|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rally Portugal: Day 4 |
Toyota City, Japan, May 21, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota Yaris WRC driver Esapekka Lappi finished in fifth position on Rally Portugal following a strong performance on the final day that featured two stage wins, including on the Power Stage. Team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala also enjoyed a positive conclusion to the event, taking his third stage win of the weekend and bringing the team's total for the rally to six.
 | | Car 9 (Esapekka Lappi, Janne Ferm) |
http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_ToyotaGAZOO52118.jpg
Car 9 (Esapekka Lappi, Janne Ferm)
The last day in Portugal was made up of five short stages in the Fafe region, and Lappi made a flying start with a stage win on the opening test to move up from fifth to fourth overall. He traded the position with Dani Sordo over the next two stages, but after the rally he was given a 10-second time penalty for an infringement on Friday evening's street stage, which dropped him back to fifth. He did however take victory on the rally-ending Power Stage, claiming five bonus points to move up to fifth in the drivers' championship.
On the middle stage of the day, Luilhas, Toyota claimed a one-two in the stage results, with Latvala posting the quickest time and Lappi in second. Latvala had been forced to retire on a tough Friday for the team (when Ott Tanak's rally also came to an early end) but was able to return under Rally 2 rules on Saturday and show his strong pace in the Yaris WRC over the final two days.
Quotes
Tommi Makinen (Team Principal)
"It is good to have finished Rally Portugal on a positive note. It was obviously a disappointing start on Friday for everybody, but it was good to then see Jari-Matti back in action and for him to get two good clean days behind the wheel. Esapekka did very well to challenge for the podium, and he had a great fight against Teemu Suninen: it was nice to see these two young Finns pushing each other so hard. Esapekka didn't win the battle on this occasion, but he still managed to get five points from the Power Stage, which was really nice to see and a good reward for his effort over the past two days. Overall, we will try to learn from this weekend and be stronger next time."
Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 7)
"Today was another good day, with another stage win. Of course, I tried to go for points on the Power Stage and give everything I could. It was a very good run; I don't think I could have driven much better, but there was a very big cleaning effect on the Fafe stage today and I was the first World Rally Car on the road. I am happy though because the confidence is improving a lot. We had the problem on Friday but at least I could then drive two clean days without any mistakes. We could also learn something on today's stages, which were more technical than before, about the setup that we need for Sardinia. I feel very positive going there."
Esapekka Lappi (Driver car 9)
"Today we just continued like we ended yesterday: flat out all the time. In the end, we just couldn't catch Suninen. It was a tough, tough fight. He did a good job and deserved the podium. However, I have to be pleased to take five points from the Power Stage as well. I have now won half of the Power Stages this year, and this is important, because I now have 15 points just from these three stages alone. I'm pretty satisfied with the weekend: we didn't make any mistakes, and that is what we were looking for."
FINAL RESULT, RALLY PORTUGAL
1. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) - 3h49m46.6s
2. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) - +40.0s
3. Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta WRC) - +47.3s
4. Dani Sordo / Carlos Del Barrio (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)+1m00.9s
5. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) - +1m04.7s
6. Mads Ostberg / Torstein Eriksen (Citroen C3 WRC) - +3m33.5s
7. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) - +5m23.0s
8. Pontus Tidemand / Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia R5) - +14m10.8s
9. Lukasz Pieniazek / Przemyslaw Mazur (Skoda Fabia R5) - +16m17.3s
10. Stephane Lefebvre / Gabin Moreau (Citroen C3 R5) - +16m34.3s
24. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) - +48m50.3s
Retired after day 2 - Ott Tanak / Martin Jarveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC)
What's next?
Next on the FIA World Rally Championship is another event on soft and sandy gravel in the south of Europe: Rally Italia Sardegna (June 7-10). Based in Alghero in the north west of the island of Sardinia, the Italian round of the series features fast and narrow stages. Exposed rocks, as well as trees at the side of the road, can catch out the unwary, while temperatures can often be high.
Contact:
Public Affairs Division
Global Communications Department
Toyota Motor Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3817-9926
Topic: Press release summary
Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
Sectors: Automotive
http://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network
Copyright © 2024 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Toyota Motor Corporation |
| Nov 18, 2024 08:25 HKT/SGT |
|
Expanding Possibilities with the Liquid Hydrogen-Powered GR Corolla in the Season Final Round |
| Nov 12, 2024 19:04 HKT/SGT |
|
Toyota: HySE to participate in the Dakar 2025 "Mission 1000 ACT2" with the HySE-X2, to tackle further technical challenges |
| Nov 5, 2024 16:59 HKT/SGT |
|
Victory and world title for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing |
| Nov 4, 2024 08:36 HKT/SGT |
|
Joby Aviation and Toyota Accelerate Efforts to Realize Air Mobility |
| Oct 31, 2024 15:34 HKT/SGT |
|
NTT and Toyota Motor Corporation agree to joint initiative in the field of mobility and AI/telecommunications with the aim of realizing a society with zero traffic accidents |
| Oct 30, 2024 15:14 HKT/SGT |
|
Suzuki and Toyota to Deepen Collaboration in the Field of Electrified Vehicles |
| Oct 28, 2024 19:53 HKT/SGT |
|
Toyota Motor Corporation and Hyundai Motor Company Co-host Motorsport Event to Share the Excitement of Racing |
| Oct 25, 2024 21:56 HKT/SGT |
|
Title showdown beckons for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing |
| Oct 25, 2024 21:43 HKT/SGT |
|
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to Exhibit Immersive Content at Super Taikyu Series 2024 Final Fuji |
| Oct 25, 2024 12:05 HKT/SGT |
|
Fujitsu and Toyota Systems Corporation achieve 50% reduction in core system update time using generative AI |
| More news >> |
 |
|
|
|
