Метка: Toyota Racing

Toyota targets «almost perfect” Rally Japan to snatch WRC title

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala believes it could take «an almost perfect» Rally Japan to wrestle the World Rally Championship manufacturers’ crown from Hyundai.

The Japanese marque heads into the season finale on home soil sitting 15 points adrift of rivals Hyundai in the fight for the constructors’ honours.

Toyota has claimed a manufacturers’ and drivers’ title double in each of the last three seasons, but this year it has already missed out on the drivers’ crown which will be claimed by Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville or Ott Tanak.

This week’s Rally Japan however offers a chance to end the season with silverware although Latvala knows it will require strong performances from its trio of drivers Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and Sebastien Ogier.

Such a result has been proven possible on Japan’s asphalt stages after Toyota sealed a 1-2-3 in the event last year.

The team is also in the running to win the WRC2 title with Sami Pajari needing to finish either first or second to deny Oliver Solberg the championship.

«All of the main championships are still to be decided, including in WRC2. We still have a chance in the manufacturers’ championship, and we are very motivated and determined to try and win it in Japan,» said Latvala.

Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

«It may take almost a perfect weekend from our side, but we achieved that in Chile which gives us confidence that it’s possible, as does our amazing 1-2-3 finish in Japan last year.

«It’s a demanding rally for the drivers and at this time of year the weather can be unpredictable, but this also gives us opportunities.

«Elfyn won there last year and relishes those kinds of conditions, while Seb will want to finish the season on a high and Taka is feeling confident for his home event after his strong finish in Central Europe.

«Lastly, it has been great to see the performance of the GR Yaris Rally2 car this year, together with that of Sami Pajari, and if he can win the WRC2 title in Japan it would be a fantastic story.»

Ogier, a previous winner of the event back in 2010, is keen to turn around his fortunes after errors in each of the last three rounds.

The eight-time world champion agrees that the team will need to deliver strong drives to end the year with a title.

«It’s always exciting to go to Rally Japan, and especially this year given we are still in a fight to try and secure the manufacturers’ title,» said Ogier.

«We know that we are not in the ideal position and we need a close-to-perfect weekend for the team, but it’s definitely not out of reach.

«Our performance recently has been good and on my side, we want to turn around our fortunes and transform that speed into a good result.»



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Toyota announces unchanged Hypercar line-up for 2025 WEC season

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Toyota will go into the 2025 World Endurance Championship with an unchanged driver line-up.

The Japanese car maker’s #7 Toyota GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar will driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries for a second consecutive season, while in #8 Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa stay together for a fourth season.

Kobayashi, who also acts as team principal of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WEC squad, stressed the importance of what he described as “a consistent line-up of drivers who understand how to work together”.

“We have a top driver line-up in both cars, and I am happy to be part of it again in 2025,” he said.

“The team spirit and co-operation among all the drivers, and the team in general, grows with every race and every season.”

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries, #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 — Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries, #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 — Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa

Photo by: Shameem Fahath

He added that Toyota has enjoyed “some good results this year”, a reference to its three race wins and victory in the Hypercar manufacturers’ championship, but that “as a team we continuously push ourselves to perform even better at every event”.

De Vries labelled his 2024 campaign with Toyota as “a good first season».

“We have had ups and downs but generally it has been a great experience,” he said.

“I am looking forward to being part of this team in 2025, it is a true pleasure and honour.”

The Dutch driver belatedly joined Toyota in place of Jose Maria Lopez at the start of this year having originally been slated to race the #7 car in 2023 prior to his short stint in Formula 1 with AlphaTauri.

Conway will be undertaking his 10th season as a full-time member of the Toyota WEC squad, while Buemi maintains an unbroken run with the team that stretches back to its return to top-flight sportscar racing on the rebirth of the WEC in 2012.

Toyota’s announcement of its driver line-up for its 2025 attack on the Hypercar class on Wednesday made no reference to Ritomo Miyata, who filled the test and reserve role this year.

The Japanese driver was overlooked for the Le Mans 24 Hours WEC blue riband in June when Conway was unable to compete as a result of injuries sustained in a cycling accident.

Toyota instead brought Lopez back to fill the seat alongside Kobayashi and de Vries.

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Toyota WEC boss Leupen stands down with immediate effect

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe race director Rob Leupen is departing the Cologne-based organisation that masterminds the Japanese manufacturer’s World Endurance Championship campaign.

The 60-year-old Dutchman, also managing director of the company, will leave the employ of TGR-E at the end of the year, but has stepped down from his operational role with immediate effect ahead of this weekend’s WEC finale in Bahrain. 

The move is part of what TGR-E is calling a “renewal of its leadership structure”, which started earlier in the year when longtime technical director Pascal Vasselon was replaced by David Floury. 

