By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
The Auto Magazine
  • Home
  • Auto Shows
    Auto ShowsShow More
    Maserati enthrals at FuoriConcorso with GT2 Stradale and MCXtrema
    May 14, 2025
    Leapmotor presents its range at Automobile Barcelona, Spain
    May 14, 2025
    Alfa Romeo sporting glory dominates “Fuori Concorso”
    May 13, 2025
    Market Art Fair Stockholm and BMW Sweden present Gregor Hildebrandt as artist for BMW Art Commission 2025
    May 13, 2025
    Driving Trade Forward: AfCFTA, AGOA,BRICS and the Tariffs – All On The Menu At Automechanika CEO Breakfast
    May 9, 2025
  • Bikes
    BikesShow More
    Desmo450 MX: Production of the first Ducati Motocross bike begins
    May 28, 2025
    25YM Honda NC750X
    May 13, 2025
    BMW Motorrad presents the new BMW R 1300 RS
    May 2, 2025
    BMW Motorrad presents the new BMW R 1300 RT
    April 30, 2025
    Honda NC750X Named Winner in 2025 Red Dot Design Award
    April 10, 2025
  • News
    NewsShow More
    Toyota Mobility Foundation announces five finalists for $3 million Venice Sustainable Cities Challenge
    May 29, 2025
    Mazda Production and Sales Results for April 2025
    May 29, 2025
    Nissan production, sales, and exports for April 2025
    May 29, 2025
    Honda Production, Sales and Export Results for April, 2025
    May 29, 2025
    Škoda Auto marks 55 years since production of the Skopak began in Pakistan
    May 29, 2025
  • Concepts
    ConceptsShow More
    FIAT unveils the manifesto Grande Panda 4×4
    May 20, 2025
    Renault 4 Savane 4×4 Concept makes its global debut at Roland-Garros 2025
    May 16, 2025
    Hyundai Motor and Plus Unveil Concept for Autonomous Hydrogen Freight Ecosystem at ACT Expo 202
    May 2, 2025
    Hyundai Motor Unveils the new IONIQ 6 and IONIQ 6 N Line
    April 5, 2025
    Kia and LG Electronics Partner to Showcase New PBV Concepts for Work and Play
    April 4, 2025
  • Interviews
    InterviewsShow More
    Kosmas “Dudie” Mamaloukos – The Formidable Racing Talent
    May 15, 2025
    Hi-Range Safari City
    Hi-Range Safari City – The Premier outfitter for 4×4 customization
    May 15, 2025
    BEHIND THE SCENES: ARCHIE RUTHERFORD ON WHAT IT TAKES TO BRING THE W2RC TO SOUTH AFRICA
    May 9, 2025
    Europe and China’s automotive future in a shifting global order
    May 5, 2025
    Sourcing Guide Right-Hand Drive American SUVs and Pickup Trucks in Africa
    April 29, 2025
  • EVs
    EVsShow More
    SEAT S.A. moves towards electric car production in Martorell
    May 29, 2025
    Polestar 3 wins Best EV SUV and Luxury Car of the Year awards
    May 29, 2025
    All-New Nissan MICRA EV debuts ahead of European launch
    May 28, 2025
    BMW Group and Solid Power are testing all-solid-state battery cells in a BMW i7
    May 20, 2025
    Toyota Debuts Stylish, Powerful 2026 C-HR Battery Electric Vehicle
    May 18, 2025
  • Motosport
    MotosportShow More
    43rd Rally Due Valli: Lancia Ignites Verona with a High-Tension Challenge
    May 29, 2025
    Lærke Rønn, Alexia Danielsson, Rasmus Vendelbo, Porsche Sprint Challenge Scandinavia, 2025, Porsche AG
    The schoolgirl who’s just won her debut GT race
    May 28, 2025
    Porsche with new qualifying record and ongoing points streak ahead of China
    May 28, 2025
    Nissan Formula E Team looking to reinforce championship lead in Shanghai
    May 28, 2025
    Opel Mokka GSE Rally: A New Star in Electric Rallying
    May 28, 2025
  • Trucks & Buses
    Trucks & BusesShow More
    MAN development team for autonomous driving is ‘Engineering Team of the Year’
    May 29, 2025
    Scania to start deliveries of new electric buses to northern Sweden
    May 29, 2025
    From left to right: Jens Böther, Regional Council; Nikolas Wenzel, Managing Director of MOIN; Claudia Kalisch, Mayor of Lüneburg; Alex Meier, Depot Manager; Nils Richert, Daimler Buses
    Daimler Buses builds a completely new electric bus depot for a customer for the first time
    May 28, 2025
    600 km range and superfast charging – meet Volvo’s new electric truck
    May 20, 2025
    Vandijck Transport tests the eActros 600 on a long-haul route of over 1,500 kilometers
    Vandijck Transport tests the eActros 600 
    May 18, 2025
  • Reviews
    ReviewsShow More
    GR Supra pushes performance limits with A90 Final Edition and Lightweight EVO
    May 28, 2025
    The new BMW M2 CS
    May 28, 2025
    Defender upgraded: The unstoppable 4×4 is now even more distinctive 
    May 28, 2025
    From vision to Veyron: the evolution of a Bugatti icon
    May 17, 2025
    The new Mercedes-Maybach SL Monogram Series
    May 13, 2025
  • Tech
    TechShow More
    VNC Automotive Partners with P3 to Enhance the SPARQ OS Platform
    May 29, 2025
    Artificial intelligence: Audi boosts production efficiency
    May 28, 2025
    Greater efficiency and productivity with artificial intelligence – generative AI in BMW Group Purchasing
    May 19, 2025
    Aston Martin debuts Apple CarPlay Ultra for iPhone users
    May 16, 2025
    Mercedes-Benz customers in Germany can now purchase and pay for e-Vignettes directly from their vehicle
    May 15, 2025
Hot News
SEAT S.A. moves towards electric car production in Martorell
Toyota Mobility Foundation announces five finalists for $3 million Venice Sustainable Cities Challenge
43rd Rally Due Valli: Lancia Ignites Verona with a High-Tension Challenge
Polestar 3 wins Best EV SUV and Luxury Car of the Year awards
Mazda Production and Sales Results for April 2025
Reviews

