GR WRC Challenge Program drivers take the next step

The GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program continues to nurture and develop young athletes with the potential to compete on the world stage.

Founded in 2015, the Program played a key role in Takamoto Katsuta’s journey from rally beginner to WRC event winner. It continues to support and develop young Japanese drivers with ambitions of following in Katsuta’s footsteps, and was expanded for 2026 to give opportunities to exceptional young talent from around the world.

Yuki Yamamoto, from the Program’s second generation, took on an expanded schedule of WRC events in 2026 driving the GR Yaris Rally2 car. In the highly competitive WRC2 category, he continued to demonstrate progress with his pace and achieved a landmark first podium on home roads at Rally Japan. Established as his country’s leading contender at Rally2 level and proving the pathway available for aspiring Japanese drivers, Yamamoto will target more strong results in 2027 when he returns to WRC2 for a championship campaign across selected rallies.

In 2026, a trio of drivers made their debut in the GR Yaris Rally2 and gained valuable experience across a range of national, European and World championship events. Young Estonian Jaspar Vaher, who joined the Program ahead of this year following its first-ever selection for global talent, impressed with his performances after stepping up from two-wheel drive machinery, achieving his first overall victories at the Rallye Ciudad de Pozoblanco in Spain and Jyväskylä Ralli in Finland as well as a strong fourth place in WRC2 at Rally Finland. Japan’s Takumi Matsushita, from the Program’s third generation, also claimed an overall win at Rali Terras d’Aboboreira in Portugal and showed promise and progress across different surfaces in what was only his third season of rally competition.

For 2027, Vaher and Matsushita have been chosen to take the next step and gain more experience through an expanded programme of WRC rounds across Europe and in Japan. Their preparation will include competing in the Rallye du Dévoluy in the French Alps this December. Shotaro Goto’s participation with the Program has concluded following the end of his 2026 season. During his three years with the Program he has shown significant growth, and all involved wish him every success for the future.

Rio Ogata and Kanta Yanaguida, the Program’s fourth generation of drivers, made history in 2026 as they finished first and second in the Finnish Rally Championship’s SM2 class, with Ogata becoming the first Japanese driver to ever win a Finnish rally title after a close battle between the pair.

With both showing strong promise while still early in their rally careers, having only contested their first events with the Program in mid-2025, Ogata and Yanaguida will continue at the wheel of Rally3 machinery into next year, making more WRC3 appearances to gain further experience through longer and tougher rallies, while also testing Rally2 cars to prepare for the next step.

Hiroya Minowa, the Program’s newest and youngest driver, made his rally debut in June and has shown encouraging progress across his first six events. For 2027, the 17-year-old will step up from Rally4 to Rally3 machinery, initially continuing to compete in Finland and the Baltic region due to his young age, with the potential for his schedule to be expanded later in the season.

Tomiya Maekawa, the only co-driver in the Program, continued to develop his experience across a variety of events in 2026, competing alongside Jarkko Nikara in Rally3 cars and joining Jari-Matti Latvala for selected historic rally outings. In 2027, Maekawa will become Latvala’s navigator on a more regular basis, focusing on the FIA European Historic Rally Championship.

Quotes:
Yuki Yamamoto
“During 2026 there have been ups and downs but I’ve learned a lot. I feel my performance definitely improved, as I could fight with the best drivers in WRC2 in some stages and set fastest times. In some rallies we had really consistent pace and could achieve a strong result, like the podium at Rally Japan. That showed what we are capable of and gives me confidence and encouragement for the future. There were also mistakes and incidents which meant I didn’t always turn our pace into a good result. That is what I need to work on for next year to bring everything together, working on my driving as well as the physical and mental side, to avoid mistakes and be more consistent. I’m very grateful to everyone who has been supporting me, and together I feel we can have a fantastic year and fight for wins and the championship.”

