Our pursuit of high performance in the WRC

'After a very pleasing first season in 2017,
we are very excited to keep on learning this year as
part of our mission to make ever-better cars'
Tommi Mäkinen (Team Principal)

Event 10 - Turkey

Ott Tänak and Jari-Matti Latvala survived a gruelling Rally Turkey to post a superb one-two finish on Sunday, taking Toyota to the top of the manufacturers’ standings in the World Rally Championship. It was a third win in a row for Tänak and the Yaris WRC, the first time this has been achieved by any driver since the latest WRC era began last year.

The championship’s next date is the Dayinsure Rally GB, taking place from 4 to 7 October. The Welsh stages can be fast in dry conditions, but mud and treacherously slippery conditions can arise with rain, fog and ice, particularly in the early morning and late evening.

Event 9 - Germany

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team are celebrating a second straight victory thanks to Ott Tänak’s dominance of Rallye Deutschland at the weekend. The Estonian, partnered by co-driver Martin Järveoja in the Yaris WRC, finished the event almost 40 seconds clear of the field and was joined on the podium by Esapekka Lappi, who fought his way to third place.

Event 8 - Finland

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team claimed an emphatic victory on home turf on Sunday with Ott Tänak powering to an impressive win on Rally Finland. He was joined on the podium by team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala who clinched third place.

Tänak, whose victory was witnessed by Toyota President Akio Toyoda, said: “It has been a perfect weekend, everything worked as we wanted. We had the ideal preparation and full support from the team. If you work together as one, then these kinds of results are achievable.”

Event 7 - Italy

Esapekka Lappi secured his first podium finish of the 2018 World Rally Championship on Sunday with a well-earned third place on Rally Italia Sardegna. His Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Ott Tänak also netted championship points in spite of damaging setbacks during the event.

Event 6 - Portugal

Esapekka Lappi survived a car-wrecking Rally Portugal to complete the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship in a strong fifth position on Sunday. In spite of Ott Tänak, winner of the previous round in Argentina, being sidelined from the action on Friday, and Jari-Matti Latvala being forced out of top-10 contention, Toyota Gazoo Racing were able to claim points and reaffirm the winning potential of the Yaris WRC.

The next round of the FIA World Rally Championship is another event on soft and sandy gravel in the south of Europe: Rally Italia Sardegna (7 to 10 June). Based in Alghero in the north west of the island of Sardinia, the Italian round of the series features fast and narrow stages. Exposed rocks, as well as trees at the side of the road, can catch out the unwary, while temperatures can often be high.

Event 5 - Argentina

Ott Tänak and the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team secured an impressive victory on Rally Argentina, the young Estonian claiming his first win for the team in only his fifth event at the wheel of the Yaris WRC.

Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja dominated the all-gravel rally, holding the lead from the end of the first full day of competition on Friday through to its climax on Sunday. En route to the winner’s podium, they won 10 stages and were able to control their advantage over the field through Sunday to finish more than 33 seconds clear of their nearest challengers.

Event 4 - France

Ott Tänak claimed his second podium finish of the season on the Tour de Corse, the French round of the FIA World Rally Championship, on Sunday. Team-mate Esapekka Lappi just missed out on a top-three finish for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team.

Lappi’s hopes were dashed by a puncture on the final day, but he recovered to win the Power Stage – his fourth stage win of the challenging all-asphalt event. The points from Rally France move Toyota up to third in the manufacturers’ championship, with Tänak also third in the drivers’ standings.

Event 3 - Mexico

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team ended a gruelling Rally Mexico with a flourish yesterday, claiming a clean-sweep of wins in the final day’s three stages to net valuable championship points. The third round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship had taken a heavy toll, with all three Yaris WRC having to retire from the action at different points during the four days of action.

Event 2 - Sweden

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team completed Rally Sweden with eight stage wins to their credit but frustratingly outside the podium places.

The team’s progress in the second round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship was hampered by early stage start positions, in effect making them pathfinders for cars lower down the order as they cleared newly fallen snow from the road surface.

Event 1 - Monte Carlo

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team enjoyed a superb start to their 2018 campaign with a double podium result on Rallye Monte-Carlo yesterday (28 January). Team newcomer Ott Tänak scored an excellent second place, leading home the Yaris WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala.

Tänak impressed throughout his first event in Toyota colours, quickly adapting to the car to set four fastest stage times and challenge for victory in typically demanding road and weather conditions. Lying in second place going into the four stages that made up the fourth and final day of the rally, he played a cautious game which duly delivered his podium result.

Epic jumps, sensational slides and terrifying top speeds, the WRC is the ultimate vehicle test bed. After 17 years away, we are hungrier than ever to fight on the world’s most extreme roads, and achieve our goal of making ever-better cars for all.

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The latest TOYOTA GAZOO Racing news from each round of the WRC.

Led by four-time world champion, Tommi Mäkinen, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is primed and ready to push the limits in 2018.