LG Electronics Inc. (LG) today announced its preliminary earnings results for the second quarter of 2022.

LG reported revenues of KRW 19.5 trillion in the second quarter of 2022, 15 percent higher than the same quarter the previous year. Operating profit for the second quarter was KRW 791.7 billion, expected to be 12 percent lower than the same quarter of the previous year.

LG Electronics terminated production and sales of solar panel at the end of June this year and is treating the performance of solar business as a discontinued operating loss from the second quarter 2022 earnings announcement. Applying the same standards from the second quarter of 2022 to the same period last year, LG would have recorded a revenue of KRW 16.9 trillion with an operating profit of KRW 900.1 billion.

These figures are the tentative consolidated earnings based on K-IFRS provided as a service to investors prior to LG Electronics’ final earnings results including net profit. Details regarding each division will be announced officially later this month.

Successfully mitigating cybersecurity risks takes more than just technology – it comes down to people, processes and partners

The proliferation of connected health devices today has the potential to improve both the clinician experience and patient care, while driving cost-saving efficiencies across a health system. However, this exponential increase in the volume and types of data also lends itself to increased vulnerabilities and cybercrime. Hospitals, which were once less preyed upon by cybercriminals, are now among one of the most prominent targets, with 2021 being a record-setting year for healthcare data breaches. As health systems look to connect care across growing care settings both within and outside the hospital, an end-to-end security strategy is imperative to ensure a seamless and secure flow of information.

Most of today’s healthcare leaders recognize the need to be prepared for cyberattacks, but many emphasize defending their IT systems and data with firewalls or intrusion detection software. While protecting these assets is critical, and a shared responsibility, today’s environment also requires an offensive strategy. Such a strategy includes bolstering staff’s awareness and preparedness to ensure all involved are ready to react in the event of a breach and partnering with a trusted technology provider with a security-first mindset to help guide proper technology integration, monitoring, and response planning.

Embedding security in a hospital’s culture

A strong cybersecurity strategy involves efforts to help shift staff attitudes from reactive to proactive. Healthcare organizations and vendors need to have a thoroughly tested plan in place if a “successful attack” occurs to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of critical data and the systems that house that data. Such a plan determines the immediate next steps to expel the attackers from the infrastructure quickly without disrupting business or patient care – who do they involve? What is each responder’s role? How long will it take to transfer data to backup servers? Even the most seemingly solid, detailed incident response plans (IRPs) need to be rigorously exercised – more often than not, rehearsing one’s plan leads to critical learnings around areas for improvement.

Frequently, cybersecurity IRPs are developed with good intentions but then filed away for later. Instead, these plans should be continuously rehearsed and revised as cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated and hospital IT systems change

Christophe Dore

Cybersecurity Manager for Philips Capsule

“Frequently, cybersecurity IRPs are developed with good intentions but then filed away for later. Instead, these plans should be continuously rehearsed and revised as cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated and hospital IT systems change,” said Christophe Dore, Cybersecurity Manager for Philips Capsule, in a recent blog post. “Just like firefighters do not wait for a house to be burning down to know if they can put it out, an effective response is never improvised – hospitals cannot successfully put their IRP to work for the first time during a crisis.”

Of course, every cyberattack is unique, and one can never be fully prepared. Consistently practicing the incident response plan, learning from other hospitals, updating the plan accordingly, and ensuring staff is trained to execute next steps will help to safeguard physical and digital assets in many scenarios. Taking these actions may not only help to protect systems, but also bolster the care team’s confidence.

Finding the right security partner

Identifying a knowledgeable and committed IT security partner is key to minimizing the impact of a cyberattack and even potentially preventing attackers from infiltrating assets in the first place. Such a partner recognizes that cybersecurity does not stop at protecting an individual product but instead requires a systemic approach, infusing security principles from product design, to testing and deployment, to establishing robust procedures for monitoring and incident response management. Technology providers can speak to their experience and best practices across many clients and provide evidence-based guidance for the most effective response plans.

The right partner can also help simplify the complexity and variety of one’s IT systems – the primary driver of security vulnerabilities and ineffective IRPs. While the recent surge in digital health innovation and adoption holds great potential for transforming care delivery, health systems need to prioritize end-to-end integration strategies that simplify and connect their tech infrastructure. This can help reduce an attacker’s entry points, streamline system monitoring, and can ultimately help to make security more manageable and cost-effective.

