The Dirtfish website, which specializes in rallying, asked the team managers who won the world championship what they think about the team regulations.
Kalle Rovanperä, who is driving as a part-time driver this season, will surely welcome the fact that Toyota has no team regulations. EPA / AOP
Elfyn Evans is the only one of the Toyota drivers who has a realistic chance of winning the world championship this season.
Normally, Ykköskuski receives support from the other drivers in the team in the form of team regulations, but Jari-Matti Latvala according to the Japanese team, such tactics are not practiced.
– We believe in fair play. We want the drivers to fight each other fairly, so we will not make any tactical changes, Latvala has stated.
This means that only part of the season is driven Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier are guaranteed to take away a lot of valuable WC points from Evans. In the worst case scenario, the British drivers will miss out on the drivers’ World Cup title when the “wingmen” dominate.
Does Latvala’s plan make any sense? Specialized in that rally Dirtfish website asked three former team managers who won the world championship.
The story continues after the picture.
Jari-Matti Latvala thinks drivers should be allowed to race without team regulations. Vesa Pöppönen / AOP
“Properly”
Volkswagen’s former rally boss Jost Capito thumbs up to Latvala’s solution.
– It doesn’t matter which of the drivers gets points. The most important thing for the manufacturer is the points, Capito sees.
The reason is clear: the brand championship is more valuable to the team than the drivers’ World Cup title.
– I think it’s right not to make team regulations, says Capito.
However, according to the man, the team should support the number one driver for the rest of the season if he is the only man in the team who has a chance to win the drivers’ championship.
Andrea AdamoHyundai’s former team manager, instead favors team regulations if they are in the team’s best interest, as the manufacturer ultimately pays for the whole game.
For Adamo, the brand championship was the most important thing of all, and it didn’t matter how it came.
– It’s about winning. Not about whether to win fairly or unfairly, Adamo sees.
Served as the boss of Toyota, Mitsubishi and Subaru George Donaldson on the other hand, you can see that a fight between drivers is a completely ridiculous idea. He strongly supports team regulations, but according to Donaldson, they should be implemented discreetly.
– Many world champions have benefited from team regulations, and it does not dim their achievements, Donaldson reminds.
Only the number one driver of the team often benefits from team regulations. Others, on the other hand, have to suffer, but according to Donaldsoin, others also have to understand their role.
– The team pays their wages.
Evans already lost valuable World Championship points in the Monte Carlo race that opened the Rally World Series, when Toyota’s part-time driver Ogier was second and the British driver only third.
Without team regulations, points losses may be ahead again next weekend, when the Rally World Series continues in Sweden. There Kalle Rovanperä opens his season, and Evans has already admitted that the Finn is probably faster than him on snow.
Elfyn Evans, who is fighting for the world championship, will lose a lot of points this season to his team mates, because Toyota does not favor team regulations. PDO