WHO CAN STOP THE TOYOTA MARCH?
The sight of Sebastien Ogier stood on the roof of his car celebrating a victory in the principality is not an unusual one. It had happened eight times before last weekend’s victory in his Toyota Yaris, but the significance of his record-breaking triumph on the treacherous roads in the south of France is probably as ominous as any of his others. The French superstar is not slated for a full season in the World Rally Championship but defending champion Kalle Rovanpera, the man they all failed to rein in last term, is. And the 22-year-old claimed the Powerstage win on the Monte Carlo Rally to get his campaign off to a very strong start. Team-mate Elfyn Evans, another set for a full roster of 13 rallies with the Japanese marque, was delayed by a puncture but recovered for fourth place at the end. Oh yes, and Takamoto Katsuta landed a sixth-placed finish in yet another Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris. It all points one way for the 2023 season, in truth.
The pace of bespectacled Belgian Thierry Neuville is unquestioned, and his Hyunda i20 was a machine that demonstrated it had real potential in 2022 with multiple victories. However, he was left picking up the pieces last weekend and couldn’t find grip in his South Korean machine.
Ott Tanak’s much-heralded return to M-Sport to drive its hybrid Puma was beset by transmission and power steering problems as he tried to familiarise himself with the machine and he was restricted to fifth spot, some two and a half minutes behind the celebrated now nine-time Monte victor Ogier.
If that is the best the rest have to offer, then fans will be hoping that Evans can ramp up his game and give Rovanpera some decent competition in 2023 and spark an intra-team battle. If he can’t, then the Finnish star will have an easy ride to create more history over the course of the next 11 months.
In this issue, the man in the hot seat for the readers’ Q&A is Chris Goodwin, a man who has made a substantial and successful career in motorsport after some battling his way to take his first steps on the ladder. Goodwin’s testing ability has led him to work alongside some of the most professional teams in the world and has also led to him enjoying race outings in a whole host of different machines. The interview starts on page 16.
Our grand prix correspondent James Roberts also takes a look at the potential of George Russell to have a break-out season in 2023 (so long as Merc gets back to the front) and explains the prospects for McLaren’s British star Lando Norris too.