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.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC

X: www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC

Instagram: www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing

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.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC

X: www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC

Instagram: www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing

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.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC

X: www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC

Instagram: www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing

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.”

Follow us!

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

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.

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.

Follow us!

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

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.

Follow us!
Follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT:
∇Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TOYOTAGAZOORacingWRC
∇X : https://www.x.com/TGR_WRC (@TGR_WRC)
∇Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/tgr_wrc/ (@TGR_WRC)
∇YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtALHup92q5xIFb7n9UXVg

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.

Follow us!

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

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.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing

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.”

Follow us!

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

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

Follow us!
Follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT:
 ∇Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TOYOTAGAZOORacingWRC
 ∇X : https://www.x.com/TGR_WRC (@TGR_WRC)
 ∇Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/tgr_wrc/ (@TGR_WRC)
 ∇YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtALHup92q5xIFb7n9UXVg

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.

Follow us!

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

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.

Follow us!

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

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.

Follow us!

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

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.

Follow us!

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

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.)

Follow us!

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

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/

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.

Follow us!

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

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.

Follow us!

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

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.

Follow us!

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

Le Mans winners Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries made up positions to finish 12th in their #7 TR010 HYBRID, one lap behind the race-winning #15 BMW. In the #8 TR010 HYBRID, Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa lost several minutes due to a suspension change after being hit by a rival, and finished 17th.

Despite the disappointing result, TOYOTA RACING still leads the manufacturers’ World Championship, now by five points over BMW M Team WRT at the halfway point in the season. The #7 TR010 HYBRID crew are tied with the #20 BMW drivers in the lead of the drivers’ standings, while the #8 crew are fifth, 19 points behind.

Mike started from 17th following a grid penalty, and the #7 car’s troubles continued in the opening stages. A five-second penalty for a start infringement was followed by a drive-through for a full course yellow infraction in the second hour. Incidents and penalties elsewhere helped the #7 gain places and move closer to the top 10. However, further progress proved impossible over the remaining hours of a race which ended in fog and falling temperatures.

The #8 TR010 HYBRID took the start from 14th but gained positions – running briefly in the top 10 after the first pit stops – until its push for World Championship points was effectively ended in the second hour. Brendon was hit by another Hypercar, causing right-front suspension damage and requiring a 16-minute stop for repairs. The #8 dropped to the back of the field, but the drivers nevertheless continued pushing until the end, ready to take advantage of any problems ahead.

Following its frustrating week in Brazil, TOYOTA RACING now has an eight-week break to regroup and return stronger for the next round of the WEC season, the Lone Star Le Mans on 6 September, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Obviously it was a very difficult race. It's not what we wanted before coming here, but we lacked performance all week, including in the race. We also made a couple of mistakes during the race and that doesn’t help. We need to learn from this and improve. There is still a long way to go in the World Championship fight, so we will do our homework and come back stronger for Austin.”

 Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “I’m disappointed with my race because I made a couple of mistakes, including the full course yellow penalty. It’s not the performance we wanted so we need to regroup now and bounce back in Austin.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “It was a very challenging weekend, and a very challenging day. Ultimately, we lacked performance since the start of the weekend. Of course, we also made some mistakes but, regardless, we were not quick enough. When you don't have the baseline speed, you have little chance to move forward.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “Clearly not the result we were hoping for. We knew it would not be easy after qualifying but we were hopeful that we could score decent points, and it started quite well. But the contact basically ended our race. After that, there was nothing we could do. We just finished the race as cleanly as possible in case of any bad luck for the others, which never came.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It's been a very tough day for both cars. I fought hard for the first two stints, and we were up to ninth after the first pit stop. Unfortunately, we got taken out by a car diving up the inside and locking the rears, which bent our suspension. It's one of those things. Without that, I think we could have fought for points today, but we didn't have the pace for a podium.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was a hard day. The contact just ruined our race, which was a pity. We didn't have the performance to fight at the front, but we had a chance to score points. We need to learn from this and come back stronger. There are still a few races to go, and we are in a big battle for the World Championship.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

Just 0.739secs covered all 17 Hypercars in a very close qualifying. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa were 14th in the #8 TR010 HYBRID. Le Mans winners and World Championship leaders Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished qualifying in 16th place in their #7 TR010 HYBRID.

Preparations for qualifying accelerated in third practice, which gave engineers and drivers the chance to evaluate set-up changes made since Friday’s session. After an hour of practice, the results – with the #8 in 12th and the #7 in 14th – already indicated that qualifying could be tough for the TR010 HYBRIDs.

Kamui and Ryō, who set their car’s fastest laps in third practice early in the session, took the wheel for qualifying and fought hard to achieve the top-10 position required to reach Hyperpole. On a sunny afternoon, with temperatures hitting 27°C, both drivers pushed throughout the 12-minute session and improved their lap times consistently but missed out on Hyperpole by a fraction of a second.

Despite the qualifying result, the team will take on Sunday’s race determined to score more valuable points to defend its advantage in the manufacturers’ World Championship. The 6 Hours of São Paulo begins at 11.30am local time (4.30pm CEST).

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Obviously qualifying was not what we wanted, but we have struggled this week. It's going to be a hard race for tomorrow, but we will do our best to score as many points as we can for the World Championship. Hopefully we can make it an exciting race for all the fans here in Brazil. We will do our best.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was a tough qualifying, but we did everything we could. My best lap was clean, and we maximised our package. I think we have reasonable race pace, but the weather is a big unknown tomorrow. So far this season we have done a good job with strategy, so we need to be very sharp on that side and hopefully we can score good points tomorrow.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

Two 90-minute free practice sessions gave engineers and drivers a first opportunity to adjust the TR010 HYBRIDs for the 4.309km, anti-clockwise track, notable for its elevation changes and tight, twisty layout. A challenging day leaves the team with work to do to extract more performance from its cars.

Le Mans winners and World Championship leaders Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries were 14th fastest in the #7 TR010 HYBRID. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa, who finished third at La Sarthe, ended the day 15th in their #8 TR010 HYBRID.

First practice began late on a sunny morning, with temperatures around 25°C. Both cars began a busy programme of mechanical and aerodynamic set-up and control setting adjustments, as well as analysing both compounds of Michelin tyres. Mike and Brendon set the best laps for their respective cars.

In the afternoon, the team continued its work in similar weather conditions. Both cars completed an incident-free second session but were slightly behind their Hypercar rivals at the end of a tough day of free practice. Kamui and Ryō recorded the fastest times in their cars.  

After two busy sessions, the team’s engineers will now analyse the data and work closely with the drivers with the target of improving the balance and performance of the TR010 HYBRIDs prior to the final, one-hour practice session on Saturday morning.

Qualifying takes place on Saturday afternoon (3.10pm local time, 8.10pm CEST) to set the grid for Sunday’s race, which begins at 11.30am local time (4.30pm CEST).

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We were generally struggling in terms of pace, and the feeling in the car wasn’t great. We couldn’t get into a good rhythm. We need to analyse everything that's going on in the car. We will work on it tonight and try to figure out how to improve.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “We didn’t look so competitive today and we're still trying to find a good balance with the car. There are some areas we can improve, so we will work hard with the engineers to find improvements before qualifying. We will do our best, so let’s see how it develops over the weekend.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “It's nice to be in Brazil again, but it looks like we are struggling a little bit. Obviously, we are still exploring different set-up directions and seeing how we could extract a little bit more performance. It has been challenging so far but we’ll keep pushing.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “I’m happy to be back in São Paulo but it’s been quite a difficult day. We struggled a bit in terms of pace and we’re clearly on the back foot a bit. We now have a lot of data – also on both tyre compounds – so we will work very hard to try to improve. On the other hand, the forecast is for a wet Sunday, which would completely change the picture.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “We tried quite a few different things between our two cars, but right now it looks like it's going to be a tough weekend. It looks like there could be rain on Sunday and that might be good news for us. It was tough going in the dry today, so maybe the weather can help us. But we’ll keep working on it and fighting for every position in qualifying and the race.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It's been a tough day. We tried to assess the tyres and work out which compound is better for the race. We have a different car compared to last year here, so we also worked on optimising the set-up. We went through the programme quite smoothly but we’re missing lap time. There’s a lot of work to do tonight and hopefully we can find some lap time for qualifying.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

All five TGR-WRT drivers, who currently fill the top five places in the championship, will compete in Estonia. Elfyn Evans is the current championship leader with an advantage of 11 points over Takamoto Katsuta, who is set to reach the milestone of 100 WRC events in Estonia.

Reigning champion Sébastien Ogier climbed to third in the standings, 37 points from the lead, with victory in Greece and returns to compete on Estonian roads for the first time since 2021.

The team’s youngest drivers, Finland’s Sami Pajari and Sweden’s Oliver Solberg, both feel at home on fast gravel stages. Solberg scored a sensational victory in Estonia one year ago on his debut in the GR YARIS Rally1 car.

More up-and-coming talent will be on display in the WRC support categories in Estonia, where seven cars will compete as part of the TGR WRC Challenge Program.

WRC2 regular Yuki Yamamoto – on strong form after a first podium at Rally Japan and Power Stage win in Greece – will be joined by three drivers making their debuts in the category after building experience on a variety of European rallies so far this year aboard GR Yaris Rally2 cars: Japanese prospects Shotaro Goto and Takumi Matsushita and Estonian talent Jaspar Vaher, who takes on his home rally fresh from outright victory in the recent Finnish championship round in Jyväskylä.

Two more Japanese drivers, Rio Ogata and Kanta Yanaguida, make their debuts in the WRC3 category for Rally3 cars, where Japanese co-driver Tomiya Maekawa also lines up alongside Jarkko Nikara.

A total of 14 GR Yaris Rally2 drivers feature on the entry list, including the new WRC2 championship leader Roope Korhonen and fellow Finn Teemu Suninen, who won on his last start in Portugal. They are joined by Gus Greensmith, Bernhard ten Brinke, Tuukka Kauppinen and Johannes Keferböck plus four more Estonian drivers: Egon Kaur, Karl Martin Volver, Joosep Ralf Nõgene and Urmo Aava.

Rally Estonia is known for its wide and flowing roads that feature crests and large jumps, but the route also includes narrow and technical sections where the soft and sandy surface can become heavily rutted by the second pass of each stage. The rally is based in the country’s second largest city, Tartu – around two hours south-east of the capital Tallinn – and runs to a more compact format this year which packs 301.8 competitive kilometres into just over 48 hours.

After shakedown on Friday morning, the rally begins in the afternoon with a trio of gravel stages south of Tartu run twice either side of a tyre-fitting zone in Tehvandi, before a street stage in Elvi rounds out the day. Saturday features two stages to the north run twice prior to mid-day service in Tartu and another two stages to the south run twice in the afternoon, while a super special stage adjacent to the service park ends the day. Two passes of the Kääriku stage, the longest of the rally at 24.39km, round out the rally on Sunday.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“As a team we always look forward to this part of the season and these very fast rallies in Estonia and Finland. Of course, Finland is our home rally, but Estonia is also a place where we have a good history and a good record. The Acropolis Rally was all about managing the tyres, but Estonia should be more of a flat-out fight. All of our drivers enjoy driving on fast roads and can be strong there; Oliver took an amazing win there last year, and Taka and Sami are both on very good form. For Elfyn, it should be easier to compete from first on the road, while Seb hasn’t driven this event for many years, but he will be motivated after his win in Greece.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Greece was a challenging event for us but we can look forward to something completely different on much faster roads in Estonia and Finland. It’s important to find a good feeling and prepare the car as well as possible for these events, and it was helpful to drive a national rally in Estonia last week to get used to the highest speeds once again. If it’s very dry in Estonia then there can still be some cleaning for us to do, but we just need to focus on doing our best whatever conditions we face.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“To win in Greece was very important for us. Moving from there to Estonia will be a big contrast, and especially for me as I haven’t driven this rally for five years. I’m looking forward to being back, though. It’s one of the most spectacular rallies of the season, and a well-organised event with a great atmosphere. I enjoyed my test last week, getting back the feeling for high speed, and hopefully we can be competitive. I’m sure that it will not be easy, but I always enjoy a challenge like this and will give it my best shot.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“I’m really looking forward to going back to Rally Estonia. It’s a very special place to me after we took our first win there last year. It’s a really cool rally that I’ve always enjoyed: with the high speeds, massive jumps and excited rally fans, it’s a lot of fun. We haven’t had the easiest run of rallies recently, but now I’m going back to a rally where I have experience with this car, and I just want to try my best and see what we can do.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“After a good rally for us in Greece, I’ve got a good feeling to move onto very high-speed stages in Estonia and Finland, which are some of my favourite rallies. You have to be very committed in Estonia, especially on the second pass when the road gets rutted, but the margins are also very small at those speeds. All of my team-mates can also be very strong in these rallies, but I will try my best to achieve good results and take as many points as possible.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“I’m really looking forward to these next two rallies in Estonia and Finland: they are my favourite ones on the calendar. I’m pretty happy with how we finished the last rally in Greece after a difficult start, we’re still in a good position in the championship, and at the same time our starting position should not be too bad for the next rallies and should allow us to be in the fight, so let’s see what we can do.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“I’m really happy to be going back onto fast gravel roads again. I had a good feeling at Rally Estonia last year, and I’ve made a lot of progress since then with car handling and rally management. I also already drove a Finnish championship rally recently in preparation, so I’m confident I’m ready. I’m aiming high but there will again be many good drivers in WRC2; I’m excited to fight against them and try my best.”