New Abarth 500e: Mission Possible

Latest News

Kia EV9 awarded five-star Euro NCAP safety rating

Latest News

Nissan reports first-half results for fiscal year 2023

Latest News

Mazda Announces “Lean Asset Strategy”that Realizes Electrification of Multi-Solution

Font ResizerAa
The Auto MagazineThe Auto Magazine
  • Home
  • Auto Shows
  • Bikes
  • News
  • Concepts
  • Interviews
  • EVs
  • Motosport
  • Trucks & Buses
  • Reviews
  • Tech
Search
  • Home
  • Auto Shows
  • Bikes
  • News
  • Concepts
  • Interviews
  • EVs
  • Motosport
  • Trucks & Buses
  • Reviews
  • Tech
Follow US
Crafted by Intellegere Media. © 2024 The Auto Magazine. All rights reserved.
Motosport

SUPERSUB ROVANPERÄ CLAIMS REMARKABLE WIN FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

Itumeleng Garebatshabe
Last updated: July 2, 2024 17:29
By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
422 Views
11 Min Read
Share
11 Min Read
2024 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 7 / Rally Poland / 27-30th June, 2024 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
SHARE

Kalle Rovanperä has taken a remarkable victory after his late call-up to Rally Poland, leading a TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team one-two finish ahead of Elfyn Evans.

Having never competed there previously, Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen were not originally due to include Poland’s first FIA World Rally Championship round since 2017 on their partial programme this season. That was until Tuesday this week when they received the call to stand in for their team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais, who were unable to take part after they were unfortunately involved in a road traffic collision during reconnaissance.

- Advertisement -
Ad image

Without any pre-event test or the other preparation typically carried out by WRC crews before an event, the reigning world champions undertook an intense recce schedule during Wednesday and Thursday to make pacenotes for the fast gravel stages, while three runs in shakedown were their only chance to get up to speed in the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID before the start.

2024 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 7 / Rally Poland / 27-30th June, 2024 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

They were fourth overall after a challenging first full loop of stages on Friday morning, but Rovanperä soon started to bely his lack of preparation and show the speed he’s famed for on flat-out gravel roads. He was just 1.8 seconds from the lead at the end of Friday, then won Saturday’s first two tests to take over at the top of the leaderboard.

Quickest in six out of seven stages across the longest day of the rally, Rovanperä took an advantage of 9.4s into Sunday’s final day over Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai), who then dropped away after incurring damage while trying to keep the pressure on. Third-fastest in the rally-ending Power Stage, he took victory by 28.3s: the 13th and perhaps most impressive WRC victory yet for the driver of car #69 on what was his 69th start in the series.

Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were also firmly in the fight for the win for much of the weekend with a strong performance. They were only 0.4s behind their team-mates on Saturday lunchtime, before suffering a tyre issue in the first stage of the afternoon loop that cost them several seconds and dropped them to third place. Evans reclaimed second on Sunday morning as he pushed to maximise their Sunday score, though he would sustain a tyre deflation in the Power Stage that left him seventh-quickest there and fourth in the Super Sunday classification. Nonetheless, he reduces the gap to the leader of the drivers’ championship to 15 points.

2024 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 7 / Rally Poland / 27-30th June, 2024 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

On his first rally in Poland, Takamoto Katsuta built his confidence and feeling with the car at the start of three consecutive events on fast gravel. He set strong times already on Friday afternoon, before experiencing tough conditions at the front of the road order and ultimately finishing eighth overall.

In the manufacturers’ championship, TGR-WRT took the most points from the weekend, moving to within 10 points of the lead.

