The final day then of this incredibly fast rally. As with previous rounds the points for the final day would be given out based on the finishing positions from the first two days, and then the points handed out following the end of the results for Sunday.
The crews had 64km’s over four stages on the last day and the top three was Kalle, Seb and Martins, with Ott just a few seconds behind the Latvian.
First up then was SS17 Krogzemji 1 – 18.70 km and Seb was fastest from Kalle and Ott. Martins was just a couple of seconds behind the Estonian with the fourth best time and remained in third overall.
Into SS18 Mazilmāja 1 – 13.34 km and Ott was fastest in this one from Seb and Kalle. The rally leader was just managing his pace, but still very comfortable with a 40 second lead over Seb. Martins remained 12 seconds ahead of Ott and in third position.
Next up the penultimate stage, SS19 Krogzemji 2 – 18.70 km and Ott was fastest again from Kalle and Seb. The Estonian was now just 4.6 seconds behind Martins who was only ninth fastest following a missed junction.
Onto the final stage then, SS20 Mazilmāja 2[Power Stage] – 13.34 km and Ott was fastest from Seb, Thierry with Takamoto setting the same time as the Belgian and Elfyn fifth and taking the final power stage point. There was drama for Martins and Renars sadly as they suffered a problem with their transmission and they still had the full power in their Puma, just trying hard to get through the stage without losing too much time. Sadly, they dropped some much time they could only manage the slowest time, 33rd and losing a minute 45 seconds to Ott as well. The Latvian crew fell to seventh overall but could definitely hold their heads high after a brilliant drive.
Let’s take a look at the final finishing positions and hear from the crews.
Final Overall Classification – Rally Latvia
| 1 | K. Rovanperä | J. Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | 2:31:47.6 |
| 2 | S. Ogier | V. Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +39.2 |
| 3 | O. Tänak | M. Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +1:04.5 |
| 4 | A. Fourmaux | A. Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +1:31.5 |
| 5 | E. Evans | S. Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +1:42.7 |
| 6 | T. Katsuta | A. Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +2:07.0 |
| 7 | M. Sesks | R. Francis | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +2:45.4 |
| 8 | T. Neuville | M. Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +2:46.4 |
| 9 | G. Munster | L. Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +5:23.1 |
| 10 | O. Solberg | E. Edmondson | Škoda Fabia RS | +8:37.9 |
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Kalle Rovanperä
“It has been a really great weekend for us and for the team. Latvia is a special place for me and my career and almost a home rally in a way so it’s really cool, to win the first WRC rally here. A big thank you to the team: I think we were very strong here, maybe more than we expected. Together with Seb finishing second, we took some more really important points for the team. Thanks also to Jonne: I think we did a good job the whole weekend. We will enjoy this result now and then look forward to Rally Finland which will be another challenge.”
Elfyn Evans
“Today was all about trying to get as many extra points as we could. On the whole it was not going too badly for most of the day, but to just fall short by a few tenths of a second in the Power Stage was annoying. At least it’s been a weekend where we gained some points, which is better than nothing. We always want to do better but it’s been a difficult weekend with the road cleaning, and we were always a bit on the back foot from there. Now we’ll look forward to Rally Finland which is always an enjoyable event.”
Sébastien Ogier
“I’m very pleased: a one-two was the target we wanted to achieve for the team this weekend. We’ve made a very positive step for the manufacturers’ championship. Unfortunately, today these two tenths didn’t go our way, a bit like in Sardinia, but I gave it my all and have no regrets. Kalle was untouchable this weekend, so very well done to him. On my side, I had a lot of fun in the car, and I’m pleased with my performance because it’s been almost three years since I’ve competed in this kind of very fast rally, and it looks like I still have some good speed.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“This rally was hard until the very end. The stages were very nice to drive, and I really enjoyed the feeling in the car. But there were many new and different things to manage and unfortunately, I made the mistake in a chicane yesterday which cost us a lot of time. I’m still disappointed about that but I just need to forget about it and move on to the next one. At least the speed and the confidence was, there so it’s been good preparation for Rally Finland and I’m looking forward to that.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Ott Tänak
“We can at least say today was a good day. In the end, Saturday was not too bad pace wise. We managed to get back into a rhythm after a difficult Friday, where we definitely had the wrong tyre choice and were struggling with the set up. Losing the brakes on Friday’s final stage meant we didn’t have a good starting position on Saturday, so it felt like the cards were not in our favour, but we have managed to take the absolute maximum from today. Finland is next, and one of my favourite events – those roads are made for rallies. Toyota will be very fast again, but we will give it our all – we are always full attack.”