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

Follow us!

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

Victory for Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries at La Sarthe elevated the #7 TR010 HYBRID crew to the lead of the drivers’ standings, and they take a four-point advantage into the South American round of the WEC calendar.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa are also in the title fight, just 19 points adrift of their team-mates, after finishing third at Le Mans in the #8 TR010 HYBRID. They travel to Brazil aiming to win for the second time this year, following their victory in the season-opening 6 Hours of Imola.

The 4.309km, anti-clockwise Interlagos circuit presents a unique engineering challenge. The relatively high altitude of over 700 metres negatively impacts engine performance and downforce levels, meaning the free practice sessions are particularly important to adjust car settings prior to the race.

TOYOTA RACING has a positive record from its five races so far in Brazil, with two pole positions and two victories to its name. The team’s challenge to win its third race of the season will begin on Friday 10 July with two free practice sessions. Qualifying takes place on Saturday (3.25pm local time, 8.25pm CEST) to set the grid for Sunday’s race, which begins at 11.30am local time (4.30pm CEST).

Away from the action in Brazil, the Le Mans-winning #7 TR010 HYBRID – in the same condition as it crossed the line in La Sarthe – will be on static display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Great Britain.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Le Mans put us in a stronger position in the World Championships so obviously our next target is to reclaim both titles. We’ll be pushing very hard as a team to do that, starting in São Paulo. It’s going to be a challenge, though, because the competition is very close. Everyone could see that in Le Mans, when there were just a few seconds between the leading cars after 24 hours. But we also showed that with a big team effort and good strategy, we can achieve great results, and we’ll push hard to do that again.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “It’s good to be racing again so soon after Le Mans because it gives us a chance to keep the positive momentum going. Le Mans was a long, hard event but we all pulled together as a team and got the win in the end. We’ll bring that same team spirit to this race and hopefully get a similar result.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “The mood of the whole team is still extremely positive after Le Mans so we’re all looking forward to going racing again. With the updated car, we’re definitely hoping for a much better race in São Paulo than last year, which was a really difficult one for us. As always, it will not be easy but we’re ready for it and eager to get started.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “I missed this race last year so I’m looking forward to racing at Interlagos again. It’s a special track with a special atmosphere. It’s quite demanding to race there because it’s an old-school circuit – narrow, lots of changes of elevation and a good mix of corners. Hopefully our TR010 HYBRID will go well there, and we can fight at the front again.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “Aside from last year, we’ve gone well there in the past and it’s a fun circuit to drive. The Brazilian fans are always really enthusiastic, and we get a lot of support from Toyota do Brasil as well, so we all enjoy racing there. After Le Mans, the next phase of the season is starting and it’s exciting to be fighting for World Championships again.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “Le Mans was an amazing result for the whole team, which worked so hard to achieve the victory. Now our focus has switched to the World Championships and São Paulo is another important race for us. There isn’t much time between Le Mans and this race, but I know all the engineers and mechanics are pushing hard to help us challenge for victory again. We need to maximise our package and execute a clean race, but I feel confident we are ready for it.”

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

Akio Toyoda
Chairman, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team

Follow us!
Follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT:
 ∇Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TOYOTAGAZOORacingWRC
 ∇X : https://www.x.com/TGR_WRC (@TGR_WRC)
 ∇Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/tgr_wrc/ (@TGR_WRC)
 ∇YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtALHup92q5xIFb7n9UXVg

TGR-WRT faced a particularly challenging start to the rally with its five drivers starting in the first five places courtesy of their strong championship positions and therefore sweeping a line through the loose gravel for their rivals to follow.

Nine-time world champion Ogier had the best start position within the team in fifth on the road and made the most of it to finish Friday within 10 seconds of the lead. By the end of Saturday, he had closed the gap to leader Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) to just 4.1s.

Ogier would seize the rally lead with the fastest time in Sunday’s opening stage, before he and Neuville then shared the best time in the following test. The penultimate stage proved decisive, with another strong stage win from Ogier combined with tyre damage for Neuville creating a gap of 54.8s ahead of the rally-ending Power Stage.

There, Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais were fastest once more as they secured victory by 58.3s, and a maximum score of 35 points through topping the Power Stage and Super Sunday classifications. The victory is the 69th of Ogier’s career and his second Acropolis win, 15 years after his first.

Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston secured a double podium finish for the team in third overall after a strong and consistent performance. Running second on the road on Friday, he avoided major trouble while also showing good pace as he climbed up from ninth on the leaderboard.

Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen finished fifth overall with a strong recovery from 15th after stopping to change a wheel and tyre on Friday afternoon. They also took second in the Power Stage and Super Sunday.

Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin faced the toughest conditions opening the road on Friday as championship leaders, but were also fighting back well and closing on fourth overall until a tyre change in Saturday’s last stage.

Evans’ hopes of recovering points on Sunday were hampered by a slow loss of tyre pressure in the morning’s opener, but with seventh overall and fifth in the Power Stage he remains championship leader, seven points ahead of Katsuta and 33 ahead of Ogier. TGR-WRT continues to lead the manufacturers’ standings, increasing its lead to 140 points.

Oliver Solberg retired from Friday’s final stage when he ran wide and got stuck on the edge of the road, but restarted on Saturday and took one point for fifth in Super Sunday.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto demonstrated strong pace in the competitive WRC2 category, setting several top five stage times throughout the weekend, and culminating in a maiden Power Stage victory, even though time lost to punctures meant he finished 10th in the class. Fellow GR Yaris Rally2 drivers Alejandro Cachón, Roope Korhonen and Diego Domínguez finished third, fourth and fifth in class respectively.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It means a lot to win this rally. We have been quite unlucky in Greece over recent years, and this time the luck was on our side with the damage that Neuville picked up in the penultimate stage. It was a really good battle until then but Seb was fantastic once again. He avoided any issues and deserves another win on this event. Taka was also really good and it’s great to see him back on the podium, and Sami drove an excellent final day as well to keep making up places. Elfyn has not been so lucky this time, and it was tough for Oliver too, but I’m sure the next rally will be easier for them.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been a tough weekend, in line with what we were expecting beforehand. After a difficult start on Friday, things were actually moving in the right direction and not looking too bad by Saturday afternoon, but then we got the puncture in the last stage. We tried to give it a good go today but I touched a bank in the first stage which pushed the tyre off the rim. I’m disappointed with how it’s turned out but that’s the way it goes sometimes and we just have to move on to the next one.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“It feels good to win the Acropolis Rally again after many years. It seems like the Greek gods were with me once more! Like often here, it’s been a very tough rally, particularly for the tyres, so I’m glad that we were able to stay out of trouble this time. It was very close with Thierry and there was no chance to relax, even in the Power Stage because it was very rough. I tried to drive as gently as I could, so I was surprised by the time, but I’m very happy to take the maximum points, which is exactly what we needed.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“I think we did the best that we could today. We at least managed to keep Elfyn behind us in the Super Sunday standings to take one point, but I don’t think it was possible to do more from our starting position. It’s been another blow this weekend and I’m very disappointed; it’s been tough lately with these little mistakes. I just need to keep believing and try to reset and find a better way forward, going into some rallies that I know well and am looking forward to.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s very good to finish on the podium after such a tough rally. It was difficult for us in the beginning running second on the road, but we were expecting this and we had a clear plan to try and avoid problems and mistakes and just manage the situation. It worked out very well, so thank you to Aaron and to the team; we had no issues with the car at all. It’s been a good weekend and I’m looking forward to the high-speed rallies coming up.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It was a proper Super Sunday for us today and I think we need to be really happy about that. The beginning of the rally was very difficult for us and it was tricky to recover from that, but I think that we got the most out of it that we could. We managed to make up quite a lot of positions and also take eight extra points from Sunday, so it’s really not been too bad an event in the end and we’re still in a good position in the championship with some nice rallies to come for us.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“It’s good to finish this really rough rally. We had some really strong pace and also some good consistency. Still I have room to learn about how to manage a rally better in this kind of condition and better avoid punctures and problems, but I think that we learned quite a lot in this respect that we can take into the future. It was also really nice to end the rally with a stage win in the Power Stage.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, ACROPOLIS RALLY GREECE
1 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 3h36m40.7s
2 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +58.3s
3 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +3m04.8s
4 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m55.5s
5 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +5m02.2s
6 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +5m08.7s
7 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +5m54.9s
8 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +8m05.8s
9 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +9m50.1s
10 Andreas Mikkelsen/Jørn Listerud (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +10m52.5s
16 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +15m31.2s
(Results as of 15:30 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

WRC2 class
1 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) 3h46m30.8s
2 Andreas Mikkelsen/Jørn Listerud (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1m02.4s
3 Alejandro Cachón/Borja Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +2m03.2s
4 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +2m53.3s
5 Diego Domínguez/Rogelio Peñate (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +3m43.1s
6 Léo Rossel/Guillaume Mercoiret (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +4m10.6s
10 Yuki Yamamoto/James Fulton (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +7m57.6s

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 8:
1 Elfyn Evans 158 points
2 Takamoto Katsuta 151
3 Sébastien Ogier 125
4 Sami Pajari 114
5 Oliver Solberg 103
6 Adrien Fourmaux 97
7 Thierry Neuville 95
8 Hayden Paddon 21
9 Esapekka Lappi 21
10 Yohan Rossel 20

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 8:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 416 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 276
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 126
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 107

What's next?
Rally Estonia (July 17-19) features fast gravel stages combining wide and narrow sections with a generally soft and sandy surface that can become rutted for the second pass.

Follow us!

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

Ogier began the day second overall, 9.7s behind the leader Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), and won the first and fourth stages of the loop as he reduced the gap to 3.7s arriving back in Loutraki for service. Neuville then added 7.1s to his advantage in the second pass of the Ghymno stage, only for Ogier to respond by taking 6.7s in the day’s closing run through Menalo Mt.

Takamoto Katsuta had a strong day to join Ogier in a podium position overnight, climbing from sixth to third with good consistent pace while staying out of trouble.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans was having a similarly strong day as he looked to recover some of the ground lost cleaning the road on Friday. Starting the day seventh, he got up to fifth and was closing on fourth when he had to stop and change a wheel and tyre in the day’s last stage, dropping to seventh once more.

