Toyota Gazoo Racing aims to continue its winning streak at Rally Italia-Sardinia, fifth round of the WRC. The Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 has proven to be the fastest and most reliable car in the championship, a condition that the drivers of the Japanese firm will try to take advantage of on the dirt and rock roads of the Mediterranean island. An event that comes after a successful Rally de Portugal in which Kalle Rovanperä got his third consecutive win of the season. The Finn leads the World Cup with a 46-point advantage over Thierry Neuville.
Toyota’s commitment will be formed by Kalle Rovanperä himself, by Elfyn Evans and by the Finnish Esapekka Lappi, since the suomi driver returns to the team’s lineup after missing the Rally de Portugal in his partial program and alternating with Sébastien Ogier. As is usual, Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta completes Toyota rollout in ‘B’ team, spurred on after his brilliant performance in Portugal. In fact, the Japanese fought until the last stage to get on the podium with a rider of the stature of Dani Sordo.
Kalle Ronvaperä is the fashionable man of Toyota and the WRC: «Sardinia will be a tough rally. The stages there have been difficult for me in the past, but last year I had a better feeling even though we had some problems during the weekend. If the conditions are hot and dry as usual, I think it could be more difficult for us fight for victory from the beginning than in Portugal. We go there knowing that we have a good base with the car on gravel, so we are in a good place».
Elfyn Evans faces the Rally of Italy-Sardinia with the desire to continue on a roll: «It was good to get a good result in Portugal. Although I wasn’t completely satisfied with the weekend, it gives us something to build on in Sardinia. As a team, we showed that we have a great base with the car on gravel. It helps to have two rallies in a row with a similar character, although the roads of Sardinia have a harder base. The weather is likely to be even warmer, so it will be a challenging weekend for the cars and the drivers».
Esapekka Lappi is back after not competing in Portugal: «I haven’t had as much time in the car on dirt as the others, but the sensations have been good so far and it seems that the team has done a very good job. I have always liked Sardinia because of the location and the weather. They are really nice and I had some good rallies there the last time I was with the team. So I’m looking forward to it. Our starting position will be good for Friday and I hope we can even fight for a podium.».
Photos: Toyota Gazoo Racing