Recognizing the concerns of customers and patients and the critical role security plays across today’s interconnected digital ecosystems, Philips has an unwavering commitment to meeting the challenges of an evolving threat landscape to secure enterprise information systems. Philips’ strategy involves staying on top of emerging security vulnerabilities and potential external threats and collaborating with regulatory agencies, industry partners, and healthcare providers to close security loopholes and implement safeguards. By working alongside hospital IT departments at each step of their digital transformation and cybersecurity strategy, Philips can help to collaboratively identify a beneficial path forward to protect assets and help customers realize secure, connected care.

To learn more about today’s cybersecurity challenges and Philips’ commitment to proactively addressing our customers’ security and privacy concerns, click here.

$5 MAC & CHEESE BOWLS AVAILABLE AS A DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE ON KFC MOBILE APP AND KFC.COM STARTING JULY 11, AVAILABLE IN RESTAURANTS ON JULY 18

The fans have spoken. Kentucky Fried Chicken® has listened. KFC Mac & Cheese Bowls are back! The beloved bowls, which debuted in 2019, are making a highly-anticipated return to KFC restaurants nationwide on July 18 for just $5.* But there’s more! Fans can get their hands on KFC Mac & Cheese Bowls starting today, July 11, via an exclusive digital offer on the KFC mobile app and KFC.com.

KFC Mac & Cheese Bowls are a cheesy twist to KFC’s popular Famous Bowls. The $5 bowl features KFC’s rich and creamy cheddar mac & cheese topped with KFC’s crispy popcorn chicken and a sprinkle of a three-cheese blend. So, while most would agree that mac & cheese is good, a bowl of KFC mac & cheese topped with crispy popcorn chicken and even more cheese? That’s finger lickin’ good!

Those looking to turn up the heat this summer can order a Spicy KFC Mac & Cheese Bowl, featuring KFC’s spicy, smoky Nashville Hot sauce. Both abundant and mouth-watering options are available at a valu-bowl price of $5. And, if you’re extra hungry, you can make it a combo by adding a side of KFC’s Secret Recipe Fries and a medium drink.**

“We aim to please, so we were thrilled to bring back the cheese – Mac & Cheese Bowls, that is,” said Nick Chavez, CMO, KFC U.S. “This meal is the epitome of hearty goodness and un-BOWL-eavable value, at $5 for a limited time.”

KFC is also offering customers who order via the KFC mobile app or KFC.com an option for free delivery beginning July 4 through July 24 (at participating locations). So, sit back, relax and have your mac & cheese bowl delivered right to your door!***

*Prices and participation may vary, for a limited time only. Not available on third party ordering websites/apps. Tax extra. Exclusively available on kfc.com and the KFC app from 7/11-7/17 before available in participating restaurants on 7/18.

**Prices and participation may vary. Available for a limited time only. Meal includes classic or spicy bowl, 1 med drink, 1 fry. Tax and substitutions extra.

***Free delivery available only on KFC app and kfc.com at participating locations from 7/4-7/24. Delivery availability and hours may vary. Not available for orders placed on third-party delivery platforms. Taxes and fees apply. Gratuity extra. See KFC App for more details.

About KFC   

KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., has been serving up Finger Lickin’ Good Original Recipe® fried chicken since 1952. Beyond the top secret 11 herbs & spices, KFC specialties include the KFC Chicken Sandwich, Extra Crispy™ chicken and Extra Crispy™ Tenders, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, Secret Recipe Fries, biscuits and homestyle sides. There are more than 26,000 KFC restaurants in over 145 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Alexa is always getting smarter. Whether you’re at home or on the go, Alexa can help make your life easier, more meaningful, and more fun, too. Read on to learn about the new ways Alexa can help make your day better.

