Toyota announces WRC plans

[dimviii]

You have then connections to the team . What was he doing before this appointment, working at Prodrive?

i ve lost the touch with him for many years.
he has worked for RML-Msport-ralliart-prodrive(subaru & mini)
Last years was responsible for clients programm at prodrive with mini(Araujo)
he has worked also for some teams at circuits.

[jarauto2]

[Simmi]

So pulling together a few of the rumours -

Car: Yaris
Base: Jyvaskyla
Testers: Makinen/Hirvonen/Hanninen
Design/development: Michael Zotos
Team role: George Donaldson (rumoured)
Driver 1: ???
Driver 2: Lappi (rumoured)
Driver 3: Japanese dev driver TBC

[dimviii]

Colin Clark ‏@voiceofrally
Mäkinen confirms he would be interested in bringing @EsapekkaLappi to the Toyota team. Hopes to have the car testing in Q1 2016

[Mirek]

Yves Matton said for Belgian Auto News last week that he is keeping his eye on Lappi too. I'm sure Jost Capito isn't indifferent either.

[Simmi]

If I was Lappi (or his management) I'd be pushing for a season in Volkswagen Motorsport II next year. Maybe with a WRC outing this year as a toe in the water - WRC2 title situation dependent.

The only thing I could see against that is EVEN might not want to place Mikkelsen and Lappi in the same team - effectively pitting them against each other?

[gorganl2000]

Yves Matton said for Belgian Auto News last week that he is keeping his eye on Lappi too. I'm sure Jost Capito isn't indifferent either.

interesting that the wrc teams have him in view of a potential drive at wrc level..i guess there is the possibility of changes within citroen and maybe hyundia and ford too
but how would he fit into VW wrc team, as they already have 3 drivers which they "seem" to want to retain? and it doesn't look like they are expanding the number of wrc cars they run from the current 3

[Mirek]

Matton literaly said that Citroën team will have different driver line-up next year.

About VW I don't know. There were signs that VW leadership wasn't happy with Latvala as he was viewed as too expensive for what he delivers but now it looks like he continues. I also thought that Škoda went to WRC2 to be a kind of VW "kindergarten" but maybe all my thought are wrong.

[dimviii]

from today at Finland

[skarderud]

Nice one!

Wonder what the story behind the desition to leave 2 yrs of development and move everything to a new place and team.