TOYOTA LAUDS ITS DRIVERS AFTER GERMANY ROUT
Makinen delighted with historic podium-filling result
Ott Tanak hopes Toyota’s 1-2-3 on last weekend’s Rally Germany can help motivate his team to “push forward” following “tension” in the team after its last-stage retirement on Rally Sardinia earlier this season.
Tanak dropped to fifth from the lead on the last stage in Sardinia – handing victory to
Hyundai’s Dani Sordo – following a steering problem on his Yaris WRC, which was blamed on a faulty batch of parts.
It inspired an outpouring of emotion from
Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio
Toyoda and members of the team including
Tanak following his return to service.
Tanak’s future is currently uncertain, and the driver confirmed his representatives were in talks with other teams, namely M-sport and Hyundai as well as his current employer.
The Sardinia retirement only increased speculation that Tanak could part ways with Toyota, but since then it has emerged that he is likely to stay.
Speaking after completing a hat-trick of Rally Germany victories, Tanak said: “It is important to have this kind of result. Only a short time ago, we had quite a dramatic end to the rally in Sardinia, and these situations always bring some tension into the team.
“We had two cars on the podium in Finland and now three here, so I believe it is important to have this kind of result for the team. Especially for every member in the team, to give them this motivation. I am sure they can also understand that their hard work is paying off and I hope it keeps the motivation high to push forward.”
When asked by Motorsport News if the fourth WRC win from the last five events had any effect on his future decision, he said: “No.”
The result was the first time since the 1993 Safari where Toyota locked out the top three positions on a rally, on that occasion also taking fourth.
When asked about that, team boss Tommi Makinen said: “Maybe next time Taka can do a bit better!” He was referring to Takamoto Katsuta, the Japanese driver making his first appearance in the WRC with a WRC Car in Germany (see story, opposite).
The result helped Toyota cut Hyundai’s lead in the manufacturers’ standings from 24 points to just eight with four rallies remaining.
In its third season since returning to the WRC, Makinen said of the 1-2-3: “Thanks to all of you
[the drivers and co-drivers]. It’s going to go down in history, it will be written in history, what you did. I am so absolutely proud of the whole team and what they have done.”
While Tanak is being courted by other teams, both Kris Meeke and Jari-matti Latvala’s futures were called into question after the team lost another potential 1-2-3 in Finland last time out when Latvala and Meeke hit a rock at the same corner.
Makinen criticised both drivers for ‘forgetting the plan’ and attempting to match their team-mate.
Speaking about his driver line-up for next year, he added: “We haven’t thought too much [about next year’s line-up]. If we look at the moment we have three very good drivers, there is nothing, we cannot complain too much.”