The 18-time WRC rally winner will forsake his role as Toyota WRC team principal for a weekend to pilot a fourth GR Yaris at the gravel rally, alongside reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta.
It will be the Finn’s first rally behind the wheel of a Rally1 car and his first WRC event since Rally Sweden in 2020, when he drove a privately-run Toyota Yaris with Juho Hanninen acting as co-driver. Toyota test driver Hanninen will once again occupy the co-driver seat for this latest WRC Rally1 outing.
Latvala, who retired from full-time driving in the WRC in 2019 before taking up the Toyota team principal role ahead of the 2021 season, has remained active as a driver, competing in several historic rallies.
Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda is set to take up the team principal role for Rally Finland with (3-6 August) while Latvala is competing.
“Well the story started I think after the end of the 2022 season, when I was in Japan and talking with Morizo, our Chairman,” said Latvala.
“I said that I had the dream to experience a Rally1 car, because over the last 20 years I have experienced all the World Rally Cars and all the evolutions of these cars, but I have no experience of Rally1, and I would like to experience it before I am 40 years old. So this year or 2024 or 2025.
“And Morizo said ʻyes, we need to do it, letʼs do it!ʼ But we didnʼt agree when we would do it. But then for this season we have had this fourth car available for rent, and suddenly in the beginning of the year already, Akio said ʻhmm, we can do it this year, letʼs do it this year!ʼ
“Then he also said he will come to Rally Finland, and we thought maybe this can be a good idea. Akio said I can drive, and I said to Akio, ʻthen you can be Team Principalʼ. That was how it was agreed.”
Source: Autosport