Toyota plans to return to the podium

First asphalt round of the World Rally Championship calendar (WRC), the Tour de Corse does not scare the official team Toyota. Present in private testing last week in the hands of Juho Hänninen, the Toyota Yaris has been improved to better follow the tortuous courses of the " Rally of 10 Bends. »

“Our test driver worked on the suspension and he did a very good job. I'm confident, everyone seems well prepared.", says Tommi Mäkinen, the team’s Team Principal. In spirit during Monte-Carlo (winner of the Power Stage and 3rd), Jari-Matti Latvala was full of confidence despite a timid Rally of Mexico (8th). “I have very good memories of Corsica, since my victory on the island in 2015. It’s an asphalt rally that I enjoy. »

“There’s a good reason to call it the Rally of 10 Bends. If you find any straight line longer than 000 meters, you are on the wrong island! It is impossible to cut corners and there is almost no gravel on the road, which allows us to concentrate fully on the turns and lines. It’s very pleasant”, explains the Finn.

Down for two rounds (9th in Sweden, 14th in Mexico) despite good top speed, Ott Tänak praises the collective effort of the team “to improve reliability. » “Now we need to regain points from our rivals. Last year in Corsica, the sensations were good (11th) but this time I want to score a good result. The tests allowed us to see that we are going in the right direction; the car handles well. »

The only man not to have reached the podium on behalf of Toyota in 2018, Esapekka Lappi will discover Corsica at the wheel of a WRC. “I’ve done it twice in the lower category, and I think it’s a totally different event from the other rounds on the calendar. There is no straight line to rest. The schedule is also special, because there are not many stages, but they are all very long. »