SÖDERTÄLJE, Sweden / BRUSSELS, Belgium, 7 September 2026 - Toyota and Scania today announced a partnership to advance hydrogen fuel cell solutions for heavy-duty mobility through real-world logistics operations.

In this collaboration, Toyota will supply fuel cell systems for 40 heavy-duty vehicles within Scania’s Pilot Partner programme. The programme brings Scania together with selected customers to evaluate a wide range of sustainable transport technologies, including hydrogen fuel cell system, under real operating conditions. As zero-emissions heavy-duty fuel cell applications continue to expand, this initiative is expected to deliver confirmation of technical performance, operational efficiency and total cost of ownership. By integrating Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology into this framework, the partnership will evaluate how fuel cell electric trucks can support demanding heavy-duty transport operations.

The vehicles will be equipped with Toyota’s latest third-generation fuel cell system, which delivers 300 kW of power in a highly compact design for heavy-duty applications and a wide range of other use cases.

The first Scania hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks will start operating during the first quarter of 2027.

Toyota will share more information at its IAA Transportation press conference on 14 September.

About Scania
Scania is a world-leading provider of premium transport solutions. Together with our partners and customers, we are driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system. Founded in Sweden in 1891, Scania now operates in more than 100 countries and employs around 53,000 people.
Scania Pilot Partner is a close collaboration with customers to test and evaluate new sustainable transport solutions in real operating environments. Each pilot project provides valuable insights into how the technology performs in daily customer operations, including operational efficiency and total cost of ownership across applications from city distribution to long-haul transport.

Brave overtaking, bold strategy and strong teamwork saw Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries comfortably lead the race, when a hydraulic issue forced the #7 TR010 HYBRID into retirement with just 11 minutes to go.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa fought for much of the race for a podium in their #8 TR010 HYBRID before suffering their own misfortune, prior to an exciting fightback which earned sixth.

Despite missing out on a better result, TOYOTA RACING nevertheless extended its lead in the manufacturers’ World Championship to nine points. The #7 crew remains tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings with three races remaining, while the #8 crew has closed to within 11 points.

From seventh and ninth on the grid, Nyck and Sébastien moved into the top six in the early laps before adopting different fuel strategies. The #8 made its first pit stop early to gain time on a clear track, and both ran in the top three in the first two hours.

A safety car at the midway point reset the strategies and reduced the gaps. After the restart, Nyck made three bold overtakes into turn one to battle into the lead. Kamui took over and held the lead under pressure from the two Alpines approaching the last hour.

The #8 was a strong podium contender and Ryō ran third with 90 minutes remaining, until a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding dropped him to seventh. Further misfortune was created by a virtual safety car (VSC) soon after. Having taken a fuel stop under racing conditions moments earlier, the #8 dropped to 14th when its rivals gained time by pitting under the VSC.

A safety car automatically followed and, when the race resumed with 45 minutes to go, Nyck set new fastest laps to build a gap at the front. He was within touching distance of victory when a hydraulic issue affected his power steering and forced the #7 into the garage with just 11 minutes to go.

Sébastien recovered some points for the team with a determined final stint. He delivered an overtaking masterclass, passing multiple rivals to move back into the points and finish sixth.

TOYOTA RACING will aim to bounce back from the disappointment at its home race in three weeks. The 6 Hours of Fuji takes place on 27 September.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “It was a very unfortunate race for us. We had been strong all the way through. For almost six hours we had a great race. Obviously when you lose the hydraulics, there is nothing you can do. We had to retire the car. It was a big opportunity for us to score a lot of points, so obviously it’s tough to take. But this is endurance racing. We need to learn and improve so we can come back stronger for our home race.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “That was not the way we envisioned the end of the race. Everything was looking good until those last few minutes. We’re all gutted because everyone did a great job and I think we deserved the win. Luckily our competition for the World Championship didn't score well either, so that's the only small consolation.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “Obviously that was a very sad end to a great day. We really gave it our all and the team executed extremely well. We had a great car, with strong pace and we were in a perfect position going into the last few minutes. Unfortunately, this is a technical sport and that let us down today.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It was a really sad day for us because the speed was there. We did the best we could in the end and salvaged a few points, but it's really a big opportunity missed. The positive thing is that the car was very fast, but it's always frustrating when you lose a good result like that. We'll work hard and hopefully have a better race in Fuji.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “That was a brutal finish for the team. We definitely had the pace to have two cars on the podium today, so it hurts to give it away. Séb did a great last stint to bring our car back to sixth but I’m massively disappointed for the team that car #7 had the issue when it was in a dominant position to take the victory.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “We had the pace, but it wasn’t our day. Unfortunately, when I got in the car for my stint, there was a system issue which cost time to pull away, then caused an over-speed in the pit lane so we got a drive-through. I feel really sorry for what happened to car #7. This was not our race, but also, we need to work hard to improve so we don’t experience this again. The next race is Fuji, where we want to be back on the podium.”

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An intense engineering effort throughout free practice helped both TR010 HYBRIDs maximise their performance in qualifying and Hyperpole. This delivered a solid foundation for TOYOTA RACING to extend its advantage in the manufacturers’ World Championship and fight for a first win in Austin.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa will start from seventh on the grid in the #8 TR010 HYBRID. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, who are tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings, were ninth in their #7 TR010 HYBRID.

Qualifying took place in the hottest conditions of the event so far, with temperatures hitting 38°C. The competition on track soon heated up as well.

With low fuel and on new medium Michelin tyres, Ryō left the pits immediately when the 12-minute qualifying began, while Kamui waited a few minutes to begin. The two TR010 HYBRIDs set best times just 0.058secs apart to reach Hyperpole, with Ryō in eighth and Kamui ninth.

In Hyperpole, the TR010 HYBRIDs bided their time in the pits before heading on track. An intense session saw Kamui earn ninth place with his only flying lap, while Ryō completed two flying laps, improving slightly on his second to move up to seventh.

With hot conditions likely to continue for Sunday’s race, the team’s engineers and drivers will now work to optimise strategies for the demanding COTA track, which exposes tyres to the highest energy levels of the whole WEC season. The race begins at 1pm local time (8pm CEST).

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We wanted a bit more, but I think we are still in a good position for the race. We have higher expectations for tomorrow, when I think the heat here in Austin could help us. There were a lot of true racing fans here and I am sure even more will be here tomorrow, so we’re all looking forward to an exciting race. Hopefully we will finish it with smiles on our faces.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was really hot out there, really difficult conditions. The temperature was much higher than this morning, and the tyres were overheating. I had to adjust many things, but the team did a good job. We expected qualifying to be a bit tricky, but seventh and ninth is not bad. I think we have strong race pace, so hopefully we fight for another win tomorrow.”

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The team leads the manufacturers’ World Championship going into round five of the season, when it aims for its first victory at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa ended the opening day 12th fastest in their #8 TR010 HYBRID, 1.091secs behind the pace-setting Aston Martin, although the final standings did not reflect the progress made during two encouraging practice sessions on Friday.

Le Mans winners Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, who are tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings, were 15th in their #7 TR010 HYBRID.

First practice began late in the morning, with temperatures already hitting 30°C. The team built on the set-up work done during its July test at COTA by focusing on control settings and mechanical adjustments. The session, which was briefly interrupted by a full-course yellow, ended with both TR010 HYBRIDs in the top six. Nyck and Ryō set the fastest laps of the session for their respective cars.

Conditions were even hotter for second practice. However, action was delayed by a red flag in the opening moments before both cars could continue a programme of race preparation. This included further analysis of the Michelin tyres, which experience the highest energy levels of the season at COTA. A productive session saw Kamui and Ryō recorded the best laps for their cars.

With data from two busy sessions to analyse, the team’s engineers will work hard to find improvements for performance and balance before Saturday morning’s third practice, the final preparation before qualifying at 3.40pm local time (10.40pm CEST).

Visitors to the track can meet some of TOYOTA RACING’s drivers later in the day, during an autograph session at 5pm in the fan zone. Sunday’s six-hour race starts at 1pm (8pm CEST).

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We’re happy to be back here in Austin, although it’s not long since we were here for our test. It’s quite hot in the car, as expected, but we are well prepared for this and ready for the challenge. After the first two free practice sessions, we need to work on a few things, but it’s been a decent start. Hopefully we can pull off a good qualifying tomorrow and prepare well for the race.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “It’s good to be back on track, particularly here in Austin. The car felt pretty good. We worked hard to prepare for the race with some long runs in both sessions. We’ll look at the set-up options to work out where we need to be. Hopefully we can get it right overnight and then we’ll be in strong shape tomorrow.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “We obviously benefited from a test here at the end of July, which definitely helped us get a head start and hit the ground running. We need to just focus on ourselves and preparing for qualifying and the race. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going and be competitive when it matters in the race.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It’s been a good day overall. Our performance has clearly made a good step compared to Brazil. We spent a lot of time doing long runs and it looks like we have a decent base. It's going to be important to obviously do a good job and make no mistakes. All in all, I’m quite happy with how things went and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It was a pretty smooth day and we’re all quite happy with the car. It looks like one lap pace is a bit tricky, but on the long runs we seem to be in the mix and more competitive than São Paulo. Now we're trying to find some extra performance overnight to ensure we're in a good position to fight at the front on Sunday.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “The track was cooler than when we tested so there were some new things to explore. Our focus was to prepare for the race, so we worked to assess the tyres and balance. So far, the car feels good. Qualifying is going to be a bit tight, but I think we have a good base for the race. I feel more positive about our race pace.”

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Following a demanding Rally del Paraguay last week, the team’s five GR YARIS Rally1 cars have been rebuilt and transported across the Andes mountains in readiness for round 12 of 14 in the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.

While Sami Pajari completed a historic hat-trick of victories in Paraguay, TGR-WRT took another step towards securing the manufacturers’ championship. With a lead of 173 points and just 180 left up for grabs, the team can guarantee the title in Chile if it scores at least seven points.

Meanwhile, the team’s contenders continue an exciting battle over the drivers’ crown with three rounds remaining. Championship leader Elfyn Evans has 20 points in hand over his closest rival Pajari after the latter’s three consecutive wins. Oliver Solberg is the next closest challenger in third, 41 points from the lead, with Takamoto Katsuta a further 15 points back in fourth. Nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, 68 points from the lead, will target a repeat of his 2025 win in Chile.

Katsuta will compete in Chile alongside James Fulton, who will stand in for regular co-driver Aaron Johnston. Following further examinations upon returning home after a high-speed accident on the final day in Paraguay, Johnston was found to have sustained a fracture to his collarbone, and will miss Rally Chile to allow more time to recover before returning to competition. The team wishes Johnston a speedy recovery and looks forward to welcoming him back to action soon.

With Fulton stepping up to partner Katsuta, TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto will be joined by Topi Luhtinen for Chile as he continues his maiden South American adventure in WRC2.

Yamamoto drives one of eight GR Yaris Rally2 cars on the entry list: Diego Domínguez and Gus Greensmith, who finished first and second in the class in Paraguay, are joined by fellow series regulars Alejandro Cachón, Andrea Lafarja and Adrien Mosca, while Chilean brothers Alberto and Pedro Heller have made the switch to the GR Yaris Rally2 for this edition of their home event.

This will be the WRC’s fifth visit to Chile and the gravel roads in the forests of the Biobío region surrounding the Pacific port city of Concepción, located about 500 kilometres to the south of capital city Santiago. The stages combine fast and technical sections with a mix of smooth and abrasive surfaces, while rain and fog can create challenging conditions.

