The Toyota Yaris WRC Takes on the Twisting Turns of Corsica
22 Março 2019 - 8:38AM
JCN Newswire (English)
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team takes the lead of the
drivers', co-drivers' and manufacturers' standings to the French
island of Corsica for the first pure asphalt round of the season,
the classic Tour de Corse. Championship leader Ott Tanak will look
to continue his recent run of podium finishes on an event where he
finished second last year, with team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and
Kris Meeke also out to replicate strong performances on previous
visits to Corsica.
The Tour de Corse is also known by its nickname of 'The Rally of
10,000 Corners' thanks to its narrow and twisting stages. Stages
are on average longer than on any other round, which coupled with
abrasive asphalt makes tyre wear a major consideration. With the
mountain roads often lined by rock faces on one side and steep
drops on the other, there is little room for error.
The route has been changed significantly for 2019, with new stages
making up 75% of the competitive distance. There is a new start
location in Porto-Vecchio in the south of the island, where two
loops of three stages will be held on Friday with no service until
the end of the day at Bastia airport. Saturday features three
stages each run twice around the north east of the island, before
heading west for the final two stages ahead of the finish in
Calvi.
Quotes
Tommi Makinen (Team Principal)
"We will go to Corsica feeling optimistic about our chances,
particularly after our strong performance there last year when we
were fastest on half of the stages. It is a very challenging rally,
as I found out many times when I was driving, but our drivers have
all shown they can be fast there. With so many corners and really
long stages, you need to have full confidence in the car, otherwise
you can lose a lot of time. That is why it is very important to get
the setup right. This year, that will be especially true on Friday
because there isn't a proper service in the middle of the day to
make big changes. But I know that our team has been preparing as
well as possible and hopefully we can have another strong
weekend."
Ott Tanak (Driver car 8)
"I am looking forward to Corsica. Being first on the road there as
championship leader should be a good thing, as this is the best
place to be on asphalt where the road is cleanest. In the past,
Corsica was probably the rally on which I struggled the most, but
we had good pace last year on our first time there in the Toyota
Yaris WRC. We know that we have a really strong package now on
asphalt, so I believe that we can have a good performance. I'm sure
that some of our rivals will be very fast too, but the aim is to
continue our positive start to the season and keep scoring as many
points as possible."
Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)
"Corsica is a rally I always look forward to. The asphalt is
abrasive so provides good grip, and the road is usually pretty
clean. The island itself is very beautiful too. I like the changes
to the route this year. A couple of the stages were used when I won
the rally in 2015, so I have good memories of those. I had a good
test earlier this week: We did 200 kilometres and tried a lot of
things, not only for this rally but also development for the
future. On Rallye Monte Carlo I struggled with understeer, so we
worked on that and improved the turning, as well as the braking,
and I'm feeling more confident with the car. Now I've got a couple
of days of relaxing at home, and feeling ready for the recce to
start on Monday."
Kris Meeke (Driver car 5)
"I've had good times in Corsica in recent years: My speed's always
been there. It's always a huge challenge, and especially so this
year with about 75 per cent of the route being completely new. For
that reason, I think making good pace-notes on the recce is going
to be an equally important part of the challenge. I had a good
feeling with the Yaris WRC in asphalt trim in Monte Carlo, but it
was a very different rally to Corsica--except perhaps for the Power
Stage where we went pretty well! I enjoyed my pre-event test last
Sunday, even though it was a lot to learn in just one day on just
one road. But I think we're quite clear on our direction for the
setup, and I'm looking forward to the rally."
What happened last year?
Ott Tanak finished in second place in his first full asphalt event
in the Toyota Yaris WRC. Esapekka Lappi was poised to join him on
the podium before he hit a kerb and had to stop to change a wheel,
and finished sixth in the end. The pair won half of the rally's 12
stages between them. Jari-Matti Latvala retired following a crash
on the Saturday.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is inspired by the motto: "ALL
FOR WIN" as it competes throughout the 2019 season. Our goal in
2019 is to fight for all three crowns. All team members are aiming
for this big goal together. We look forward to your continuous
support!
About Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that
introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first
mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in
Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today,
Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the
world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in
29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to
mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170
countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For
more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.
Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
Contact:
Public Affairs Division
Global Communications Department
Toyota Motor Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3817-9926
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