• June 2022“Alexa, show me My Stuff”Customers can access My Stuff (previously called Library) by saying “Alexa, show me My Stuff” for access to their watch lists, video libraries, and DVR content on Fire TV.These enhancements to the navigation experience provide a streamlined look and feel, making it easier for customers to find the content they want faster.”Alexa, play Trivia with Samuel L. Jackson”Customers can test their knowledge about Samuel L. Jackson through a new interactive trivia experience available on Alexa-enabled devices. Just say “Alexa, play Trivia with Samuel L. Jackson” and the actor will walk you through a series of multiple-choice questions about his life, movies, and more.Keep scrolling to see past months’ skills and features.
• May 2022Call Captioning country and language expansionStarting today, Call Captioning, which displays captions in near real time during one-on-one Alexa video calls, will now be supported in Spanish, French, and Portuguese languages and available to customers in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. In addition to helping customers who are deaf and hard of hearing, this language and country expansion reflects the diverse world we live in today, making video calls more inclusive, notably for those in multilingual homes, and helping loved ones stay connected across countries. Call Captioning is available on all Echo Show devices. To learn more, visit the Alexa Accessibility hub.New Alexa Together featuresWe introduced new Alexa Together features to help aging customers feel more comfortable and confident living independently and to give their families peace of mind. An aging customer can now have up to 10 caregivers pitching in and helping out with the Circle of Support. And coming soon, Remote Assist functionality—if enabled by the person receiving support—will allow the primary caregiver to remotely set up Alexa Routines for their aging loved one.
  https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/chAgK1L7u9w?enablejsapi=1&rel=0Best Buy Health’s Lively Urgent Response SkillCustomers in the U.S. can now link their Lively and Alexa accounts together, giving them access to Lively Urgent Response services with a simple voice request whenever they need help. Agents can assist with emergencies where proper authorities need to be dispatched, as well as non-emergencies, like hearing a concerning noise outside the home or experiencing a non-life-threatening medical concern. Once enabled, customers can say, “Alexa, call for help” to their compatible Alexa-enabled devices in the home, and they’ll be connected to the Lively Response team.“Alexa, play ‘Become’ podcast”You can now tune into the Become podcast, a new health and wellness Amazon Original podcast series availableexclusively on Amazon Music. Each episode is designed to help you de-stress by guiding you through a short and simple meditation practice. Just say, “Alexa, play Become podcast on Amazon Music” to get started.Alexa is available on more devicesThe next generation of Fire 7, Amazon’s most popular tablet, has been upgraded to deliver even more for the whole family. You can ask Alexa to play videos and music, open apps, shop online, check the weather, access compatible smart home devices, and more. With the compact size, you can watch movies, play games, and stay connected at home or on-the-go with up to 10 hours of battery life, USB-C for easy charging, a 30% faster processor, and double the RAM. Learn more about the Fire 7 tablet.Amazon Fire TV and Hisense announced the availability of the U6HF, the first Hisense smart TV with Amazon and Alexa built-in. The smart TV is accompanied by an Alexa Voice Remote, which allows customers to use their voice to easily change channels, launch apps, search for titles, play music, and control compatible smart home devices just by asking Alexa. Available exclusively on Amazon, the new 50-inch U6HF offers Fire TV’s content-forward experience, with access to more than 1 million TV episodes and movies in the U.S. It also features Hisense’s proprietary ULED technology, along with 4K Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10/HDR10+ for stunning clarity, deep contrast, and vivid colors.
  
