Challenge Program trio ace Italian tarmac test

Quotes:
Yuki Yamamoto:
“We had a good pre-event test, but I struggled to replicate that rhythm at the beginning of the rally. Conditions were much more slippery so initially I didn’t have the same feeling from my test. But when conditions improved, and after continuing to work on the car setup with the team, I was able to rediscover that feeling and improve my pace, so I’m pleased with how my speed improved towards the end. This rally was very useful: unlike Croatia, which is extremely difficult with surface pollution constantly affecting grip, this event provided more constant conditions. That help me improve my base technique further, allowing me to fine tune my asphalt driving technique to be smother, help the process of finding grip and improving my ability to manage tyre temperatures during a stage. It was all great experience for my next event, my home round in Japan!”

Shotaro Goto:
“This was a great experience and went much better than I expected. I still felt unsure of myself on this new surface after testing and even on shakedown, but once the rally got underway everything started to click. When I had the confidence to push the car harder, I felt more comfortable. It required a much different approach to driving on gravel as you cannot have either understeer or oversteer; you must be accurate and clean in your driving as there is no opportunity to manage or correct slides as you can on gravel. Initially this change of surface felt like a big shock but after this event, I now feel like I have a solid base for competing on asphalt rallies in the future.”

Takumi Matsushita:
“Italy has great scenery, great food and great fans – there were so many spectators out on the stages and even in the road sections! There was heavy rain on day one which made the first stages very tricky with damp and muddy sections and I struggled to find a rhythm, but after a good night’s sleep I came back feeling faster for the second day. I’d done one very short asphalt rally back home in Japan in the past; this was a totally different experience!”

Juho Hänninen (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program chief instructor):
“It has been a good rally for Yuki; he has achieved what we set out for him before the rally, gaining plenty of confidence while being able to drive in a relaxed manner. Together we learned a lot, especially on adapting the car setup of the kinds of roads featured om this rally. He coped very well with difficult situations too: he had hard-compound tires for the long night stage but the start was delayed, so he lost temperature and hard to start on cold tyres. But Yuki managed this situation really well and I’m proud of his patient approach dealing with it.”

Mikko Hirvonen (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program chief instructor):
“This was the first time Shotaro and Takumi have driven competitively in an asphalt event of this magnitude. There were many new things to learn but they coped well and we were very happy with how they performed. They drove a smart rally and absorbed knowledge quickly, though impressively they also worked out several aspects of asphalt driving on their own, finding their own way to understand this new challenge. This was a different challenge to the gravel rallies they had driven on earlier in the season: asphalt driving requires a different approach to racing lines and the way you brake into corners, for example, but they adapted to these changes quickly.”

What’s next?

Goto and Matsushita will be the next Challenge Program drivers in action on Ralli Kitee, the season finale of the Finnish national championship, on October 4-5. Kitee will be another typically fast but technical challenge and their last gravel outing of 2024. Meanwhile Yuki Yamamoto will be rejoined by Hikaru Kogure for their last round of the season on Rally Japan, the World Rally Championship season finale, on November 21-24.