Toyota GAZOO Racing

World Rally Team

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

It’s not just about competing in the WRC. It’s also about building a fast WR car and a team capable of winning.

Both people and cars are trained and strengthened when they are exposed to conditions that exceed the imagination during competition. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing “hates” to lose, and of course we do not want to lose in WRC.

Akio Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman

ultimate training ground

The real world is full of vastly different roads – rough, uneven, unpaved roads to smoothly paved mountain roads and roads with icy patches hidden under new-fallen snow. Learning about them is essential to developing top quality cars. To achieve our goal of manufacturing ever-better cars, we need an intimate understanding of how ordinary people deal with these roads in everyday life.

The WRC is considered the greatest event of motor sports, which makes it the ideal arena for us to learn about the world’s roads. By going for the top WRC category with the GR YARIS Rally1, which was developed based on the production GR YARIS, we accomplished three goals:

  1. We were able to train people in extreme conditions.
  2. We developed technologies at a high level.
  3. And we used the knowledge and experience gained as feedback in the development of new production vehicles.

These are the reasons Toyota decided to take on the WRC in the first place.

All time Toyota statistics of participating in WRC:

WRC starts

593

Outright wins

94

Total podiums

264

Stage wins

2235

rally1

First tier of the rally pyramid.

The WRC is divided into the Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ Championship and the Manufacturers’ Championship. Various types of cars are allowed to compete in WRC, and since 2022 the new specification of Rally1 cars — including the GR YARIS Rally1 — has formed the top category, taking the place of the World Rally Car rules that were first introduced in 1997 and evolved every few years.

The new technical regulations included the introduction of hybrid power for the first time and the use of a fully sustainable fuel, as well as a simplification of the aerodynamics and transmissions seen on the most recent World Rally Cars. After three seasons, a regulation change for 2025 means Rally1 cars will now compete without hybrid units.

Additional teams using Rally1 cars can also enter the championship as a WRC Team. However, they are only permitted to nominate a maximum of two cars for each rally, and must enter at least seven rallies, including one rally that takes place outside Europe.

More information on our Rally1 car can be found under CUSTOMER MOTORSPORT.

MEET OUR rally1 CREWS

#69 Kalle Rovanperä
Driver

  • Born: 1 October 2000
  • From: Jyväskylä, Finland
  • WRC Drivers’ Champion in 2022 and 2023
  • Fun fact: Drove his first rally car, a Toyota Starlet, at 8 years old

#69 Jonne Halttunen
Co-driver

  • Born: 13 December 1985
  • From: Jyväskylä, Finland
  • WRC Drivers’ Champion in 2022 and 2023
  • Fun fact: Owns a Toyota Corolla AE86 rally car

#33 Elfyn Evans
Driver

  • Born: 28 December 1988
  • From: Dolgellau, Wales
  • WRC Vice-Champion on 4 occasions
  • Fun fact: Built his first rally car in his dad’s garage

#33 Scott Martin
CO-Driver

  • Born: 6 November 1982
  • From: Carlisle, England
  • WRC Vice-Champion on 4 occasions
  • Fun fact: Started his WRC career as a mechanic

#17 Sébastien Ogier
Driver

  • Born: 17 December 1983
  • From: Gap, France
  • 8-time WRC Drivers’ Champion
  • Fun fact: Paid €20 to enter the competition that launched his rally career

#17 Vincent Landais
Co-driver

  • Born: 17 October 1991
  • From: Nancy, France
  • Multiple WRC rally winner
  • Fun fact: Made his debut with TGR-WRT at Rally Japan 2022

#18 Takamoto Katsuta
Driver

  • Born: 17 March 1993
  • From: Nagoya, Japan
  • Multiple WRC podium finisher
  • Fun fact: Raced in Formula 3 before switching to rallying

#33 Aaron Johnston
CO-Driver

  • Born: 2 February 1995
  • From: Tyrone, Ireland
  • Multiple WRC podium finisher
  • Fun fact: Started co-driving aged 16

#5 SAMI PAJARI
Driver

  • Born: 1 December 2001
  • From: Lahti, Finland
  • 2024 ERC2 Champion
  • Fun fact: Became the youngest ever Junior WRC champion aged 19

#5 MARKO SALMINEN
CO-Driver

  • Born: 10 October 1978
  • From: Merikarvia, Finland
  • Over 20 years of experience
  • Fun fact: Has driven 40 rallies with a Toyota Starlet

Rally2

The second tier of the rally pyramid.

The Rally2 category makes up the second tier of the rally pyramid, with performance levels that are second only to the top Rally1 category. Rally2 is intended primarily for customer teams and drivers, with a number of different manufacturers producing and offering cars for competitors.

Like Rally1 cars, all Rally2 cars have four-wheel drive, but have more features in common with their road-going counterparts. This includes engines that must be based on one used in a series production road car.

J.Solans and R.Sanjuan Rally Japan 2024

Rally2 cars are suitable for a wide range of different drivers, from young up-and-coming talents to enthusiastic amateur or ‘gentleman’ drivers. With more than 1000 cars already sold around the world by different manufacturers, competition levels are intense.

It forms the basis for WRC2, the highly competitive secondary class that make up WRC events. It’s also the primary category in the European Rally Championship and numerous other regional and national championships across the globe.

TGR-WRT is excited to have developed its own GR Yaris Rally2 car. More information on our Rally2 can be found under CUSTOMER MOTORSPORT.

WRC Team

TGR-WRT Chairman

Akio Toyoda

Team Principal

Jari-Matti Latvala

Deputy Team Principal

juha Kankkunen

Project Director

Yuichiro Haruna

Sporting Director

Kaj Lindström

Technical Director

Tom Fowler

News

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    Next generations of Japanese drivers take on Swedish snow

  • NewsRally2WRC

    Thrilling TOYOTA GAZOO Racing one-two on Swedish snow

  • NewsRally2WRC Challenge Program

    First experience of Rallye Monte-Carlo for Kogure and Yamamoto

  • NewsWRC

    Ogier’s milestone Monte win crowns TOYOTA GAZOO Racing one-two

  • NewsRally2WRC

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing begins WRC title bid with a legendary challenge

  • NewsWRCWRC Challenge Program

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing reinforces WRC line-up with youth and experience for 2025

  • NewsRally2WRC

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes title with home win in thrilling finale

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing goes for glory on home roads finale

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