Mäkinen: “A great chance of victory in Finland”

Toyota arrive en position de force au Rally from Finland this week. The Japanese manufacturer has one of the most competitive cars on the grid which was developed on the roads of the Nordic country. In addition, all three crews have won recent editions, with Kris Meeke winning the event in 2016 with Citroën just after Jari-Matti Latvala's two successes with Volkswagen. Ott Tänak was on the top step last year.

“The Rally Finland is a very special event for our team, comments Team Principal Tommi Mäkinen. We have won the event for the last two seasons and we have a good chance of securing a third victory in a row. We know the roads and their characteristics well and we know that our car will be good there. With our three drivers already winners here, we know our chances are high. But nothing is done. Our opponents have worked hard to improve on this rally. »

Ott Tänak, the last reigning winner, will have the disadvantage of leading the way in the first stage. The Estonian, however, remains a serious candidate for victory given his performances this year.

“I’m really looking forward to the second half of the season starting, declares the championship leader. I really like Rally Finland with its fast roads and I have exceptional memories of it from last year. I will obviously try to achieve the same result this weekend, but it will be much more difficult opening the road on Friday. We learned a lot at the Estonian Rally, an event that we won but which mainly served as a test session for Finland. I feel well prepared. »

Jari-Matti Latvala will also have his card to play. Winner three times at home, he hopes to regain victory in his national event after which he has been chasing for three years.

“I had a good break and I feel ready for the start of the school year, confirms the Finn. I tried to stay away from the rally world, but we still had two days of testing to prepare for the event and it's always nice to get back on these fast dirt roads. I feel at home and I always have a lot of support here. We got the podium last year and that started a positive phase. I hope it will be the same this year. We have the pace on the gravel, we saw it in the last rounds, and we will try to make that happen. »

Kris Meeke will also try to become the second driver to give Toyota a victory this year, with the Northern Irishman looking for a first victory since the 2017 Rally Catalunya.

“Rally Finland is definitely one of my favorite events. I have special memories of it and I can't wait to come back with the Yaris WRC, he admits. It was in Finland that I discovered the car and we came back there to test it last week. The Yaris WRC remains incredible to drive on these roads. It was developed in Finland and we have seen over the last two years how well it can perform on this rally. I'll be at a bit of a disadvantage because I'll have to discover a lot of new routes, but I'm up for the challenge. »

The Rally of Finland will be followed from this Friday with our live text.