Jari-Matti Latvala’s one-off World Rally Championship drive on Rally Finland may now be over, but in reality it’s just the start.
The Finn will be back behind the wheel as early as this weekend, when he takes on the Lahti Historic Rally in his Toyota Celica GT-4 ST165 alongside recent WRC2-winning co-driver Enni Mälkönen.
And his father will be out competing too.
“Yeah, it’s great to be back actually,” Latvala told DirtFish at the end of Rally Finland.
“Now I feel very tired but in one week time it’s a very classic Lahti Rally and it’s one of those nice events also with the Finnish rally roads, European [historic] championship round.
“I’m looking forward to going with the Celica together with my father in this race and then a few weeks off and then we go to Hokkaido. So I have a lot of rallies during one month, so have to be really happy. I must say also I’m lucky.”
Latvala’s trip to Hokkaido, where the WRC’s event in Japan used to be based, is for Rally Hokkaido (September 8-10), meaning he’ll miss the WRC’s trip to Greece.
Instead he’ll drive a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 with co-driver Juho Hänninen.
“Yes I am [doing it],” Hänninen told DirtFish.
“OK I promised but for myself I wanted to see first how this was going [on Rally Finland].
“But as he has been so relaxed here, when we go other side of the world it should be even more relaxed.
“It is [a great event] and it’s nice to be going there,” he added.
“As I said we are so far from all the hassle, it will be more calm and he should be even more relaxed over there and Japanese food, that’s the main thing that I’m looking for!”