The GR Yaris Rally2 continues to perform strongly in its debut season, taking a third consecutive WRC2 victory in Poland in the hands of Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen, who scored their second successive win in their Printsport-run car.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal) 

“It’s incredible that Kalle and Jonne have been able to win this rally. When I called Kalle on Tuesday afternoon and asked him to drive here in Poland, I told him that I was not expecting him to win. I knew that his natural driving could at least get him inside the top five, which would still help us for the championship. I know it wasn’t the nicest way for a crew to start a rally with no preparation, so thanks to them for thinking about the team and doing everything to support and bringing us lots of points. Thanks also to Elfyn and Scott, who were also doing what they could to support Kalle and Jonne this weekend, and a 1-2 result could hardly be better. Elfyn was unfortunate not to score more points for the championship, but altogether it’s a positive result for us.”

Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69) 

“It has been an amazing week and quite a tough week: we have been working hard and I feel quite tired now! With the limited preparation we had, it was not so easy on this kind of fast rally where you need to keep pushing. I think we did everything we could, working all the time with the tight schedule that we had and keeping to our plan on the stages, and it all paid off in the end. Sunday was still an important day with many kilometres and technical stages. We tried to keep the pace we had yesterday, be safe enough to bring home the win but also grab some more points. At the finish we managed to bring quite a lot of points for the team, which was the aim for us when we got the call from the team on Tuesday, so I think it was a good idea to come!”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33) 

“At the end of the rally our overall position is good. The Sunday points are almost just as important and we tried to get as many as we could today. It was all going OK, but unfortunately we had an issue in the Power Stage with a puncture: there was a rock on the line and there was not a lot I could do. We only lost a few seconds, but with this points system a small issue like that can penalise you a lot, so it was disappointing to finish the rally this way. Our speed this weekend was not bad: Friday was good with the road position we had and Saturday was also going well until the tyre issue. It’s definitely the case that the feeling in the car is much better than in the previous rallies. We need to carry that forward, build on what we learned here and look to do a good job in Latvia.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18) 

“Congratulations Kalle, Jonne and the whole team for this result. For me, it has been a difficult rally. I was struggling a lot on Friday morning and this cost me afterwards, with a more difficult starting position for Saturday and Sunday. It was hard to do much on this final day and get the good result we wanted for the team. At the same time, I was learning a lot about how to drive well in this kind of condition. We had some good sections and some good feelings and we need to bring that to the next rally in Latvia, and also improve the things that were not so good so that we can be better there.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY POLAND 

1Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen(Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) 2h33m07.6s
2Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin(Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID)+28.3s
3Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria(Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID)+42.7s
4Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe(Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID)+1m10.8s
5Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis(Ford Puma Rally1)+1m47.0s
6Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen(Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID)+2m16.6s
7Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka(Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID)+2m18.0s
8Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston(Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID)+2m26.7s
9Sami Pajari/Enni Mälkönen(Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+7m50.7s
10Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson(Škoda Fabia RS Rally2)+8m12.7s

(Results as of 16:30 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 7: 

1Thierry Neuville136 points
2Elfyn Evans121
3Ott Tänak115
4Sébastien Ogier92
5Adrien Fourmaux91
6Kalle Rovanperä63
7Takamoto Katsuta58
8Andreas Mikkelsen29
9Dani Sordo27
10Esapekka Lappi23

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 7: 

1Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team311 points
2TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team301
3M-Sport Ford World Rally Team156

What’s next? 

Rally Latvia (July 18-21) is a brand-new event for the WRC, featuring more high-speed gravel roads. While the service park is located in the southern coastal city of Liepāja, the rally will begin from the capital city Riga.

TAGGED:Elfyn EvansKalle RovanperäRally PolandTOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Stay Updated! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn VKontakte Telegram Email Copy Link Print
Share
ByItumeleng Garebatshabe
Editor
Follow:
Itumeleng is the Managing Editor of The Auto Magazine. He is a tech and car enthusiast

Follow US

FacebookLike
XFollow
InstagramFollow
YoutubeSubscribe
TiktokFollow
TelegramFollow
Google NewsFollow
LinkedInFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

You Might Also Like

Motosport

Evans delivers TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s fifth Safari win in a row

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
March 24, 2025
Motosport

Safari Rally Kenya: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing on top after a testing Friday

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
March 22, 2025
Latest News

Ogier and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing are Portugal victors again

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
May 18, 2025
Motosport

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes on WRC’s snow spectacular

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
February 10, 2024
Motosport

Evans and Katsuta still on top for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
February 16, 2025
Motosport

Rovanperä and GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID charge clear in Portugal

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
May 14, 2023

The Auto Magazine

  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
  • Bikes
  • Electric Vehicles
  • Trucks & Buses
  • Auto Shows
  • Latest News
  • Motosport

Made by Intellegere Media. All rights reserved. 2023

Don't not sell my personal information
Join Us!
Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc.

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
adbanner