Jaspar Vaher
“My first season with the Program has been a very positive experience. It was my first season in a four-wheel drive car and I was able to gain a lot of experience from many different rallies. I also had the opportunity to prove myself against the fastest drivers in the Rally2 category, and I believe we showed good potential and achieved good results, so I’m really happy about that. I’m really excited to take another step forward next year and do more WRC events. It will be a big challenge, and on rallies that are new to me I will need to be patient, but on rallies where I have some prior experience, I hope I can show more of my potential and achieve good results. Thank you to the Program for giving me this amazing opportunity to follow my dream, to my instructor Juho Hänninen, and to everyone supporting me.”

Takumi Matsushita
“My first season driving the GR Yaris Rally2 car was a learning experience at every event. The chassis and suspension are completely different from what I knew so I found it difficult to adapt at first, but winning in Portugal gave me a lot of confidence. After that, considering my lack of experience, I think I can be satisfied with my driving. I’m excited to contest more WRC rounds next season and compete regularly in the same class as many top drivers. It’s an environment where I can really grow and gain experience. On rallies that are new to me I’ll prioritise learning, while on those I already know, I hope to show speed close to the front of WRC2. I’d like to thank the team and our partners for this incredible opportunity, and I hope to repay everyone’s support through my attitude and my results.”

Rio Ogata
“This year brought many new experiences for me. Stepping up to Rally3 was not easy at first but also a really enjoyable challenge. After a surprise win in our first event, I had some tough moments over the rest of the winter, but once we moved to gravel and asphalt, we could show speed and consistency and win the championship in Finland. I also made some mistakes and have many things to improve, and the longer rallies showed me that there is still a lot to learn. I’m really thankful to the team and to be able to continue with the support of this amazing Program next year. I’m looking forward to taking on some different rallies with the Rally3 car, and gaining more experience with the GR Yaris Rally2. I can’t wait to get started, and I’ll keep pushing.”

Kanta Yanaguida
“Stepping up to the Rally3 car and competing for the Finnish Rally Championship this year, I enjoyed the battle with Rio throughout the year and learned a lot from it. I also gained more experience in different countries and on different surfaces, including longer WRC and ERC rallies for the first time. These events taught me about the concentration and strategy needed, and I feel I’ve gained a deeper understanding of rallying. I’m happy with my progress this year and looking forward to new challenges next year. I’m also excited to be testing the GR Yaris Rally2 car; with the extra performance, I need to keep improving my driving to get the most from the car. I’m really grateful to everyone involved in this Program, especially the team for their hard work at every rally and the instructors for their guidance.”

Hiroya Minowa
“It has been an amazing experience in my first season with this Program. I had no rally experience when I joined, so I was nervous about what to expect, but with the support of everyone involved, I could focus on my driving and learn a lot. Coming from drifting, I was used to driving rear-wheel drive cars, so adapting to the front-wheel drive Rally4 car was tricky at first, but the instructors and older drivers in the Program taught me a lot and really helped me. I’m really excited for next year. Stepping up to the four-wheel drive Rally3 car will be another new experience and I will try to keep improving and fight for the championship in Finland. I can’t thank everyone enough for their support, and I will do my best to achieve good results for them.”

Tomiya Maekawa
“My second year with the Program was another year of good progress with many new experiences. Stepping up to Rally3 with Jarkko and competing in longer and more demanding rallies brought many challenges, but a clean run with good stage times at Rally Finland gave me confidence. I also really enjoyed the chance to compete with Jari-Matti in the legendary Celica ST185. Working with a different driver and a completely different pacenote system has been great for developing my ability to adapt, which is very important for a co-driver. I’m really excited to do more EHRC rallies with Jari-Matti next year and take on an international championship season for the first time. I want to keep improving my skills as a co-driver, and I’m sure the variety of situations we’ll face next season will help me do that. I’m very thankful to everyone involved in making this possible.”

Follow us!

Follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT:
∇Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TOYOTAGAZOORacingWRC
∇X: https://x.com/TGR_WRC (@TGR_WRC)
∇Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tgr_wrc/ (@TGR_WRC)
∇YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TOYOTAGAZOORacingJPchannel

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program Official Partners