Already delayed by a similar stop on Friday, Sami Pajari benefitted to move up into sixth position, 4.8s ahead of Evans. After retiring in Friday’s final stage, Oliver Solberg restarted and had a clean day, finishing it 21st overall.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto continued to set strong stage times within the competitive WRC2 field, moving up into 10th overall in the class.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It has been a good Saturday for our team. It was another rough and abrasive day for the tyres, but Seb did a very good job once again. Neuville has been very fast too, so we should have a good fight to watch between them tomorrow. It’s been another really good performance from Taka to get up to third, and Elfyn could have been up there in the top four with him as well until they had to change the tyre, but that’s often how it goes on this rally. Tomorrow we’ll have Seb fighting for the win and others chasing Sunday points, and as a team we’ll try to take as many as we can.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“The day was going pretty well; we were enjoying the cleaner roads, we had a good rhythm and we were climbing up the leaderboard. Unfortunately in the last stage we picked up a puncture. It came quite suddenly after an impact and we had to stop and change it. It’s dropped us right back to where we started the day so we’ve got it all to do again tomorrow, and of course the road position will not be any easier either, but we’ll fight for what we can.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“I think it’s been a good day for us. In places these roads were nice to drive, and in others it was just about trying to survive the roughness. In this last stage I was planning to push, and then seeing how many others were having trouble in there made me more unsure, but we managed to have a decent rhythm and keep the fight open until tomorrow. I’m happy with what we’ve done so far but the most important day is coming, where we need to secure the best result and extra points are also available. I will keep the same approach and we’ll see what happens.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“After the disappointment of what happened yesterday, today was all about trying to find the feeling again and rebuild the confidence. Of course, it was going to be difficult to do anything special from the start position we had, but at least we could drive cleanly through the day. Tomorrow I’m sure there will still be a lot of road cleaning, but we will try our best and see if we can take a few points.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“This morning the first target was to catch the two cars in front of us and we did that in two stages. After that it was just about managing the high risk of punctures, and I think we did quite a good job to get through the day without any problems. It’s nice to be in third overall tonight but tomorrow’s stages are maybe even rougher than today, so anything can still happen and the main focus will be to finish without problems.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“I think there was not so much more that we could have done today. On some stages we had quite solid pace, on others maybe not, but I think this was mainly down to the conditions because our road position was not great after yesterday’s troubles. We were able to gain a few places after issues for other drivers, and that also makes our road position better, so I think that gives us a chance to try and take a few more points tomorrow.”

End of day three (Saturday):
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h40m18.7s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +4.1s
3 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m17.0s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m00.6s
5 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m01.6s
6 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +4m38.3s
7 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +4m43.1s
8 Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +5m17.8s
9 Andreas Mikkelsen/Jørn Listerud (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +5m54.6s
10 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +6m08.5s
21 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +14m25.4s
(Results as of 20:20 on Saturday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
The last day takes place in the hills above the Loutraki service park, with a pair of stages run twice either side of final service. While familiar in name from recent years, both tests are significantly revised: Aghii Theodori runs in a form last seen in 2013 while Loutraki features a new finish and will host the rally-ending Power Stage on its second pass.

Follow us!

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

With the five GR YARIS Rally1 drivers running in the first five positions on the road courtesy of their championship positions, they faced a challenging day on the loose and rocky stages, sweeping a cleaner line for their rivals to follow.

Ogier had the best position of the team’s drivers in fifth on the road and made the most of it with a strong performance through the day, achieving a stage win in SS4 and coming close to more, and ending the day just 9.7s from the leader Thierry Neuville (Hyundai).

For the team’s other drivers it was a more challenging day. Takamoto Katsuta and Elfyn Evans sit sixth and seventh overall after facing the toughest conditions running second and first on the road respectively.

Oliver Solberg was running just behind them and third on the road, but conceded over a minute in the day’s first stage after a loss of tyre pressure. Worse was to come in the day’s final stage when he ran wide and got stuck on a bank. Unable to return to the road, he was forced to retire from the day. With the car mostly undamaged, he is set to restart tomorrow.

Sami Pajari ran as high as fourth overall during the morning but had to stop briefly in SS4 due to a technical issue and then for almost two minutes in SS5 while he changed a wheel and tyre, and now occupies 10th overall.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto has shown strong pace in a competitive WRC2 class, setting several top six stage times, but he also twice stopped to change a tyre, leaving him 13th in class and over six minutes adrift. Alejandro Cachón runs third in the class in his GR Yaris Rally2 car.  

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“Today was probably just as difficult for us as we had expected beforehand. Seb has been doing well, making the most of the slightly better position he had compared to his team-mates, and he’s in a good position looking ahead to the rest of the rally. Elfyn knows how to drive as the first car on the road and he made no mistakes, so it just shows how extreme the cleaning effect was today. Taka was also doing good times from second on the road and Sami was going well too until he lost some time with some issues. The mistake from Oliver is unfortunate; these things can happen when you’re trying to drive more carefully, so we need to help him find the right balance.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“We knew that today was going to be tough in our position opening the road but it turned out to be even tougher than we had expected. The cleaning effect on some of the stages today was really extreme. It’s very dry this year and we’ve started the rally with some rockier and more abrasive stages compared to last year, and the impact of that for us has been clear. We just have to keep trying tomorrow, which I’m sure will be another tough day to challenge everyone.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“It was clear that today would be difficult as a team with the amount of loose gravel on the road. At least I had the best start position within the team and I tried to use that as much as I could. In some sections we still saw the guys starting behind us could be quite a bit quicker, but overall I think we can be happy. We had a good rhythm and stayed out of trouble on stages that were very abrasive for the tyres. So far it’s going to plan, but we need to keep it going the same way.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Today has been tougher than expected. To have the puncture in the first stage this morning was unfortunate, and after that we were just trying to stay out of trouble really. Then in the last stage of the day I got too wide in a right-hander and just got beached on the edge of the road, and when I tried to reverse I damaged the gearbox and ended up being stuck. It’s very frustrating, especially as we had not been pushing after what happened earlier. It’s been a tough run lately and we need to understand it and improve and keep our heads up.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s been quite a clean day overall for us. We tried our best to manage the tyres, and unfortunately we did pick up some damage a couple of times, but we know that this can happen in this kind of very extreme conditions. To be P6 overall tonight is quite good considering that we were second on the road. Of course, it could be better, but it could also be worse. Realistically I think we can still aim to catch the two cars in front of us tomorrow and otherwise try to stay away from problems, because anything can still happen in a rough rally like this.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“We had some nice stages during the morning loop and I think that our pace was quite decent considering our road position. I felt that we were doing quite an OK job while trying to avoid any issues, but unfortunately the issues still came our way and in total we lost around two minutes. It means we are realistically out of the fight for the win, but there’s still two long days to go. Anything can happen and we just need to keep going.”

End of day two (Friday):
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 1h26m48.2s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +9.7s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +42.4s
4 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m10.1s
5 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m16.9s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m33.2s
7 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m08.4s
8 Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m49.5s
9 Andreas Mikkelsen/Jørn Listerud (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3m10.6s
10 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +3m13.1s
29 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +12m36.6s
(Results as of 20:00 on Friday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Saturday takes place on the Peloponnesian peninsula to the west of Loutraki. An initial loop of four stages features two that are brand-new and two that were last driven in 2013. Two of these tests will then be repeated following afternoon service in Loutraki, forming a total of 108.69 competitive kilometres.

Follow us!

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

In contrast to the rough and rocky and mountain tests to come this weekend, the first competitive stage took place on smooth asphalt with a side-by-side super special stage in the Ellinikon area of the historic Greek capital Athens.

Ogier went quickest through the first stage to claim the early rally lead by one second over team-mate Takamoto Katsuta. Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg set exactly the same time to sit joint fourth overall with championship leader Elfyn Evans rounding out the top six.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto was one of the first drivers to tackle the stage and had a clean run through in his GR Yaris Rally2 car as he looks to build on a maiden WRC2 podium at Rally Japan.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It’s nice to be back in Greece and starting the Acropolis Rally. I drove this rally myself 14 times – the first time was 40 years ago – and I know you need a little bit of luck to win here. Tyre management has always been quite important and I’m sure it will be again this year, with some long stages running back-to-back and with so many stones on the road. It should be a close and interesting fight with our rivals, who have usually gone well in this event. Tomorrow could be particularly tough with our cars starting in the first five places and cleaning the road for the others, but I’m sure all our guys will give it their best.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s good to get the rally started tonight in Athens with a clean run. The stages ahead are looking pretty dry and rocky and we’ll be first on the road tomorrow, so we’re probably going to feel the effect of that a bit, but we just have to try and limit the damage as best as we can. Saturday’s stages in particular are quite new for everyone so it’s been a challenging recce making those fresh pacenotes, but we hope we’ve done it right and we can have a good event.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Athens is an amazing city with so much history and to start the rally with a stage there and put on a show for the fans is always a special moment to enjoy. Tomorrow the real challenge will begin. As usual on this rally, the risk of damaging the car or the tyres is very high with all the rocks around, so the main thing will be to stay out of trouble. Hopefully we can be in contention again and we’ll pray to the Greek gods for a good result!”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“The Acropolis is a great rally and Greece has a lot of history and passion for the sport, and it’s nice to start with a clean and smooth stage this evening! Tomorrow will be an extremely long and rough day without a proper service, so we will need to take a clever approach. We’ll try to have a clean day, get through with decent speed and no problems and then hopefully be in a good position for the rest of the weekend.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s always nice to start this rally in Athens and put on a show for the people. Every year they make a new super special stage, so it’s always an interesting challenge for us drivers. My feeling is good in the car and everything was working fine in shakedown. There’s a lot of new stages this year so it’s not easy to know where the roughest places will be, but we just need to try our best to avoid trouble.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“There’s always a great atmosphere in Athens and it was good to put on a show for the fans, even if the stage probably isn’t going to have much impact on the final result with such a long and demanding rally ahead of us. The feeling is good with the car after shakedown but it will be important to find the balance between keeping everything in one piece and finding some proper speed where we can.”

End of day one (Thursday):
1 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 1m38.2s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.0s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1.1s
4 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.2s
= Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.2s
6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1.4s
7 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1.9s
8 Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2.5s
9 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +2.8s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +2.9s
(Results as of 20:00 on Thursday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Cars and crews will be transported by sea ferry overnight through the Gulf of Corinth to Itea to begin Friday’s leg. This is the longest day of the rally at 129.22 competitive kilometres and features a total of six stages utilising familiar roads through central Greece, with a remote mid-day service in Livadia.

Follow us!

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

After winning in Japan, Elfyn Evans has a lead of 20 points ahead of Takamoto Katsuta. The team’s youngest drivers, Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari, are third and fourth, 49 and 55 points respectively from the lead. Reigning champion Sébastien Ogier, a previous winner of the Acropolis back in 2011, is 61 points from the lead in fifth in his partial campaign.

Having achieved his maiden WRC2 podium at home in Japan, TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto continues his campaign in Greece, where he drives one of 11 GR Yaris Rally2 cars on the entry list.

He is joined by category regulars Roope Korhonen, Alejandro Cachón, Gus Greensmith, Diego Domínguez, Bernhard ten Brinke and Adrien Mosca. Andrea Lafarja and Johannes Keferböck compete for WRC Masters Cup honours. Paraguayan Alejandro Galanti makes his first WRC2 appearance of the season while Luis Arceluz of Argentina is also entered into a WRC event for the first time.

The Acropolis is famed for its rough and rocky mountain stages and for high temperatures, which combine to provide a tough test for cars, tyres and crews. This year, the service park returns to the coastal resort of Loutraki, located adjacent to the Corinth Canal. Situated around 80 kilometres west of the capital city Athens, the town last served as the base for a WRC round in 2013.

A new super special stage in the Ellinikon area of Athens begins the rally on Thursday evening, before cars are then transported by sea through the Gulf of Corinth to Itea to begin Friday’s leg. This is the longest of the rally at 129.22 competitive kilometres and features a total of six stages utilising familiar roads through central Greece, with a remote mid-day service in Livadia. Saturday takes place on the Peloponnesian peninsula west of Loutraki; of four stages – two brand-new, two last driven in 2013 – two will be repeated following afternoon service in Loutraki. The rally ends on Sunday with two passes of two revised stages in the hills above Loutraki.

Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“We have had quite a strong season so far, but the second half of the year will also be demanding with so many gravel rallies to come, each one with its own challenges. The Acropolis Rally has always been one of the toughest events in the WRC. It was in my day when I was driving, and it remains the case today, even if it’s driven at much higher speeds now. It’s still a rally where anything can happen, and where it can pay to be smart. Coming back onto gravel, I expect the competition will be much closer like we saw in Portugal. It will be a tough rally, especially with all five of our cars at the front of the running order, but our team is strong and our drivers are strong.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“To win Rally Japan again was amazing and it rounded off what’s been quite a good first half of the year for us, but we know that the second half can be tough with every rally being on gravel, so everything is still very open in the championship. Greece can be one of the more difficult rallies to open the road, particularly with most of the Friday stages being run only once. But we’ve got some good experience now of being in this position, and we’ve been working hard together with the team to try and improve the feeling and the pace for those conditions. We already made a step forward in Portugal, and we’ll be trying to make the best of the situation again in Greece.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Greece is a country that I always enjoy going to, and the Acropolis Rally is one of the historic events in our sport. It’s a rally that I managed to win quite early in my career, but since it came back to the calendar, we haven’t quite had the luck you need on this kind of rough event, with second last year being our best finish. Returning to Loutraki means there will be stages that are new or that nobody including myself has driven for a very long time, and this is a challenge I enjoy. Having come close to winning last time we were on gravel in Portugal, we will try to achieve that in Greece.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“We’ve had some tough results on asphalt recently, but I’m looking forward to putting that behind me and focusing on gravel for the rest of the season, with an exciting mix of rallies coming up. We had a good result in Portugal, finishing second, and hopefully we can build on that in Greece. The Acropolis is a very demanding rally; it’s usually very hot and very rough. It’s another rally we won last year in the Rally2 car, but I’ve never driven it with a Rally1 car before. So there will be some adapting to do once again, but I will be giving it my best shot like always.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“The Acropolis Rally is a really rough and tough rally for the cars, the tyres and us as crews. Last year, when the rally moved back to the summer, was especially demanding for everyone with the heat. This year the conditions could be similar, so being as fit and prepared as possible is one of the main priorities in the lead up to this rally. It has not been the easiest event for me in the past, but working together with the team I have started to find better feeling and pace on these rougher rallies, and I will try my best like always to get a good result.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“We have been on a really strong run recently and hopefully we can continue this now that we are going back onto gravel, which is perhaps a more natural surface for me than asphalt anyway. Our performance on gravel in Portugal was really good – one of our best so far – even though we didn’t get a reward for it. The Acropolis is a tough rally but I’ve done quite well there before – I finished P4 with the Rally2 car two years ago, and started with good pace last year until we had to stop with a problem. If we can have a clean run this time, I think we can do well.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“After our successful finish at Rally Japan, I’m confident to continue fighting for good results in the next events. Greece is a tough rally where you cannot really push to the maximum; there can be surprises and you need to manage it well. I did have pretty good feeling and pace there last year, and with the experience that I now have, I think we can have a good rally. There will be a lot of competition in WRC2, but I hope to score some good points. I’m trying to prepare as well as I can, especially on the physical side given the hot conditions, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Follow us!

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

To the ACO, FIA, marshals, and officials who supported the race.

And to all our competitors who fought so hard for 24 hours.

Thank you very much.

First, to the drivers of car number 7 and to everyone in the team.

Congratulations on this victory and thank you so much.

This year's Le Mans was not an easy race.

In qualifying our cars were 14th and 15th.

It was not an ideal starting position.

From there, our team members pooled their knowledge, made courageous decisions, and moved forward step by step.

There were difficult moments.

There were times when we lost momentum.

There were times when things didn't go as planned.

But even so, no one gave up.

The engineers continued to rack their brains.

The mechanics continued to believe in the car until the very end.

The drivers continued to push themselves beyond their limits.

And the entire team supported each other, fighting through the 24 hours.

Today's victory wasn't achieved solely through speed.

It was a victory achieved through human effort.

And while car number 7 won today, it wasn't just one car that won.

Cars 7 and 8.

And all the team members who supported both TR010 HYBRIDs.

Drivers.

Engineers.

Mechanics.

All team members.

Without each and every one of them, this result wouldn't have been possible.

I believe this victory was achieved by everyone at TOYOTA RACING.

And to our competitors, including Cadillac, BMW, and Ferrari who fought so hard until the very end.

This victory is valuable because of all of you.

Thank you so much.

And there's one more thing I'd like to talk about today.

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, I shared this story:

At Toyota, there are people who want to build cars together with Morizo.

And there are also people who want to take on challenges in their own way.

I work with both types of colleagues.

That's why this year's Le Mans was a particularly meaningful challenge for us at TOYOTA RACING.

If GAZOO Racing continues to pursue "making ever-better cars", we at TOYOTA RACING want to create even better technology.

We want to create even better powertrains.

Faster.

Stronger.

More efficient.

We want to aim beyond the limits.

Le Mans is a race.

But for us, it's more than that—the forefront of technological development.

Engines.

Hybrids.

Fuel.

Software.

Control.

Aerodynamics.

And human development.

All of it is competition.

All of it is a challenge.

Therefore, we at TOYOTA RACING have adopted the following new philosophy:

"For the Engineering Race".

We develop our technology for the sake of racing.

We race for the sake of technology.

We compete not just for victory, but as a stage where engineers can aim to be the best in the world.

This is TOYOTA RACING.

The teammates who achieved the victory here today fought believing in that challenge.

I am incredibly proud of that.

And finally,

Morizo-san.

The three-round fight we promised at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Today, as promised, TOYOTA RACING has won Le Mans 24 Hours.

Unfortunately, the trophy is still in France.

So, we can't show it off on your desk today.

But we will definitely bring it back to Japan.

Be prepared.

However, what we really want you to see isn't the trophy.

The team you developed has become a team that thinks for themselves,

makes their own decisions,

takes on their own challenges,

and can win on their own.

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, I said,

"There are people who don't want to build cars with Morizo."

Today, I believe you can see the determination and capabilities of those team members.

But this isn't a story of rebellion against you.

It's a story of a new challenge born from the seed Morizo nurtured.

We are climbing the same mountain.

We are aiming for the same summit.

We have simply chosen different routes.

GR has its own challenge.

TOYOTA RACING has its own challenge.

And today, the TR010 HYBRIDs have proven that this challenge was not in vain.

What we are bringing back to Japan is not just the trophy.

It's the determination of the engineers who poured their hearts into the TR010 HYBRIDs.

It's the challenge of the team members who sweated it out on the front lines. And then there's the potential of the new team, TOYOTA RACING.

I'll bring all of that to you and report it to you.

Please accept it.

Thank you.

Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries completed a nerve-wracking win by just 10.913secs after 381 laps of relentless competition in their #7 TR010 HYBRID. For Mike and Kamui, it represents a second win after their 2021 triumph, while it is Nyck’s first overall win.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa completed a race to remember for TOYOTA RACING with a podium for third place in their #8 TR010 HYBRID, just 20.417secs off the lead.

Despite starting from modest grid positions after a disappointing Hyperpole, the TR010 HYBRIDs used aggressive early strategy to refuel earlier than their rivals and taking advantage of a clear track to gain time. That brought both cars into contention for the top six, and the showed exceptional pace – setting new fastest laps – but setbacks interrupted their progress.

The #7 TR010 HYBRID suffered an early puncture which left it in a tight midfield battle. But relentless speed, particularly in the morning hours, brought it into the top three with six hours remaining.

Meanwhile, the #8 car led the early stages thanks to the alternative fuel strategy. But an off-track moment in the ninth hour, a drive-through penalty around half distance, and a brake drum mounting repair soon after left the #8 crew facing a tough task to return to the front.

A safety car with less than six hours remaining reset the field and gave both cars the opportunity to show their speed and race craft in a four-car battle at the front. With three hours to go, bold overtakes from Brendon and Nyck put TOYOTA RACING into a one-two lead.

The #7 car established a gap at the front, although fuel and tyre strategies caused the podium positions to fluctuate over the remaining hours. The #8 battled bravely for second but ultimately had to change tyres in the last hour, dropping to third. Kamui kept his cool in the afternoon heat and brought the #7 to the chequered flag, followed soon after by Sébastien in the #8.

The double points scored at Le Mans extends TOYOTA RACING’s advantage in the manufacturers’ World Championship to 36 points, while the #7 crew have taken the lead in the drivers’ standings. The next race comes in just four weeks’ time with the 6 Hours of São Paulo at Interlagos on 12 July.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “It was very challenging for us, but we never gave up. Car #7 has had a lot of second places at Le Mans but finally we got our second win. We have waited so long for this victory and it feels amazing. The whole week was not easy, including the race which was not smooth. We had a puncture early and that made it tough for us. But Mike, Nyck, our engineers and our pit crew did a great job. It was an incredible day. Thank you to everyone who made it happen, including all the fans who make this such a special event.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “It was a crazy race. I knew we could move forward from our qualifying position, but I just didn't know how far, or how tight the battle would be. Positions were swapping back and forth, and it wasn't until the last couple of hours that we felt we were in with a chance. It has been an amazing job by everyone in the team. Kamui and Nyck were super-fast, they really got us into the fight at the front when it mattered, and credit to the pit crew because they were faultless. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, everyone in Cologne, Higashi-Fuji and at Toyota. This one is really special.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “I am incredibly grateful, relieved and happy to win Le Mans. This is my first time to win here, so I’m delighted.  It's been a long journey this week and during the race as well. We had various setbacks and challenges to overcome and, frankly speaking, at times I thought we were out of contention. But it just shows that you can never give up. It all came together and I’m so thankful for all the work the team has done to achieve this incredible milestone.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It was an unbelievable race. I am extremely happy for the team. They worked so hard since last year to bring the TR010 HYBRID. For car #7 to win the race is fantastic for everyone. It was amazing for us to be on the podium with them. Even though it is a special moment, I am disappointed because I feel we could have done a bit better. But it was a great job from all the team to get our second win of the year with this car. We will remember this day for a long time because the competition was tough and we came out on top.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It was an up and down race, as usual here. We led for a long time and had a big gap at one point before the safety car. We had some good luck and some bad luck. Ultimately, it didn’t work out for our car. We fought really hard until the end and my team-mates did a fantastic job. I am genuinely happy for the whole team, for the #7 crew and the drivers. It’s an emotional moment.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was a long 24 hours and a very tight battle all the way to the end. As a car crew we did our best and we had a good strategy. It wasn’t the perfect race for us but we were still fighting for victory. I’m really happy for the team to get this win with car #7 but I have some mixed feelings because we led for a long time and couldn’t finish the job. We need to celebrate now because car #7 drove a great race and the team worked so hard for this win.”

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

An effective strategy and Sébastien’s pace on a clear track helped the #8 into the lead when his rivals pitted later in the opening hour, starting a three-way battle at the front which ran until a safety car in the eighth hour. After 45 minutes, racing resumed with Sébastien leading and Mike moving into the top six at the restart until a fuel stop and driver change for Nyck dropped the #7 car to 13th.

Brendon took over the race-leading #8 after nine hours while Nyck moved back into the top 10. Midway through hour nine, Brendon ran wide at Mulsanne corner, eliminating his gap at the front and requiring new tyres at the next stop, dropping the #8 to fourth. He fought back though, and overtook the #12 Cadillac for second, before handing over to Ryō at the end of his stint early in the 11th hour.

Strong pace from Nyck, then Kamui, helped the #7 TR010 HYBRID move into top-six contention as the halfway point approached, including overtaking the #101 Cadillac immediately after the second of two full course yellows.

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

Kamui Kobayashi and Ryō Hirakawa took the wheel of their respective cars for Hyperpole 1, aiming to be among the fastest 10 to progress. Their first flying laps initially put them in the top 10, and after a stop for new soft Michelin tyres, both looked set to improve. However, Kamui’s last attempt was cancelled after he was judged to have exceeded track limits, while Ryō was delayed in traffic. The TR010 HYBRIDs therefore fell down the order and missed out on Hyperpole 2.

Earlier in the afternoon, Thursday’s first session, third practice, offered another chance to adjust race set-ups of the TR010 HYBRIDs and compare Michelin tyre compounds. After a brief, late red flag, the three hours finished with the #8 car in 12th place thanks to Ryō’s lap. The #7 car was one place behind following Kamui’s best lap.  

After sunset, fourth practice brought the curtain down on the on-track action before the race weekend. The relatively short one-hour session ran without major incident and Mike’s lap in the #7 car earned third place, with the #8 in 11th courtesy of Brendon’s best lap.

Earlier in the day, the Circuit de la Sarthe witnessed a significant milestone when the liquid hydrogen fuelled TR LH2 Racing Prototype completed its first public demonstration, bringing the sights and sounds of a hydrogen engine to fans around the track.