• April 2022New Amazon Pharmacy features on AlexaAmazon Pharmacy customers can now receive proactive reminders from Alexa when it’s time to refill their prescriptions and order their refills. Customers with Echo Show devices can now see detailed information about their prescriptions on screen when they use the Amazon Pharmacy skill, including pictures of pills, Prime and insurance pricing, remaining refills available, and additional drug information. To hear proactive reminders from Alexa or see information about their prescriptions on their Echo Show device, customers will need to provide their PIN number and confirm their voice via voice profile.
  Alexa person and package detection announcementsOnce enabled on supported cameras or video doorbells, you can receive a push notification from the Alexa mobile app, hear an announcement from your Echo device, and automatically view live video feeds on your Echo Show, Fire TV, and Fire Tablet when your camera detects a person or package. You can also set up a Routine, such as turning on a porch light, when a person or package is detected. Person detection announcements are available for all Ring video doorbells and cameras that work with Alexa. Coming soon, it will also be available for Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery), Nest Cam (indoor, wired), Nest Cam with floodlight and Nest Doorbell (battery), Abode IOTA, and outdoor cameras. Package detection announcements are available on the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2, Ring Video Doorbell (2020 release), and will soon release for Abode IOTA and outdoor cameras.“Alexa, follow the Seattle Mariners.”Customers can now ask Alexa to follow their favorite baseball teams to be proactively notified of important updates like scores, team news, and reminders for upcoming games. Just say, “Alexa, follow the Seattle Mariners,” and Alexa will notify you on the latest team updates through the Alexa app or on your device.”Alexa, listen to sports.”Just in time for baseball season, you can now easily discover and listen to live audio streams of major sporting events by simply using your voice on any Alexa-enabled device. Just say, “Alexa, listen to sports” to find out what’s currently available on TuneIn Live or stream your favorite team’s game by saying “Alexa, listen to the Seattle Mariners game,” or any baseball team to listen to a specific game.More ways Alexa keeps you connected at home and on the goWe’ve introduced new Alexa features to make it easier to connect with your family and friends, no matter where you are. Now, you can reply directly to your VIP Filter contacts and even send text messages with Alexa on Echo Frames without having to pull out your phone. You can also ask, “Alexa, what are my notifications?” and Alexa will share any unread notifications from your VIP contacts or apps on Echo Buds, Echo Frames, and Echo Auto, so that you don’t miss an important text from mom or alerts about top news stories.Audio streaming for hearing aids on Fire TV CubeFire TV Cube (2nd gen) customers with compatible Bluetooth hearing aids from Starkey can now stream audio directly to their hearing aids including audio from Alexa for private listening. Hearing aids pair at the Fire TV system level, so you can enjoy improved sound for movies and shows from your favorite streaming services, music, and games. To pair your hearing aids, visit Fire TV Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Aids, and connect them like you would with Bluetooth headphones.
  
• March 2022Discover more savings and deals with AlexaPrime customers can now have Alexa notify them up to 24 hours in advance if there’s an upcoming deal on an eligible item on their wish list, in their shopping cart, or saved for later. You can ask Alexa to remind you about the deal when it’s live or even order it on your behalf—so that you never miss out on a deal for the items you’re looking for.
  “Alexa, find my car”Echo Auto customers can now get help finding the location of their car by using the “Find My” feature on any Alexa-enabled device. Customers can enable “Find My” in the Alexa app, and then say “Alexa, find my car” to receive the last-known location of their parked car. They can also use the Alexa app or the Maps widget on their Echo Show 15 to see their car’s location on a map.Full Routines support for Amazon Smart Air Quality MonitorCustomers in the U.S., CA, UK, DE, ES, FR, and IT can now create an Alexa Routine to set up custom alerts and control their Alexa-enabled air purifier, humidifier, fan, or smart thermostat when the indoor air quality changes. Simply select the air quality metrics and the values the device measures for each to trigger an action based on your preferences.Fossil and AlexaAlexa is now available on Fossil Group Gen 6 devices, enabling customers to make hands-free calls, play music on their favorite services like Amazon Music and Spotify, set timers and alarms, create workout reminders, track fitness goals, control smart home devices, and more.
• February 2022″Alexa, check my symptoms”Alexa can now help you check your symptoms and provide a list of possible medical conditions for common ailments like fever, rash, stomachache, runny nose, and headaches to help you make better-informed decisions about your health. As part of this conversational experience, Alexa will ask you a series of questions to better understand your individual situation. Alexa will then share a set of possible causes for your symptoms and basic information about each cause, utilizing clinical care guidelines provided by Amazon Care. This feature is designed to provide information for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. To get started, just say, “Alexa, check my symptoms,” and explain the symptoms and severity of the symptoms you are experiencing.This symptom checker experience was inspired by the COVID-19 self-checker feature our Alexa teams launched in March 2020. With that feature, you can say, “Alexa, what do I do if I think I have COVID-19?,” and Alexa will ask you a series of questions. Based on your responses, Alexa will provide you with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) given your risk level and symptoms. Customers told us they found this feature helpful, and more than a million customers have used it, so we wanted to do even more.Privacy is foundational to how we build and design all of our devices and services, and symptom checker is no different. This is an optional experience that customers can choose to use, and they can choose to skip any questions they don’t feel comfortable answering. As with all features, after using the experience, customers can choose to view, hear, and delete their voice recordings through Alexa Privacy Settings or in the Alexa app at any time. To delete by voice, you can also say, “Alexa, delete what I just said,” or “Alexa, delete everything I said today.”This symptom checker experience is one of several health features you can try with Alexa. Amazon Pharmacy customers can simply say, “Alexa, refill my medications,” to reorder their prescriptions. You can say, “Alexa, where can I get a COVID vaccine?,” or “Alexa, where can I find a COVID vaccine booster shot?” to hear a list of nearby vaccination locations. Alexa will send a notification to your phone with a link to make an appointment. You can say, “Alexa, I want to talk to a doctor,” to get connected with Teladoc and get a call back on your Echo device from a Teladoc doctor. Teladoc on Alexa offers virtual visits related to non-emergency health needs, such as experiencing symptoms of a cold, the flu, or allergies.Notify When NearbyWe’ve introduced Notify When Nearby, a new accessibility feature designed to make notifications better for all customers. After customers enable this feature, Alexa can detect if they are near an eligible Echo device and alert them to any unread notifications by replaying a notification sound. It’s especially useful for customers who may not be able to see visual alerts, like the Yellow Ring light or banners on Echo devices; that way, they don’t miss important notifications or Alexa alerts.“Alexa, open the guide”You can now customize your integrated channel guide on Fire TV and say “Alexa, open the guide,” to access the guide. Within the Live tab, just select the guide to see what’s on now and simply press the menu button on your Alexa Voice Remote to bring up the “Add Channel” option. From there, you can easily add additional live channels from your favorite free and subscription-based apps for a customized live experience. You can always use Alexa to jump right into your favorite live-TV programs or events. Learn more about the channel guide on the Fire TV blog.
  https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/R1ADfL-q_i4?enablejsapi=1&rel=0

