Toyota Gazoo Racing eyes a fast-gravel acceleration at Rally Estonia as WRC title battle tightens

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team is heading into Rally Estonia determined to press the pace on fast, flowing gravel roads that demand commitment, clean car setup and careful tyre management. The Estonian event runs July 17-19 as round nine of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, the first of two consecutive rallies on gravel in quick succession, with Rally Finland following two weeks later.

The team’s urgency is sharpened by the points situation in the overall standings. Toyota says all five of its drivers are entered in Estonia and currently occupy the top five positions in the championship. Elfyn Evans is listed as the championship leader, with an 11-point advantage over Takamoto Katsuta, while Sébastien Ogier has climbed to third in the standings, 37 points behind the leader, after victory in Greece and a return to Estonia roads he last visited in 2021.

Toyota frames the transition from Greece to Estonia as a shift in how the rally must be attacked. The Acropolis Rally Greece was described as rough and rocky, where the main job was managing tyres. Rally Estonia, by contrast, is presented as smoother and quicker, with sections that should suit drivers comfortable with higher speeds, including wide and flowing roads and faster rhythm sections.

Rally Estonia also has personal momentum for several drivers. Oliver Solberg, described by Toyota as “taking an amazing win” in Estonia one year ago on his debut in the GR Yaris Rally1 car, is among the entries, while Ogier is returning to a venue he says he enjoys, after testing recently to find the high-speed feeling again. For Katsuta, Toyota highlights how Estonia’s second passes can become heavily rutted, requiring drivers to stay committed even as margins shrink on the limit. Evans, meanwhile, argues that Estonia and Finland should feel like a faster change of pace after Greece, and notes that preparation and feeling for the car will matter as much as outright speed.

Team leadership and car preparation plans extend beyond the main WRC entries. Toyota says the event’s support categories will be used to develop additional talent through the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge Program, with seven cars entered in Estonia. In WRC2, Toyota names regular driver Yuki Yamamoto on the basis of strong recent form, including a first podium at Rally Japan and a Power Stage win at Greece. Toyota also says three drivers make their category debut in Estonia, all driving GR Yaris Rally2 cars.

Toyota’s WRC2 debut list includes Shotaro Goto and Takumi Matsushita, both described as Japanese prospects with experience from various European rallies this year, and Estonian driver Jaspar Vaher, who Toyota says heads into the rally after outright victory in a Finnish championship round in Jyväskylä. In WRC3, Toyota adds further newcomers, with Rio Ogata and Kanta Yanaguida making their debuts for Rally3 cars, and co-driver Tomiya Maekawa also listed alongside Jarkko Nikara.

The GR Yaris Rally2 depth is also a notable part of Toyota’s build-up for the weekend. Toyota says a total of 14 GR Yaris Rally2 drivers are on the entry list, including Roope Korhonen, who is described as the new WRC2 championship leader, and Teemu Suninen, noted for a win in Portugal on his last start. Toyota lists additional names including Gus Greensmith, Bernhard ten Brinke, Tuukka Kauppinen and Johannes Keferböck, along with four Estonian drivers: Egon Kaur, Karl Martin Volver, Joosep Ralf Nõgene and Urmo Aava. These entries underline how Estonia’s short, high-speed loop can act as a testing ground across multiple vehicle classes, not just the top-level cars.

Toyota’s preview also lays out how the rally’s route could play out. Rally Estonia is known, according to Toyota, for wide and flowing roads with crests and large jumps, but it also includes narrow and technical sections where the soft, sandy surface can become heavily rutted by the second pass of each stage. The rally is based in Tartu, the country’s second largest city, roughly two hours southeast of Tallinn, and Toyota says the modified format compresses 301.8 competitive kilometres into just over 48 hours.

The schedule begins with shakedown on Friday morning, then an afternoon start featuring a trio of gravel stages south of Tartu run twice either side of a tyre-fitting zone in Tehvandi, plus a street stage in Elvi to close out the day. Saturday brings two northern stages run twice before mid-day service in Tartu, followed by two southern stages run twice in the afternoon, capped by a super special stage adjacent to the service park. Toyota says two passes of the Kääriku stage, the longest at 24.39 kilometres, conclude the rally on Sunday.

What remains uncertain is how tyre wear and road evolution will compare with Greece and other recent rounds. Toyota’s preview points to potentially drier conditions and the likelihood of “cleaning” the road for early starters, but it does not provide stage-by-stage weather expectations or detailed pace notes. The team also did not disclose specific car setup changes beyond the general emphasis on finding the right feeling and focusing on preparation for fast gravel speeds.

For Toyota and its rivals, the next watch item is the battle between starting order advantages and the consequences of second-pass ruts. With Evans leading and the rest of Toyota’s drivers close behind, Estonia’s high-speed stages and short recovery windows after each service could magnify small mistakes, especially in those technical, sandy stretches. Two weeks later, the momentum from Estonia is expected to carry into Rally Finland, which Toyota describes as the fastest WRC round and a home event for TGR-WRT, setting up a rapid follow-through on whatever results are produced in Estonia.