INDIA in F1

Tag: Toyota Yaris

  • Latvala warms up nicely for Rally Italia Sardegna, quickest in shakedown

    Latvala warms up nicely for Rally Italia Sardegna, quickest in shakedown

    Jari-Matti Latvala who topped the shakedown on Thursday. Photo: WRC

    Alghero, 07 June 2018: Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through an unusually damp shakedown at Rally Italia Sardegna on Thursday morning. He topped the times in the 3.51km Olmeda test in his Toyota Yaris, 0.8sec clear of Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai i20. Thierry Neuville, Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak were tied in third, a further tenth behind.

    It was the third successive rally in which Latvala has won shakedown, but broken suspension sidelined him early at the last two rounds in Argentina and Portugal after hitting rocks. The Finn has changed his preparations in a bid to avoid an unwanted hat-trick.

    “In the recce, I used more time than previously. I stopped at some places to throw the stones away and I walked around and looked at the stones,” he told wrc.com. “I also tried to mark more carefully the bad places or where there was a stone on the ground and rather than going over it, I will go round it.

    “We’ll run the car higher which should help with the impacts and I won’t turn so aggressively into corners. There was no time to do any suspension work between Portugal and this rally, but the reality is that I’ve been driving too aggressively.”

    Team-mate Lappi set the pace during the first pass of the gravel stage. Paddon was fastest on the next two runs before Latvala moved top of the standings on his fourth and final attempt.

    Persistent rain fell in the Alghero service park and while the stage was drier, the obligatory hard compound Michelin rubber was not ideal for the conditions.

    Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen were both caught out, swiping a rock during their first runs which caused bodywork damage to the co-driver’s side of their cars.

    Leading positions were:

    POSITION DRIVER CAR TIME
    1 Jari-Matti Latvala Toyota Yaris 1min 53.9sec
    2 Hayden Paddon Hyundai i20 +0.8sec
    3= Thierry Neuville Hyundai i20 +0.9sec
    3= Esapekka Lappi Toyota Yaris +0.9sec
    3= Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris +0.9sec
    6 Sébastien Ogier Ford Fiesta +1.4sec
    7 Elfyn Evans Ford Fiesta +2.2sec
    8 Teemu Suninen Ford Fiesta +2.8sec
    9 Andreas Mikkelsen Hyundai i20 +3.2sec
    10 Craig Breen Citroën C3 +3.6sec
  • Ott Tanak sets early pace in Super Special Stage; Suninen, Ogier tied second

    Ott Tanak sets early pace in Super Special Stage; Suninen, Ogier tied second

    Ott Tanak in a Toyota Yaris sets the early pace in Rally de Portugal. Photo: WRC

    Lousada, 17 May 2018: The duo of Ott Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja in a Toyota Yaris WRC was the quickest on the Super Special Stage (3.36 Kms) in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal which commenced here on Thursday evening.

    The Estonian, the recent winner of the Rally of Argentina, beat Finn Teemu Suninen (Ford Fiesta) and five-time champion and World champion Sébastien Ogier (Ford Fiesta) by 0.4 seconds, who set an equal mark to reach second fastest time.

    Kris Meeeke was the fastest in Citroën, as was Andreas Mikkelsen at Hyundai, both finishing the special at 1.4s off Tanak.

    Suninen outpaced Hayden Paddon, returning after missing the last three WRC rounds, while Ogier was more than a second quicker than Thierry Neuville in the evening’s headline heat. Tänak dictated the previous round in Argentina but acknowledged a repeat is unlikely this weekend.

    “It will be tough to dominate here. We know how loose the roads will be tomorrow and there will be a lot more cleaning than in Argentina. It will be a key tomorrow to get a good position so we can fight hard on Saturday,” he said.

    Citroën C3 pilot Kris Meeke and Mikkelsen, driving a Hyundai i20, were fourth, a full second behind the tying Ford pair. Neuville completed the top six.

    Jari-Matti Latvala dropped almost four seconds after stalling his Yaris in a hairpin. “Under braking, the engine cut completely. There’s something strange happening with the engine and we need to investigate that. It doesn’t worry me, but it annoys me,” he said.

    M-Sport Ford mechanics replaced the cooling pack in Elfyn Evans’ Fiesta before this evening’s start at Guimaräes Castle after damage caused by a heavy landing in this morning’s shakedown.

