top-level co-driver,” Latvala emphasised.
