Rally1
The GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID: The ultimate in modern rally technology
A new generation of hybrid rally car
The Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID represents the pinnacle of modern rally car technology. It was designed by TGR-WRT from a blank page for the new Rally1 regulations that were introduced for 2022. These marked the greatest technical revolution in rallying for a generation, including the addition of hybrid electric power for the first time.
With a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine paired to a hybrid unit, maximum power is increased to more than 500 horsepower and maximum torque to over 500 newton meters. The hybrid unit is common to every Rally1 car and consists of a 3.9-kilowatt-hour battery coupled to a motor-generator unit (MGU), delivering an additional 100 kilowatts (136 PS) and 180 Nm of torque during acceleration. The unit regenerates energy under braking and the battery can also be plugged in to an external power supply to be recharged in our service area.
The rule changes also covered the car’s chassis, with a spaceframe design now offering better safety protection for the driver and co-driver than ever before. On the outside, while some aerodynamic features were prohibited to control costs, dramatic elements such as side skirts and large rear wings remain to provide stability at high speed, while air ducts can be used to cool parts including the hybrid unit.
Transmissions had to be simplified: five-speed gearboxes with mechanical shift, and no more active centre differential. Suspension was also now more straightforward, with less damper travel allowed. These changes in particular brought significant challenges for our engineers to give our drivers a car in which they felt confident to push the limits.
The results from the car’s debut season in 2022 showed a job well done: it won seven out of 13 rallies across snow, gravel and asphalt and achieved a clean sweep of drivers’, co-drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles.
Not resting on our laurels, TGR-WRT enhanced the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID for 2023. Alongside optimised cooling efficiency and aerodynamics with smoother air ducts, improvements were made to raise overall performance, improving traction by changing the specifications of the mechanical differential and bettering torque by changing the intake system of the engine. These modifications helped ensure another hat-trick of titles.
For the 2024 car, the engine has been updated to further improve response at low speeds, and the torque curve has been improved. As for the exterior, the color has changed significantly to now have a matt black base. This expresses the concepts of “Speed” representing our spirit, “Hate to lose,” and “Prototype” which represents making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and to keep evolving.
FROM THE STAGES TO THE STREETS
The GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID is based on the road-going GR YARIS production model, which itself was developed using the experience gained by TGR-WRT engineers in competition with the first-generation Yaris WRC.
Making its debut on the stages in 2017, the Yaris WRC was the first car Toyota had built for rallying’s highest level for two decades. It achieved victory in just its second event on Rally Sweden in 2017, but the demanding roads of the WRC still provided the team’s drivers and engineers with some harsh lessons in the early days. Over five seasons, the Yaris WRC’s engine, aerodynamics, suspension and other components underwent numerous updates and performance gradually improved each season.
In 2018, it won the manufacturers’ championship, before claiming successive drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles in both 2019 and 2020. In its final season in 2021, the Yaris WRC took a clean sweep of the available titles and won nine of the 12 rallies.
From a clean sheet of paper, the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID has been developed using the many lessons learned with the Yaris WRC, adapted to meet the different requirements of the new regulations. The experience gathered with this new generation of rally car will in turn feed back into future road car development, true to Toyota’s ethos of using motorsport to make “ever-better cars”.
Car technical specs
| Engine type | In-line 4-cylinder turbo, direct injection, Hybrid Power Unit |
| Engine displacement | 1,600 cc |
| Maximum power | Over 500 PS |
| Maximum torque | Over 500 Nm |
| Bore / stroke | 83.8 mm / 72.5 mm |
| Air restrictor | 36 mm, following FIA regulations |
| Top speed | 201 kph (Ratio Specific) |
| Gearbox | 5 speed mechanical shift |
| Gearbox final drive | 4 wheel drive, 2 x mechanical differentials |
| Clutch | Double Plate Sintered Clutch |
| Steering | Hydraulic Rack and Pinion |
| Braking system | Gravel 300 mm, Tarmac 370 mm |
| Length/width/height | 4,225 mm (incl. aero device) / 1,875 mm / adjustable |
| Wheelbase | 2,630 mm |
| Minimum weight | 1,260 kg |