    Friday’s first full day is based close to the Spanish border. Two identical loops of three stages are split by service in Matosinhos, before the leg ends with two short street tests in central Porto. The eight stages cover 148.66 Kms.

    JARI-MATTI LATVALA QUICKEST IN SHAKEDOWN

    Jari-Matti Latvala. Photo: WRC

    Latvala edged Origer and Neuville to win Thursday morning’s shakedown. The Toyota Gazoo driver was fastest by 0.3sec through the 4.60 Kms Baltar speed test. Ogier and the Hyundai i20-mounted Neuville tied in second. Conditions were dry and dusty and the stage, which ended with a loop of Baltar’s rallycross circuit, was closely contested. The top eight drivers were covered by a second.

    Latvala set the pace in the first run, before Kris Meeke went top of the timesheets in a Citroën C3 at his second attempt. The Finn set the benchmark in his third run as most drivers posted their best time in their final pass.

    It has been a disappointing year for Latvala. He is eighth in the points after retiring from the previous two rounds in Corsica and Argentina and views this rally as an opportunity to turn around his fortunes.

    “Springtime has been difficult for me and I would really like to use this rally as a turning point for the season. I want to see the finish line, have a clean rally and find the speed I can do. I believe the car is competitive enough, so I have to stay cool and do my job,” he said.

    “Three runs in a row this morning and no changes. You normally know that when you don’t need to do any changes then the set-up is correct and that’s the way it should be. If you have to start working in the shakedown, it’s normally not a good sign.”

    Meeke, driving a C3, and Andreas Mikkelsen, in an i20, were tied in fourth 0.4sec adrift of Ogier and Neuville. Hayden Paddon, returning to the WRC after a three-rally absence, was another tenth behind in sixth.

  • Rally Argentina: Tanak-Jarveoja snatch win for Toyota; double podium for Hyundai

    Rally Argentina: Tanak-Jarveoja snatch win for Toyota; double podium for Hyundai

    Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja who scored a win for Toyota in Rally Argentina. Photo: FIA

    Villa Carlos Paz, 30 April 2018: Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the legendary Rally Argentina on Sunday after a weekend-long display of dominance in which they won 10 of the event’s 18 stages. The Estonians were able to manage their pace over the closing three stages to take their first victory with Toyota by 37.7 seconds. Last year’s winners Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were second and team-mates Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio made it a double podium celebration for Hyundai with third.

    In the FIA World Rally Championship, Neuville has managed to close the gap to Championship leader Ogier to 10 points with Tänak 18 points further adrift in the standings. Hyundai’s double podium also sees the Korean manufacturer extend its advantage over M-Sport Ford to 15 points. Toyota is third with Citroen trailing in fourth.

    In the second run of El Cóndor, counting towards all-important Power Stage points, Tänak was able to control the pace and points for fourth fastest added to his Championship haul. Neuville was flat-out however and the Belgian set fastest time to add five points to his tally, his objective always to be ahead of Ogier. Sordo was happy with his Rally Argentina outing and the Spaniard finished well ahead of Ogier in the overall classification.

    Ogier and Mikkelsen went into the stage fighting for fourth but the reigning FIA World Rally Champion managed to hold onto his position by just four seconds at the end of the event. Both Elfyn Evans and Kris Meeke moved up the standings into sixth and seventh respectively after Lappi dropped time with a puncture this morning. He finished eighth on his debut outing in Argentina, the Finn lamenting a huge amount of bad luck in Argentina. Teemu Suninen finished ninth, another debutant on the event.

    Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson snatched the FIA WRC 2 Championship category win after Škoda team-mate Kalle Rovanperä rolled in the penultimate stage while leading. Tidemand beat Gus Greensmith by over seven minutes to take the lead in the Championship standings.

    The sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship takes the contenders back to Europe for Rally de Portugal (17-20 May).

