Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala believes that the World Rally Championship in Greece can be run despite the wildfires raging in the country.
Jussi Vainikka,
Micke Suopuro
The Rally World Series is supposed to continue next week in Greece, but the organization of the competition is not yet completely certain.
The wildfires that tormented Greece have caused changes to the stables’ test plans. For example, Toyota Takamoto Katsuta didn’t get to drive the test in Greece at all.
Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala believes that the rally can be organized.
– Unfortunately, the fires have caused a lot of trouble for people and the country. Test limitations are completely understandable. The biggest and most important thing is that the fires there would calm down and there would be no problems with the rally, Latvala tells Urheilu.
– From the side of the organizers, I have understood that everything is fine.
In recent history, there is an example of a situation where wildfires have caused the cancellation of a competition. This is what happened in Australia in the 2019 season.
– After all, such an experience exists. I know that the organizers want to do everything they can until the end to run the competition, says Latvala.
The Greek rally is run in the Lamia area, where the worst fires have already been extinguished. In the northern parts of the country, in the Athens region, wildfires are still raging in an area of 800 square kilometers.
– Fortunately, the rally is held in Lamia a little higher, where it can be a little cooler, Latvala points out.
At least 20 people have died in the fire – more than in any other wildfire in Europe this summer. 400 rescue personnel, twelve airplanes and 60 vehicles have been sent from EU countries to extinguish the fire.
– The wildfires raging in Greece are the largest ever observed in the EU, said a spokesperson for the European Commission on Tuesday Balazs Ujvari.
DirtFish rally site by temperatures of over 30 degrees are expected in the competition area for the week of the competition. The probability of thunderstorms has dropped. There is currently a 10 percent chance of rain for the morning of the final day of the rally.
According to the website, the WRC teams are supposed to publicly thank the Greek rescue authorities together with the country’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with before the start of the rally.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä leads the World Series with a 25-point difference to his teammate to Elfyn Evans. Last season’s Akropolis rally victory was celebrated by Hyundai Thierry Neuville.