Croatia Rally – Toyota Gazoo Racing is happy to return to the asphalt for the Croatian challenge + PHOTOS

It is Toyota GAZOO World Championship Racing Team will strive to win once again on the highway asphalt road challenges Croatian public meeting in the fourth round of 2024 FIA World Rally Championship held on April 18 to 21. Since Croatia first appeared on the FIA ​​​​WRC calendar three years ago, TGR-WRT has tasted victory with three different drivers in as many editions. Two of these drivers return as part of the squad for this year’s event, with 2021 winner Sébastien Ogier making his second start of the season alongside 2023 winner Elfin Evans and alongside Takamoto Katsuta, who has managed a top six finish in Croatia.

After taking a record victory in Safari Rally Kenya, TGR-WRT lead the Constructors’ Championship by four points, while Evans leads the challenge in the Drivers’ Championship, just six points off the leader.

The conference will still be held in the Croatian capital Zagreb, although the venue will move this year to a new location in the Westgate business centre, northwest of the city centre. The stages take place in the north of the country, near neighboring Slovenia, on roads with different types of asphalt. This means that grip levels are constantly changing, which can be made more difficult by rain and mud. Some sections are technical and twisty, while others are mostly fast and pass with jumps and rocks.

After the shakedown and celebration started on Thursday, the rally started on Friday and its longest day. Four stages take the summit southwest from Zagreb to the coastal town of Rijeka, where the group will meet at lunchtime. After stopping to fit different tyres, the same four stages are completed in reverse order on the return to Zagreb in the afternoon.

Saturday has a more traditional format, with a four-stage loop west and south of Zagreb, held twice on either side of the afternoon programme. As usual, Sunday’s final will take place in the north of Zagreb, where two stages will be held twice, with Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec once again hosting the Power Stage that concludes the meeting.

Four GR Yaris Rally2 cars have been entered in Croatia, with Sami Pajari (Printsport) and Georg Linnamäe (Team RedGrey) joining TGR WRC Challenge Program duo Yuki Yamamoto and Hikaru Kogure, who have been entered to compete for WRC2 points.

Jari-Matti Latvala (team boss): “Our victory in Kenya came after the whole team worked hard, so this result has been very good for the team’s spirit and gives us more motivation for future events in something that is very important. championship period. We’ve done well in Croatia in the past and overall it feels good to be back there. When the road is dry it can be a lot of fun to drive, but we know that the weather can also play a big role and make it very difficult. We know that the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID has been solid on the tarmac, but we know that the competition is always on the move. In that case, the driver can make a difference if he has confidence in the levels of grip change, and that comes from confidence in the car. Therefore, our aim is to give our drivers this confidence and hopefully they will leave with more points at the end of the week.”

Elfin Evans / Scott Martin

Elfin Evans (No.33): “The beginning of our season has been solid and we have finished every round with good points. We have had three unique events with specific challenges and when we get to some of the regular European meetings on tarmac and gravel we need to focus on adding to these. Last year was good for us on the pitch, including in Croatia, so it’s a rally we’re looking forward to. We know this is a tricky meeting with variable trap levels and it is very easy to make mistakes. So we have to try to run a clean meeting, but at the same time we know that we have to be fast to be able to fight at the front.

Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais

Sébastien Ogier (No.17): “I have enjoyed my time off since Monte Carlo and now I am happy to return to the championship. My test last week was a good chance to get my feelings back on the car, on a road that requires a lot of power: very fast on jumps and narrow sections. These are also features of the rally, but we also know that the weather can be unpredictable at this time of year. We don’t have a good starting point for the pitch rally, so we’ll have to assess the situation and see what we can do. My main motivation is always to get on the podium and fight for the win, but I’m also here to help the team, and with the new points system we can see that Sunday is now more important than ever.”

Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston

Takamoto Katsuta (No. 18): “I’m more and more confident on the tarmac after my performance in Rally Japan last year and after a few stages in Monte-Carlo this year. However, Croatia is one of the most difficult meetings due to the amount of cutting and the number of changes in road conditions. Being able to fully engage when the road is rough is an area where I can still improve my riding. I want to use this event as an opportunity to continue making progress. It won’t be an easy meeting, especially not with our starting position on Friday and certainly not if it rains. So it may be important to be patient at first and then find a good rhythm and balance to be able to push hard.”

Map Croatia 2024 rally

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