Round8

Rally Poland

At a high-speed gravel rally with severe road conditions, the Yaris WRC demonstrates outstanding performance but also reveals issues that need to be overcome

WRC rallies can be divided broadly into three types: tarmac, gravel, and snow. For those familiar with ordinary public roads, it is easy to imagine tarmac as having the highest average speed, and gravel and snow—the surfaces with the lowest level of grip—as having lower average speeds. However, during the 2016 WRC, the highest winning average speed was recorded at the gravel Rally Finland. The second highest was at Rally Poland, which is also a gravel rally, while the snow Rally Sweden was third. This order might strike some as unexpected. The reason for that result is that average speeds at these rallies are high because there are few corners, such as hairpin bends, where speeds must be dramatically reduced, and many gentle and linear bends. Also, tyres specially developed for use in rallies demonstrate better grip on gravel and snow than you would imagine.

Both Finland and Poland are among the fastest of the high-speed gravel rallies on the WRC calendar, but their courses have slightly different characteristics. The majority of Rally Finland’s route runs through forests and features a succession of rhythmical, flowing corners, with the roads having, on the whole, a hard surface. On the other hand, Rally Poland primarily travels through grasslands along rather narrow roads with soft, sand-like surfaces. When it rains, the differences between the two courses are further emphasized. Finland’s unpaved roads have comparatively good drainage, so even if it rains, the surface remains reasonably hard. In fact, if there is only a little rainfall, grip levels can actually increase. However, Poland’s roads consist of soil that retains water and has poor drainage. As a result, it becomes muddy, and deep ruts form easily. At this year’s Rally Poland, it rained on most days in the week leading up to the rally. The course was covered in mud and water, and the conditions were extremely slippery.

Latvala records successive fastest times on roads turned to mud by the rain

Rally Poland’s high-speed course was more difficult than previously experienced due to its slipperiness after the rain, and many drivers could not hide their amazement. Among the comments were, “This is the first time I’ve encountered such a slippery course,” and “The tires had zero grip, and I didn’t have full control while driving.” Many drivers were unable to open the throttle fully. However, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team excels at high-speed rallies, and Jari-Matti Latvala recorded successive fastest times in SS3 and SS4 in the early stages of the rally. Latvala’s incredible attack was ably supported by the Yaris WRC, which had been optimized for the rally’s high speeds.

The Yaris WRC features a detailed aerodynamic setup, so that the entire vehicle can contribute to reducing drag and gaining downforce. The car’s large-scale rear wing, front and rear fenders, front bumper and bonnet have all been designed with aerodynamic performance in mind. The aerodynamic effects had already been proven with victory at the high-speed, snowy Rally Sweden in Round Two, and Rally Poland showed once again the quality of the car’s aerodynamics. The Yaris WRC’s suspension and engine also provided powerful evidence of their capabilities on the high-speed course, and Latvala led the rally from SS3 to SS7.

As the drivers struggle to control the Yaris WRC in deep ruts, the team searches for solutions

However, Poland’s roads highlighted new issues for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team. Softened by the rain, deep ruts began to form along the course. Latvala and Juho Hänninen were dissatisfied with the car’s handling in the ruts, and were unable to increase their pace in the way they desired. The team could have resolved this particular problem by raising the height of the vehicle, but this would have come at the cost of reduced high-speed stability along the fast Rally Poland course. In addition, it was not simply a matter of vehicle height—a number of different issues combined in a complex manner, leaving the drivers and team scratching their heads and drawing on all their knowledge in search for a solution.

As the drivers continued to work together with the engineers, Latvala finally discovered the right solution and regained speed. In third place and with victory still a distinct possibility, Latvala continued to fight until a minor mechanical issue robbed him of the chance of even a podium finish. On Day Three, Latvala was forced to stop driving and lost the opportunity to compete with the leaders. Esapekka Lappi had retired on Day Two with damage to his vehicle, so Latvala’s inability to battle for the lead was a severe blow to the team. However, Hänninen continued to perform doggedly, and so the team was able to gather a large amount of competitive data from the high-speed Rally Poland.

In the Power Stage, Latvala stuns the competition with sheer speed

With his Yaris WRC fully repaired thanks to the efforts of the team mechanics and engineers, Latvala rejoined the rally for the final day. Since there was already a large time gap to those ahead, Latvala could no longer hope for a high-placed finish. Instead, he switched his goal and began to focus on claiming the bonus points on offer in the last stage of the rally, the Power Stage. At 18.68 kilometers, the Power Stage was reasonably short, yet Latvala opened up a massive 4.9-second gap over second place as he won the stage with ease and succeeded in securing five valuable bonus championship points.

“It was certainly unfortunate that we encountered trouble,” Latvala said, “and it is a disadvantage in the context of the championship to have lost so many points. However, from the point of view of the car’s performance, Rally Poland was a very positive rally. The Yaris WRC was extremely stable on the high-speed course, and I could feel the tires gripping the roads firmly even on the sections that had become slippery with mud, giving me the confidence to attack. I believe our performance here will help us at the next rally in Finland.” Hänninen also drove solidly to the end to finish tenth and secure points for the team.

The next round of the WRC is Rally Finland, which is the home event for the drivers, co-drivers and the entire team. Finland is also the fastest gravel rally of the season, and can be expected to throw up new challenges. The question is, how will the team utilize the experience gained on the high-speed Rally Poland course to improve its performance? The team will endeavor to improve both the performance and the reliability of the Yaris WRC during the interval of approximately one month until Rally Finland.


RESULT

PosDriverCo-DriverVehicleTime
1Thierry NeuvilleNicolas GilsoulHyundai i20 Coupe WRC2h40m46.1s
2Hayden PaddonSeb MarshallHyundai i20 Coupe WRC+1m23.9s
3Sebastien OgierJulien IngrassiaFord Fiesta WRC+2m20.8s
4Dani SordoMarc MartiHyundai i20 Coupe WRC+2m47.4s
5Stephane LefebvreGabin MoreauCitroen C3 WRC+3m11.8s
6Teemu SuninenMikko MarkkulaFord Fiesta WRC+3m16.8s
7Mads OstbergOla FloeneFord Fiesta WRC+3m39.6s
8Elfyn EvansDaniel BarrittFord Fiesta WRC+4m39.1s
9Andreas MikkelsenAnders JaegerCitroen C3 WRC+4m43.5s
10Juho HänninenKaj LindströmToyota Yaris WRC+4m53.7s
20Jari-Matti LatvalaMiikka AnttilaToyota Yaris WRC+28m01.0s
RetiredEsapekka LappiJanne FermToyota Yaris WRC