After the Acropolis Rally, marked by a hat-trick for the Hyundai team led by Thierry Neuville ahead of Dani Sordo and Ott Tanäk, Toyota logically suffered the blow. While Sébastien Ogier, second in the standings behind Neuville before arriving in Greece, dropped to third place behind Tänak after going off the road during the Power Stage, Toyota saw its delay in the manufacturers’ standings rise to 35 units behind Hyundai.
In Chile, the Japanese firm rectified the situation with the victory of Kalle Rovanperä ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evans, with Ott Tanäk completing the podium. During Super Sunday, Toyota even scored a hat-trick with Sébastien Ogier, winner of all the stages of the final day, including the Power Stage.
And, if Ogier, victim of a puncture then a broken suspension, seems to have given up on his title hopes, the gaps have narrowed in the constructors’ championship, with Hyundai and Toyota now only separated by 17 points, while two events remain to be contested in the 2024 calendar (the Central Europe Rally, then the Japan Rally at the end of November).
Kalle Rovanperä was able to overcome the difficult conditions in Chile to win.
Photo de: Red Bull Content Pool
For Jari-Matti Latvala, the director of the Toyota WRC team, this success in South America constitutes “a great relief”, and allows his team to get back in the saddle for the manufacturers’ title.
“After two devastating Sundays before Chile, the pressure was on, but with this result, getting maximum points in Chile with the rally victory, Super Sunday and Power Stage points allows us to return to the fight for the constructors’ title”, Latvala said. “It’s a great relief for us and for the Japanese to know that we still have a chance.”
For his part, Kalle Rovanperä scored his fourth success of the season in Chile (out of seven rallies contested), during a partial season for the Finn with Toyota. But victory was not easy for the Finn, who had to deal with difficult conditions, with a mixture of rain, fog and muddy roads.
“I struggled a lot on Friday, not being very comfortable in the car, which has always been a big challenge. We managed to get through without making any big mistakes, then we tried to come back,” Rovanpera said.
“We were able to do it especially when the conditions became difficult and we were able to open up significant gaps compared to the others. I’m really happy with how everything went and these are very good points for the team. team, which is important for the teams’ championship. It is certain that the fight for the constructors’ title is on now that we have caught up with them. [Hyundai] and everything is open again.”
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