WRC
Rovanperä's Poland call-up or Toyota's Japan decider?
Kalle Rovanperä turned a last-minute call-up into a Poland victory. Toyota left its manufacturers' title defence until Japan's final stage. Choose which 2024 moment reaches the quarter-finals.
A victory from an unexpected start and a championship settled at the final opportunity meet in the sixth Rally1 Rewind matchup, with two very different Toyota stories from 2024.
Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen had not planned to compete in Poland at all. Five months later in Japan, Toyota knew exactly what was at stake, but still needed its crews to deliver when the manufacturers' championship came down to the Power Stage.
Rovanperä wins after a late Poland call up
A Tuesday call transformed Rovanperä's week. After Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais were involved in a reconnaissance road accident, Toyota asked the reigning world champions Rovanperä and Halttunen to take their place at Rally Poland.
They had less than 48 hours to prepare for Thursday's start. The rushed build-up left little room for the usual routine, but it did not prevent them joining the fight on Poland's fast gravel stages.
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Rovanperä moved ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen during Saturday and carried a 9.4sec lead into the final day. When Mikkelsen suffered tyre damage on Sunday, the Toyota crew completed a 28.3sec victory over Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin.
The win was impressive on its own; achieving it after that hurried call-up made the finish a particularly memorable one for both driver and co-driver.
Toyota seals the manufacturers title in Japan 2024
Toyota entered its home finale 15 points behind Hyundai Motorsport. Even after cutting that gap, the defending champion still needed the final day to turn its way.
Ott Tänak's retirement from the rally lead on Sunday morning opened the door. Evans and Martin moved into first overall, with Ogier and Landais second, but the rally classification alone would not settle the manufacturers' contest.
With the separate Sunday points included, Toyota and Hyundai were level heading into the Power Stage. Ogier went fastest, Evans finished third on the test and Takamoto Katsuta, co-driven by Aaron Johnston, was fourth.
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Toyota took the championship by three points, completing a fourth consecutive manufacturers' title alongside its home-rally one-two.
Vote below before 08:00 CET on 12 November. The winner advances to the quarter-finals. Tomorrow's pairing is Ott Tänak's Finland triumph against Thierry Neuville's maiden world title.
