Toyota’s team manager Jari-Matti Latvala yearns to get behind the wheel of a Rally1 car in the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä. The plan may come true already this summer.
Head of Toyota’s World Rally Team Jari-Matti Latvala the thought of getting to drive a Rally1 car in the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä is burning. Latvala may already be on the starting line in the World Rally Championship in August, but the matter will be decided next week.
– I have told the CEO of Toyota For Akio Toyoda, that it would be great to drive a Rally1 hybrid car once. To once experience what it’s like to drive such a world-class car, Latvala told Urheilu.
In the background is a plan that has been smoldering for a longer time.
– It would be great to experience what it’s like to drive the current Rally1 car. However, I have driven almost all WRC-classified cars in the last twenty years, Latvala stated.
38-year-old Latvala hopes that his dream will come true already this summer or at the latest in the coming years.
– The alternatives have been this year, next year or 2025. So the matter has been discussed, but there is no decision. I’m leaving for Japan on Saturday, let’s see what solution we can reach, Latvala said.
It would be very unique if the head of a World Cup team jumped behind the wheel himself in a World Cup rally.
– The question is how Toyota’s management sees the situation. Is the issue topical this year or only in the coming years, Latvala ponders.
Hurry up to register for this summer’s Jyväskylä
The matter is relevant right now, because the registration period for this year’s Jyväskylä World Rally Championship is about to expire. The Finnish World Cup Rally starts on August 3.
– Registration closes already next week, so you have to make a decision if you plan to ride in Jyväskylä this summer, Latvala emphasized.
Latvala competed in the World Rally Championship between 2002 and 2020. He achieved 18 World Rally victories in his career and is remembered for his dashing driving style.
After ending his active career, Latvala has worked as Toyota’s team manager for the past few years. In the last two seasons, Toyota has been able to celebrate both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ world championships.
Although his career as a top driver is already over, Latvala has driven rallies regularly.
– I have driven Historic cars in an average of five races a year. So mostly SM rallies, but last year I drove in the Rally Legends event in Italy, Latvala said.