Jari-Matti Latvala drives Toyota’s new rally2 car in the Japanese rally series in Hokkaido at the time of the World Rally Championship in Greece.
Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala won’t work in the next round of the World Rally Championship in Greece either. The reason is that Latvala is competing with a Toyota rally2 car in Japan at the same time. On the pages of the rally will be informedthat Toyota has told Latvala and his map reader Juho Hännenen to compete in Hokkaido in the Japanese competition.
The matter was also confirmed by map reader Hänninen rally media for Dirtfish.
– I promised it, but I wanted to see how things go in the World Rally Championship in Finland, Hänninen described and referred to Latvala’s return in the World Rally Championship last week.
Latvala charmed the rally crowd with his relaxed and funny short interviews last week on the gravel roads of Central Finland. He finished fifth in the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä.
– He has been so relaxed, so I think he is even more relaxed on the other side of the world, Hänninen described.
– That (Hokkaido) is a wonderful competition. It’s nice to go there.
In the gravel rally, Latvala will meet, among others, the reigning champion of the Japanese rally series Heikki Kovalainen. The former F1 driver competes in Japan with Skoda’s R5 car.
Latvala’s competition in Hokkaido was planned since the beginning of the year.
– I am very excited. That rally is where the World Rally Championship in Japan used to be. I have very good memories from there. It’s very wonderful to be back there with a rally2 car, Latvala said in January to Autosport.
The first in Finland with news about it Rallit.fi website according to Latvala has previously driven Toyota’s new rally2 car for a show. The only one who has previously competed in a Toyota rally2 car is the driver of the Japanese brand’s World Series team Takamoto Katsuta father Norihiko Katsuta.
Map reader Hänninen has already had time to drive a lot of tests with Toyota’s rally2 car. According to the Rallit.fi website, Toyota’s rally2 car is expected to debut in the World Series at the beginning of next year.
The World Rally Championship in Greece will be held from the 7th to the 10th. September