The Croatia Rally was first held in 2021, and since then, Toyota has clinched the top spot each year.
Last weekend, it was Sebastien Ogier‘s turn to celebrate victory in Zagreb. Ogier rose to first place on the final day of the tarmac rally, as his teammate Elfyn Evans and Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville made driving errors.
Akio Toyoda, the chairman of the Japanese automaker’s board, was pleased with the team’s success.
“Toyota Gazoo Racing achieved four straight wins in Croatia. However, it doesn’t mean Croatian stages are the ones we excel at,” Toyoda explained.
“The team always prepared various things for the changeable weather in Croatia at this time of the year, and the drivers responded with aggressive driving to take the win,” Toyoda reported.
The WRC season will continue in just over two weeks in Portugal, where Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä has been the victor for the past two years. This year, Toyota will enter the competition with its full arsenal, as all four of the team’s drivers will be at the starting line. Alongside Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, Sebastien Ogier, and Takamoto Katsuta will also seek success.
Toyota’s top boss sent an important reminder to team principal Jari-Matti Latvala and the entire team.
“Although we won there last year, the other two cars did not finish, so it was a frustrating event for us,” Toyoda stated.
“I hope that the preparation goes well so that all our cars will be able to complete the rally safely. I’m sure Jari-Matti and the team members will continue their great job to be ready for that.”
Last year, Evans crashed out of the competition and had to retire. Katsuta also had to retire once and finished the overall competition in 33rd place.
The Rally de Portugal is scheduled for May 9-12 around Porto.