The rally route has been significantly revised for 2026 with around 40 per cent of the 311.18 competitive kilometres being new to the WRC. After shakedown and a ceremonial start in Concepción on Thursday, the opening leg on Friday consists of three heavily reworked stages to the south-east each run twice either side of mid-day service. Saturday is the longest day of the rally offering 139.2 km across two loops of three familiar stages to the south of Concepción across the Biobío River. Sunday takes place in a similar area where the new Carampangue is paired with the returning Biobío Power Stage.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“After an eventful rally in Paraguay, we’re looking forward to continuing this South American adventure in Chile. Our team has been hard at work this week to rebuild the cars so that they are like new again for Chile. On paper, Chile can be a more straightforward rally with fast and flowing roads that the drivers enjoy, but we know that the weather there can still bring some surprises. The manufacturers’ title is close now and we have pretty strong chances to secure that, while the drivers’ championship is getting more exciting as we near the end of the season and we will keep giving all our crews the same chances to win.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“After Paraguay we know that we can look forward to a similarly warm welcome from the fans in Chile. The rally is generally quite a fast one with flowing stages that are usually good to drive, but the challenge depends a lot on the weather which can change quite dramatically during the weekend. When it’s dry, the surface can be very loose for the early cars and it can also get extremely abrasive to the point that you really have to consider tyre management carefully. When it’s wet, it can get pretty muddy, similar to what you might find in Wales, and the fog can also make things extremely difficult.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Paraguay was a tough event, as it was for most, and now we just need to look forward to Chile. It’s a rally where the conditions can hopefully be more consistent and it can be a fair fight between everyone, even if we know that the weather can also change quite quickly there. It’s another event that we have great memories of winning last year, and we will of course be trying to repeat that this time. The roads are pretty good fun to drive and the atmosphere is always nice, so it should be an enjoyable one.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Rally Chile should be another fantastic South American experience. The rally culture is really big there with a lot of passion, and there’s some great stages. They can seem pretty straightforward but the character varies quite a lot: Friday has normally been quite narrow and cambered, a bit like New Zealand, and then the other days are a bit wider, more like Wales – and it can get pretty muddy when it rains. The road can also evolve a lot from first to second pass and become really abrasive for the tyres. I have good memories from Chile last year when we won both the rally and the title in WRC2, and we’ll try our best for another good result now in Rally1.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Like in Paraguay, the fans in Chile have always been really excited for the rally and supporting us as drivers. The stages can be quite tricky. Some of the roads – particularly those we’ve driven on Friday in recent years – are quite cambered and narrow and there’s not so much margin. If they stay dry, the roads can get abrasive so you need to manage the tyres, especially on the second pass, but the weather can also make things difficult if there’s low cloud or fog. I want to wish Aaron a speedy recovery and I’m grateful to James and to the team for their support and making it possible for us to drive together in Chile.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“We have been on a really nice run lately and I hope Rally Chile can be good for us as well. It is a rally I know quite well now, as I’ve done it twice already in the Rally1 car, and it’s one of my favourites because of the profile of the stages. Some of them are pretty similar to Finland: really fast and flowing with some really nice camber that helps you take more speed through the corners. It can also be pretty challenging, with high tyre wear, and the weather can change really quickly. Like in Paraguay, the fans are very passionate and I’m looking forward to it.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“I’m looking forward to continuing this South American adventure in Chile. Paraguay was a very challenging rally, but it was nice to finish it with some good pace and a good feeling which we can carry forward to Chile. This will be another new rally for me, and I know that the character of the stages will be different again to Paraguay, but it looks like they can be quite nice and flowing to drive, and maybe a bit more like those in Finland that I’m familiar with. I’ll try to take what we learned from Paraguay and do my best.”

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Since its introduction, Toyota’s style-conscious crossover has captivated customers with a unique combination of bold design, emotional appeal, driving enjoyment and efficient electrified powertrains.

The motorsport-inspired GR SPORT version gains new Onyx Grey matte colour and 20-inch wheels

The Toyota C-HR GR SPORT draws inspiration from Toyota’s World Championship-winning motorsport teams, with dedicated design and chassis features that complement the new colour and wheel updates.

A head-up display is fitted as standard, while a panoramic roof, bi-tone+ colouring and a premium JBL sound system are available as options.

Customers have a choice of powertrains: a 1.8-litre hybrid system with 140 DIN hp, a 2.0-litre hybrid system with 180 DIN hp, and a 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid option delivering 223 DIN hp.

The GR SPORT benefits from Frequency Selective Control (FSC) shock absorbers, which automatically adapt damping performance to optimise both handling and ride comfort across a wide range of road conditions. A dynamic damper on the front strut reduces road noise and vibration.

Expressing a functional beauty, the new Onyx Grey matte colour further enhances the Toyota C-HR’s bold, edgy appearance and contributes to an emotive and attention-grabbing new look for the GR SPORT grade. The new colour emphasises the Toyota C-HR’s sharp-edged design, reminiscent of a sports coupe’s dynamic lines. Onyx Grey matte is available exclusively on the GR SPORT in the striking bi-tone+ execution, which combines the new colour with contrasting black across the roof and rear body panels.

An updated appearance is completed by new 20-inch wheels with a matte grey finish, developed exclusively for the GR SPORT grade.

A concept car for the road

Beyond the latest GR SPORT updates, the Toyota C-HR continues to embody its original vision as a ‘concept car for the road’. The latest generation is built on four key pillars: sensual exterior style, a personalised user experience, environmental leadership, and agile and responsive performance.

Strengthening its connection to European customers, the second-generation Toyota C-HR, which was launched in 2023, benefits from local design, engineering and production.

A high level of sophisticated design execution includes premium features such as the Toyota-first flush door handles, dynamic 64-colour interior ambient lighting and shade-less panoramic roof. These features complement an intuitive digital cockpit to create a holistic and personalised user experience which puts the customer at the heart of the vehicle.

A range of hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric powertrains use Toyota’s latest technology for more power and torque, delivering an enjoyable and efficient driving experience. These efficient powertrains contribute to Toyota’s multi-pathway approach towards carbon neutrality, which aims to provide a choice of sustainable options, regardless of location or individual circumstances.

The plug-in hybrid Toyota C-HR showcases a ‘best of both worlds’ DNA which combines the range for all-electric daily driving with the dependability of hybrid technology for stress-free longer trips. It boasts an equivalent all-electric range (EAER) of around 100 km in city and urban areas, or up to 66 km in the combined WLTP cycle.

The Toyota C-HR was the first Toyota model to feature the geo-fencing function as part of its Predictive Efficient Drive system, which combines smart technology to maximise battery charge and range. Geo-fencing ensures sufficient EV range to navigate upcoming LEZ or BEV-mandatory zones by intelligently switching between hybrid and electric modes.

In addition to efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies, the Toyota C-HR’s environmental impact is further reduced by the use of recycled and animal-free materials, as well as advanced technologies to reduce vehicle weight and cut CO2 emissions during production.

2027 Toyota C-HR line-up

For 2027, the Toyota C-HR line-up has been streamlined to consist of the Mid, Mid+, High and GR SPORT variants. The 2027 Toyota C-HR range is available to order now.

Leading companies from the transport, energy and industrial sectors, together with German policymakers, are collaborating to establish a benchmark for a fully integrated hydrogen mobility ecosystem for heavy-duty transport. They reflect a shared ambition to scale hydrogen with a focus on customer-oriented refueling infrastructure and competitively priced hydrogen fuel.

Delivering a comprehensive hydrogen ecosystem that complements battery-electric solutions requires coordinated developments across the entire value chain with focus on commercializing competitive vehicles, deploying strategically located refueling infrastructure aligned with customer needs, and ensuring reliable access to hydrogen at viable price levels. Together, these elements can create the conditions for a competitive total cost of ownership and position hydrogen as a practical, scalable solution for zero-emission transport.

Further details will be announced on September 15 at IAA Transportation 2026.

The young Finnish star and his co-driver Marko Salminen have achieved something nobody ever has before by recording their first three wins in consecutive rounds of the WRC.

While recent victories on fast roads in Estonia and Finland showcased his speed, Pajari’s success in South America was built on avoiding major difficulties during a demanding second visit to Paraguayan roads by the WRC.

The many bumps and compressions and sharp rocks hidden in the clay-like surface combined with higher temperatures to test tyres as well as the cars and their drivers. A near-constant threat of heavy rain kept teams on their toes – with the GR YARIS Rally1 cars being fitted mid-rally with snorkel systems usually seen only on Safari Rally Kenya.

Pajari sat as low as seventh overall on the opening Friday morning after developing a water leak in the first stage, and having managed the issue until it could be fully fixed in mid-day service, he went on to finish the day in the lead as others encountered more significant delays. He was able to gradually open his advantage to 24.1 seconds during Saturday and ultimately secured victory by 25.8s.

Elfyn Evans also drove a typically well-managed rally together with co-driver Scott Martin to finish fourth overall and ensure they continue to lead the championship. Evans was another driver to lead during Friday after avoiding early chaos, only to then concede around a minute with tyre damage. He ultimately finished just 5.1s shy of a podium place and picked up valuable extra points by finishing fourth in the Power Stage and fifth on Super Sunday to lead Pajari by 20 points with three rounds remaining.

Oliver Solberg was the rally’s first leader on Friday until losing four minutes with a stall and a tyre change in the third stage. He recovered to finish fifth overall with co-driver Elliott Edmondson and win the Power Stage, as well as sharing the winning time on Super Sunday with team-mate Sébastien Ogier. Running under restart rules after stopping with suspension damage on Friday, Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais came second on the Power Stage and claimed the full five points on Super Sunday courtesy of their win in the day’s first stage.

With those points, TGR-WRT’s lead in the manufacturers’ championship now stands at 173 points with 180 still available.

Also running under restart rules, Takamoto Katsuta’s rally ultimately came to an end with a high-speed accident in the penultimate stage. He and co-driver Aaron Johnston were taken to hospital for precautionary checks and released the same afternoon.

In the WRC2 category there was a first ever 1-2-3 finish for the GR Yaris Rally2 car, with Paraguayan driver Diego Domínguez achieving his maiden victory on home roads together with co-driver Rogelio Peñate and the MSi Racing Team. Gus Greensmith and Jonas Andersson were second in their RaceSeven-run car with Alejandro Galanti and Marcelo Toyotoshi third for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Paraguay.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto experienced the event’s demands for the first time on his maiden rally on South American soil, restarting to gather valuable mileage after stopping on Friday following technical issues.

Quotes:
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“To everyone on the team who competed in Rally del Paraguay, and to everyone who worked so hard to make the event happen, thank you and congratulations on getting through such a challenging rally week.

I saw the photos of the service park after it had been battered by strong winds. Rally del Paraguay is already a tough rally under normal conditions, so I am very relieved that the event was completed safely. Thank you all for your hard work.

And in the middle of all that, Sami and Marko gave us a fantastic victory. Three wins in a row after Estonia and Finland. Congratulations, Sami and Marko!

The way the two of you have been fighting back has made the championship battle even more exciting. Sami and Marko, and Elfyn and Scott as well, there are still three rallies to go. Keep pushing, enjoy the fight, and go all out for the championship. I’ll be cheering for all of you.

P.S.
Ever since last year, I have been receiving very enthusiastic invitations from people in Paraguay, asking me to come and experience Rally del Paraguay for myself.
As I am still recovering from surgery, I decided not to make the trip this year.
Some people say I have a knack for bringing good weather with me, and after hearing about the conditions during the rally week, I have to admit I found myself thinking, “Maybe I should have gone after all!”
Hopefully, I will get the chance to visit Paraguay next year.”

Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“We’re very happy to see Sami achieve this incredible result by taking his first three victories in a row like this. Estonia and Finland were more familiar rallies for him but this event in Paraguay is still very new for everybody with very different challenges. The conditions were not easy, especially on Friday when there was a lot of drama happening, but Sami managed without major problems. He drove consistently without taking too much risk and did a very good job. Elfyn also drove a very smart rally even if he was a bit unlucky on Friday. Oliver and Seb both got the most out of the final day, while for Taka it has been a difficult rally but the most important thing is that he and Aaron are both fine and well. Our competition was strong here but we are another step closer to the manufacturers’ title and we’re looking forward to Chile.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“This weekend started pretty well on Friday until we had the issue with the tyre in the afternoon, and after that we didn’t really settle into a good enough rhythm and were missing some pace to hold off Adrien who was really strong. We were maybe a bit too conservative after all the drama of Friday when conditions were perhaps more extreme, but it’s not easy to find the right balance between risk and reward. I can’t be completely happy with the weekend but others fared worse and we still come away with some decent points.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“We had a good battle with Oliver today trying to recover as many points as we could from a tough weekend. I was happy with how our day was going up until the Power Stage, where we had a half-spin in a muddy section where I think a lot of people were struggling. Still we could take nine points from the day which isn’t bad, even if it’s not making a big difference for us in the championship anymore. We didn’t get the result we wanted here but we still had fun behind the wheel and enjoyed our time with the fans.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“This morning we lost a bit of time on the first stage which was getting more muddy with each car, but after that we won every stage we drove so we can be happy with that. A big thanks to the team; the mechanics have done an amazing job to keep the car running all weekend on such an incredibly rough event. I feel we were a bit unlucky with some small details on Friday which cost us time, but it’s still been a great weekend feeling so much passion and support from the fans who have really put a smile on my face.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“The impact in this accident was quite big and that Aaron and I are both OK shows how well the cars are built to keep us safe. Thank you to the team and the FIA for the regulations and thank you also to everyone who helped us afterwards and supported us. I’m not sure exactly what happened but I lost the rear of the car, I tried to correct it and we hit a small bank on the inside that lifted the car onto two wheels. I still tried to save it but we rolled. It was my mistake and I’m sorry for the team and grateful for their ongoing support. This weekend didn’t go well but highs and lows are part of the game and I just need to come back stronger.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“I’m really happy and it’s a very proud moment; to realise that we’ve done something that nobody ever has before is really special. A big thank you to the team once again. It was not an easy rally for the drivers or the team, so building such a reliable car is key to this success. This was a very different rally to Estonia and Finland; it was not about being flat-out all the time. We had to manage many different things and I tried to be clever with my driving. It was a really demanding rally but that just makes it even sweeter to be able to win. We’re also well in the fight for the championship. It’s still quite a few points to catch but I will just keep doing the best job that I can.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“This rally started difficult for me with punctures in the first two stages, which made it hard to find a rhythm. In the afternoon, the feeling and the split times were better but then we had to stop with an issue. Saturday also started pretty difficult with quite a few things happening, but in the afternoon things turned around for the better. I could drive with more of a normal feeling and everything was going smoothly. The final day was really good with no mistakes and good stage times, and it will be good to take that feeling forward to Chile.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY DEL PARAGUAY
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 3h13m28.5s
2 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +25.8s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +40.0s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +45.1s
5 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m57.0s
6 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m19.0s
7 Diego Domínguez/Rogelio Peñate (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +7m40.5s
8 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +8m03.2s
9 Alejandro Galanti/Marcelo Toyotoshi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +10m23.0s
10 Taylor Gill/Daniel Brkic (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +10m36.9s
34 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1h03m41.6s
Retired Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1)
(Results as of 16:00 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

WRC2 class
1 Diego Domínguez/Rogelio Peñate (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) 3h21m09.0s
2 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +22.7s
3 Alejandro Galanti/Marcelo Toyotoshi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +2m42.5s
4 Taylor Gill/Daniel Brkic (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +2m56.4s
5 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +4m16.3s
6 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +4m26.4s
14 Yuki Yamamoto/James Fulton (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +31m14.7s

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 11:
1 Elfyn Evans 216 points
2 Sami Pajari 196
3 Oliver Solberg 175
4 Takamoto Katsuta 160
5 Adrien Fourmaux 149
6 Sébastien Ogier 148
7 Thierry Neuville 129
8 Hayden Paddon 38
9 Josh McErlean 29
10 Esapekka Lappi 25

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 11:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 554 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 381
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 210
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 138

What's next?
Cars will be rebuilt in Paraguay next week and transported across the Andes mountains for another South American gravel challenge at Rally Chile on September 10-13. Held in the forests of the Bio Bío region overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the stages are technical but largely fast with a mix of smooth and abrasive gravel.

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With rain forecasted to create challenging conditions for the last two days of the rally, the team fitted snorkels – as seen usually on Safari Rally Kenya – to its five GR YARIS Rally1 cars in service on Friday evening to keep them running reliably in case of deep water crossings.

As it turned out, while heavy rain and strong winds would hit the service park in the early hours of Saturday, the day’s nine stages would remain largely dry, with tyre management instead becoming the main consideration once more on the abrasive stages.

Pajari came into the day with a lead of 11.9 seconds over Hayden Paddon of Hyundai, and opened that up to 26s within the first three stages of the day. He did lose part of his rear wing when running wide in SS11, but returned to mid-day service with his margin standing at 22.8s. With a well-managed afternoon loop, Pajari ended the day leading by 24.1s as he looks to secure what would be a third consecutive victory.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans remains in third position overall after a clean and solid day, with a reduced margin of 3.3s over a hard-charging Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai).

Oliver Solberg continued his recovery from time lost on Friday and moved up into fifth overall on the day’s closing super special in Encarnación.

Sébastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta both restarted after their cars were repaired following damage sustained on Friday. Ogier claimed stage wins in both passes through the Trinidad stage while Katsuta was quickest in the Encarnación Costanera super special.

Diego Domínguez continues to lead WRC2 on home roads ahead of fellow GR Yaris Rally2 driver Gus Greensmith, with 24.3s between them. TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto restarted after being stopped by a technical issue on Friday, gathering valuable experience on his first appearance in Paraguay.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“In the end, today was a much calmer day than yesterday, which I think was welcome. Everybody had gone out with wet weather setups expecting the rain, but it remained pretty dry on the stages. Still, it was not easy out there and you needed to take care with the tyres but all our drivers did a good job. Sami has been able to increase the lead and Elfyn is doing what he needs to do, even if Adrien is pushing very hard behind. Let’s see if the rain now comes for tomorrow, because we know that can make things very challenging, so nothing is decided yet.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Our day started pretty well with the fastest time in the first stage. Then in the second stage there were already some huge rocks around so I played it safe, and it was a similar story in the mud later in the loop. This afternoon we took some hard tyres and it’s difficult to know if that was the correct decision or not, but we were concerned about the wear after yesterday. Adrien has been charging hard and had a strong day, and it was a surprise to lose so much time in the super special, but we can expect more difficult conditions tomorrow and just need to keep doing the best we can.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Today wasn’t the easiest one with nothing to really fight for, but we just focused on trying to enjoy the driving with this car as much as we could and I think we had a decent rhythm. The rain didn’t come as expected but there was some dampness in the last stage of the loop and we managed to take a stage win there, and another one in the afternoon. Tomorrow maybe some rain is still coming, and let’s see what we can do to try to grab some points.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“We were hoping to have some rain today to make things exciting for us. Unfortunately it didn’t come but it still hasn’t been a bad day. The main goal was just to stay clean and try to catch McErlean and we were able to do that, and it’s good to get back up to fifth. It was tricky with the tyres as we didn’t have as many good spares as others to rotate around, but we managed OK. Tomorrow maybe the rain will come and we’ll try our best whatever happens.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Everybody was expecting that it would be quite wet today but the rain never really came. At least with the dry conditions I could just focus on recovering after what happened yesterday. A big thank you to the team for fixing the car so that I could drive again, gain experience on these stages and try to get back the feeling ahead of tomorrow, when I want to try to take some points.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“We can be happy with today. The conditions were still quite tricky, even if they were a lot more straightforward than the heavy rain we were expecting. Still we had some moments, losing part of the rear wing when we ran slightly wide in one corner, which affected the handling in the high-speed sections, but it was not a big drama. Otherwise the car was quick and reliable and we were able to extend our lead over the day. Like in Estonia and Finland, I’m not getting too excited yet because a lot can still happen and the weather could be hard to predict again.”

End of day two (Saturday):
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2h48m29.7s
2 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +24.1s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +56.3s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +59.6s
5 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +3m25.7s
6 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m32.0s
7 Diego Domínguez/Rogelio Peñate (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +6m20.4s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +6m40.0s
9 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +6m44.7s
10 Fau Zaldivar/Marcelo Der Ohannesian (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +7m33.6s
39 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1h04m10.3s
45 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1h19m37.5s
(Results as of 20:00 on Saturday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Five stages will conclude the rally on Sunday totalling 66.35 competitive kilometres. The day starts and ends with the new Encarnación stage on the edge of the host city with the second pass serving as the Power Stage.

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On the WRC’s second visit to the South American country, the challenging red gravel roads around Encarnación quickly lived up to the reputation they earned in 2025. The first day was also the longest of the rally with 153.78 competitive kilometres to be driven across two loops of four stages – including the longest test of the season so far; the 34.08km of Yerbateras. Across the day, the many bumps and compressions and sharp rocks hidden in the clay-like surface would prove demanding for tyres as well as the cars and their drivers.

There was trouble for some crews already in the opening stage with Takamoto Katsuta going off the road and having to stop with damage, while Sébastien Ogier was showing strong pace until being slowed by tyre damage. In the next stage, Ogier would run wide and hit a bank, sustaining suspension damage and ultimately having to join Katsuta in retiring for the day. Both cars are being prepared to restart on Saturday.

Oliver Solberg made a strong start to the rally, winning the first two stages to build an early lead, but lost power in a chicane in SS3 Yerbateras and required a push from fans to restart, before then stopping later in the stage to change a wheel and tyre, conceding four minutes in total.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans, running first on the road, was seventh overall after the first stage but carefully managed a tyre issue during SS3 to capitalise on the problems for others and climb to third overall at the end of the morning loop. He was one place ahead of team-mate and nearest championship rival Pajari, who was affected by a water leak during the morning loop which the team fixed during mid-day service.

In the afternoon Evans continued to gain places and took the rally lead in SS6 only to be struck by another tyre issue in the following stage, the second pass through Yerbateras, where he lost around one minute.

Pajari went fastest in the same stage to jump from third to first overall, and the winner of the two most recent rallies in Estonia and Finland leads by 11.9 seconds overnight from Hayden Paddon of Hyundai. Evans is third, 56.3s from the lead, while Solberg is sixth among the Rally1 cars and eighth overall.

The GR Yaris Rally2 car occupies the top three places in WRC2 with Paraguayan driver Diego Domínguez in the lead and in sixth overall by 39.4s ahead of Gus Greensmith, with Marco Bulacia third in the class. On his first time competing in South America, TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto’s day came to an early end due to a technical issue after SS6.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It has been quite a crazy day to start this rally with so many things happening so early on. Sami has done well to be leading. He was the only one not to lose significant time; he just had the water pipe come off this morning and had to slow down a little bit to manage the temperatures. We lost two cars from the fight early on, and then Oliver lost time as well. Elfyn was doing well until his tyre issue this afternoon, but he’s still not in a bad position. It’s been a strange day but our rivals haven’t really had it any easier. Everyone is expecting rain tomorrow, which could make things very tricky, but we just have to prepare as well as we can.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been a dramatic day for almost everybody, with very few who haven’t had their fair share of trouble already. We’ve been focused on trying to be clean and having a good rhythm, and everything’s been working fine in the car. It has been challenging for the tyres and we had to manage some issues through both long stages and unfortunately lost quite a bit of time. Others have fared even worse than us so the overall position isn’t bad, and the rain might bring a very different set of challenges for tomorrow.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Unfortunately this rally quickly turned out to be very challenging for us. In the first stage we got a puncture on a landing from a jump, and we also had a bit of an electronic issue going into the next stage. I maybe lost concentration a bit, came a bit too fast over a crest and hit the bank on the outside; it was my mistake and we damaged the front-left suspension. We tried to fix it and continue, but eventually we had to stop for the day.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Today was definitely trickier than expected. I had a good feeling this morning and the first two stages were nice. Then we were a bit unfortunate; going into a junction I lost the engine and needed help from the fans to restart, and then we got a slow puncture and stopped to change it. It’s a pity so much time was lost but that’s rallying. After that we just tried to be clean and nothing is over; there could be crazy weather over the weekend so anything can still happen.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“At the beginning of the first stage there was a very high-speed approach down into the forest and I probably just came too fast into this corner; it was my mistake. I lost the rear of the car and wasn’t able to recover it and we rolled. Initially we tried to continue but we stopped to prevent any further damage. I’m really sorry for the team and it’s a tough moment but we will try to regroup.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It’s been a crazy day with many stories to tell for us and for everybody else. Our day didn’t start great as we got a water leak on the first stage, but thankfully we could make a fix to get through the morning and get back to service. After that, the car was working to its full potential and we could enjoy it as much as possible, but today was still more about survival than we expected. It’s nice to be in the lead but I think on this rally it’s not meaning so much; with the weather forecast, the most demanding days might still be to come.”