Visit the Alexa online resource, a comprehensive guide for Alexa features and the best place to discover and explore what Alexa can do. You can also hear inspiring stories on how customers are using Alexa in their day-to-day lives by visiting the Alexa Stories blog page. To learn more about Alexa and privacy, visit the Alexa Privacy Hub, a resource available globally that’s dedicated to helping customers learn more about our approach to privacy and the controls they have.

Takeaways

• In August 2022, we’ll begin rolling out Meta accounts: a new way for people to log into their VR headsets that doesn’t require a Facebook account.
• Once you create a Meta account, you’ll also need to create a Meta Horizon profile — your social profile in VR.
• To control what people can see when they view your Meta Horizon profile, we’re introducing three privacy options: Open to Everyone, Friends and Family, and Solo.

Today, Mark Zuckerberg introduced Meta accounts: a new way for people to log into their VR headsets that doesn’t require a Facebook account. Starting in August 2022, if you’re new to Meta VR devices or have previously merged your Oculus account with your Facebook account, you’ll need to create a Meta account and Meta Horizon profile. If you’ve been logging into your VR device with your Oculus account, you can continue to do so until January 1, 2023, at which point you’ll need to create a Meta account and Meta Horizon profile to continue using your Meta VR device.

Your Meta account is not a social media profile; it lets you log into your VR devices and view and manage your purchased apps in one place. In the future, we’ll extend Meta account functionality so you can use it to log into other Meta devices.

You can also add your Meta account to the same Accounts Center as your Facebook or Instagram account to unlock connected experiences across Meta technologies — like finding your Facebook friends to play games with in VR or chatting with friends on Messenger. And if you don’t want to use your Facebook or Instagram account in VR, you don’t have to.

Meta Horizon Profile

After you finish creating a Meta account, you’ll be prompted to create a Meta Horizon profile. Your Meta Horizon profile is your social profile in VR and other surfaces, like from a web browser. You can customize how you appear to others — as a gamer or as your buttoned-up 9-to-5 persona. You can choose your Meta Horizon profile username that’s unique to you (e.g. WarriorMama365), the profile name that will be displayed to others while you’re in VR (e.g. Monique Smith), your profile photo, avatar and more. You can create one Meta Horizon profile per Meta account.

Your Oculus friends will become your followers, similar to how it works on Instagram. This update provides more ways to be social and connect with others. You can choose whether to share your active status and activity updates, like the apps you own and your achievements, with your followers. If you already own a Meta VR headset, your Oculus friends will automatically become your followers and you’ll follow them back by default. You can choose to unfollow anyone or remove followers at any time.

Privacy Controls

We want to let you control who you interact with in VR and build your own community. As part of this update, you’ll now find a menu with three privacy options to help guide you through which privacy settings are the best fit for you: Open to Everyone, Friends and Family, and Solo. After you make your selection, you’ll have the opportunity to review and confirm your individual privacy settings are set the way you want them. You can change these settings at any time. 