Although there are no track sessions, Friday is nevertheless an intense time for the team. Engineers will finalise a strategy to gain positions in the race, while mechanics will rebuild and prepare the TR010 HYBRIDs. Meanwhile, the drivers will meet their fans during the afternoon drivers’ parade in the city centre, which they will complete onboard hydrogen fuel cell Hilux prototype vehicles.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “I was heading for a better lap time but unfortunately, I got caught by track limits at turn seven. It wasn’t obvious for me in the cockpit, but the lap was deleted. The race will be more challenging from 14th and 15th on the grid. We need some luck, but the race is going to be long. We will work hard to be ready and execute a clean race.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “That’s our on-track preparation done. We need to study the data from today, because the schedule was pretty tight so there wasn’t much time to analyse everything. That’s our plan for Friday, when we’ll try to figure some things out and get ourselves set for the race.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “Today has been frustrating and we’re not where we want to be with the car yet. We need to look at all the data in detail and make some adjustments. Unfortunately, Hyperpole didn’t go our way either, so we’re not where we want to be on the grid. But we will work together as a team and fight hard come race weekend.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It hasn’t been a good day to be honest. It was unfortunate for Ryō in Hyperpole because I think he had the potential to do a quicker lap, but he was blocked on his last flying lap. It’s not ideal to be starting so far back but we will stay focused and do our best in the race.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “We hoped for better in qualifying, but we know that the race is long and ultimately it doesn't matter too much where we're starting. We've been focusing on long-run pace. It’s not going to be easy because we are down a bit on top speed, so it will be hard to overtake. But the car actually feels quite good to drive so we’re ready to take on the challenge.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was a challenging Hyperpole. I think my first flying lap was decent but on my second one I was held up by another car. I’m really disappointed because I gave everything and I couldn’t achieve the lap time I wanted. Now we need to put this behind us, reset, and focus on improving our positions in the race.”

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

This activity supports Toyota’s continuous development of hydrogen technology and infrastructure, as well as helping build relationships to expand the possibilities of hydrogen through the challenge of motorsports.

Toyota has taken on the challenge of hydrogen engine development in motorsports, initially through Rookie Racing’s participation in the Japanese Super Taikyu series with the ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept. This vehicle used gaseous hydrogen from 2021, before the introduction of a liquid hydrogen-powered car from 2023.

The potential of hydrogen engines in rallying was initially showcased in 2022 when the GR Yaris H2 completed demonstration runs on Ypres Rally, a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Further development was highlighted when the GR Yaris Rally2 H2 Concept conducted demonstrations at the 2025 Rally Finland and this year’s Rallye Monte-Carlo.

In 2023, the ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept completed a demonstration lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe, while a hydrogen engine concept car, the GR H2 Racing Concept, was presented to preview a potential future hydrogen category at Le Mans. Since then, development of the technology intensified, reaching a further milestone with the unveiling of the liquid hydrogen-powered GR LH2 Racing Concept last year at Le Mans. A year later, TOYOTA RACING takes the next step in that journey with the first public demonstration of the TR LH2 Racing Prototype.

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

Qualifying featured all 18 Hypercars, with the top 15 earning a place in Hyperpole. After initially starting on medium Michelin tyres, both cars improved their lap times on the soft compound in the closing minutes to safely progress. They will therefore take part in the grid-defining Hyperpole, which begins at 9.05pm on Thursday. The fastest 10 Hypercars from the 20-minute Hyperpole 1 will take part in the 15-minute Hyperpole 2 shoot-out.

Wednesday’s on-track action began early in the afternoon with a three-hour first practice session. This was the first opportunity for engineers and drivers to validate set-up changes made since Sunday’s test, alongside further analysis of the Michelin tyres on long stints. A productive and trouble-free session saw Brendon set the sixth fastest time in the #8 TR010 HYBRID, with Kamui’s lap putting the #7 car in 11th.

Second practice, from 10pm to midnight, brought the day to a close. As well as studying tyre and car performance in cooler, dark conditions, all six drivers completed their mandatory five night-time laps. The #7 car required repairs to the floor after an early spin across the kerbs but soon resumed and ended the session on top thanks to Kamui’s late lap. The #8 car was seventh, with Ryō setting its best lap.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “It was nice to have the first night session and the result looked quite nice for us. However, we still need to work on finding the right compromise in a few areas. It’s going to be a long race, so our priority is to be ready for it. We have to work on getting the most from our car. It will not be easy, but we are doing our best.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “We achieved what we wanted to do in qualifying, which was to get through today and make it into Hyperpole. I could have put together a better lap, to be honest. On my fastest lap I just touched the gravel and that cost me a little time. There were some things to improve, but I’ve not done qualifying for a while and it’s my first time to do it here at Le Mans. It was a fun experience and now it’s over to Kamui and Nyck tomorrow.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “It was a busy and eventful day, and we learned a lot. Mike did a good qualifying session to get us through to Hyperpole, which was the only target for qualifying. Overall, I think it was a reasonable day, but we need to work on improvements and take our opportunities tomorrow to prepare for the race.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “We did our job in qualifying by getting into the top 15. Finishing eighth and six-tenths away is pretty much what we expected, so I’m quite content with that. I’m happy to get back to practice and try to fine-tune the set-up more before Hyperpole and, of course, the race. The car feels okay already, but we still want to get more from our package.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “We had a pretty clean day and it’s positive that Séb had a nice lap in qualifying to get us through. We went through quite a few test items in practice. I don't think we've got the answers for everything yet in terms of set-up, so we still have work to do. I had a little trip through the gravel in FP2 but hopefully that’s out of the way now and we minimise the mistakes from here.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It’s been a busy day. We continued to work on tyre assessment and set-ups. We were able to go through our programme without any real troubles. The focus is on having a strong car in the race. We’re still learning with the tyres and set-up, now we need to continue working hard to optimise everything.”

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

Two TR010 HYBRID Hypercars will compete at the Circuit de la Sarthe in front of around 300,000 fans on 13-14 June, seeking the team’s sixth Le Mans victory.

Fans anywhere in the world can follow the team’s progress via TOYOTA RACING’s dedicated Le Mans 24 Hours website, www.toyota-racing.com/le-mans-special-2026, which features live onboard cameras from free practice, qualifying and the race, as well as other content.

The website also displays a new key visual for Le Mans which highlights its new slogan, For the Engineering Race, which will also be visible in the paddock and around the circuit. For the Engineering Race epitomises the team’s single-minded pursuit of technical mastery through relentless refinement, uncompromised by external distractions.

At the track, visitors can immerse themselves in TOYOTA RACING’s challenge at the Manufacturers’ Village. On Thursday 11 June, fans can meet TOYOTA RACING drivers during an autograph session at the Manufacturers’ Village, starting at 19.10. The display area also showcases the 1998 TS020 (GT-One), alongside original powertrains from the TS020 and the Le Mans-winning TS050 HYBRID. A merchandise shop is also available.

Other examples of TOYOTA’s motorsports pedigree are on show in the new M24 museum. A Group C Toyota chassis – displayed as a 94C-V – raced at Le Mans in 1992-1994, finishing in the top six each time. It is joined by the 2020 TS050 HYBRID which earned Toyota’s third consecutive Le Mans win. Rallying is represented by a Celica Turbo 4WD (ST185) which was part of a 1-2-3-4 finish on the 1993 Safari Rally.

While TOYOTA RACING’s past and present is visible on track and around it, the emerging future of endurance racing – and mobility in general – is highlighted in the Hydrogen Village.

The TR LH2 Racing Prototype – a Hypercar-based, prototype with liquid hydrogen-fuelled engined – will be displayed early in the week, prior to its demonstration runs on Thursday 11 June and Saturday 13 June. A virtual version of the prototype will be on display for the remainder of the event. Fans can also discover how hydrogen fuel can deliver a more sustainable, low-emission future across a range of transportation types. Informative displays combine with showcase vehicles and activities to shine a light on hydrogen technology and its growing adoption throughout the world.

These displays form part of a wider hydrogen mission for TOYOTA RACING. The team will use hydrogen power at key milestones in the Le Mans week. A hydrogen fuel cell bus transported team members to scrutineering on Saturday 6 June while the two TR010 HYBRID race cars travelled to the city centre in a Hyliko truck powered by Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology. On Friday 12 June, the team’s six drivers will ride hydrogen fuel cell Hilux prototype vehicles to meet the fans during the drivers’ parade.

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

The Toyota C-HR was a landmark model when launched in 2016, bringing the Toyota brand to a new style-conscious audience thanks to its unconventional design, fun-to-drive character and premium quality. It set a new styling benchmark in the European C-SUV segment with bold, sharp-edged design reminiscent of a sports coupe’s dynamic lines.

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

A European success story

The headline figures are impressive: 2.1 million sales globally since 2016, including 1.2 million sold in Europe. Consistent sales success means the Toyota C-HR boasts one of the highest segment shares for the brand over its lifetime – around 7.7% on average in the C-SUV segment.

A daring and distinctive look helped transform public perception of Toyota in Europe, adding a strong emotional dimension to the brand. Customers responded positively and more than half of buyers cite the car’s styling as their principal reason for purchase.

The Toyota C-HR has also become one of Toyota’s best-performing models for conquest sales, reaching a peak in 2019 when 67% of buyers purchased a Toyota for the first time. And customers who select a Toyota C-HR express a high level of fulfilment, with overall customer satisfaction reaching 74%, notably above the segment average of 64%.

Toyota C-HR 1st generation (2016-2023)

The Toyota C-HR story began in 2016 with the first generation, marking Toyota’s entry into the crossover SUV market with an eye-catching design, high-spec features and an engaging drive. It was true to the spirit of its concept car forerunners shown in the Paris and Frankfurt motor shows in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Coupe-like lines and a wide, sporty stance generated a unique new look which stood out from the crowd and ensured the Toyota C-HR was instantly recognisable on the road. Stylish design extended inside as well, with a sophisticated, modern cabin focused on the driver. Meanwhile, adopting high-quality materials and focusing on sensory quality elevated the overall travelling experience to a premium level.

Beyond its emotive appearance, the first-generation Toyota C-HR led the way by introducing hybrid technology to the segment. It featured a 1.8-litre petrol engine which achieved 40% thermal efficiency, a new benchmark at the time. The original Toyota C-HR was also the first vehicle of its kind to be constructed on Toyota’s TNGA-C vehicle platform. This helped achieve the lowest centre of gravity in its class at the time, providing balanced and responsive handling. The latest safety and driver assist features – such as the new intelligent park assist – formed part of a comprehensive, high-tech package.

Toyota C-HR 2nd generation (2023-present)

Going even further for its second generation, the latest Toyota C-HR was inspired by a vision of a ‘concept car for the road’. Conceived in Europe, for European customers, it was based on four key pillars: sensual exterior style, a personalised user experience, environmental leadership, and agile and responsive performance.

A new level of sophisticated design execution brings premium features such as the Toyota-first flush door handles, dynamic 64-colour interior ambient lighting and shade-less panoramic roof. They 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 hybrid technology to deliver more power and torque, for an enjoyable and efficient driving experience. The efficient powertrain line-up contributes to a bigger picture for Toyota, whose multi-pathway approach towards carbon neutrality aims to offer customers a choice of sustainable options, regardless of location or individual circumstances.

The plug-in hybrid Toyota C-HR is the flagship of the second generation, showcasing a ‘best of both worlds’ DNA which combines enough range for all-electric daily driving with the dependability of hybrid technology for stress-free longer journeys. 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 second-generation Toyota C-HR was the first Toyota model to offer 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 to maintain an appropriate battery state of charge.

Beyond its efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies on the road, the new Toyota C-HR embraced sustainability targets throughout its design and production. Alongside its efficient powertrain line-up, the vehicle’s environmental impact is further reduced through the introduction of new recycled and animal-free materials, as well as advanced technologies to reduce vehicle weight and cut CO2 emissions during production.

For 2026, the Toyota C-HR range gains more refinement and greater choice, thanks to updates to the Mid+ grade and expanded availability of the GR SPORT version across all powertrains. The Mid+ now features new 18-inch matt black machined alloy wheels and the elegant Samara fabric on the front and rear seats. The cabin is further refined thanks to grey stitching on the front seats and a sleek gunmetal gear shift knob decoration. The 2026 Toyota C-HR is available to order across Europe.

The high-speed 13.626km Circuit de la Sarthe, which includes sections on public roads, is a unique challenge for engineers and drivers. The team worked intensively during six hours of testing to adjust set-ups for the demanding combination of long flat-out sections, heavy braking and high-speed corners.

Test day began with a three-hour first practice, held in dry conditions and with air temperatures of 16-19°C. The session ended early for the #8 TR010 HYBRID when it was hit by a spinning LMP2 car at turn three with 25 minutes left. The resulting damage to the left and rear bodywork forced Ryō to stop at the side of the track.

Mechanics worked quickly to repair the #8 in the two-and-a-half hours between sessions so it could take to the track at the start of second practice. This three-hour session was completed without incident, in slightly warmer temperatures.

In addition to the race drivers, Esteban Masson completed four laps in the #7 TR010 HYBRID in the morning session. The 21-year-old Frenchman is part of TOYOTA’s driver development activities and earned valuable experience behind the wheel of a Hypercar on the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Action resumes on Wednesday with free practice and qualifying. Pole position and the leading grid places are determined by two Hyperpole sessions on Thursday evening, either side of further free practice sessions. The race begins at 4pm local time on Saturday 13 June.  