Round 05, Rally Latvia
18 – 21 July 2024
Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
Photographer: Dufour Fabien
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Thierry Neuville
“We weren’t surprised to be as hampered as we were this weekend; I don’t have anything to add but I want to thank the team for being resilient and supporting me this weekend, which was very important. We will continue to fight as we have done since the start of the season. We have another fast rally coming up in Finland, but it shouldn’t be as bad as this weekend as the repeated stages will be a big change to Latvia. I won’t give up and I will continue to fight, but eight gravel rallies in a row is very challenging, and three fast events back-to-back – which are not the ones I have been stronger at in the past – only adds to this.”
Esapekka Lappi
“Sadly, we suffered an engine failure on that final stage, but at least it happens now and not earlier in the weekend. Our settings on Friday were completely wrong on all three cars, but all of us were on much better form yesterday after we made changes. I think we were misled by Poland and my preparation rally, which had much sandier surfaces, and we went the wrong way with the set-up. I think we now have a good base to start from for Finland, and I certainly look forward to it.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Adrien Fourmaux
“I think it’s been another strong result for us, we’ve been fighting with Elfyn, Taka and Ott throughout the weekend. We missed out on a bit of performance on Friday morning, which maybe also affected us on Saturday with our road position. But generally, we can be pleased with what we’ve done.
“Mārtiņš has shown some really good pace as well as us, and we have shown that the car is competitive on these fast roads. I wanted to get some more points on Sunday, but we had some issues with the aero which didn’t help us, but we tried our best and its still good preparation for Finland.”
Mārtiņš Sesks
“This experience with M-Sport has been amazing, I was enjoying so much being here with the team. The team has become like a family now, we were really working shoulder to shoulder to get the result and I think we fit in well!”
Grégoire Munster
“Not the best event for us, we managed to show some pace on Friday afternoon, but from then on it became a bit more difficult. We wanted to change the set-up a bit for Saturday afternoon, but I damaged the aero on the landing of a jump, so that’s my bad.
“On Sunday we encountered some issues, which we’ll resolve for the next event. But it has been really good mileage which will hopefully help us on Rally Finland.”
William Creighton (Fifth WRC2)
“We’re super happy to get a strong result on our first fast gravel rally in the Fiesta Rally2. We have gained good experience this week and really enjoyed the sensation of these flat-out roads! Thanks to the MI Rally Academy for preparing me for the event, and M-Sport for all their hard work. We’re now looking ahead to Finland which is coming up very soon.”
Oliver Solberg (WRC2 Winner)
“This was a good result for us. We knew from the previous round in Poland that there are many fast drivers who like these quick gravel roads in WRC2 – I wanted to make a really strong start here to try to put a marker down.
“That started with a nice time on the Thursday night stage where we took 10 seconds from our nearest championship rival. Friday morning was tricky, it was so slippery in places with a lot of loose gravel around. We pushed and we pushed hard, and we were able to win the stages and make a good lead.
“Through Saturday and Sunday, we were trying to manage that gap and driving with a little bit in reserve. We had worked really hard to build this lead through the first day, we definitely didn’t want to throw it away with a mistake. It was a big relief to come through the final stage and take the win – it feels like quite a long time since our last maximum score in Sweden, so this one’s nice.
“The car was great, I have to say a big thanks to the whole team and to Elliott, who did his usual fantastic job.
“And, of course, I was happy to come back to Latvia. For me and my family it’s a special place to remember, this was where I started my career. It was cool to see some old friends and even remember some of the roads. I loved this one, it was a fun rally with some fantastic stages.
“With Poland and Latvia done, we’re now looking forward to the grandaddy of all the speed events and Finland in just over a week. I can’t wait.”
Summary
Well, what an incredible rally in Latvia, the 37th country to hold a round of this championship. It was well organized, the fans behaved themselves and the stages were beautiful and quick!
In terms of the drive by Kalle and Jonne, their second win in a row is amazing. They made the most of their road position.
Seb and Vincent took second place, and some stage wins and in a strange way with the new points system scored more points than his winning teammate. The FIA and WRC will need to review this.
Ott and Martin had a number of problems on their way to third position – Brake problems and a banner across the stage on Saturday. They may have ultimately taken the position even without the problems with Martins Puma, and it was nice to hear his remarks at the end of the stage paying tribute to the Latvian crew.
Finally, Martins and Renars. What a fantastic drive by the Latvian crew, taking their first stage wins and almost taking a podium. I for one hope we shall see them again in a Puma soon!
Next round is the Grand Prix of Finland, Rally Finland!