Akio Toyoda was a popular interviewee in the Jyväskylä World Rally Service Park.
Roope Visuri,
Jussi Jäkälä
broadcasts the events of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship comprehensively: Listen live from Ralliradio from start to finish and watch the highlight clips fresh from ‘s highly popular rally coverage.
JYVÄSKYLÄ.
The Jyväskylä World Rally Championship will see an exceptional situation this weekend, when the team manager of the rally team of the world’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota, is Akio Toyoda.
He has been Toyota’s public face for a long time. Akio Toyoda was Toyota’s CEO for 14 years until he took over as chairman of the board at the beginning of the year.
It has been at least one of the most influential people in the automotive industry, if he is not still one. Akio Toyoda is also the founder of Toyota Kiichiro Toyoda grandson.
It was no wonder that the atmosphere was electrified when Toyoda walked to be interviewed by the media at the Jyväskylä service park. A dozen journalists rushed to Toyoda.
Moments earlier, the other team managers had been in their normal team clothes in the service park, but Toyoda arrived wearing a suit.
– Sorry. I had a press conference in the morning. I didn’t have time to change clothes. It was also good to show that I am the chairman of the board at Toyota, Toyoda described his special choice of suit to the media.
Read more: Toyota rally car testing center coming to Jyväskylä
Toyota’s rally team is run from Central Finland, so the legendary race is also the team’s home race. Toyoda confirmed that the Finnish World Cup rally is special.
– I can feel how the Finns and the spectators are cheering hard here. It gives me a lot of energy. I appreciate it, the 67-year-old Japanese boss said.
Toyoda therefore acts as the team manager of the Toyota rally team because Jari-Matti Latvala drive this weekend in the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship. It is known that Latvala had been longing for a long time to be able to drive the new Rally1 cars in the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä. Toyoda had put his stamp on the matter earlier this summer.
Toyota’s rally team normally runs with the cooperation of four different managers. The team manager is Latvala, and the director of sports Kaj Lindström and as a project manager Yuichiro Haruna.
Toyoda describes that his job this weekend is to relax the team personnel.
– This is exciting because I was a fan of Jari-Mat as a driver. Now he drives again. It’s so exciting and incredible, says Toyoda.
One of the big topics of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship is also the reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperän contract pattern. Rovanperä’s current contract is coming to an end this season.
Urheilu asked Toyoda if he is the person who will say the last word about Rovanperä’s possible extension contract.
– When I was the general manager, I was a so-called “master driver”. Although I am now the chairman of the board, that role remains. Master driver’s role is to make better cars. Together with our CEO and management team, we are trying to get Kalle to continue, Toyoda described.
broadcasts the events of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship comprehensively: Listen live from Ralliradio from start to finish and watch the highlight clips fresh from ‘s highly popular rally coverage.