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “The test went pretty well overall and I’m happy to be back here at Le Mans. We have learned a lot about our TR010 HYBRID today. We still have some things to improve, and I think we know what we need to do. We are pretty much where we expected to be in terms of set-up. Now we need to consider if the track conditions will come to us, and we want to generally find more performance. The whole team has worked hard to get to this point and we feel well prepared. Next week we will go for it.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was a solid day and nice to be back at Le Mans with the TR010 HYBRID, which felt really good today. The main target was to assess the tyres, and we tried all three compounds. We learned a lot about the tyres, the car systems, and the set-ups. It looks positive and we seem to have made a step compared to last year. The accident in the morning was really unfortunate. I couldn’t do anything about it, but it’s better to get the bad luck out of the way before the race. The mechanics did a great job and allowed us to go through our full programme, so hats off to them.”

Shinnosuke Sato (Powertrain principal engineer): “Although we have quite a lot of experience of this track, we modified our car for this season. Today was a very important opportunity to validate these changes, especially on the long straights. We are at high speed for longer than on other tracks, so the usage of the powertrain is unique at Le Mans, and the power distribution is important. Generally speaking, it was a good day, and we looked at a lot of test items. Fortunately, the powertrain components were okay after the collision for #8 so we lost a little track time, but nothing more serious.”

Bastian Kernstock (Race engineer, car #7): “It was a busy day with a lot of items to test, but it went well. This track evolves constantly because you have some resurfacing, and it’s also partly on public roads therefore the surface is always different from year to year. We need to understand all the specificities of this track and that's why today was particularly important. On top, we also have new tyres this season and this was our first chance to run these in Le Mans. So, our first priority was to understand the tyres, then focusing on set-up work, to find a compromise which delivers high performance and provides good drivability for the race.”

Ryan Dingle (Race engineer, car #8): “Today was a good day and we went through about 90% of the test items that we wanted to. We could evaluate what has changed on the circuit and, of course, the new tyres. We have more compounds to choose from here compared to other WEC races, which brings new opportunities, and new challenges. We had an unfortunate incident that ended our morning session a bit early. Luckily, we had done what we wanted in that session, which was to get all three drivers up to speed here. Thank you to the mechanics and other team members for getting the car back out in time for the afternoon, which was a packed one focusing on plenty of test items.”

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

Over 300,000 fans are expected at the Circuit de la Sarthe to watch a 62-car grid – including 18 Hypercars from eight different manufacturers – compete for honours in the 94th edition of the legendary race, round three of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

As five-time winners and holders of the fastest-ever lap of the French circuit, TOYOTA RACING has high targets for the 2026 edition, Toyota’s 28th entry at Le Mans. Those hopes will be carried by two TR010 HYBRID race cars: the #7 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, and the #8 of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa.

Competing under its new slogan For the Engineering Race, TOYOTA RACING will express its commitment to technical development through motorsports prototype competition, based on engineering excellence and strong teamwork. For the Engineering Race epitomises a single-minded pursuit of technical mastery through relentless refinement, uncompromised by external distractions.

Le Mans represents the ultimate engineering challenge in WEC, with cars and drivers racing flat-out around the clock, supported by pit crews and engineers, all knowing that the smallest mistake can make the difference. The high-speed 13.626km Circuit de la Sarthe is unique in WEC. Not only is it the longest circuit, but it is also the only one which includes sections of public road, used throughout the year by everyday traffic. The combination of very long straights, heavy braking for tight chicanes and high-speed corners pushes car and driver to their limit, particularly in night-time conditions.

The TR010 HYBRID has been engineered to take on that challenge. As well as a dynamic new look for 2026, aerodynamic adjustments will help drivers race at their maximum in all circumstances. The beating heart of the TR010 HYBRID is its hybrid powertrain, created at TOYOTA’s Higashi-Fuji technical centre. This includes a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, running on 100% renewable racing fuel and capable of more than 700 PS.

In its very first race, at Imola in April, the #8 TR010 HYBRID took victory, with the #7 crew on the podium for third. The last race at Spa-Francorchamps in May was more challenging yet nevertheless saw both cars fight for the podium before finishing in the points, strengthening TOYOTA RACING’s World Championship challenge.

The team’s Le Mans challenge begins with a test day on Sunday 7 June, the only opportunity to drive on the circuit prior to race week. Official sessions begin on Wednesday 10 June with free practice and qualifying, where Hypercars compete for 15 places in Hyperpole. Pole position and the leading grid places are determined in two Hyperpole sessions on Thursday evening, either side of further free practice sessions. The race begins at 4pm local time on Saturday 13 June.  

Fans can enjoy the excitement and exhilaration of Le Mans from anywhere in the world via TOYOTA RACING’s dedicated Le Mans 24 Hours website (www.toyota-racing.com/le-mans-special), which features live onboard cameras and other content.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We’re all looking forward to Le Mans, but more importantly we’re looking forward to fighting for victory at Le Mans. We have an updated car, the TR010 HYBRID, which has not yet driven at Le Mans, so we are excited to see our performance. The whole team has worked incredibly hard to be ready, but we know it is a big challenge. As our new slogan says, we are competing For the Engineering Race. This means that the full focus of our engineers and mechanics, as well as the drivers, is on executing a perfect race week. It will not be easy, but the target is clear: we are going to Le Mans to win.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “Le Mans is the race we always wait for, and we are all excited to be going back there. Hopefully we can fight at the front and have a chance of winning. We’ve had a pretty good start to the season, and we think the updated car is a step forward. We’ll see if that’s enough when we get to Le Mans. I can’t wait to be back on track there.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “Le Mans is always a special week, one that everyone is very much looking forward to. It’s a big race, arguably the most important of the season. It is coming quickly, actually faster this year than in other years because we only had two races before. I am very much looking forward to seeing what we can do. Hopefully we are in the mix, and we get a chance to fight for a historic moment. My team-mates have all won Le Mans at least once, so I am looking for my first.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “Le Mans is the biggest race of the year, and it requires a lot of preparation and effort. It’s a magical event and an amazing week. I’m really looking forward to driving the TR010 HYBRID at Le Mans for the first time. We look forward to seeing what it can do on this track. Hopefully all the learnings over the last few months will allow us to extract the most out of the car.”  

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It’s great to head back to Le Mans with our new TR010 HYBRID challenger. It looks fast before it even turns a wheel on the track and we’ve all been very happy inside the car, so the hopes are high. We know we have big competition which we all respect. Clearly the aim is to try and win Le Mans again. We have been close in the last few years but have fallen short. We must focus on ourselves and put the best possible race together. I’m sure there are going to be some tight fights for the podium positions, and our goal is to be there at the end.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “We’re all excited for Le Mans, especially because we have the updated TR010 HYBRID and a new team identity. I think we have prepared very well over the winter, and we are in better shape than last year. Our competitors have also improved but we have some confidence going into Le Mans. For sure it’s going to be a close battle, but we are all ready and we will go for it.”

Click here to access the 2026 TOYOTA RACING WEC press kit. 

Click here to download rights-free video material of the TR010 HYBRID.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

TOYOTA RACING’s activities in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) are supported by the following partners: 

TOYOTA RACING will conduct the first public demonstration drives of its liquid hydrogen-fuelled TR LH2 Racing Prototype next week at the Circuit de la Sarthe, venue for the 94th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The TR LH2 Racing Prototype is based on the same chassis as the TR010 HYBRID Hypercar which will compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June. It is intended to advance the development of hydrogen technology in motorsports.

On Thursday 11 June (12.50pm) and Saturday 13 June (12.45pm), the TR LH2 Racing Prototype will complete demonstration laps of the 13.626km Circuit de la Sarthe, bringing the sound and sensation of a hydrogen combustion engine to fans around the circuit. This activity supports Toyota’s continuous development of hydrogen technology and infrastructure, as well as helping build relationships to expand the possibilities of hydrogen through the challenge of motorsports.

Toyota has taken on the challenge of hydrogen engine development in motorsports, initially through Rookie Racing’s participation in the Japanese Super Taikyu series with the ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept. This vehicle used gaseous hydrogen from 2021, before the introduction of a liquid hydrogen-powered car from 2023.

The potential of hydrogen engines in rallying was initially showcased in 2022 when the GR Yaris H2 completed demonstration runs on Ypres Rally, a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Further development was highlighted when the GR Yaris Rally2 H2 Concept conducted demonstrations at the 2025 Rally Finland and this year’s Rallye Monte-Carlo.

In 2023, the ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept completed a demonstration lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe, while a hydrogen engine concept car, the GR H2 Racing Concept, was presented to preview a potential future hydrogen category at Le Mans. Since then, development of the technology intensified, reaching a further milestone with the unveiling of the liquid hydrogen-powered GR LH2 Racing Concept last year at Le Mans. A year later, TOYOTA RACING takes the next step in that journey with the first public demonstration of the TR LH2 Racing Prototype.

Prior to its demonstration laps, the TR LH2 Racing Prototype will be displayed for fans in the Hydrogen Village, an exhibition of hydrogen technology which includes information and vehicles illustrating TOYOTA’s commitment to a carbon-neutral society. The Hydrogen Village is officially opened on Wednesday 10 June.

For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to TOYOTA RACING social media channels.

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ToyotaRacingWEC  

X:                     www.x.com/ToyotaRacingWEC 

Instagram:       www.instagram.com/toyotaracing.wec

YouTube:         www.youtube.com/@Toyota.Racing  

TOYOTA RACING’s activities in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) are supported by the following partners: 

Quotes:
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman) 
“Elfyn, Scott, congratulations on your third Rally Japan victory! You were incredibly fast on the autumn roads we drove on until last year, and you were just as fast on the fresh green roads this time. You were also the fastest when we drove here together after Rally Japan a few years ago. I think Japan’s roads simply suit you very well.

And you are the only driver who has won so many times right in front of my eyes. I think that means you and me make a great combination as well. If there is an important rally coming up, please make sure to invite me. I’d like to start discussing the schedule with my secretary right away!

Thanks also to Seb and Vincent and to Sami and Marko, the team secured a fantastic podium sweep. This time, you also brought our new President and CEO, Kenta Kon, onto the podium with you. Although he jokingly describes himself as someone who “loves money” because of his accounting background, he is actually a true car enthusiast who even competes in small local rallies as a driver. He was very grateful to Elfyn, Scott and everyone in the team for giving him his first-ever podium experience.

For Oliver and Takamoto, however, it was a frustrating rally. In particular, Oliver seemed to be at his lowest point when I visited the service park. I saw Jari-Matti and Juha encouraging him, and even Seb came over to offer advice and give him a pat on the shoulder. It was a wonderful moment that reminded me once again of the strength of this team.

In previous years, Rally Japan marked the end of the season and a chance to catch our breath. But things are different now. We are only at the halfway point of the season, and from here on, the calendar is filled with demanding gravel rallies. To everyone on the team, thank you for your hard work so far—and please keep pushing. We still have a long and challenging gravel road ahead!”

