Toyota secured a clean sweep in the Canary Islands, claiming all four top positions. Kalle Rovanperä took a dominant win ahead of Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans, and Takamoto Katsuta.
The rally served as the perfect advertisement for Toyota. Not only did the drivers deliver exceptional performances, but the Japanese manufacturer’s car also outperformed its rivals, especially Hyundai, on the asphalt roads of the Canary Islands.
It was no surprise that Toyota boss Akio Toyoda nearly ran out of superlatives after the event.
“I believe that this wonderful result we achieved was made possible by the efforts of every single member of TGR-WRT. I’m so thankful to everyone. It was amazing that we could finish 1-2-3-4 with Kalle, Seb, Elfyn, and Takamoto on the roads of Gran Canaria, which we drove for the first time,” Toyoda praised.
Juha Kankkunen once again served as Toyota’s team principal in the Canary Islands, standing in for Jari-Matti Latvala, who was competing as a driver. While Toyota’s drivers had no prior experience on the islands, Kankkunen had plenty to share.
“Juha, as the one with lots of experience in the Canary Islands, told everyone about the roads there and provided reassurance to the team even before the rally started,” Toyoda said, expressing his appreciation.
“Even on unfamiliar roads, our engineers and mechanics managed to prepare the cars with setups that the drivers already felt confident with in shakedown. I heard that after Friday, the drivers expressed their appreciation to them for the great work done,” Toyoda added.
Toyoda was very pleased with the overall team performance. The team spirit was – and remains – strong.
“We are a team where members can say thank you to each other while fighting together, and TGR-WRT always aspires to be such a team,” he emphasised.
The WRC season now continues with a challenging run of seven consecutive gravel rallies. This will once again demand unity and strong team spirit.
“This rally, in particular, was filled with everyone’s hearts. We have a busy schedule ahead leading up to Rally Finland. Let’s continue to push as one team,” Toyoda encouraged.
The schedule is indeed tight. The next WRC round takes place in just a couple of weeks in Portugal.
