Akio Toyoda’s eyes were also caught by the lucky Jari-Matti Latvala.
Jari-Matti Latvala led Toyota to the second consecutive brand championship. TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Having secured the brand championship of the rally at the weekend in Catalonia Jari-Matti Latvala led by Toyota received hearty congratulations Akio from Toydawho serves as the CEO of the Japanese manufacturer.
For Toyota, the brand championship was the second in a row and the sixth in its entire team history. In a press release released by the automaker, Toyoda congratulated all drivers and other team members.
He gave special thanks to team manager Latvala, whom Toyoda had just seen at the RallyLegend event, where Latvala had gotten back behind the wheel of the car.
– I looked at pictures on social media and noticed how much wider you smiled when you were driving than when you were a team manager. However, I saw you smile even wider today (Sunday). I assume that you have had a lot of pressure as a team manager, Toyoda described Latvala.
The final round of the World Rally Championship will be held in Japan in November. Toyoda expects to see the Finn again in a rally car after the season. The CEO himself hinted that he would participate in the drive.
– I really thank you for assembling a strong team and making this wonderful achievement possible. Let’s ride together again when the season is over. I expect you to smile as a rally car driver. Remember that health is most important and see you in Japan.
The rally has not been run in Japan since 2010. Last year, a competition was supposed to be organized in the country, but the races were canceled due to the corona virus. Toyota returned to the World Series five years ago, so the car brand has not yet been seen competing in Japan at all in its current form.
Toyoda said that he was looking forward to the World Rally Championship in Japan starting in three weeks.
Akio Toyoda was very pleased with Toyota’s success on rally tracks. EPA / AOP