Tommi Mäkinen expects a “very fast” Yaris on dirt

Si Toyota a bénéficié des circonstances de course au Rally Monte-Carlo and in Sweden, Jari-Matti Latvala also demonstrated consistency and a level of performance that few expected at the start of the year for the first kilometers of the Yaris WRC in competition.

Leader of the general classification, the Finn and the Japanese brand are already preparing for the next meeting, the Rally of Mexico, the first gravel round of the year. A somewhat tainted preparation from a road exit from Latvala.

After the two opening rounds of the season, Tommi Mäkinen, head of Toyota's WRC program, believes that the good results already obtained will be profitable within his ranks. “I think these results will reduce the pressure within the team. » explains the former Mitsubishi driver.

The four-time world champion also admits to being rather confident about the level of the Yaris on gravel. “I am convinced that the Yaris will be very fast in Mexico, continues the Finnish official. Before Sweden we only did a few days of testing, while on gravel the car tested a lot last year. The pace was almost equal. »

Toyota Gazoo Racing will once again enter two Yaris in Mexico, for Latvala and Juho Hänninen, with a third car scheduled for Portugal next May.

Find our full interview with Tommi Mäkinen, in issue 2102 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version and on newsstands.