It’s funny! The photos from the party of Jari-Matti Latvala and Toyota’s big boss told a lot – the Finnish icon gratefully: “Expensive things”

Akio Toyoda and Jari-Matti Latvala made the most of the successful Jyväskylä World Rally Championship.

JYVÄSKYLÄ.

The biggest talking point of the Jyväskylä World Cup rally Kalle Rovanperän and Esapekka Lapin after interruptions rose Jari-Matti Latvala.

Toyota’s team manager Latvala was able to drive the chairman of Toyota’s board of directors in his home race Akio Toyoda with permission.

Toyoda came to replace Latvala as head of the Toyota rally team. The two had a very warm encounter when Latvala arrived after the award ceremony to meet Himos on the Power Stage.

Latvala revealed what Toyoda had said as an instruction for the competition.

– He said that “Jari-Matti, enjoy, be relaxed and smile”. He said those three things. I tried to stick to them. It was really fun, Latvala said.

One of the reasons for Latvala’s desire to compete again was to experience the Rally1 hybrid cars. He felt the car was the most powerful he had ever driven.

Latvala knew that he was very lucky when he still got to experience the Jyväskylä World Rally as a driver.

– I have two big things after I was elected team manager. They promised me a 2017 WRC car. I should have it in my museum at the end of the year. Now I was able to drive in the Finnish World Rally Championship. Both are really expensive things, Latvala described his gratitude.

Akio Toyoda has said publicly that he was already a fan of Latvala when the man from Tura was racing in the World Championship. Latvala considers Toyoda to be a special car manufacturer boss.

– It is impressive to see that he attended fan meetings, wrote articles and was interviewed. Akio has been everywhere. You rarely see that the big boss of a major car manufacturer is so excited and ready to do all this work, Latvala said.

Toyoda also made the most of Toyota’s victory party in Jyväskylä and celebrated the victory with his team on the podium.

– It was a special moment. At that party, you saw Akio Toyoda’s passion for motorsports, Latvala said.

Last year, Toyota’s home rally ended in disappointment, while Hyundai’s Ott Tänak took the win over Kalle Rovanperä.

Now Elfyn Evans won and Takamoto Katsuta was the third, so the weekend ended in much happier moods.

Latvala said that this time everything was done in preparation for victory.

– It was really important that we win this year. We worked a lot. We tested and drove a test rally with two cars. We wanted to be sure that we are ready, Latvala said and referred to the brisk day-long national competition held in Tampere a week ago.

Rovanperä and Evans from Toyota participated in Tampere.

– I think a very important factor for success was that Tampere rally in wet conditions. I believe that now here in Jyväskylä the biggest differences were made in wet weather, Latvala described.