THE APEX TIMES
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will run “equal challengers” under new Rally1 technical regulations in 2027, splitting drivers and cars across TOYOTA RACING and GAZOO Racing TOYOTA.
Toyota’s top factory rally program is reshaping its World Rally Championship effort for the sport’s next rule era. In a move aimed at maximizing competition on the new stage, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) said it will field two distinct teams with two different Rally1 cars starting in 2027, as the FIA WRC enters a period of technical changes under updated Rally1 regulations.
The team’s structure will be split between TOYOTA RACING and GAZOO Racing TOYOTA. Each will operate as a separate attacking unit, with the company saying the two squads will compete as “equal challengers” for victory. The driver line-up across both teams will include world champions and a mix of returning rally winners and newer title-contenders, with at least three world champions included in the combined group.
Under the outgoing rules, TGR-WRT said it secured a record-equalling sixth consecutive manufacturers’ championship in 2026. It also pointed to a season in which all five of its official crews claimed multiple rally wins and stayed in contention through the final stages, where Elfyn Evans edged the season’s title by five points over Oliver Solberg and six over Sami Pajari.
For 2027, TGR-WRT said it is preparing for a framework that can put up to six factory cars per rally, entered across the two teams. The team added that the approach is rooted in a continuing WRC principle under the new Rally1 technical regulations: giving drivers a car they can win with, while making the top Rally1 category more accessible. The company said equal power and performance are key elements of the regulations, alongside the aim of raising competition across the field.
TOYOTA RACING will campaign the GR Celica Rally1 car. The line-up is led by Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin, the defending drivers’ and co-drivers’ champions. Toyota said the duo is in their eighth successive full season with the team and described them as the longest-running pairing in Toyota’s WRC history in terms of starts for the manufacturer, noting that they finally won world titles this year after multiple runner-up finishes. Joining them will be Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson, with Toyota citing Solberg and Edmondson’s 2026 performance as runners-up in their first full season together with the team, after Solberg’s WRC2 title in 2025.
Rounding out TOYOTA RACING for 2027, Toyota said Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen will join. The company described their 2026 season as highly consistent, with three wins, nine podiums from 13 events, and a third-place finish in the standings. Toyota’s release framed the overall TOYOTA RACING group as a blend of championship experience and momentum from drivers it says already proved they can fight for wins across different rally conditions.
The second team, GAZOO Racing TOYOTA, will campaign the new 2027 GR Yaris Rally1 car, which Toyota said is designed to build on the GR Yaris platform’s success under the outgoing rules. Its line-up includes Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja, who will return together after earlier championship success with the Toyota Yaris WRC. Toyota also said Tänak has been working in a development role during the broader transition, before moving back toward full competition for next season. Joining them are Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston, following Katsuta’s 2026 breakthrough which Toyota said included maiden WRC victories in Kenya and Croatia, and a run that made him the first Japanese driver to lead the championship standings.
Toyota also said it is bringing back Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen for a partial 2027 program with GAZOO Racing TOYOTA, describing Rovanperä as the youngest ever WRC champion and a recent back-to-back title winner with TGR-WRT in 2022-23. The release also suggested flexibility in the team’s driver plans during the season, indicating that experienced drivers such as Sébastien Ogier, who remains part of the broader GAZOO Racing family, could make selected appearances. Toyota added that it will continue exploring opportunities for young drivers, pointing to its GR WRC Challenge Program as a pipeline for talent.
Behind the scenes, Toyota said the transition to the new rules is already underway. It described both the GR Celica Rally1 and the GR Yaris Rally1 as 2027 prototypes that are running to the same new WRC Car regulations aimed at increasing Rally1 accessibility, with homologation due to be completed before year-end. The company said further details about the cars and their liveries will be released before the 2027 season. Toyota also noted that TGR-WRT will keep both teams under the same roof at its headquarters in Jyväskylä, and that the driver presentation followed an official groundbreaking ceremony at its new technical center in nearby Majajärvi.
What remains uncertain is exactly how many of the planned up to six factory cars per rally will be entered consistently under different event constraints, and how the two teams’ “equal challenger” setup will translate into on-stage tactics across the calendar. The release does not provide performance estimates, test results, or specific timing for when either Rally1 car will be formally revealed in its final competitive configuration. Toyota also did not detail whether the partially scheduled Rovanperä program will expand or how often Ogier-type cameo opportunities could occur. Fans and teams will likely focus next on pre-season testing updates, homologation milestones, and the early results once the 2027 season begins.
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