As part of these privacy settings, you have the option to set your Meta Horizon profile to private, which means you’ll be asked to review and approve follower requests. If you choose this option, only your followers can see who you follow and who follows you. Keep in mind that people who don’t follow you will still be able to view your profile picture, avatar, username, display name, follower count and the number of people you follow. People can also still search for your name or username and send you follow requests.

People between the ages of 13 and 17 will have their Meta Horizon profiles set to private by default.

Learn more about Meta accounts and Meta Horizon profiles.

To propel Intel’s global manufacturing buildout — the biggest investments in company history — Intel has brought to Arizona what its maker calls the world’s most powerful conventional crawler crane. Think 3,000 tons of lifting capacity — the weight of about 428 large adult male elephants. Think a maximum hoisting height of 774 feet — more than twice the height of New York’s Statue of Liberty.

The monster machine is Buckner HeavyLift Cranes’ Liebherr Model LR 13000, which has been assembled and tested, and is now ready for work at Intel’s Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona. The LR 13000 with its twin diesel engines — so even if one fails at an inopportune time, a second one is still chugging away — will soon begin hefting skyward the first of 36 steel trusses to create the superstructure for Intel’s new Fab 52. Each roof truss weighs at least 150 tons (or 21 of those elephants).

The $30 million LR 13000 helping Intel in Ocotillo is one of only six on Earth. After it was manufactured in Germany, it was broken down and transported on a dedicated ship that crossed the Atlantic Ocean and passed through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles, then loaded aboard 170 flatbed trucks for the journey east to Arizona. Assembling all the parts took about a month.

Once the heavy lifts are complete for Fab 52, the LR 13000 will crawl over to the nearby Fab 62 site to begin working there. Topping out at 1.3 km/hour, it moves at a fraction of a normal adult’s walking speed.

Intel’s new twin Arizona fabs, a roughly $20 billion total investment, are scheduled to start chip production in 2024.

At Chandler Traditional Academy, less than a mile from the LR 13000, children can see the crane through their classroom windows. The school recently held a “Name the Crane” contest, with the winning third-grader dubbing the big machine “Skyreacher.”

When Intel is through with Skyreacher, the yellow and red behemoth will be taken apart, put back on flatbeds and sent off — to parts still unknown — for its next mega construction job.

More: Intel Breaks Ground in Arizona (Press Kit) | Intel Arizona: Our United States Manufacturing Powerhouse (Al Thompson blog)

Tags

Manufacturing, Corporate

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team arrives at the midway point of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship season at Rally Estonia the first of two back-to-back events on fast gravel roads in the north of Europe.

Estonia was the scene of Kalle Rovanperä’s maiden WRC victory one year ago. Since then, the young Finn has taken five further victories, including four in the last five events to build a lead of 65 points in the drivers’ championship.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing heads the manufacturers’ standings by 62 points after a historic 1-2-3-4 finish on last month’s Safari Rally Kenya led by Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and TGR WRT Next Generation driver Takamoto Katsuta. Esapekka Lappi will return to the TGR WRT line-up in Estonia alongside Rovanperä and Evans for his fourth start of the season.

Rally Estonia offers a very different challenge to the three previous rounds on gravel, with smooth and fast roads featuring many jumps and crests, although the soft and sandy surface can become rutted for the second pass of each stage.

The rally is based in Tartu, Estonia’s second largest city, and begins on Thursday evening with a short super special next to the service park. Both Friday and Saturday feature a loop of four stages to be run twice either side of mid-day service. Another pass of the super special to round out Saturday’s action and an extended version around the Raadi airfield, run in the opposite direction to last year’s Power Stage, opens two loops of three stages on Sunday. The rally-ending Power Stage once more takes place over the Kambja test, as it did in 2020.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“The result in Kenya was incredible for us but we are now facing a very different challenge for the next two events in Estonia and Finland. Up until now we have been concentrating on reliability, and although we of course want to maintain this, for these smooth and fast rallies we also need to focus on extracting the maximum performance from the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID. It will be a challenge for the drivers as well, because coming from a rough event like the Safari Rally it’s easy to drive too comfortably, and you need to attack from the start of the first stage or you can lose a lot of time. To do this they have to have confidence in the car and their feedback from our pre-event testing has been positive, so we’re looking forward to Estonia and aiming for another strong result.”