    Rally Argentina – Final Unofficial classification (subject to scrutineering)

    1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 43min 28.9sec
    2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 44min 06.6sec
    3 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 3hr 44min 44.6sec
    4 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 45min 27.5sec
    5 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 45min 31.5sec
    6 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 46min 35.2sec
    7 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 46min 54.6sec
    8 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 48min 01.5sec
    9 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 49min 07.5sec
    10 Pontus Tidemand / Jonas Andersson Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 55min 44.7sec
  • Ott Tanak-Martin Jarveoja extend lead; set-up Toyota for Rally Argentina honours: WRC

    Ott Tanak-Martin Jarveoja extend lead; set-up Toyota for Rally Argentina honours: WRC

    Ott Tanak, navigated by Martin Jarveoja take a big jump towards Rally Argentina win for Toyota Yaris. Photo: FIA

    Villa Carlos Paz, 29 April 2018: Ott Tänak will take a 46.5 second advantage into the closing stages of Rally Argentina having once again dominated proceedings on Saturday. The Estonian won five of the day’s seven stages and only missed out on a clean sweep of victories in the mountains with a couple of technical problems in the final stage of the day. Thierry Neuville remains second overnight but when Kris Meeke was forced to stop and change a puncture, Dani Sordo climbed into the final podium position.

    On 27th April, Tanak won his 100th Stage in WRC at Rally Argentina and tweeted: It’s my 100th stage win in World Rally Car! ?? What a journey it has been so far!

    This afternoon saw the crews head back out into the Punilla Valley for three stages, two of which were shrouded in fog this morning. Clear conditions were a welcome sight and Tänak was again immediately setting the pace, instantly claiming another two stage wins. However, in the final stage of the day, he briefly lost the power steering and then the oil from one of the dampers and could only manage fourth fastest. Even so, the Estonian’s 46.5 second advantage leaves him well-placed to take his first victory with Toyota tomorrow afternoon.

    Tyre preservation was the name of the game for Neuville this afternoon and he now heads team-mate Sordo by 21.7 seconds. The Spaniard has been flying again and set the fastest time in the final 40 Kms stage.

    Sébastien Ogier has had a trouble-free run and is now up to fourth with Andreas Mikkelsen nearly 15 seconds adrift, the Norwegian with a better feeling having made changes to the i20 Coupe WRC before the final stage.

    Esapekka Lappi passed Elfyn Evans for sixth and the rivals will head into the final day split by 6.2 seconds. Kris Meeke’s puncture dropped him to eighth, yet more disappointment for Citroën after Craig Breen retired during the mid-leg service with roll cage damage.

    Teemu Suninen is ninth, comfortably ahead of FIA WRC 2 Championship category leader Kalle Rovanperä. The 17-year-old Finn won six of the day’s stages and has 23.6 seconds in hand to Škoda team-mate and reigning FIA WRC 2 Champion Pontus Tidemand.

    The final day of Rally Argentina takes in three stages in the rock-strewn Traslasierra Mountains: El Condor and Mina Clavero, the second run through El Condor counting as the Power Stage.

    Rally Argentina – Unofficial results after Section 8

    1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 58min 33.9sec
    2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2hr 59min 20.4sec
    3 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Couple WRC 2hr 59min 42.1sec
    4 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 00min 32.9sec
    5 Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 00min 47.7sec
    6 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 01min 16.8sec
    7 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 01min 23.0sec
    8 Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 01min 54.3sec
    9 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 02min 51.5sec
    10 Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 09min 24.1sec

  • Sweden win pushes Latvala to table top: WRC

    For the first time since Rally China in 1999, Toyota has won a round of the FIA World Rally Championship: on only the second event for the all-new Yaris WRC. Jari-Matti Latvala inherited the lead after yesterday’s super special stage, when the former leader broke his steering. Latvala then won all three stages today to extend his advantage and claim the first rally win for Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team. Juho Hänninen had a trouble-free day and scored more manufacturer points, meaning that Toyota Gazoo Racing is now second in the manufacturers’ championship, while Latvala heads the drivers’ standings, having sealed his 17th career win, his fourth in Sweden, and his first since Mexico 2016. In total, Jari-Matti won six stages: SS1, SS4, SS13, SS16, SS17 and SS18.

    Double podium for M-Sport: Meanwhile, as the Ecoboost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC secured a second successive double podium, M-Sport have strengthened their lead at the head of the manufacturers’ standings – holding a 20 point advantage over their closest rivals, adds an M-Sport release.

    Having won four stages and delivered an impressive performance over the course of the weekend, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were just 3.8 seconds adrift of the lead going into the final-day showdown.