End of day one (Friday):
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 1h28m28.7s
2 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +11.9s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +56.3s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m51.3s
5 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m23.1s
6 Diego Domínguez/Rogelio Peñate (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +2m36.0s
7 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +3m15.4s
8 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +3m33.3s
9 Marco Bulacia/José Murado (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +4m01.4s
10 Romet Jürgenson/Siim Oja (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +4m36.9s
TBC Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1)
TBC Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1)
(Results as of 18:30 on Friday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
On Saturday another loop of four gravel stages will be run twice either side of mid-day service, before a new super special stage in Encarnación completes a total of 135.74 competitive kilometres.

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With two wins so far this season – including the Le Mans 24 Hours – TOYOTA RACING leads the manufacturers’ World Championship going into round five of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

At the halfway point in the season, the #7 TR010 HYBRID crew of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries are tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings. Team-mates Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa are still in the title fight in their #8 TR010 HYBRID, 19 points behind.

TOYOTA RACING is determined to improve on the previous round, when neither TR010 HYBRID scored points in São Paulo.

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is, like the previous round at Interlagos, an anti-clockwise track. One of its most striking features is the steep climb to Turn 1, followed by a sequence of fast, sweeping corners. The demanding 5.513km track also includes one of the heaviest braking zones of the season, when cars decelerate from over 300km/h to around 60km/h for Turn 12. From eight races at COTA, the team has recorded seven podium finishes and one pole position, however it is yet to taste victory there.

To accelerate preparations for this year’s race, TOYOTA RACING conducted a two-day test – featuring all six race drivers – in Austin in late July. Data gathered during the test will help engineers and drivers optimise set-ups and strategies for the race week, which begins with free practice on Friday 4 September. Qualifying takes place at 3.40pm local time (10.40pm CEST) on Saturday, while the six-hour race starts at 1pm (8pm CEST) on Sunday.

Alongside the track action, visitors to COTA will have the opportunity to meet some of TOYOTA RACING’s drivers at an autograph session on Saturday at 5.10pm in the fan zone. Meanwhile, TOYOTA’s hydrogen technology will be on show at the University of Texas at Austin display in the fan zone.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We’ve had some great moments in the first half of the season, particularly winning at Le Mans and Imola, but also a few tough ones too. The last race in São Paulo was disappointing, and we’ve learned from that experience. It’s great to be in such a strong position in both World Championships but the competition is intense so we can’t afford any mistakes over the second half of the season, starting in Austin.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “It’s been a long break since the last race so we’re all eager to get racing again, especially at the Circuit of the Americas. It’s a fun track to drive, with a bit of everything; high-speed corners and a technical final sector. We need to work hard on car set-up early in the week to make sure we’re strong over the complete lap, and in race trim.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “I really enjoy racing in the United States, and COTA is a fantastic track. It’s great fun to drive a Hypercar around there, but also a big challenge to get everything right with the set-ups. So, it won’t be an easy weekend, but we want to bounce back from São Paulo with a good result to keep us at the front in both World Championships.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “I’m really looking forward to racing in Austin again. The first half of the season has been a bit of a rollercoaster for our car, and São Paulo was particularly tough. But I know the team has worked really hard to come back stronger, and the test at COTA went well. We’ll be giving everything to fight at the front and hopefully stand on the podium again.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “Austin is a great place for a race, we all really enjoy being there. It was particularly good to test there a few weeks ago, especially because our car has evolved since last year’s race. Hopefully that gives us a useful head start in terms of set-ups and tyres. São Paulo wasn’t an easy week for us but we’re working hard to maximise our car and get a better result at COTA.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “I’m happy to be racing again after the long summer break. Austin was a challenging race for us last year, but we’re working hard to have a better weekend this time. After this, it’s our home race at Fuji Speedway so everyone in the team wants to be in a strong position in the World Championship when we meet our Japanese fans and colleagues. That gives us extra motivation to maximise our package and get a good result in Austin.”

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To mark Corolla’s golden anniversary, Toyota is launching special edition versions of its European-built Hatchback, Touring Sports and Sedan models, focusing on exclusive styling features, enhanced specifications and commemorative details.

Corolla’s sustained success is founded on the principles Toyota applied in creating the original model back in 1966. The vision then was for a high-quality, versatile car at an affordable price, offering added value. Today, 12 generations later, it remains true to those qualities, having constantly adapted over the years to meet people’s changing needs and priorities to maintain its place at the heart of the market.

Today, Corolla is a global model, manufactured at 12 locations worldwide and sold in 150 countries and regions. Europe is a key market, where it is long-established as a core model in the Toyota line-up. From its modest arrival here in 1967, it has become a standard-bearer for superior Quality, Durability and Reliability and regularly ranked among the top-selling models in the region.

Corolla has also been central to Toyota’s manufacturing programme in Europe. Production began with the seventh generation model at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey (TMMT) in 1994 and extended to Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) in 1998.

60th Anniversary special editions

To mark Corolla’s 60th anniversary, Toyota is producing special edition versions of the Hatchback, Touring Sports and Sedan, featuring unique styling elements, commemorative badging and enhanced equipment specifications.

The 60th Anniversary versions of the Hatchback and Touring Sports are immediately distinguished from other Corolla models by their exclusive New Boreal Blue metallic paint, presented in a bi-tone execution with a contrasting Night Sky Black roof and pillars. Their special status is also expressed in new-look 10-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels with a contrast matt and machined finish and chromed black wheel nuts. Corolla’s sporty styling is highlighted by new matt silver garnishes on the lower front bumper and side sills and dark-plated fog light ornaments and back door and rear bumper corner garnishes. The Touring Sports adds an extra matt silver highlight on the lower rear bumper. Externally, the finishing touch is provided by stylish matt silver 60th Anniversary decals on the lower edge of the rear doors.

Inside the car, there are sleek matt silver scuff plates bearing the 60th Anniversary logo and front and rear carpet mats in black textile with co-ordinating matt silver inserts.

The sophisticated Corolla Sedan has its own signature (Lunar Sky Blue) paint finish and shares most of the special styling features with its sister Hatchback and Touring Sports models, including the external garnish details 17-inch wheels, 60th Anniversary badging, scuff plates and carpet mats. In addition, there is a matt silver highlight strip along the bottom edge of the boot lid.

Customers have further paintwork colour options for the 60th Anniversary models – Platinum White Pearl premium finish and Ash Grey metallic.

The Corolla range benefits from the fifth generation Toyota hybrid technology, delivering characteristically quiet, smooth and highly efficient performance. Hatchback and Touring Sports customers have two options: a 1.8-litre system offering 140 DIN hp and, catering for those seeking sportier performance, a 2.0-litre with a maximum 178 DIN hp. All Sedan versions use the 1.8 system.

A high equipment specification for the latest Corolla range provides a fully digital user experience as standard with a customisable 12.3-inch driver’s combimeter and the Toyota Smart Connect+ multimedia system with 10.5-inch touchscreen. The multimedia package includes access to cloud-based navigation, benefiting from up-to-the-moment traffic information, together with an embedded route planning system.

A comprehensive package of Toyota T-Mate active safety and driving assistance systems is also provided as standard. This includes Toyota Safety Sense features designed to recognise and react to an extensive range of common accident risk scenarios, alerting the driver and helping them avoid or mitigate the consequences of an impact. The functions include a Pre-Collision System with Intersection Collision Avoidance, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert and Lane Trace Assist, Emergency Steering Assist and Road Sign Assist. New and enhanced safety and multimedia functions are delivered seamlessly with over-the-air updates.

The 60th Anniversary Corolla models are available order now with deliveries to customers from the end of October.

With strong results on the two most recent events on the high-speed stages of Estonia and Finland, TGR-WRT extended its lead of the manufacturers’ championship to 174 points and will have its first opportunity to clinch a sixth successive crown in Paraguay if it can grow its advantage by at least six more points.

The team also continues to have all five of its drivers occupying the top five places in the championship standings. Elfyn Evans remains the championship leader with an increased advantage of 30 points, with his nearest challenger now Sami Pajari after he achieved his first two WRC victories back-to-back in Estonia and Finland.

Takamoto Katsuta and Oliver Solberg also remain in contention, 41 and 45 points from the lead respectively. Nine-time and reigning world champion Sébastien Ogier is now 62 points from the lead after an accident in Finland but ready to make a welcome return to action with regular co-driver Vincent Landais in Paraguay, where they won the country’s inaugural WRC event in 2025.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto continues his WRC2 campaign with his first ever rallies in South America. The GR Yaris Rally2 car is the most popular car in the entire Paraguay field, with a total of 12 entered. Other WRC2 regulars competing with one include Alejandro Cachón and Gus Greensmith, along with no fewer than nine Paraguayan drivers: Diego Domínguez, Andrea Lafarja, Alejandro Galanti, Gustavo Saba, Fabrizio Galanti, Augusto Bestard, Franco Pappalardo and Miguel María García. Bolivian driver Marco Bulacia also returns to WRC action on his home continent.

On the WRC’s first visit to Paraguay one year ago, the drivers were greeted by passionate rally fans and discovered demanding stages. The fast roads feature a red clay surface that provides changeable grip levels, while significant bumps and sharp rocks can also test cars and tyres. The event is based in Encarnación, situated on the banks of the Paraná river and the border with Argentina, and will be followed just two weeks later by Rally Chile.

