Latvala and Hussi’s season in the European Historic Rally Championship had been plagued by bad luck following strong performances earlier in the year, but over the weekend the pair claimed a dominant victory in Greece.
At the Acropolis Rally in Greece, 13 special stages were driven in total, and Latvala, competing in a Toyota Celica, recorded no fewer than 12 fastest times.
It would have been difficult for Latvala to win in a more dominant fashion, as Greek driver Marios Stafilopatis, who finished second, was left trailing by almost ten minutes.
Latvala and Hussi had taken wins earlier in the season in Spain and the Czech Republic, but subsequent rallies were ruined mainly by technical issues. The duo were forced to retire in France, Belgium, and Finland.
“It was truly a very relieving and significant victory. It felt really good,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
“We have worked a lot with Janni for this. We made pace notes for 1,500 kilometres of route, and the lads did a lot of work on the car back home. We had a new engine this time, everything was brand new. It had really been looked into,” Latvala continued.
Latvala, of course, always drives for victory when he straps on the helmet. The recent difficulties brought a whole new sense of pressure to the Greek rally.
“There definitely was pressure. I knew I had to succeed here if I wanted to do well in this championship. It was also a matter of credibility. We had to show that we have a car capable of reaching the finish, not one that always breaks down. This time we managed it, and it felt really good,” Latvala explained.
The victory in Greece was Latvala’s third of the season. With this win, he was able to close the gap on championship leader, Polish driver Maciej Lubiak, who finished fifth in Greece, and Britain’s Will Graham, second in the standings, who came sixth in Greece.
“This victory brought us back into the fight for the championship. Six rallies count towards the series and we’ve now won three. Lubiak and Graham have been consistently scoring results, so we’ll have to compete against them directly,” Latvala said.
This season, three rounds remain in the European Historic Rally Championship. The final round in Portugal coincides with Toyota’s home event, Rally Japan, where Latvala was supposed to act as Toyota’s team principal. However, Latvala intends to submit a “holiday request.”
“It would be very important to drive in Fafe, as there are bonus points on offer there. Those points could play a crucial role if you want to fight for the title. I now need to negotiate with Japan to see if it would be okay for me to go there and for (Juha) Kankkunen to go to Japan,” Latvala revealed.
“This year Japan is not the final rally, so in that sense it could be possible. We need to negotiate that. The last two rallies are absolutely essential if you want to fight for the title,” Latvala added.
The European Historic Rally Championship will continue at the end of September in Italy. Latvala’s plan is now to contest the final two rallies of the season in Spain and Portugal.
“Elba (Italy) might be possible, but it could be that we won’t be able to fit it into the schedule,” Latvala considered.