    Ultimately however, the pairing struggled to find the confidence-boosting rhythm they had previously enjoyed and had to settle for second place – reserving an elusive first victory for another day.

    In the sister M-Sport Fiesta WRC, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia secured a fine third place overall after being hampered by a less than perfect road position throughout much of the event.

    Biding their time, the Frenchmen did what they do best and secured a strong haul of points for their championship defence.

    Toyota release adds: Latvala started the day with just a 3.8-second advantage over the second-placed man but won all three stages (including the power stage) to seal an emotional victory, having experienced no problems at all. Hänninen finished just outside the top 20, continuing to test settings for future rallies.

    Quotes:
    Akio Toyoda (Team chairman)
    “It’s a great feeling to win a round of the World Rally Championship after a break of 17 years. I have always been looking forward to this moment, but I never imagined that it would come so soon. A special thanks not just to each and every member of the team, but also to all the fans who have been waiting for our return and shared the joy with us. So I’d like to share with everyone a discussion I had with Tommi and Jari-Matti before the start of Rally Sweden about communication with cars. Jari-Matti said he tries to communicate with them with love, and drive them with care. Tommi said he can have a good understanding of how to drive them faster because he loves cars. Their words, full of love for cars, touched me because I feel the same. So my wish is for us all to keep on enjoying this feeling and facing the challenges together to make the Yaris an ever-better car.”

    Tommi Mäkinen (Team principal)
    “It’s very hard to find the words to describe what I am feeling right now: what we are all feeling. Monte-Carlo was an unexpected result, but this is beyond unexpected. Of course we were lucky to have this win, but it’s also a huge tribute to the talent of Jari-Matti and the united team work that has taken place in Finland, Germany and Japan. It’s an incredible feeling and I just want to thank everybody who has made it possible: especially our chairman Mr Toyoda for his faith in us, Jari-Matti, Miika, Juho, and Kaj. This is a special day that we are all going to remember for a very long time, but at the same time we will keep our feet on the ground now and continue to work as hard as always.”

    Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)
    “I am so, so happy. For a new team and new car to win its second rally: I really have no words. I think I drove my best power stage ever today. Huge thanks to all the team. Now we are super-motivated to continue like this: I just can’t wait to get to Mexico. It’s fantastic to win but I also feel very sorry for Thierry Neuville, who lost the lead yesterday at the super special stage. I have been in a similar situation myself in the past, so I completely understand how he must be feeling now. We know we were lucky, so we need to carry on improving and working for our goal.”

    Juho Hänninen (Driver car 11)
    “I am so proud to be part of this team of dedicated and hard-working people and so happy. This is an amazing result for all of us. From our point of view we spent the rally recovering from our mistake on Friday, but we completed plenty of useful testing and I increased my time and confidence in the car.”

    Provisional final result, Rally Sweden:
    1 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) 2h36m03.6s
    2 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC) +29.2s
    3 Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +59.5s
    4 Dani Sordo/Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +2m11.5s
    5 Craig Breen/Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +2m51.2s
    6 Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +5m26.6s
    7 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +5m31.2s
    8 Stephane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau (Citroen DS3 WRC) +7m14.7s
    9 Pontus Tidemand/Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia R5) +9m11.1s
    10 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta R5) +10m02.9s
    23 Juho Hänninen/Kaj Lindström (Toyota Yaris WRC) +23m05.6s

    2017 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round two:
    1 Jari-Matti Latvala 48
    2 Sebastien Ogier 44
    3 Ott Tanak 33
    4 Dani Sordo 25
    5 Craig Breen 20
    6 Elfyn Evans 18
    7 Stephane Lefebvre 10
    8 Thierry Neuville 8
    9 Hayden Paddon 7
    10 Andreas Mikkelsen 6
    12 Juho Hänninen 3

    2017 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round two:
    1 M-Sport World Rally Team 73
    2 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 53
    3 Hyundai Motorsport 40
    4 Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 26
    (Results as of 16:00 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com )

    What’s next?
    The next stop on the World Rally Championship, round three, is Rally Mexico from March 9-12. This will be the first gravel round of the year and the first run in high temperatures, with the stages at high altitude as well, which deprives the engine of oxygen. As a result it represents another brand new challenge for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.

    eom/Toyota Gazoo Racing press release with inputs from M-Sport for 2nd and 3rd places