The 18-time WRC rally winner and Toyota WRC boss is about to make a aggressive return to rallying’s prime flight with an outing at Rally Finland in a 2023 specification GR Yaris Rally1 next month.
Whereas Latvala is scheduled to conduct a pre-event check day within the automotive earlier than the rally, the Finn logged some helpful seat time at this week’s Goodwood Competition of Velocity, which included runs by way of the occasion’s 2.5km Forest rally stage.
Latvala was additionally joined within the automotive by former team-mate and 2003 world champion Petter Solberg as a part of a particular Motorsport.com function that will probably be revealed subsequent month.
“Truly, it was good observe,” Latvala informed Motorsport.com.
“It helps so much that I managed to get some kind of concept of the automotive earlier than the rally. I’m trying ahead to the remainder of the weekend as I can drive the automotive extra.
“It’s going to assist to get the sensation of the automotive earlier than the check in order that once I come to the check I do not lose time to only understanding the automotive.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Petter Solberg
Picture by: Jari-Matti Latvala
After retiring from full-time driving within the WRC on the finish of 2019, the 38-year-old is new to championship’s hybrid vehicles that have been launched final yr.
Reflecting on driving the automotive, Latvala admitted he was impressed and shocked by the effectiveness of the hybrid enhance.
“I need to say the enhance, I’m actually impressed. When the kick comes it seems like an previous Audi Quattro when the turbo enhance is available in,” he added.
“This automotive is very easy to drive and also you don’t really feel the bumps such as you used to. The suspension is at a extremely excessive degree in comparison with WRC vehicles 20 years in the past.
“I’ve by no means actually pushed it on a stage and to go along with Petter I knew I couldn’t present that I used to be very sluggish and on the similar time you possibly can’t crash, so you need to discover a method to adapt to the automotive shortly.
“It was my first time with the hybrid actually on and it was thrilling and Petter was additionally actually enthusiastic about it. His ardour for rallying and motorsport is wonderful.”
All three WRC groups are in attendance at Goodwood this week to have a good time 50 years of the WRC, with eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans becoming a member of the Toyota ranks.
Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi are set to pilot the Hyundai i20 Rally1 on Goodwood’s well-known hillclimb and the rally stage, whereas M-Sport’s Ford Puma will probably be pushed by Ott Tanak and group boss Malcolm Wilson.
Lead image by Gary Hawkins