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal) 
“This is another fantastic result for our team here at Rally Japan. To score our fourth consecutive victory at home here in Toyota City, as well as our third podium lockout in four years is something we can all be very proud of. Elfyn really seems to be the master of this event, with the technical roads and changing conditions, and was really in control here again from the start to the finish. Seb and Sami also drove really well to finish on the podium here once more. Taka recovered very strongly from a difficult start to the rally and Oliver too achieved what he set out to do today by taking all 10 points from Sunday. We are also very happy to see Yuki achieve his first podium in WRC2 on his home event after a very strong drive. So it’s been another really successful Rally Japan for us – thank you to everyone in the team for the incredible work they’ve been doing – and it’s also been amazing to see all the support and passion for the rally here this weekend.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33) 
“It’s a great feeling to be able to win Rally Japan again and be part of another very good result here for our team. I have to say a huge thanks to everyone in the team for giving us such an amazing car again, and thank you to Morizo-san: I’m very happy to secure this win as a token of appreciation for his support. It’s been a tight and fun battle all the way through with some pressure from our team-mates. We were able to make a good start to the rallly and take advantage of our position to make some good times on Friday and then we managed to maintain that until the end. It’s been an enjoyable last dance with these cars on asphalt and I’m really happy to end it with a win.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1) 
“A 1-2-3-4 is another great result for the team at Rally Japan. Well done to Elfyn and Scott on their very strong weekend and a deserved victory. On my side, I came here like always with the aim to win, so I can’t be fully satisfied with second place, but it’s hardly a bad result either. I think we did a decent job this weekend and fought as much as we could, even though we never quite had the perfect feeling with the whole package this time. But I’m happy to help secure another strong result for the team and for Morizo-san; thank you for all of the support you are always giving us.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99) 
“It’s been a great experience to be here at Rally Japan as a Rally1 driver for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for the first time and to feel so much passion and support from the fans. We had a fantastic feeling in the car and a great performance. We tried our best but unfortunately just got caught out yesterday in some slippery conditions I wasn’t expecting. That was very disappointing, but I felt very good in the car again on the final day. We didn’t have the perfect run through the Power Stage which was hard for the tyres, but I’m happy that we could at least take the maximum points today like we set out to do this morning.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18) 
“It’s great that we could achieve a 1-2-3-4 finish for the team in Japan. I’m not satisfied with my personal result but it was nice that we could come back stronger. Today I felt good to push more and we had quite good pace and could take quite a lot of points at the end. A huge thank you to everyone in the team and for preparing this car, which feels incredible on asphalt. And a special thank you to all of the Japanese fans who have been supporting us. I’m sorry that I could not finish on the podium this time, but next year I will try again to get the victory for you!”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5) 
“It’s a good feeling and it’s nice to be back on the podium again. If it wasn’t for what happened in Portugal, we could have a very nice streak going right now! Friday was not the best start for us but since then we have had great pace and several stage wins, so overall it was very positive. It’s a pity that it’s the last rally we do on asphalt with this car because I was absolutely loving it. It’s another great result for the team which is really nice to see. A big thank you to everyone, let’s keep pushing.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2) 
“To achieve my first podium in WRC2 here on my home event at Rally Japan is really special. A huge thank you to the team and all the Japanese fans who have been cheering for us all weekend; it really gave me extra energy and I’m just so happy right now. To be on the podium was my target for this rally. It started with tricky conditions on Friday morning so we lost a little bit of time there, but after that we were able to come back strongly with really good and consistent pace, and even once I had a good gap behind, I was able to stay focused and not think about the result too much and just concentrate on the next stage. My confidence is higher now for the coming events and I hope to achieve something similar to this or even better in the near future.”
 

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY JAPAN 
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 3h17m08.0s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +12.8s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +51.4s
4 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m03.5s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m34.8s
6 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m13.6s
7 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +4m44.8s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +5m45.2s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +9m21.3s
10 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +9m23.0s
21 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +49m43.6s
(Results as of 19:00 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)
 

WRC2 class 
1 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) 3h26m29.3s
2 Alejandro Cachón/Borja Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +18.3s
3 Yuki Yamamoto/James Fulton (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +2m54.4s
4 Emil Lindholm/Gabriel Morales (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3m50.3s
5 Hiroki Arai/Hiroki Tachikui (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +7m37.6s
6 Norihiko Katsuta/Takahiro Yasui (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +14m12.1s
 

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 7: 
1 Elfyn Evans 151 points
2 Takamoto Katsuta 131
3 Oliver Solberg 102
4 Sami Pajari 96
5 Sébastien Ogier 90
6 Adrien Fourmaux 89
7 Thierry Neuville 73
8 Hayden Paddon 21
9 Esapekka Lappi 21
10 Yohan Rossel 20
 

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 7: 
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 370 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 243
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 106
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 85
 

What's next? 
The Acropolis Rally in Greece (June 25-28) has a legendary reputation for rocky mountain roads and high temperatures which combine to create a tough challenge for cars, tyres and drivers alike.

Follow us!
Follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT:
 ∇Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TOYOTAGAZOORacingWRC
 ∇X : https://www.x.com/TGR_WRC (@TGR_WRC)
 ∇Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/tgr_wrc/ (@TGR_WRC)
 ∇YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtALHup92q5xIFb7n9UXVg

Evans started the day with a lead of 15.7 seconds over team-mate Oliver Solberg. While Evans won the second stage of the morning loop, Solberg was fastest in the other two to reduce his overall deficit to 10.6s. However, Solberg would hit trouble in the first stage of the afternoon, sliding wide and damaging the rear-right suspension on his car, preventing him from going any further. The team is preparing his car to restart on the final day.

Taking another stage win during the afternoon, Evans extended his lead once more to 17.8s at the end of the day ahead of Sébastien Ogier, who had been quickest in the first stage of the afternoon.

Sami Pajari has moved up into third overall and scored three more stage wins in the afternoon, including both passes of the Fujioka super special. Takamoto Katsuta is fourth after a stronger second day on his home rally to gain two positions on the leaderboard.

In the WRC2 category, GR Yaris Rally2 driver Alejandro Cachón remains engaged in a close battle for victory, just 5.7s away from the lead in second place. TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto remains in a podium position in third after a strong day.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It has been another very good day at Rally Japan and an interesting one to follow. Elfyn has continued to do an excellent job leading the rally: he is so consistent at the moment and he can be really hard to beat when he’s like this. Oliver was finding some time this morning but then unfortunately this mistake came; he’s very fast and he wants to win, but he just needs to find more consistency and adapt his speed to the conditions, and we will support him and work with him to find this. Seb is now second and won’t be giving up, and it was great to see strong days from Sami and Taka as well, so the final day should also be an exciting one to watch.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Overall it’s been a good day for us. I can’t be perfectly happy with everything we did but that’s also part of the game here on this rally: the stages vary quite a bit and there’s always some ups and downs. Our team-mates have been going strong today so they have definitely kept us on our toes, but this is obviously a good position to be in at the end of the day. There’s still a lot of mileage to go and a big day ahead tomorrow, with some nice sections of stage and some tricky parts as well. I’m looking forward to it and we’ll just continue to give our best until the end.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Today the feeling in the car was better and the pace was OK, but our speed was still not as good as I had wanted it to be. We kept fighting during the whole day and it’s been very close with Elfyn – just a few tenths here and there – but in the end we were not able to make up any of the time that we lost yesterday. I think we are now a little bit too far to fight for the win, but tomorrow will still be an important day. We will keep working together with the team to be better and we still have some ideas to try and find the little things we’ve been missing.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“It was going really well this morning, I felt fantastic in the car and I don’t think that I was pushing too crazy. In the first stage of the afternoon, we came to this place that was quite muddy and slippery in the cuts. I wasn’t expecting this and I just braked a little too late, hit a telegraph pole on the outside and damaged the suspension. It’s a big disappointment and I’m sorry to the team. It’s been tough on asphalt for me recently: the margins are very small at this level, and I just need to try to learn and understand that better in all the different conditions we face. For now I just hope to come back and take some points tomorrow.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“We had a much better day today. There were no big moments or issues, it was quite a smooth and normal day of driving. After yesterday, it was good to reset completely today and get up to fourth overall, and tomorrow will be an important opportunity to get some more points. Still I feel I have a bit more pace to try and find. I will also try to enjoy driving these roads with this car in front of the Japanese fans. There are so many people here supporting us from very early in the morning and I really want to do a good job for them.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“In the end I think it has been a really strong day for us. I still wasn’t 100 percent happy during the morning loop and our plan was to make it better for the afternoon, and that’s exactly what we were able to do. We took three stage wins and more importantly, the feeling and the confidence were there and the pace was top so I’m happy with that. For now we’re in a really good position. There’s one more day to go and it’s quite a big one, but we’ll just try to keep going the same way as this afternoon.”

End of day two (Saturday):
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 2h32m05.6s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +17.8s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +44.4s
4 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m11.3s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m05.2s
6 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m17.0s
7 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m41.8s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m33.7s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +7m17.7s
10 Alejandro Cachón/Borja Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +7m23.4s
26 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +50m00.00s
(Results as of 20:30 on Saturday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
The final day of the rally on Sunday consists of six stages totalling 74.06 competitive kilometres. The Nukata and Lake Mikawako stages to the south-east of Toyota City are followed by two passes of runs around a Kuragaike super special, and then repeated following final service at Toyota Stadium. The second pass of Lake Mikawako serves as the rally-ending Power Stage, offering up to five bonus points alongside five more for the Super Sunday classification.

Follow us!

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

The team’s DKR GR Hilux pickups conquered challenging terrain over five days in the spectacular Andes mountains to win for the first time this season and strengthen its World Championship challenge.

TGR W2RC headed into the final day leading the rally but facing a demanding Stage 5, which took place on rough dirt roads around San Juan, and began with a steep climb to 3,323 m. The 340 km distance included an untimed 114 km transfer zone between timed sections.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short started Stage 5 with a slender seven-second lead in their #203 DKR GR Hilux after more than 1,000 km of competition. A strong start saw them lead the stage early on until two punctures cost time. They responded in style to earn a stage podium for third and take the rally victory, their first-ever overall W2RC win.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings were third after Stage 4, still within two minutes of the rally lead in their #202 DKR GR Hilux. However, a three-minute penalty for late check-in at a time control severely dented their chances of victory before the final stage began. They fought back to win Stage 5 with a dominant performance which earned second place overall.

Akira Miura and Armand Monleón had reached the overall top 10 before Thursday’s penultimate stage, which they were unable to complete. Despite a penalty of 12 hours 30 minutes, they started Stage 5 to gain valuable experience in just their second W2RC rally together in the #204 DKR GR Hilux. However, a suspension issue meant they were unable to complete the stage and did not complete the rally.

TGR W2RC are second in the manufacturers’ World Championship, 65 points behind leaders Dacia Sandriders. Quintero and Short are third in the drivers’ and navigators’ standings respectively, just 13 points off the lead. Their title challenge will resume at the fourth of five rounds this season, the Rallye du Maroc, which starts on 28 September.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “I’m happy for the team to get this one-two. Congratulations to Seth and Andrew, I’m happy for them. It was a tough battle between the top four cars and a great race. For us it was unfortunate about the penalty, which felt a bit harsh. I’m still happy to get the second place and to have been quickest over the stages. I’m happy to pull off a result like this on our first time in Argentina. It’s an awesome race, awesome scenery, spectacular stages and amazing people. It has been a pleasure.”

Seth Quintero: “It has been a very good week for us. We tried our absolute best every single day. TGR W2RC gave me the tools to do what I needed to do, and we came away with the victory. It feels amazing. I am really happy to win here in front of all these fantastic fans and to give TGR W2RC this victory. We have been working so hard this year. Everyone’s hard work paid off and I’m glad I could finally achieve this for them because I am so thankful to be part of this family.”

Akira Miura: “We experienced many things in this rally, some good, some not so good. But that’s motorsports. I feel like we improved a lot since Portugal and we showed this by getting into the overall top 10 after Stage 3. After that we had some issues so we couldn’t complete the rally. But it all adds to my experience. I want to say thank you to Armand and the whole TGR W2RC team. Together we will improve every day.”

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional Stage 5 result*

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional result*

*Correct at time of publication

The loop began with the all-new Asuke stage, where Oliver Solberg was fastest to claim the early lead ahead of team-mates Sami Pajari and Sébastien Ogier. Evans was fourth-fastest there but then went quickest in the infamous Isegami’s Tunnel test by 7.5 seconds to leap into the lead. He was also fastest in the subsequent Inabu/Shitara stage to end the morning with an advantage of 17.7s over Solberg, with Ogier just half a second further back in third.

Solberg was fastest again in the afternoon’s second pass of Asuke but Evans was untouchable once more in Isegami’s Tunnel, and ended the day with his lead standing at 15.7s. Solberg and Ogier remain closely matched in second and third overall, separated by just 1.4s.

After taking fourth overall on the previous test, Pajari scored a stage win in Inabu/Shitara 2 to round out the day, while home hero Takamoto Katsuta closed to within 5.6s of fifth-placed Thierry Neuville (Hyundai).

GR Yaris Rally2 driver Alejandro Cachón took the lead of the WRC2 category – and 10th overall – in the day’s final stage, while TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto runs third in the class on his home roads.

