TOYOTA FACES FIGHT TO REMAIN AT THE TOP
Tan a kin battle to take a WRCH at-trick
Toyota’s rivals will have a golden opportunity to halt the Yaris WRC’S run of victories in Turkey next month, when the Japanese car is forced to return to its old engine specification.
The team introduced an upgrade in Finland but, due to series rules, it can’t mate the new motor to an old chassis. That means title chaser Ott Tanak’s bid for a WRC hat-trick could be stopped.
I don’t know where this rule is coming from, it’s a very, very complicated regulation which is not really helping anybody.”
Makinen added that TGR has also worked hard to rectify the overheating issues which plagued the Yaris in Mexico earlier this year and on its debut in North America last season.
With temperatures in Turkey expected to be similar to Leon, he said: “As you will have noticed, we had some issues in Mexico. I hope these will be sorted out for Rally Turkey. This will be good for our confidence.”
Chassis progression
The Yaris WRC’S chassis is the area Tanak wants more pace from, especially when it comes to rallies like Wales Rally GB in early October.
“The chassis is the one place where I think we can improve,” Tanak continued. “We would like to have the car working better in some specific conditions. When it’s nice, dry and clean it’s good, but when the conditions get more tricky we have some trouble and we’d like the car to be more progressive. Normally the car is good when the conditions are consistent, but if they are constantly changing then we struggle a little bit.”
Makinen admitted the team was already deep into chassis development, adding: “We would like to understand in more detail some of these areas. We have looked at the transmission, the centre differential and now we look at the suspension and the geometry to see if we can find something more.”
Testing for wet Wales
The long dry summer has caused Makinen concerns over the level of wet-weather testing the Yaris WRC has completed.
“We haven’t had so many possibilities to test in these muddy and slippery conditions,” he said. “It would be brilliant if we could find some wet weather for our testing in Wales, this would be helping us to find some ideas for when the car is in the changeable conditions – going from good grip to less good grip.”
Britain’s round of the WRC was one of the low points of Makinen’s maiden season in charge of Toyota’s world rally return. The Yaris WRC struggled to make any impact in Wales. Latvala was fastest on two of 21 stages, but finished a distant and troubled fifth. Esapekka Lappi was even more at sea in ninth while Juho Hanninen’s car was retired from 10th place after he caused minor damage to it against a tree in Cholmondeley Castle.
“It wasn’t so good for us in Wales last year,” admitted Makinen. “We struggled with that rally a little bit and I think we need to find some more pace. But, you never know – the date is coming earlier this year for Wales and it might be completely dry conditions there this time. If it’s like that then the rally will be different, it will hard for the tyre, but abrasive with good grip.”
Tanak is less concerned for Wales Rally GB, having finished runner-up there in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC before.
“What we need on Wales Rally GB is it to be always raining or always dry and sunny,” he said. “It’s when it changes that it’s not so easy.”