Juho Hänninen (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program instructor):
“We had been training on different surface conditions on smaller national events in preparation for this rally, the first big event of the season for these drivers. The competition was much tougher and the pressure level higher, so it was a good test. We knew Jaspar had good speed from events earlier in the year, even when conditions are changeable and difficult – but his pure speed is on a good level. We knew he could do well but with this strength of entry list, it was still a positive surprise to see him at the top straight away from qualification and the first stage of the rally. Of course, a top result could have been nice for him but it’s not so important for us at this stage – the speed he showed at this level is a big positive to take away. Takumi showed really good consistency and even as first car on the road on Sunday, his time loss was no more than a second per kilometre. His self-confidence is growing and his driving was relaxed, so there were plenty of positives. Shotaro was struggling a bit more for confidence at the start, so it’s a pity that his rally ended so soon and that he couldn’t gain that experience which would have been really valuable.”

Shotaro Goto
“Unfortunately this was not such a good rally for me. Recently, I have been working on changing my driving style and on the faster roads like we had on this rally, I found it to be very tricky and difficult. In the third stage, a small incorrect input during a corner put me off the line and we ran wide and rolled. Although the car was OK to continue after the roll, my co-driver Jussi had to undergo medical checks and the decision was taken that it was best not to restart. I’m sorry that we couldn’t drive more in this rally but I hope to come back stronger.”

Takumi Matsushita
“Pace-wise I can be happy with our rally. The driving feeling and rhythm was quite comfortable and I felt confident. Even as the first car on the road on Sunday, when the road was cleaning quite a lot, I could drive with confidence and the times were quite positive. I’d never been first on the road in all my time in the Challenge Program so it was a new experience with plenty of learning. I was slightly too fast for the corner I went off at on stage 13; I was feeling really good grip until that point even as first car on the road but it was looser than expected there, which caught me out a little bit. But this was my first retirement from a rally due to a crash, so we can be pleased with our overall consistency so far.”

Jaspar Vaher
“I didn’t have any expectations coming here as I had no idea where I would be relative to other drivers. I came into this rally with a clear mind and knew if everything worked well I could be quite fast. The driving felt quite comfortable on Saturday, especially on stage three we felt particularly good in the car. On Sunday I felt a bit more tense as I had a chance to fight for the victory, though the stages were also different compared to Saturday and the driving wasn’t flowing quite as naturally. Over a crest into a left corner on SS12 I lost the rear completely on entry and from then on, there was nothing I could do, the small mistake was made. I caught the front with a tree and then went backwards into another one before ending in a ditch. I knew I had good speed but I did not have confirmation of my competitiveness from driving at national level; in the ERC it is different, it was a real reference. I couldn’t have expected or dreamed of leading the rally; I would have been really happy consistently setting top five times.”