A Power Stage Win and Crucial Points for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
September 16 2019 - 8:10PM
JCN Newswire (English)
Ott Tänak claimed the Power Stage win in his Toyota
Yaris WRC while Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke secured crucial
points for the manufactuers' championship on the final day of a
tough Rally Turkey.
Tänak restarted this morning, after he had to retire from
the second leg of the rally on Saturday. His focus was on claiming
the full five bonus points on offer in the Power Stage, even taking
no spare tyres for the final loop of four stages to keep weight to
a minimum. Even though he was running first of the World Rally
Cars, Tänak achieved the fastest time by 2.6 seconds. It
means he leads the drivers' standings by 17 points with three
rallies to go.
For Latvala and Meeke, the final day was mostly about consolidating
their positions in sixth and seventh respectively, having slipped
back in heavy rain on Friday afternoon and suffered from their
subsequent road positions on Saturday. Their results ensure TOYOTA
GAZOO Racing World Rally Team are within 19 points of the lead of
the manufacturers' championship.
Quotes
Tommi Mäkinen (Team Principal)
"It was good that Ott could get the five points from the Power
Stage today to boost his championship situation, and that
Jari-Matti and Kris brought it home without any issues. Yesterday
was difficult for us, and maybe we didn't quite get our preparation
right for this rally, because the conditions are so challenging.
For the remaining rallies we know that we have good speed and we
feel confident that we can be strong from now until the end of the
season."
Ott Tänak (Driver car 8)
"We had nothing to lose today and we gave it everything, and we're
happy that we were able to get these points from the Power Stage.
I'm sure it gives an extra boost and motivation going forward. Of
course, it is still disappointing what happened yesterday. We
always want to fight back and fight back hard. I'm sure everyone in
the team will keep pushing. There are now three rounds left so
there is nothing else we can do, other than push to the maximum and
do our best."
Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)
"I tried to keep a good rhythm today and enjoy the driving, and the
stages were nice today, much better conditions and not so rocky and
rough. We came here expecting that we would have more performance
than last year, but it seems that all the teams have made some
steps forward. We also did some work but we were struggling in the
hard, rocky conditions and were using our tyres too much. This is
something we have to learn for the future, but I know that the next
rally in Wales will suit us a lot better."
Kris Meeke (Driver car 5)
"Today was just about preserving our position and bringing home the
points for the team. It's been a tough weekend, since the long
stage on Friday afternoon when we lost a lot of time in the rain,
which put us into a bad road position for Saturday. We've struggled
for a bit of speed here and it was about damage limitation in the
end. But we'll come back stronger in the last three rallies."
For the latest results please visit www.wrc.com
What's next?
Rally GB (October 3-6) takes place on gravel roads in the forests
of Wales, which in dry conditions can be driven at fairly high
speeds. In autumn the pace is often tempered by mud, which can make
the surfaces treacherously slippery. Fog and even ice can add to
the challenge, particularly early in the morning or late in the
evening.
About Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that
introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first
mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in
Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today,
Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the
world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in
29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to
mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170
countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For
more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.
Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
Contact:
Public Affairs Division
Global Communications Department
Toyota Motor Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3817-9926
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