Following a ceremonial start in Encarnación on Thursday evening, the rally begins with the longest day of competition on Friday with two loops of four stages totalling 153.78 competitive kilometres. Another two loops of four tests are run on Saturday before a new super special stage in Encarnación rounds out the day. A total of five stages close out the rally on Sunday.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“We’re excited to enter this last part of the season and travel to South America with everything still to be decided. In Paraguay we will have our first opportunity to secure the manufacturers’ title, but we are not expecting that to be easy. We found out last year when we did this rally for the first time just how challenging the roads and the conditions can be there. We saw a lot of passion and support too, like we always seem to do in South America, so we’re looking forward to going back. With our drivers also driving for their own ambitions in the championship and our competitors undoubtedly motivated to try to beat us, I’m sure this will be another exciting edition to follow.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Our first time competing in Paraguay last year proved a lot more challenging than everyone had anticipated. On paper the stages looked quite straightforward with many long straights and junctions, but the rally was made far more difficult by the polished clay surface and the changing grip levels. Then, when it rained on the final morning, there was almost no grip available at all. In our position running first on the road on these gravel rallies, some rain can help to level the playing field, but it can also turn quickly into a lottery when the grip is so low. Like always, we’ll just have to do our best in whatever conditions we face when the rally begins.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Rally Finland didn’t turn out the way we hoped after what had been a very good rally until the point that it ended for us, but the most important thing is that Julien and I were both OK. Now we’ve had some time to rest and recover and I’m ready to compete in Paraguay together with Vincent. Even if our championship hopes are more or less over, we still want to aim for the top step in each of the remaining rallies this year, and help the team secure the manufacturers’ title. We experienced a great first rally in Paraguay last year, with an amazing atmosphere as well as challenging stages and conditions, and we will try our best to repeat our victory there.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Paraguay put on an amazing event last year and it was special to experience the atmosphere there and the passion of the people. The roads were also rather unique, with narrow sections and wide sections and jumps and dips, and the surface was quite slippery at times. It was a lot of fun, even if it was pretty difficult. In the faster places it felt like we were on the limit with the Rally2 car; with the Rally1 car and the extra downforce we will be able to carry more speed, but I’ll need to make that adjustment like on almost every rally this year. After two podiums in the last two rallies, I hope we can keep this run going.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I have very good memories from Paraguay and can’t wait to go back. There were so many fans supporting us and it was a really impressive event. The roads themselves are nice and enjoyable, but we discovered last year that the surface is very unique; very compacted and very polished, and there was very little grip when it rained. With that knowledge from last year, it can be easier to go back, but we can’t know exactly how the conditions will be this time. Anyway we will try to enjoy it once more and hopefully it can be a nice rally for us.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Since Rally Finland it’s been nice to have some time to really enjoy and appreciate what we’ve achieved recently before we refocus on the coming rallies in South America. It was great to go to Paraguay for the first time last year and see the excitement of all the fans there. It’s quite a nice rally to drive with really fast roads and some big jumps, which I always enjoy. There are also some really twisty sections and if it rains, the surface can become crazy slippery. Our recent results don’t change our approach for this event; we just have to continue trying to do the best job possible and hopefully we can keep achieving good results.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“These next two rallies will be a completely new adventure for me and I’m firstly looking forward to visiting South America for the first time. Last year when I was watching Paraguay from home, it looked quite unique with a massive atmosphere and challenging stages. I’ve been trying to prepare as best I can by watching onboards from last year; the roads look fast but if it’s wet the conditions can be tricky with very slippery surfaces. It will be a big challenge but after the last few rallies I’m hoping that we can change the momentum towards a nice result.”

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It was truly wonderful to see three of our crews standing together on the podium in Jyväskylä. It was the best possible way to thank the local fans for their incredible support. This achievement would not have been possible without the efforts of the mechanics who worked on car 33. After it had rolled three times and sustained significant damage, they brought the car back to life in just 30 minutes and sent Elfyn and Scott back into the fight without any penalty.

Stories of heroic repairs by mechanics are common in the WRC, but when you hear that they replaced the front and rear bumpers, side panel, bonnet, tailgate, left headlight, and right-side door, you cannot help but be amazed by their skill. Thank you to all the mechanics for your incredible work.

I would also like to thank Juha for keeping the team united and for continuing to provide the drivers with clear and valuable advice throughout the rally.

This time, I imagine many team members will have the opportunity to spend some time at home with their families after the rally. There is less than a month until Paraguay, but before we begin the last part of the season, I hope everyone can enjoy at least a little summer holiday.

Oliver, please make sure to get plenty of rest and prepare thoroughly to achieve your second victory of the season. Thank you for helping deliver another one-two-three finish for the team.

P.S.
Jari-Matti and Juho, congratulations on your Rally2 victory as well! Do you like the new livery now? When I first suggested it, I was not sure if everyone shared my enthusiasm. But now I think we can all agree that a winning livery is a good livery!

Akio Toyoda
Chairman, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team

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The 24-year-old’s win alongside co-driver Marko Salminen follows just two weeks after their maiden victory at Rally Estonia. It is the 200th win achieved by a Finnish driver in the WRC, in what was the 75th anniversary edition of Rally Finland.

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia – reunited in competition for the first time in almost five years in the absence of regular co-driver Vincent Landais – impressively led the rally with a strong performance from the first forest stage on Friday morning until SS17 on Saturday afternoon when they went off the road and crashed heavily.

After staying under observation in hospital overnight, both Ogier and Ingrassia were released on Sunday morning to return home. Both the crew and the team would like to thank everybody – from the medical teams to the fans – for their support and well wishes.

Having also driven a strong and consistent rally – including six stage wins – despite losing time in demanding weather conditions on Friday afternoon, Pajari picked up the lead at the end of Saturday and took an advantage of 46.4 seconds into the final day. Once more appearing to take the magnitude of the potential result in his stride, he adopted a safer approach through Sunday’s two runs of Himos-Jämsa (the longest stage of the rally at 30.02 kilometres) to secure victory by 26.7s.

Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson finished second for the second rally in succession with another well-managed drive after conceding the best part of a minute when they experienced the most extreme of the wet conditions on Friday. Solberg was able to top the Super Sunday classification despite experiencing back pain after a heavy landing during the first pass.

Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin completed a podium lockout in third to increase their championship lead. They had been second overall when they rolled at the end of Saturday morning, before recovering back into the top three in their repaired car during the afternoon. Evans went on to come second on Super Sunday and win the Power Stage by just 0.025s over Solberg. Evans now leads the drivers’ standings by 30 points over Pajari, who climbs to second.

Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston finished sixth overall. Having lost two minutes with limited visibility in Friday’s rain, they were on course to finish fifth before dropping a place when they made contact with a tree in the rally’s final stage. Katsuta is now third in the championship, 41 points from the lead, with Solberg up to fourth and Ogier fifth.

Even with Pajari scoring under the separate TGR-WRT2 banner, TGR-WRT increases its manufacturers’ championship lead to 174 points.

Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala finished on top in his class and in eighth position overall driving the GR Yaris Rally2 car on his home roads, co-driven by team test driver Juho Hänninen. Fellow GR Yaris Rally2 crew Teemu Suninen and Janni Hussi finished second in WRC2, where TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Jaspar Vaher finished a strong fourth with co-driver Rait Jansen.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“We can be very happy with how this rally ended for us, with our crews on all three steps of the podium again here at home in Finland. I’ve been coming to this rally for over 40 years and I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen so much action happening. There was a lot for the fans to follow, and a few heart-in-mouth moments for us, but it’s a good result for us at the end. Sami drove a fantastic rally once again and it makes me proud to see another Finnish winner of Rally Finland. While his focus today was on securing the win, both Oliver and Elfyn were able to be very fast and score good points. We’re glad that Seb and Julien are OK and already back home, and we wish them a good recovery.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“I’m happy to finish on the podium but I owe this one to the team who fixed the car in service yesterday after my mistake. Super Sunday was fast-paced as usual on what was a very quick stage. I maybe wasn’t brave enough on the first pass and tried to do more on the second pass; the grip was much higher and I maybe didn’t use it all but I’m happy with the points we could take away. Congratulations to Sami and Marko; I know how special it feels to win your home rally. There was not a lot between them, us, and Seb and Julien – who I wish a speedy recovery – but they were the ones who didn’t falter and very much deserve this win.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“This was not the way that we wanted to end this weekend especially after everything was going so well. But the most important thing is that we are both OK, so a big thank you to the team for building such a strong car. I also need to thank Julien for taking good care of me immediately after the impact and reassuring my family I am well. We will take some rest now and make sure we are back to full strength soon and thank you for all the messages we received. Congratulations to Sami and Marko for another victory and all the team for locking out the podium at home once again.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“It has been a crazy weekend and a crazy day today. I’m very happy to be here at the finish, on the podium again and to win Super Sunday. We just missed out on the Power Stage by a fraction of a second, but I was just happy to be able to drive the last stage as fast as I could, as I was careful in many places. Still, we take many valuable points and it’s a great result for the team once again.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s been a really tough weekend for me. Today I was hoping to try and take some extra points but it didn’t go so well in the end. In the final stage I saw a rock sticking out on the inside and tried to avoid it, but there was so much loose gravel off the line. We went wide and couldn’t make the next right-hander and hit a tree. It was my mistake and I feel very sorry for the team. I just need to reset and do better next time.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It feels simply amazing to win Rally Finland. It’s another dream result for us. It was already a big thing to take the first win in Estonia but to win at home is always something special. Winning at home hasn’t always been easy for Finnish drivers but somehow after a crazy rally we have managed to make it happen. This one was tougher and more intense than Estonia; it was a really close fight with Seb and Elfyn and we were setting very similar times for most of the rally. To be a winner of the ‘1000 Lakes’ is incredible. Marko and I grew up watching legendary drivers win this rally and now we are on top of the podium too; it’s crazy. Big thanks to the team and the fans for all their support.”

Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 40)
“It’s an amazing feeling to achieve this result at Rally Finland. I’ve been dreaming that I could still do something like this since I stopped driving full-time in the WRC in 2019. I know that my time in the top category has passed, but to be able to fight with some really fast young drivers in Rally2 machinery has been fantastic. Our GR Yaris Rally2 is an amazing car, and I’m really proud to do this with Juho, who was coaching me all through the whole rally, just like he normally does as an instructor for our TGR WRC Challenge Program drivers. It was one of the most difficult editions of Rally Finland because of the weather conditions, and it was tough for our Rally1 crews as well, but it’s nice to see Sami and Marko win at home as well as a lockout of the podium places.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY FINLAND
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2h27m58.0s
2 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +26.7s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m19.5s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m35.9s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m52.5s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +4m18.2s
7 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m32.7s
8 Jari-Matti Latvala/Juho Hänninen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +8m25.5s
9 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +8m46.9s
10 Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +9m03.0s
Retired Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1)
(Results as of 14:30 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 10:
1 Elfyn Evans 201 points
2 Sami Pajari 171
3 Takamoto Katsuta 160
4 Oliver Solberg 156
5 Sébastien Ogier 139
6 Adrien Fourmaux 129
7 Thierry Neuville 125
8 Esapekka Lappi 25
9 Hayden Paddon 21
10 Josh McErlean 21

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 10:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 514 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 340
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 184
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 130

What's next?
The Rally del Paraguay (August 27-30) joined the WRC in 2025 with demanding stages around Encarnación, close to border with Argentina. The fast roads feature a red clay surface providing changeable grip levels.

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The day’s route took in two loops of four fast forest stages to the south west of the Jyväskylä service park. Sébastien Ogier began the day in the rally lead by 16.3 seconds over team-mate Elfyn Evans. Evans won the morning’s first stage and gradually reduced the gap to 11.6s before he rolled near the end of the fourth and final stage of the loop.

With the help of spectators, Evans managed to return to the road and complete the stage 1m49s down on Ogier, who now led by 22.7s over Pajari. Pajari and Ogier went on to win one stage each at the start of the afternoon, with the overall difference remaining in Ogier’s favour at 20.9s.

In SS17, Ogier went off the road in a fast left-right sequence of corners. He and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were both able to get themselves out of the car unaided and without serious injury. They were transferred to hospital for further examinations, the results of which were positive. Due to the heavy impact during the accident, the crew will remain in hospital under observation overnight.

Pajari therefore completed the day in the lead of his home rally by 46.4s ahead of team-mate Oliver Solberg.

After the team managed to repair the damage to Evans’ car during mid-day service, he performed strongly in the afternoon to move back up to third overall, 49.9s behind Solberg and 3.8s ahead of Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai). Takamoto Katsuta rounds out the top five.

Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala has taken the lead of his category in eighth overall. He is 10.3s ahead of fellow GR Yaris Rally2 driver Teemu Suninen, who leads WRC2 with Latvala not nominated to score points. Jaspar Vaher is the best placed driver from the TGR WRC Challenge Program in fourth in WRC2 after Yuki Yamamoto spun out in SS13.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It has been a very eventful day today. The most important thing is that I have spoken with Seb and Julien and they are both OK and nothing is broken. We need to check the data to understand what happened, because it would be unlike Seb to go off in a place like that; he was doing a fantastic job controlling the rally and wasn’t having to push too hard. Elfyn made a small mistake this morning but the damage looked worse than it was and the team did an incredible job to get him back out this afternoon, when he and the car were clearly very fast. Sami meanwhile has been doing a very good job once again and he just needs to keep driving with his own rhythm tomorrow.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Today started pretty well with a good feeling in the car. Unfortunately we got caught out in the last stage of the morning, running a bit wide into a ditch and rolling multiple times. A huge thanks to the team who did an incredible job to put the car right in service; it was brilliant all afternoon and that allowed us to fight and gain back positions. The main target was fourth, and that became third after what happened to Seb and Julien; I want to wish all the best to them this evening. Tomorrow we’ll be trying our best like always.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“My feeling was good in the first stage this morning, but I had some issues hearing my pacenotes in the next one. The gap to those in front became a bit too big and I didn’t want to take too much risk, so the plan was to try and preserve our position and see what happens. Then Elfyn had his roll and later Seb and Julien went off – I’m glad that they are both OK. Tomorrow will be a new day and a new fight and we’ll do the best we can to secure some valuable points.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Today’s stages were very challenging and you needed big commitment and confidence. After the time lost yesterday, our main focus was on trying some different things with the car setup. It’s hard to find a big step forward, but the times in the afternoon were not too bad. Hopefully what we found can work well tomorrow and we’ll try to get some more points. I feel sorry for what happened to Seb and Julien and I’m glad to hear they are OK.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It has been a crazy day with a lot of different things happening, and suddenly we find ourselves in the lead tonight. The morning was really enjoyable; I was having maybe the best time that I’ve ever had behind the wheel of a rally car, driving these beautiful stages with the best car in the world. After Elfyn’s roll we moved up to second and thought the gap to Seb was too much to catch, so I just tried to keep enjoying and keep some flow in my driving. Then Seb went off, and the most important thing is that both he and Julien are OK. It shows that things can change very quickly and we still have two stages to do tomorrow, so nothing is decided yet.”

End of day three (Saturday):
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2h00m38.0s
2 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +46.4s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m36.3s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m40.1s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m54.5s
6 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m52.9s
7 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m54.4s
8 Jari-Matti Latvala/Juho Hänninen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +6m50.8s
9 Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +7m01.1s
10 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +7m04.2s
Retired Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1)
(Results as of 21:00 on Saturday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
The rally finishes on Sunday with two passes of a new-look Himos-Jämsa stage – the longest of the rally at 30.02 kilometres. The second run through serves as the rally-ending Power Stage with up to five bonus points available for the fastest drivers, plus five more for the quickest across the day.

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Following Thursday evening’s opening super special stage on the streets of Jyväskylä, the action moved to the forests north-east where four stages would be run twice.

Ogier, competing alongside his long-time former co-driver Julien Ingrassia for the first time since 2021, made a flying start to the day to claim the rally lead. He set the best time in three of the morning’s four tests and returned to Jyväskylä for mid-day service with an advantage of 5.3 seconds over closest rival Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai.

Finnish favourite Sami Pajari, fresh from a maiden WRC victory two weeks ago in Estonia, was the other driver to win a stage during the morning and ended the loop in third, 8s from the lead. He started the afternoon with another fastest time, moving up to second overall.

Rain storms had been forecast for the afternoon and duly arrived during the second stage of the loop, Saarikas. Running first on the road as championship leader – a distinct disadvantage in dry weather over recent rallies – Elfyn Evans this time benefitted from the best of the conditions to win the stage and climb to third overall. Tables turned in the subsequent Sydänmaa stage, where Oliver Solberg – who conceded a minute in the worst of the conditions in Saarikas – now went quickest.

Ogier had a consistent run through both of those wet stages to grow his lead to 26.1s over Evans. Even with a safer drive in Hoho and the day’s closing run through the Harju super special, he ended the day with an advantage of 16.3s over Evans. Pajari is third, 10.4s further back and 14.6s ahead of Solberg who completes a sweep of the top four positions for the locally built GR YARIS Rally1 car.

Takamoto Katsuta went second quickest to Evans in SS7 to move up to fourth, only to then concede over two minutes in SS8 with limited visibility. He ended the day eighth overall and with a joint fastest time in Harju.

Several GR Yaris Rally2 drivers are involved in a close fight at the front of the class, with Roope Korhonen in second, TGR-WRT Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala third and Teemu Suninen fourth. TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto is sixth in WRC2, one place ahead of the Program’s global driver Jaspar Vaher.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It has been quite a dramatic day, especially with the weather. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen something like that on Rally Finland, with such heavy rain falling on dry roads, which were also already quite rutted, so they just filled with water. We were maybe a bit lucky – thanks to our road positions – on the second stage of the afternoon, when almost all our guys got through in relatively dry conditions, although Oliver did lose a lot of time and in the next two stages our drivers did encounter more rain. I’m quite pleased anyway with what our drivers have been doing; Seb especially has been very good. Tomorrow the conditions should be more normal and it will be flat-out once again.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“We made a decent start this morning; the grip was changing a lot from corner to corner but the driving felt pretty committed. Then the rain arrived this afternoon and we took advantage on the second stage before the conditions deteriorated. On the next stage we got the rain pretty heavily at the start, so that was tricky to navigate, but it’s been a difficult afternoon for many people so we’re happy to get through it in this position. Seb’s had a great day and it’s a big gap to try and catch, but it’s still relatively early days in this rally and we just need to keep doing our best.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“We started this morning with the plan to push because rallies like this are usually fought with very small gaps. It’s important to be in a good rhythm right away and we had a good morning, but it was still very close. This afternoon with the rain that came was a different story: then it was about trying to survive those conditions without losing too much time. It seems we managed it quite well as we increased our lead, so that’s very positive, but I’m sure the others will keep pushing and we will still have a fight on our hands for the rest of the weekend.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“It’s been a pretty crazy day. This morning I never quite found the perfect feeling, but I tried to not over push and to stay in the mix. In the afternoon I felt much more comfortable, and then the heavens opened. I think we were a bit unlucky with exactly when the rain hit and when it was most intense, but we fought back later on with good speed. I’m still quite happy with our day and anything can still happen, so we keep fighting.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It has been a frustrating day. This morning I was struggling for confidence but together with the team we changed quite a lot and in the afternoon the feeling with the car was much better; it was quite a big step. Unfortunately in the third stage of the loop we got a lot of mist on the screen and struggled to see anything. The main priority was to stay on the road and we lost more than two minutes. I think it was quite unlucky but there’s still two days to go and we will keep pushing.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“The morning loop was pretty decent for us but we still had room to improve and we tried to step up our game for the second loop. We won the first stage of the afternoon, and even in the second one when the rain came we could close the gap to Seb to just a few seconds. Then the third stage of the loop changed everything. It was really demanding for everyone, and for some reason visibility was very difficult for us and we lost a lot of time. Anyway, we are still in a podium position and the fight is still on.”

End of day two (Friday):
1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 1h03m47.4s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +16.3s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +26.7s
4 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +41.3s
5 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m04.9s
6 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m24.0s
7 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m29.0s
8 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m30.7s
9 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m56.2s
10 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3m08.7s
(Results as of 20:30 on Friday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Saturday features familiar stages to the south-east with Parkkola, Västilä, Päijälä and Leustu all returning from last year – although Västilä and Päijälä are both run in the opposite direction to before.

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The action on the 75th anniversary edition of the event started on Thursday morning when the pre-event shakedown was held over the famous jumps of the Ruuhimäki stage, where Takamoto Katsuta set the fastest time after three runs.

As usual, the rally then began with the mixed-surface Harju stage close to the service park – and a stone’s throw from the TGR-WRT headquarters where the GR YARIS Rally1 cars are built. Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier – both two-time previous winners of Rally Finland – shared the third-fastest time over the 2.58-kilometre stage.

Ogier has been reunited for this event with his long-time former co-driver Julien Ingrassia, with whom he won his first eight world titles. Ingrassia accepted a last-minute call to stand in for Vincent Landais, who was unable to join the team in Finland this week for personal reasons.

Katsuta, Finnish favourite Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg rounded out the top seven, which was covered by less than three seconds.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver and Jyväskylä resident Yuki Yamamoto started with the fifth fastest time within WRC2 in Harju, just 0.1s ahead of Team Principal and fellow GR Yaris Rally2 driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It’s always a special feeling to be starting Rally Finland. It was particularly the case for me as a Finnish driver during my career, and the feeling is much the same now being part of this local team. There’s been a great atmosphere already around the city in the last few days and so much support for us. This opening Harju stage is also fantastic for this, but the main focus for the drivers is to try to get around it cleanly, because it can be quite tricky. From tomorrow I think we can anticipate a close fight in the forests: all our drivers have the speed to win this rally, but we also expect to be pushed hard by our rivals.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“As always we’ve had a really warm welcome coming here to Jyväskylä. This is a brilliant event and we want to make the most of our last opportunity to drive these roads with this generation of car. We had some rain fall earlier in the week which can hopefully help us a bit tomorrow opening the road. The sun has been back out since to dry the roads but we’ll fight as hard as we can and see what we can do.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“I’m happy to be here in Finland, driving on these amazing roads and with big support for our team, including in this first stage here in the middle of the city. It’s nice to have Julien back alongside me for one last time and I’m glad that he accepted this last-minute call. We’ll try to do our best, with Vincent and his family also in our thoughts. We have a great car and let’s try to enjoy it.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“The atmosphere is amazing being here at Rally Finland for the first time as a TGR-WRT driver. I made a few mistakes in this Harju stage and didn’t have the best feeling with the mixed surface, but we just have to be awake tomorrow morning and be ready to push flat-out. I feel happy in the car, and there’s a lot of new stages which can help me and my lack of experience in this car on these roads.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s always really nice to start Rally Finland with this Harju stage. This city feels like home for me and there’s a lot of people around, including many of my friends. The Finnish fans are supporting me and the team a lot, and that gives me big motivation and energy to try and get a better result than ever before here. It won’t be easy, but I feel good and I will be trying my best.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“This first stage of Rally Finland is a really special one to drive with an amazing reception from the fans: it’s been really cool to see so many people cheering for us already this week. Harju is also quite a tricky stage; we tried to make a good time but it’s never too easy. The main thing is we are through OK and ready for tomorrow. We know that we can fight for the win and we’ll do our best.”

End of day one (Thursday):
1 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2m06.7s
2 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1.1s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.2s
4 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.2s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.8s
6 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.9s
7 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2.9s
8 Esapekka Lappi/Enni Mälkönen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3.0s
9 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +3.3s
10 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +4.1s
(Results as of 21:30 on Thursday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
For Friday the action moves into the forests north-east of Jyväskylä where a loop of four stages is run twice. The classic Laukaa test is reversed for this year and paired with returning Saarikas plus the new Sydänmaa and Hoho tests. Another run through Harju completes the longest day of the event at 127.72 competitive kilometres.

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The fastest round of the WRC takes place in the forests of central Finland around the city of Jyväskylä, which are considered the spiritual home of rallying. Their smooth gravel roads containing frequent jumps and crests delight drivers and fans alike.

It is home ground too for TGR-WRT, which has its headquarters in Jyväskylä just three kilometres from the Rally Finland service park. The team has won seven of the eight editions it has contested, including a historic sweep of the top five positions one year ago – a feat achieved only once before in the WRC – led by a long-awaited first victory for hometown hero Kalle Rovanperä.

This year, TGR-WRT arrives home with a fresh new Finnish hero in Sami Pajari, who last week became the 17th driver from his country to win a round of the WRC with an impressive victory on similarly fast roads at Rally Estonia.

It means that all five of the team’s drivers have now won at least one rally this season. The quintet occupies the top five places in the drivers’ standings, covered by 47 points with five rounds remaining, and all five relish competing on the roads of Rally Finland.

