The introduction of such mechanical improvement became evident during the German race, particularly during the terrifying stretches of Panzerplatte. Those tracks, which have been designed for tank training, are made up of different types of surfaces, and they battered the tyres of all of Toyota WRC’s adversaries.
Toyota WRC: Immune to punctures
Among the victims of the German Specials were Toyota WRC’s enemies Citroën and Hyundai. In fact, their star pilots Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville both suffered a puncture at those infamous tracks.
The French and the Belgian drivers not only buried their chances of success at the German event. The Japanese squad, on the other hand, emerged unscathed from that merciless battlefield. Neither a puncture nor a single incidence with the Yaris WRC compounds.
Their luck is particularly compelling if we think about what happened in the 2018 edition where Tänak and his Yaris WRC were victims first hand of innumerable contingencies with their tires.
The secret of Toyota WRC: New rims
Behind the remarkable leap in performance from the Toyota WRC in Germany there is nothing less than the introduction of new tire rims. Developed in collaboration with the firm O.Z., the new design is aesthetically very similar to that of its predecessor.
It does, however, bring a fundamental tweak in the architecture and layout of the radios. According to the technicians of the afore-mentioned manufacturer, the new design offers greater structural rigidity and resistance to the tire.
Such advantages significantly reduce the risk of incidents while, at the same time, increasing the dynamic behaviour of the Yaris WRC.
The Japanese car has suffered several punctures since the beginning of the championship (Monte Carlo, Mexico and Corsica), as well as other types of mechanical faults. All of these were affecting the performance and thus the results of the car. Toyota WRC has now found a solution for that persistent problem.
A legendary 1-2-3 from Toyota after 26 years
Judging by the performance of the new tire rims in Germany, it seems that these are going to be a real breakthrough for Toyota WRC. The previous 1-2-3 of the Japanese team took place 26 years ago. It happened at the 1993 Safari Rally, and it was commanded by the legendary Finnish driver Juha Kankkunen.
The last podium taken over completely by members of the same team happened precisely at the 2016 German Rally. It was the time when Volkswagen and Sebastien Ogier dominated the championship with an iron fist.
Tänak, leader of the WRC
After four wins (Chile, Portugal, Finland and Germany) over the last five races, Ott Tänak has consolidated his position at the lead of the Drivers’ standings.
The Estonian, with a total of five victories and a third place (Montecarlo), is already 33 points ahead of Neuville and 40 ahead of Ogier. His consistency and excellent results since the halfway point of the competition have made him the favourite candidate for the title.
When you add-up his victories to the two podiums of Jari-Matti Latvala (third in Finland and Germany) and the single podium of Kris Meeke (second in Scandinavia), however, these are not enough for Toyota to command the constructors’ standings.
That position currently belongs to Hyundai with eight points more than the Japanese. Such narrow distance guarantees an intense head to head battle for the title over the four rallies that are left in the season’s calendar. The very survival of the team from Alzenau at the WRC is at stake.
Images Toyota WRC: Toyota GAZOO Racing.
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