Adachi and Nikara close to another class win in Finland
Japanese co-driver Sayaka Adachi came close to claiming another class victory alongside Jarkko Nikara on the latest round of the Finnish Rally Championship, the Pohjanmaa Ralli, before a puncture on the final stage dropped the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge Program crew to fourth place in the category.
Nikara/Adachi
Based in Seinäjoki to the west of Finland, the Pohjanmaa Ralli was a gravel event held over typical Finnish stages, with fast roads featuring many crests. As in the previous round, Nikara and Adachi were entered into the SM2 class, putting them in direct competition with crews driving similar production-based cars. The rally was fought over six stages on Saturday, after the first two stages on Friday evening were cancelled following an accident involving a spectator, who sadly passed away. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing sends its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victim.
For much of the day, Nikara and Adachi were involved in a very close fight for the SM2 class lead, trading stage wins with their nearest competitor. After their rival retired, they looked set to win the class, but they then suffered a puncture on the final stage, forcing them to stop and change the wheel. This cost around three minutes, leaving them fourth in class in the final results.
Jarkko Nikara
“It was very disappointing to end the rally in this way. It is difficult to say why we got the puncture, but there were a lot of stones in the ruts. I tried to be careful with the tyres in the last two stages but I think we just had some bad luck. Up until then, we were both happy with the speed and how everything was working. There were no big mistakes, just some small things on both sides: my driving was not quite as good as it could have been, and I think there are just a few places where we can still try to improve the pace-note reading.”
Jouni Ampuja (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge Program instructor)
“It was close to being a really good rally for Sayaka and Jarkko until they got this unfortunate puncture on the final stage. Aside from this bad luck, lots of things went really well and they were able to maintain a good rhythm. This was the last rally for them in this car before they switch to the R5 for the upcoming AutoGlym Ralli and Rally Finland, which will be a big step up for both of them. We are not worried about the punctures: this sort of thing can happen at any time. The most important thing is the progress that Sayaka and Jarkko are making together.”
Results (SM2 class):
1 Joonas Tokee/Jani Salo (Subaru Impreza WRX STI) 45m33.2s
2 Esa Ruotsalainen/Hannu Lamminen (Mitsubishi Lancer) +1.5s
3 Ville Hautamäki/Enni Mälkönen (Subaru Impreza WRX STI) +26.0s
4 Jarkko Nikara/Sayaka Adachi (Subaru Impreza WRX STI) +2m50.5s
5 Mikko Ala-Talkkari/Antti Ala-Talkkari (Subaru Impreza WRX STI) +2m56.7s
What’s next?:
Adachi and Nikara will join Japanese drivers Takamoto Katsuta and Hiroki Arai on the AutoGlym Ralli in Finland from 12-14 July in R5 cars. The event is good preparation for Rally Finland, which all three crews will also compete in two weeks later.
Pictures will be uploaded here during the event
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Quotes:
Sayaka Adachi
“I feel that we had a good rhythm on this rally from the recce onwards. We were able to make good pace-notes, which were easy to follow and read, even though there were some fast and tricky sections during the rally. I think we have made a solid improvement in this area. Unfortunately, we got a puncture on the right-front tyre in the middle of the final stage. We needed to change the tyre in the stage, and it was the first time we had done that for real, even though we have practiced it. We made a slight mistake with the procedure but it was good experience and something new.”