Elfyn Evans leads the championship by 25 points and won Rally Finland with TGR-WRT in 2021 and 2023, making the Welshman one of only four foreign drivers to have triumphed on the event multiple times. His closest challenger Takamoto Katsuta learned his trade as a rally driver with the TGR WRC Challenge Program in Jyväskylä after moving from Japan and has twice finished on the podium of Rally Finland, coming third in 2023 and second last year.

Pajari’s Estonia win promoted him to third in the standings, 33 points from the lead. He finished fourth on his GR YARIS Rally1 debut in Finland in 2024 and fifth last year. Five points further back, nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier is another two-time Rally Finland winner, his 2024 win coming 11 years after his first. Oliver Solberg finished a strong second to Pajari in Estonia to sit just nine points behind Ogier and is a previous WRC2 winner in Finland.

Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala will once again drive his home event in a GR Yaris Rally2 car, co-driven by fellow former TGR-WRT driver Juho Hänninen.

A total of 13 GR Yaris Rally2 cars feature on the entry list, including that of the WRC2 championship leader Roope Korhonen (who narrowly beat Latvala to win the class one year ago) and fellow Finn Teemu Suninen, who both finished on the podium in Estonia. Other customer drivers lining up in WRC2 include Briton Gus Greensmith, Finland-based Australian Taylor Gill, young Finn Tuukka Kauppinen, Estonia’s Joosep Ralf Nõgene, Frenchman Adrien Mosca and Austrian Johannes Keferböck.

The TGR WRC Challenge Program will again be well represented in Jyväskylä, where many of its drivers are based. Yuki Yamamoto finished a fine fifth in WRC2 last year, including taking a maiden stage win shared with Latvala. Rally2 rookies Takumi Matsushita and Shotaro Goto will look to build upon solid WRC2 debuts in Estonia, where Jaspar Vaher showed stage-winning speed on home roads. Rio Ogata and Kanta Yanaguida will again drive Rally3 machinery in WRC3 while Tomiya Maekawa co-drives Finnish driver Jarkko Nikara.

The 75th anniversary edition of Rally Finland begins in the heart of Jyväskylä on Thursday evening with the traditional mixed-surface Harju stage, which is run again to close out Friday after two loops of stages in the forests north-east: the classic Laukaa is reversed and paired with returning Saarikas plus new Sydänmaa and Hoho tests. Saturday features familiar roads to the south-east with Parkkola, Västilä, Päijälä and Leustu all returning from last year. A new-look Himos-Jämsa stage – the longest of the rally at 30.02 kilometres – is run twice to form Sunday’s finale.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It was fantastic to see Sami score his first win in Estonia and it’s been wonderful to watch his growth this season. It’s also remarkable that all five of our drivers have now won rallies this season, and they all still have chances in the championship. They’re also all capable of winning Rally Finland, our team’s home event, and I think we can expect a tight fight. Elfyn and Seb have won the rally multiple times, while Taka has been on the podium twice. Oliver had a great rally in Estonia, building back his confidence, while Sami has now proven he can win and the excitement will be high for him in Finland. Meanwhile, I’m grateful to have the opportunity – with thanks to Akio Toyoda – to drive my home rally once more in what should be a big battle in WRC2, where the level is also really high.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Rally Finland is one of my favourite events on the calendar. It’s an amazing sensation to drive these Rally1 cars on those roads, and in terms of pure driving thrills, nothing else beats it during the season. You need to be able to find a good rhythm and a good feeling with the car to be competitive, but when everything’s working well, it can give you great confidence and enjoyment behind the wheel. I’m looking forward to it as always and hoping for some conditions that are more in our favour and enable us to be in the fight from the start of the weekend.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Finland is one of the homes of rallying and one of the most enjoyable rallies to drive. It’s also one of the most challenging to win, especially against fast drivers from the north of Europe, and it’s a big honour to have been able to achieve that a couple of times in my career. Rally Estonia was not easy for us driving on those roads for the first time after five years away, but at Rally Finland we will have a higher target in mind as I’ve been there the last two years and been competitive, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Rally Finland is something very special. It’s a rally that every driver wants to win at some point in their career because it’s such a unique challenge. The way that the stages flow, with the speed and the crests and the jumps, feels amazing. I’ve had some good rallies there in the past in Rally2 cars, but I’m sure that my first Rally Finland driving for TGR-WRT as the home team, in such a great car in such a fast rally, will be my most special experience there yet. After a good, consistent rally in Estonia, it would be great if we can finish on the podium again.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Rally Finland is like a second home rally for me. I moved to Finland when I started rallying and learned pretty much everything I know there, and I still have many friends in Jyväskylä. I have many great memories from the rally – I made my WRC debut there 10 years ago – and to finish second to Kalle last year was very special for me. I was very happy that he could win, but I hope I can go one better. It’s a very demanding rally: you have to be fully committed straight away, and you need full trust in your pacenotes and the car. But I have a good feeling and will try my best.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“To win Rally Estonia was amazing, and a feeling that is still sinking in. There was not much time to celebrate or relax, as two days after the rally we were already testing for Rally Finland. Like Estonia, this is one of my favourite rallies, but it’s even more special to be able to compete at home in front of all my family and friends and a lot of fans cheering for us. The stages are beautiful and I really enjoy driving them. Many will be expecting that we can win again; we can’t underestimate the competition, but we of course hope that we can make it happen. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“I’m looking forward to this Rally Finland. It’s always a special rally for me as my second home rally. I’ve been living in Jyväskylä for five years, so the atmosphere feels very familiar, and the roads are the most beautiful in the calendar. I had a bit of a disappointing rally in Estonia, so I really want to bounce back in Finland. Last year, it was a really good rally and a real turning point for me, so I hope to have the same good feeling and keep that strong pace through the whole weekend to fight against top drivers.”

Map Rally Finland 2026
(Please visit www.wrc.com for the latest.)

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GAZOO Racing has released additional visual assets covering the recent appearance of the GR GT and GR GT3 supercars at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

They include high-resolution static shots of the cars – development prototype models – in a studio setting and images and video on the festival’s hill climb course. Some of the pictures and film footage also feature the Lexus LFA Concept and other GR models which took part in this year’s festival.

The new assets, together with other images and a press release that have already been published, can be viewed and downloaded on the official Toyota Europe media website here: https://newsroom.toyota.eu/gr-gt-news/

The partnership is designed to support Uber drivers and fleet partners across major European countries, representing hundreds of thousands of active individual drivers and fleets. Reflecting differences in operating needs, costs and charging infrastructure across Europe, the partnership is built around Toyota’s multi‑pathway approach, offering drivers a choice between hybrid, battery‑electric and approved used Toyota and Lexus vehicles as entry points into electrified mobility.

The programme roll out will start in July in ten European countries, with a phased expansion to the rest of Europe.

The partnership brings together four Toyota entities to offer drivers a single, integrated mobility proposition covering new and used vehicles, financing, leasing and insurance:

• Toyota Motor Europe - Toyota’s European sales and product organisation, working with Uber to create an advantageous multi‑pathway vehicle offer, including hybrid and battery‑electric models, adapted to local market and infrastructure conditions.
• Toyota Financial Services - Toyota’s captive finance company, offering drivers flexible financing and leasing solutions to access Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
• Toyota Insurance Services - Toyota’s strategic insurance partner, providing Smart-Connected insurance capabilities to support the evolving needs of professional mobility drivers across Europe.
• KINTO Europe - European mobility services brand, focused on expanding access to approved used vehicles for drivers, providing a lower‑cost entry point.

The partnership comes as European cities and the automotive industry accelerate efforts to reduce emissions while drivers face increasing operating costs and changing regulatory requirements.

_{*An electrified car is one propelled by an electric motor to some extent. Some electrified cars are entirely electric. Others, including Hybrids and Plug-in Hybrids, also have a petrol engine.}

Two years to the month since he made his debut aboard a GR YARIS Rally1 car during his run to the WRC2 title in 2024, the breakthrough win for Pajari caps an excellent run of form so far this season that had already featured five podiums in the previous eight rallies.

The result means all five of the team’s current Rally1 drivers have tasted victory in 2026, with Pajari joining fellow TGR-WRT drivers Kalle Rovanperä (2021) and Oliver Solberg (2025) in achieving his maiden WRC win in Estonia.

The 24-year-old from neighbouring Finland looked at home on the event’s fast gravel roads from the very start with a calm and composed yet stunningly quick drive. He won all seven stages on Friday, and when nearest rival Solberg halted that streak on Saturday morning, Pajari responded to extend his lead to 25 seconds before the final day. Rain threatened to mix things up on the final day but Pajari was unfazed and ultimately secured victory by 19.5s.

Pajari’s fellow 24-year-old and successor as WRC2 champion Solberg also drove a strong and smart rally to return to the podium alongside co-driver Elliott Edmondson, and scored maximum bonus points from the final day by topping the Super Sunday and Power Stage classifications.

Sébastien Ogier finished fifth overall on his first Rally Estonia start since 2021, securing valuable championship points together with co-driver Vincent Landais.

As championship leader, Elfyn Evans faced a tough start to the rally running first on the road in particularly dry and loose conditions and sweeping a cleaner line for his rivals to follow. He and co-driver Scott Martin used a slightly better position on Saturday to move up from ninth to sixth, and came second on Super Sunday and third in the Power Stage to increase their championship lead to 25 points.

Takamoto Katsuta had been running sixth on Friday from second on the road until he had to stop due to tyre damage. Restarting on Saturday, he and Aaron Johnston had to open the road for the rest of the weekend but scored one point in the Power Stage and remain second in the championship. Pajari is up to third with Ogier fourth and Solberg fifth; the five TGR-WRT drivers covered by 47 points with five rallies remaining.

Even with Pajari scoring under the separate TGR-WRT2 banner, TGR-WRT increases its manufacturers’ championship lead to 156 points.

Two GR Yaris Rally2 crews finished on the podium in a closely fought WRC2 battle, with Teemu Suninen and Janni Hussi finishing second and Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka third – both less than 10s from the winner.

Quotes:
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“Congratulations Sami and Marko on your first WRC victory! After retiring at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo, I heard that you told the team: ‘I want to practice more, even if it’s in a Rally2 car.’ I’m really happy that your determination, positive attitude, and willingness to take action have finally been rewarded with a win.

Seeing you and Oliver – both the same age – standing together on the top two steps of the podium was also a wonderful sight that gave us a glimpse of the future. It’s always satisfying to see experienced drivers win, but this was a different kind of excitement altogether. And with Sami’s victory this weekend, all five of our drivers have now taken wins this season.

At TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team, we do not make cars with the goal of helping just one driver win. Our philosophy is to make a car that gives every driver on the team an equal opportunity to fight for victory. The success achieved by all of our drivers has proven the value of both our car development and our team-building approach. To everyone in the team, let’s keep pushing forward and continue building even better cars together!

P.S.
Thanks to all of you, my recovery after surgery is progressing well. The other day, I was allowed to conduct a test run of my own body. I was relieved to find that I could still drive a car properly. That said, I’m told I should probably take it a little easier for a while longer. So that I can get back behind the wheel of the cars you all have worked so hard to create, I’ll continue my own maintenance program carefully and patiently for a little while longer.”

Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“I’m very proud of this result and this first victory for Sami and Marko. Already after shakedown on Friday morning, Sami told me he was happy with the car and that the team didn’t need to touch it, and we didn’t, even though our team is always working as hard as we can to improve and make our drivers as comfortable and competitive as we can. He was very calm from start to finish and did a perfect job; it was very impressive. Now, all of our drivers have won a rally or two this year and that shows that we are doing something right. They are all fighting for the championship and they can all win at Rally Finland, too.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“We faced a tough start to the weekend with the stages being so dry and the cleaning effect so clear. In the end, I think we clawed back as many positions as we could and that sixth was realistically the most that was possible. Then, the final day was quite OK for us. I think the rain helped a bit to even things out and we had a pretty good run through both stages. So we came away with some decent points and now we’ll look forward to Rally Finland.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“It’s been a lot of fun to be back here in Estonia this weekend driving these amazing roads and this fantastic event; it was definitely the right decision. Congratulations to Sami and Marko on their first win: they were clearly the fastest this weekend, so enjoy it! On my side I was not far from the target I set myself. After five years away from these high commitment roads, I was just missing a little bit, and maybe a few tenths on this final day. Still we scored decent points for the championship and we will go to Rally Finland with a higher target.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“This has been a very good weekend. It was very important for me to have a clean weekend and find a good rhythm and get back the feeling and the confidence. Thank you to the team who have supported through a tough time, and I’m very happy to bring back this great result and to be back on the podium. Sami and Marko have done an amazing job with incredible speed and really deserve this result. Today I was able to turn it up just a few percent and take the maximum points from Sunday, so I’m very happy.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“This weekend did not go the way that we had hoped. We knew that Friday could be difficult with our road position but our pace was not bad and I think we were doing our job quite well until we had to stop, and this really affected the rest of our rally, because it was hard to do much from first on the road. It’s very frustrating but nothing is over, and we keep going and keep pushing. We tested some different things with the car for Rally Finland and I hope we have a good rally there.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It’s simply an amazing feeling. ‘Arigato gozaimasu’ to Morizo-san and everyone at TGR-WRT for your support and for trusting in me. Thanks to all my supporters, family and friends who stood behind me even when we had tricky times. I also want to thank myself for not giving up and for continuing to push. We’ve had a good first part of the season and after being so many times on the podium, there was no doubt this result was coming, but it’s never easy at this level. This is one of my favourite rallies together with Finland, and I was just enjoying the driving and everything felt natural. Let’s now enjoy the moment before our home event at Rally Finland.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY ESTONIA
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2h31m16.5s
2 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +19.5s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +53.8s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +59.7s
5 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m32.9s
6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m01.0s
7 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m35.3s
8 Esapekka Lappi/Enni Mälkönen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m02.3s
9 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m28.0s
10 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +8m33.1s
21 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +13m23.6s
(Results as of 14:15 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 9:
1 Elfyn Evans 177 points
2 Takamoto Katsuta 152
3 Sami Pajari 144
4 Sébastien Ogier 139
5 Oliver Solberg 130
6 Thierry Neuville 111
7 Adrien Fourmaux 111
8 Esapekka Lappi 25
9 Hayden Paddon 21
10 Yohan Rossel 20

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 9:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 464 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 308
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 157
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 116

What's next?
Rally Finland (July 30-August 2) is the fastest rally on the WRC calendar, run over smooth gravel roads featuring numerous jumps and crests. It’s also a home rally for TGR-WRT, which has its headquarters close to the service park in Jyväskylä.

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Facing a total of nine stages and 149.6 competitive kilometres, Pajari began the day by picking up where he had left off on Friday, when he had been quickest in all seven tests. He went quickest in the first pass through the Peipsiääre and Mustvee stages before Solberg broke his stage-winning streak to be quickest on the second pass of both tests, keeping the gap between them at just over 14 seconds when they returned to Tartu for mid-day service.

In the afternoon, Pajari once more stretched his legs, scoring three consecutive stage wins and moving 25s clear of Solberg by the end of the day as he takes a step closer to securing a maiden FIA World Rally Championship victory.

Solberg’s strong speed in the morning especially enabled him to move over 25s clear of the Hyundai duo of Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville.

Sébastien Ogier continues to hold a solid fifth place overall and has been joined in the top six by Elfyn Evans. No longer tasked with sweeping the loose gravel roads as he was on Friday, championship leader Evans could show stronger pace and gain three positions within the day’s first two stages. After being forced to stop late on Friday due to tyre damage, Takamoto Katsuta restarted running first on the road throughout the day, focusing on testing setup options ahead of the final day and the upcoming Rally Finland.

GR Yaris Rally2 drivers Roope Korhonen and Teemu Suninen remain in a close battle for WRC2 honours and second and third respectively, both only just over 10s from the leader. TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Jaspar Vaher’s impressive category debut at home came to an end when he went off the road in SS8 out of fourth position. Yuki Yamamoto also crashed out in SS15, but Japanese rookies Takumi Matsushita and Shotaro Goto continue to gather valuable experience.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“This was another really impressive day from Sami. He looks really comfortable with the car and the speed has been coming very naturally, without him having to push too hard or take massive risks. Oliver has also been driving really well, but even when he set a couple of fastest times this morning, Sami was able to respond quite easily and go even quicker this afternoon. There’s still two quite long stages to go but I won’t be telling him to change his approach. With 10 points available and the speed that he has, I see no reason to back off.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“We had a good start to the day. With a slightly better road position than yesterday, we had a good feeling behind the wheel and were able to gain back some positions, which was the main target. We then used the afternoon to experiment with a few different setups, which maybe didn’t go in the direction that we had hoped, but at least we have a solid base to fall back on for tomorrow. Even though there’s only one stage run twice, there’s a lot of points on offer and we’ll have to try to be on our best.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“We were able to have a good rhythm and good fun in the car again today. Unfortunately the road was evolving and getting faster with every car, so it was difficult to fight with the guys ahead of us on the leaderboard. I always prefer to have a fight and to be fifth overall is not what we hoped for, but we’re still on for some important points and tomorrow there are quite a few more to catch. The weather is looking uncertain, and some rain could change things and reduce this cleaning effect, so we just have to keep trying our best until the end.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“I had a much better feeling this morning; something similar to what we had here last year in terms of the feeling with the car and the speed. Initially I was still lacking a bit of commitment, but then we made another step for the second pass, the balance felt good, and I could push and set some fastest times. This afternoon we were maybe a bit optimistic going with a full set of soft tyres and it didn’t pay off. I didn’t want to force it and just tried to keep driving my own race. Sami has done an incredible performance so hats off to him. There’s still a long day tomorrow which will be very important for the points, and we’ll try to take as many as we can.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It was difficult today to be the first car on the road; it’s been so dry so far this weekend and the cleaning effect is really big. We were just focused on trying to find some positive things for the future and for the next rally in Finland, trying a lot of different things with the car setup in every single stage. Some things were positive, some things not so much, but at least we could gather that information. There’s still one more day to go and it probably won’t be easy but I will keep trying my best, also for all the fans here in Estonia who have been showing such great support for me.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It’s been another really good day. Again I had a really great feeling with the car and we could start with two stage wins this morning. Then Oliver was having really good pace to bring the gap back down a bit. So we needed to try and step it up for the afternoon and we managed to do that, adding another 10 seconds to our lead. It wasn’t easy with some different stage conditions and difficult tyre choices, but I’m super happy and now we just need to bring it home tomorrow. We don’t know exactly what the weather will be like – the forecast suggests it could be tricky – but I’m looking forward to it.”

End of day two (Saturday):
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2h08m34.0s
2 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +25.0s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +52.1s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +54.0s
5 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m32.8s
6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m02.9s
7 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m16.3s
8 Esapekka Lappi/Enni Mälkönen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m42.0s
9 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m03.2s
10 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +7m07.2s
26 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +13m15.9s
(Results as of 22:30 on Saturday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Two passes of the Kääriku stage, the longest of the rally at 24.39 kilometres, round out the rally on Sunday. The second pass serves as the Power Stage with up to five bonus points available for the fastest times, alongside five more for the Super Sunday classification.

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One of the fastest rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Estonia is running to a compact schedule this year that packs just over 300 competitive kilometres into little more than 48 hours. The action began with the pre-event shakedown on Friday morning, where Pajari and team-mate Elfyn Evans shared the fastest time.

When the rally began for real in the afternoon, Pajari made a perfect start, setting the fastest time in all three stages on the initial loop to open up a small advantage of 4.1 seconds over team-mate Oliver Solberg.

After a tyre fitting zone between the two loops of stages, Pajari was even more dominant through the second pass of the three forest stages, extending his margin above 14s. He was also fastest in the day’s closing street stage in Elva to finish up 14.7s clear of second-placed Solberg.

Returning to Estonia one year after his debut victory aboard the GR YARIS Rally1, Solberg was consistently in the top-three stage times throughout the day and ended it 1.8s ahead of third-placed Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai).

On his first day competing in Estonia in five years, Sébastien Ogier produced a solid and consistent performance to sit fifth overall, 9.3s behind fourth-placed Thierry Neuville of Hyundai.

Takamoto Katsuta was running sixth overall until he sustained tyre damage in the day’s final forest stage and was forced to retire due to a lack of usable spare rubber. The team will prepare his car to restart tomorrow.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans faced challenging conditions running first on the very dry and loose gravel roads and ended the day ninth overall.

In WRC2, GR Yaris Rally2 drivers Teemu Suninen and Roope Korhonen are second and third overall within five seconds of the lead, while TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Jaspar Vaher is fourth on home soil on his category debut, having scored his first stage win in SS3. Yuki Yamamoto is 14th after a spin in SS1, while two more debutants Takumi Matsushita and Shotaro Goto are 16th and 17th respectively.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“Sami has driven very well today. To be able to set the fastest time on every stage is quite surprising and impressive. Already in shakedown he was very happy with the feeling in the car and didn’t need to change anything. He’s been smiling and relaxed and enjoying himself, and hopefully for him it can continue like this. Oliver and Seb both had solid days and I’m sure they can get stronger tomorrow, and Elfyn too with a slightly better road position. Taka was unfortunate today but he just needs to put that behind him and look forward.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been a tough start to the rally for us opening the road today with some very loose conditions. We tried to do all that we can, and it didn’t feel so bad behind the wheel. We just weren’t able to put competitive times on the board, and it could be a bit disheartening to see the guys coming faster behind. Thankfully this afternoon with the ruts forming the time loss wasn’t so bad, and tomorrow should at least be a bit better with a couple of cars in front of us.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“I think it’s been a decent day for us. People know that I will never say I’m happy being in fifth place, but I knew coming here it would be challenging and I think we did a decent job from third on the road after five years not competing here. Sami has been flying today, so well done to him: winning all of the stages is something special. On our side there’s still some work to do to try and improve a bit, work on the car and myself to hopefully be closer to that pace tomorrow and catch some more positions.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Second place is a pretty good position but I can’t be completely satisfied with the day. This morning it was all pretty close, but the afternoon was a bit more difficult in terms of the times compared to Sami, who has done a great job today. I was struggling a bit with the feeling and to find that sweet spot to be able to push. But we’re not far away and we will keep trying to improve some small things. Tomorrow will be a long day and it will be important to manage the tyres when we’re driving the first and second pass on the same set.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Today didn’t go as expected. It was quite a difficult start already in the morning. We went a bit too much on the soft side with the car setup and it wasn’t working so well in the super high speed sections. We managed it as well as we could and without losing too much time. Unfortunately, we got damage to two tyres during the second loop and couldn’t continue. It’s very disappointing, but I will just keep trying to do my best over the rest of the rally.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“I can be very happy at the end of the day. To take a clean sweep of stage wins and be in the lead is really good, and more importantly the feeling behind the wheel has been really great. The driving has just been flowing quite naturally. Of course, we are pushing but I don’t feel like I’m taking big risk and it feels under control. The morning was super tight with our rivals but in the afternoon we managed to make a bit more of a gap. Still, it’s only Friday. There’s two long days still to go, so no chance to relax yet, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow and will just try to keep enjoying it.”

End of day one (Friday):
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 49m43.5s
2 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +14.7s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +16.5s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +24.0s
5 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +33.3s
6 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +44.7s
7 Esapekka Lappi/Enni Mälkönen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +46.5s
8 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +46.6s
9 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +49.8s
10 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m04.3s
41 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +11m32.5s
(Results as of 23:00 on Friday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Saturday is the longest day of the rally, with a total of nine stages and 149.6 competitive kilometres. Two stages to the north of Tartu are run twice prior to mid-day service, with another two stages to the south run twice in the afternoon before a super special stage adjacent to the service park ends the day.

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