Mikko Hirvonen (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program chief instructor):
“The drivers faced quite tricky conditions on this rally. We’ve had such a nice winter in Finland with very cold weather, but now some rain and plus-degree temperatures made the roads very soft and slushy, and the grip levels were changing all the time. Jaspar drove an excellent rally. We knew he’s fast, and after focusing on a solid drive in Arctic, he was now able to step up and improve his pace through the rally, getting very close to Esapekka Lappi. He’s been taking nice steps forward in a short space of time with us and we’re really happy to see that. Takumi could also make a step forward and finish the winter closer to the top drivers than before, so he can be happy about his progress. Shotaro too showed good glimpses, and although he was not so comfortable to push in the slushy conditions, he still came through and got more kilometres under his belt. For Kanta this was his second class win in a row; a really solid drive with no mistakes, managing his pace in a close battle until the end. He did very well in these conditions and can be really happy with his winter season and how he’s settled in to four-wheel drive. Rio had a tricky start to this rally but was able to set similar times to Kanta and could have finished third until he made a small mistake on the last stage. This can happen easily in these conditions, and he has also been having a good winter to this point, so he just needs to look forward now to the next rally.”

Shotaro Goto
“In this rally we had very tricky conditions but I think I was able to learn a lot. The first two or three stages were very clean with very good grip, but later the stages started to become very slushy. The last two stages especially were very slushy, and that was difficult for me. Still, I think we were able to do some good stages, particularly in the middle loop in SS5 and SS6, where I felt I was able to drive at my own pace and rhythm. Even if not everything has been going smoothly all the time, I feel like I’m finding improvements every time I drive, which is positive.”

Takumi Matsushita
“I think this was a good rally for me and I learned a lot. I was running third on the road, and it was my first time having this kind of starting position so close to the front. In the morning the grip was quite consistent from corner to corner, so I could attack a little bit and the times on some stages were quite good. In the afternoon, there was more slush on the road and gravel as well. Some corners had good grip from the gravel and others had less because of the slush, so that was very difficult. Overall though I’m pleased and I can see the improvements coming rally by rally.”

Jaspar Vaher
“I’m really satisfied with this result. Coming here I didn’t expect to be fighting for the podium places, but the conditions made it really difficult for the drivers at the front of the road order, so our starting position of seventh was a big advantage compared to them. Still, the conditions were changing a lot, with gravel and slush making it difficult to judge the grip levels. I think we did a good drive and it was valuable experience gained. It’s really positive to be fighting at the top of the leaderboard, even if it was quite unexpected. We had two good test days before the rally and I made good progress compared to the Arctic Rally in the medium-speed corners, and had a bit more confidence to push when needed.”

Rio Ogata
“This was a more difficult rally for me. Near the end of the first stage I hit a rock inside one corner and damaged the power steering, and had to drive cautiously until service when the mechanics could fix the car. After that I tried to push harder, but conditions were already becoming quite slushy and the clean line from the cars in front was very narrow. I tried everything to adjust my driving but couldn’t do the times I wanted to, so I want to analyse and understand why. The last stage was much more slippery than the others; I lost the line in a tight right-hander and rolled the car onto its side. The result wasn’t good, but I have some positive things to take from this winter season and now I will focus on the next challenge.”

Kanta Yanaguida
“I’m very happy to have won this rally. Compared to the Arctic Rally, I was able to set faster and more consistent times, which was very positive. I’m also happy that I was able to set five fastest times. This rally was very challenging because of the high temperatures and tricky surface conditions, so I’m very happy that I was able to learn how to drive in these kinds of conditions throughout the event; it was valuable experience for me. I still need to improve with my pacenotes, as I felt in some places they were a bit optimistic. I will work on improving this for the next rally and aim to deliver an even better performance.”