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

655

Outright wins

108

Total podiums

297

Stage wins

2434

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

#33 Elfyn Evans
Driver

  • Born: 28 December 1988
  • From: Dolgellau, Wales
  • WRC Vice-Champion on 5 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 5 occasions
  • Fun fact: Started his WRC career as a mechanic

#1 Sébastien Ogier
Driver

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

#1 Vincent Landais
Co-driver

  • Born: 17 October 1991
  • From: Nancy, France
  • WRC Co-Drivers’ Champion 2025
  • Fun fact: Made his debut with TGR-WRT at Rally Japan 2022

#99 Oliver solberg
Driver

  • Born: 23 September 2001
  • From: Mitandersfors, Sweden
  • WRC2 Champion 2025
  • Fun fact: Father Petter was 2003 WRC Drivers’ Champion

#99 Elliott edmondson
Co-driver

  • Born: 29 August 1994
  • From: Milton Keynes, England
  • WRC2 Champion 2025
  • Fun fact: Has been competing since age 15

#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

#18 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
  • WRC2 Champion 2024
  • 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

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    Double Portugal podium for TGR-WRT after cruel late twist

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    TGR-WRT ready for take-off on gravel classic

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    Ogier wins after thrilling TGR-WRT intra-team contest

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    TGR-WRT ready to race on thrilling island roads

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    Katsuta is back-to-back winner and WRC leader with TGR-WRT

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    TGR-WRT turns attention to asphalt for Croatia comeback

  • NewsWRC

    Katsuta is king of Kenya with maiden win for TGR-WRT

  • NewsRally2WRCWRC Challenge Program

    TGR-WRT aims to extend winning run in rallying’s African epic

Partners

Read more