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It’s been a great first day here at Rally Japan. Even though we’re here entering summertime rather than in the autumn, the conditions have still been tricky today as there was rain overnight and there was moisture on the roads under the trees. We saw some quite big time gaps in SS2, with a very strong time from Elfyn, and some moments for some drivers, but all of our guys are still running and towards the top of the leaderboard so it’s been almost perfect. Of course, Taka had hoped to make a better start, but home rallies are often the most difficult – for example, Juha Kankkunen and Kalle Rovanperä were multiple world champions before they won Rally Finland – and I’ve told him just try to relax and enjoy the driving, and then the confidence and the speed will come.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Today has been a good first day of the rally for us. It was a tricky start this morning with very changeable conditions, and a lot of damp and slippery places under the trees. It was very difficult to read those grip changes, but we seemed to find our way through that well with a good rhythm through the morning loop. In the afternoon the conditions were drier, and the guys behind us were coming on strong, so we know that we’re going to need to be on our best for the rest of the weekend to try and retain our position.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“It has been an OK start to the rally for us but not completely ideal, we would have hoped for better. I haven’t yet found the sweet spot with the car so I was not able to push quite as much as I would like to. We still have some work to do tonight to make it even better and find a little more speed – it’s only little things as the time gaps have generally been very small, except for Isegami’s Tunnel on the first pass where we lost quite a bit of time. Elfyn has been very strong today, so it’s quite a gap to the lead, but we will keep pushing.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Today has been a good day overall. For my first time on these stages with his car, I am quite happy with our pace and we’ve been able to fight with our team-mates on every stage. We did have to slow down to avoid some animals in the third stage this morning and we lost quite a few seconds there, but otherwise all has been good and I think we were the quickest across the afternoon. There’s still a long way to go but we will keep pushing and doing our best.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Today did not go as smoothly as I would have hoped. The conditions were very challenging and I found it really difficult to understand where the damp and slippery places were. Unfortunately we picked up a puncture in the first stage of the day and then had to use a hard tyre in the wet conditions. This afternoon I tried my best to take back some time and positions, though our tyre strategy didn’t quite work out. There’s still two days to go and I won’t give up, and I will just try to keep driving well for all the fans who are supporting us.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Today has been surprisingly tricky; especially this morning when the conditions were very slippery. The time in the first stage was actually quite good, but then I struggled to find the pace that I would have hoped for. This continued a bit into the afternoon, but on the last stage of the day we were able to take a stage win and the car felt really good to drive, so I hope we’ve found the correct way to go forward into tomorrow. It’s still early in the rally and we just need to keep pushing.”

End of day one (Friday):
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 1h13m07.0s
2 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +15.7s
3 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +17.1s
4 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +41.5s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +58.2s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m03.8s
7 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m16.3s
8 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m17.0s
9 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m40.9s
10 Alejandro Cachón/Borja Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +3m26.6s
(Results as of 17:00 on Friday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

What's next?
Saturday is the longest day of the rally, made up of eight stages and 120.22 competitive kilometres. It takes crews north-east for a trio of tests which will then be repeated in the reverse order after a mid-day tyre-fitting zone at Enakyo Park. Two passes of a new super special stage at Fujioka round out the day.

Follow us!

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

Stage 4 was another long and rugged test for drivers and navigators through the spectacular landscape of the Andes mountains. It began with a steep, winding climb to a 3,110 m mountain top and featured ravines, rocks and narrow, rough trails over 306 km of timed action on the route back to San Juan.

The team’s one-two victory on Stage 3 meant its leading DKR GR Hilux pickups were first out on Thursday’s stage, creating an additional navigational challenge. Punctures over the rugged landscape further hampered the crews, but a day of damage limitation kept TGR W2RC on top of the overall standings.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short – second after Stage 3 – lost time in the dust of another competitor, before two punctures cost further time. However, a strong fightback moved them into the top six on the stage and strengthened their victory challenge. A fast final section for the #203 DKR GR Hilux earned fifth on Stage 4 and the overall lead, by just seven seconds from Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin (Dacia Sandriders).

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings started the day as the overall leaders and were therefore first on the road. The #202 DKR GR Hilux lost further time due to two punctures but, despite a difficult day, they recovered to eighth place on Stage 4. They are now third overall, less than two minutes off the lead going into the final day.

After a strong day on Stage 3 to move into the overall top 10, Akira Miura and Armand Monleón suffered disappointment early in Stage 4. Their #204 DKR GR Hilux stopped within the first 100 km after suffering an upright issue and multiple punctures. They were given a

After a hard-fought and incident-packed penultimate day, competitors face a relatively long Stage 5 on Friday. The rally’s last stage includes 340 km of timed action around San Juan to decide the final positions.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was a difficult day for us. Opening the road was really tricky because it was very difficult to know where to go. There were many parallel roads and a lot of narrow sections. I also struggled with the power steering in the morning. It got a bit better towards the end, but hopefully the team can figure out the issue. We also had two punctures, so we had to back off because we had no more spare tyres. We just made sure we got to the end, so we are able to fight again tomorrow.”

Seth Quintero: “It has been a really frustrating day for us. We caught Sébastien Loeb very quickly, after around 80 km, and we were stuck in his dust for quite a while. Then we did our absolute best to make up time. Unfortunately, after around 170 km we got a puncture, then about 30 km later we got another. It is really frustrating to have punctures dictate our day. But we will keep fighting. We are first overall, so all things considered it wasn’t a terrible day, but it could have been better. I’m looking forward to continuing the battle and hopefully we can bring it home tomorrow.”

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional Stage 4 result*

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional standings after Stage 4*

*Correct at time of publication

Large crowds gathered to watch the W2RC field take on the most demanding day of the rally so far. TGR W2RC and its DKR GR Hilux pickups rose to the challenge and emerged from more than four gruelling hours of flat-out competition in first and second place overall.

The difficult Stage 3 route took competitors into the Andes mountains and included a 409 km timed section. It started on winding sandy tracks before a long, fast section through dunes and dried riverbeds. The spectacular drive ended with a steep climb to 2,715 m along winding snow-lined paths.

Henk Lategan and navigator Brett Cummings delivered a dominant performance, leading from the early stages in their #202 DKR GR Hilux. Despite the varied terrain, they consistently set the pace to win the stage and take the overall lead.

Seth Quintero and Andrew Short started the day in second overall in their #203 DKR GR Hilux. They suffered early misfortune with a puncture followed by a damper change which cost time. After that, the pair relentlessly closed in on the podium positions and took third place in the final kilometres. They remain second overall, 1 minute 39 seconds behind their team-mates.

Akira Miura and Armand Monleón showed consistency despite the challenging route to make progress up the standings. The #204 DKR GR Hilux reached the end in San Rafael in 11th on Stage 3 and is now 10th overall.

There is no rest for the crews after Wednesday’s lengthy timed section. The penultimate stage of the event on Thursday takes crews back to San Juan via a 324 km special stage.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was a really good day for us. We decided this morning to push so we went for it straight out of the blocks, but at the same time looking after the car. The terrain was really challenging and varied. We started with sand and dunes at the beginning and ended up with ice and snow next to the road at the end because of the altitude. It was a spectacular stage, with beautiful views, and very enjoyable to drive. The car performed well so a big well done to the team.”

Seth Quintero: “It was a challenging day. We got a puncture very early then broke a damper after around 50-60 kilometres. But we did our best to bring it to the transfer zone where we could replace the damper. I drove as well as I could after that and somehow, we still ended up third. We’re second overall right next to our team-mates which is really good for the team. We’ll try to continue like this and bring it home.”

Akira Miura: “It was a long, long day but a good one, and I’m happy to have moved into the overall top 10 at the end of it. I enjoyed driving today and I feel like I am gaining more and more confidence with the DKR GR Hilux. The navigation was difficult at some points, but Armand did a great job and that helped me stay concentrated and just focus on driving.”

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional Stage 3 result*

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional standings after Stage 3*

*Correct at time of publication

After two DKR GR Hilux finished in the top six on the opening stage, the crews stepped up a gear on Tuesday as TGR W2RC strengthened its overall position. Stage 2 consisted of a relatively short 128 km timed section, featuring steep climbs and descents on mostly sandy tracks, with dense vegetation and potholes adding to the challenge. The day finished with a mammoth 506 km road trip south to the city of San Rafael.

After finishing fourth on the opening stage, Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short suffered an early puncture to dent their podium challenge on Stage 2. But the pair fought back strongly in their #203 DKR GR Hilux to move up in the overall standings. They finished sixth on the day and are now second overall, just nine seconds behind new leaders Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa).

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings – sixth at the start of the day – took a cautious approach to the opening section of Stage 2. However, conditions later in the stage were more suited to the set-up of their #202 DKR GR Hilux, allowing them to pick up the pace and move up to eighth. They are now fourth in the overall standings, just over a minute away from the podium places.

Akira Miura and Armand Monleón also made progress in the #204 DKR GR Hilux to complete a positive day for TGR W2RC. They finished a creditable 15th on Stage 2, helping them up to 16th overall, around seven minutes from the top 10.

After two of the rally’s five stages, crews now face the longest timed section of the event on Wednesday, which represents a defining day in the battle for overall positions. At 409 km, it takes competitors into the Andes mountains and up to a peak altitude of 2,715 m on a loop south-west of San Rafael.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was difficult in the beginning because I was struggling with the car in the tight and twisty parts. We had made a change on the set-up, but it was the wrong direction, so we will fix that for tomorrow. We weren’t taking any risks and kept it clean, with no punctures. Towards the end the car was better suited to the terrain. It was an okay day, and we learned something on the set-up which will be important for tomorrow, which is a long one. We seem to be in a good position.”

Seth Quintero: “It was a good day again for us. Unfortunately, we got a puncture after just six kilometres so we knew we had to make up time after that. I drove well and the DKR GR Hilux was absolutely amazing – TGR W2RC keep giving me the tools to succeed. We are second overall now, just nine seconds down, and in a great start position for tomorrow. We know it’s not going to get easier from here but I’m looking forward to the rest of the rally.”

Akira Miura: “It was a technical stage today. During the first part I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted because it was very twisty and narrow between the trees. But the second part was better and I could push harder. It was good fun, especially the jumps. Now I’m looking forward to the long stage tomorrow.”

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional Stage 2 result*

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional standings after Stage 2*

*Ultimate class, correct at time of publication

Stage 1 took place north of San Juan on Monday. It included 340 km of timed action on dried riverbeds, salt flats and gravel plains through the spectacular Andes mountains. As well as the rugged off-road conditions, crews also had to contend with altitudes of up to 988 metres.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short – runners-up on the last event in Portugal in March – are third in the drivers’ and navigators’ World Championships. Despite the handicap of being among the first cars on the stage, their #203 DKR GR Hilux was fastest early on Stage 1. They kept up a strong pace and ended the day part of an intense fight for the overall podium. They finished fourth, 1 min 37 secs behind the leaders, Eryk Goczal and Szymon Gospadarczyk, in a Toyota Hilux from Energylandia Rally Team.

A strong performance in the second half of the stage saw Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings move into the top six in their #202 DKR GR Hilux. An early puncture had dropped them out of the top 10, but they soon showed their speed, despite running in the dust of competitors ahead, and finished sixth, 3 mins 22 secs behind.

Akira Miura, in just his second rally with TGR W2RC, showed consistency alongside navigator Armand Monleón in the #204 DKR GR Hilux. Despite a puncture and damaged windscreen, they gained positions during the stage and reached the end of Stage 1 in 17th in the Ultimate class, less than five minutes away from the top 10.

Tuesday sees the second of five stages on the Desafío Ruta 40, taking crews on a route south from San Juan. In addition to a 128 km special stage, it includes 506 km of driving on public roads to reach the city of San Rafael.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “This was my first experience of rally-raid in Argentina, and it was really nice. The roads here are awesome. I didn’t get off to the best start with the puncture early on, but we got going from there. We were a bit cautious in the beginning, but started picking up the pace. Unfortunately, we caught up the guys in front, and we sat in their dust for quite a long time. You can almost see the car in front, but you can’t get close enough to overtake.”

Seth Quintero: “It was a good day for me and TGR W2RC. It was very difficult to start up front in a field with this much talent, and to finish fourth was not easy. I am proud of Andrew and the team for what we accomplished today. The DKR GR Hilux was absolutely amazing, with zero issues and no flat tyres. The car allowed me to drive how I wanted to, so I am thankful for the team’s hard work. Andrew and I are working hard to fight for this championship; today was good and we’ll keep pushing for the rest of the rally.”

Akira Miura: “The TGR W2RC team worked hard to prepare for this rally and they gave us a strong car. I started the stage feeling like we were in good shape, but there were some tricky moments for us today. We lost some time with a flat tyre, and I also lost the windscreen which made it harder. But we’ll push hard to have a better day on Stage 2.”

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional Stage 1 result*

*Ultimate class, correct at time of publication