Many were surprised a year ago when Jan Solans was given Toyota’s then brand-new Rally2 car for the 2024 season.
Solans won the SuperCER rally in the 2023 season, but at that point, the former Junior World Champion had yet to secure a seat for the following season. Later, it was announced that Solans would compete again in the WRC2 class, driving a Toyota Yaris Rally2.
At that time, the new Toyota was still a question mark, but over the course of the season, it became clear that Toyota had the best car in its class.
Solans remains highly thrilled about joining the Toyota team.
“I feel very fortunate to have joined this incredible team. Especially because I am surrounded by amazing people. This is the best possible environment for me,” Solans praised to the Spanish publication Marca.
“This project is absolutely fantastic, and I couldn’t ask for more. Now I know I have everything I need to become a champion. Let’s see if we can achieve that next year,” Solans added.
Last season, Solans competed with the same car as the Finn Sami Pajari. Pajari won the WRC2 championship last season, and Toyota promoted the Finn to the main WRC category for next season, where he will compete in all events.
“Sami is ultimately a brilliant example that we also came close to getting the same opportunity, as we won with Toyota’s Rally2 in Portugal before him,” Solans recalled.
“It’s true that he later won in Sardinia, and after that, it was announced that he would move to Rally1. Actually, we were on a very similar level in terms of times and performance,” Solans continued.
In recent years, Solans has relished the challenges posed by strong teammates.
“There was something similar at Ford with Adrien Fourmaux. I won the Junior Championship, but he didn’t, and he was promoted to the top class. So, I’ve been around many teammates and competitors who have risen to the top. Hopefully, I will also make it there someday,” Solans hoped.
