Estonia alternates in the WRC calendar with Latvia. In July, Latvia’s Liepaja will host the country’s first WRC rally, while in Tartu, car crews will be driving for ERC points this time.
However, the sound of Rally1 hybrid cars has been heard in southern Estonia, as Hyundai’s WRC team conducts its tests in preparation for Rally Poland. The tests were kicked off on Wednesday by championship leader Thierry Neuville, who enjoyed his test day in dry conditions.
Check out video of Neuville’s tests below. The story continues after the videos.
Toyota’s WRC team has also begun its tests for the Rally Poland. The first to take the wheel was the experienced Sebastien Ogier. The part-time driver will be participating in his fourth consecutive WRC rally in Poland.
Ogier has been in good form in the WRC this year. He secured wins in both Portugal and Croatia. In Sardinia, he was close to victory, but Hyundai’s Ott Tänak managed to edge him out by 0.2 seconds on the final stage. Nonetheless, Ogier finished second in Sardinia, as he did in the season-opening Monte Carlo event.
Ogier has competed in every WRC-level event held in Poland. He claimed victories in the fast gravel rally twice during his time with Volkswagen in the 2014-15 seasons.
There has been discussion on rally forums about the behaviour of spectators on the test stages, with many appearing quite close to the road. While there is less supervision during tests than in actual WRC events, Poland was previously dropped from the WRC calendar due to poor spectator behaviour. One of the reasons Poland hasn’t hosted a WRC event since 2017 was the spectator misconduct in the previous WRC rally.
Check out video of Ogier’s tests below.
Ogier tested on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, it was Takamoto Katsuta’s turn for Toyota. The Japanese driver excels in fast gravel rallies, so good results are expected. Strong results are also needed, as Katsuta’s season has not been the easiest.
“Polish tests done. My first experience on Poland road yesterday. I can’t wait end of this month,” Katsuta shared on social media.