A short statement from TGR read: “TGR-E began a long-term update of its leadership structure earlier this year: with the end of the calendar year approaching, TGR-E announces the next phase in this ongoing process.

“Rob Leupen will officially depart TGR-E at the end of year, and by mutual agreement he will suspend his operational role with immediate effect. 

“Rob has made an immense contribution to TGR-E and Toyota in motorsport over almost three decades of service and the company places on record its sincere thanks, and wishes him success in the next phase of his life.”

Rob Leupen, Toyota Director Business Operations and Mike Conway

Rob Leupen, Toyota Director Business Operations and Mike Conway

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Leupen joined what is now TGR-E, then known as Toyota Motorsport GmbH, in 1995 in a human resources role and moved up to become general manager and then director of business operations.

He stepped up to become managing director in 2015. 

Toyota has not given details of a revised management structure at Cologne, which also produces the engines for the marque’s World Rally Championship programme and earlier this month announced a technical partnership with the Haas Formula 1 team. 

Masato Hirai is currently president, with former driver Kazuki Nakajima vice-chairman, a position he assumed on his retirement from the cockpit at the end of the 2021 season. 

Kamui Kobayashi dovetails racing in the WEC with the position of team principal of the sportscar team. 

Leupen’s departure, like that of Vasselon, has come as a surprise.

Vasselon had been expected to step down from the technical directorship he had held since 2006 and hand over to Floury at the end of this season, but was relieved of his duties at short notice before the start of the season.

The Frenchman, also 60 when the move happened, moved into a new role as vice-president of TGR strategic motorsport development focussed on its planned hydrogen combustion prototype programme.

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How Katsuta bounced back stronger after WRC benching

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Takamoto Katsuta has explained why he was able to make a strong World Rally Championship comeback at the Central European Rally after being benched.   

The Japanese driver rejoined the Toyota squad for the penultimate round of the season last weekend following a shock decision by the team to bench its full-time driver for last month’s trip to South America.

The decision from the team came after the Acropolis Rally which marked a sixth consecutive result outside of the top five for Katsuta.

The 31-year-old says missing Chile was one of his toughest career moments but he was quickly able to put that behind him at the Central European Rally with a fine run to fourth, including two stage wins.

The five-time WRC podium finisher marked an impressive comeback under pressure by scoring the maximum 12 Super Sunday points for topping the Sunday classification and winning the Power Stage. The points haul could prove crucial for Toyota in its fight with Hyundai for the manufacturers’ title. 

Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Katsuta believes he wouldn’t have been able to achieve this if it wasn’t for the support from within the team and all the people around him. 

One of the areas Katusta has worked on to fine tune his driving is his pacenotes, by removing unnecessary extra detail that can be harder to process at speed.

“It was big, big pressure before this rally. It was such a difficult moment I’ve had in the last few months and maybe the start of the season, and of course last month was the toughest moment,» he said.

“But I had really strong support from the team and all the people around me. This is one of the reasons I was able to come back stronger. 

«There is massive support from my engineers and my team-mates like Kalle [Rovanpera], Seb [Ogier] and Elfyn [Evans] calling me and messaging me, there has been big support.

“Of course it is easy to say afterwards. It is hard to say [if the decision to miss Chile was correct] as it was really tough moment. I had time to think a lot and I was able to concentrate and do the job.”

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala labelled Katsuta’s Central European Rally display “superb” as his Sunday points haul helped Toyota’s manufacturers’ title bid after Sebastien Ogier crashed out of the victory battle.

“I have to say massive thanks to Taka. He had an excellent performance and also a very good performance from Elfyn [Evans, who finished third] they both saved us in this situation and we are still in the game for the manufacturers’ championship,” Latvala told Motorsport.com. 

“Taka has been really superb and on Thursday he had quite a bit of pressure and was quite nervous coming back to the car after a one-month break. 

“You could see he was a little bit cautious, then he was lifting up the speed and then he did a fastest time, but when it was tricky he took it easy. 

“He was growing and this is exactly the way we want him to take because we know his speed but the problem before is Taka has been trying to lift up the speed too quickly and now he was progressively building that. It was starting to come naturally.»

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Ogier needs «reset” after costly WRC Central Europe exit

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Sebastien Ogier says he needs a “reset” after a third consecutive incident cost Toyota valuable points in its bid to defend the World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title.

The eight-time world champion was in the box seat to deliver a fourth victory from his partial campaign at the Central European Rally, having ended Saturday with 18 provisional points after building a 5.2s lead over Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.

However, his rally began to unravel when he overshot a left-hander in Sunday’s first stage, dropping the Frenchman 1.9s behind the 2019 world champion.

That gap was shortened to 1.5s heading into the penultimate run, where Ogier’s rally came to an abrupt halt six hundred metres into a stage where route note crews were unable to traverse beforehand to pass on crucial road information to drivers.

Ogier ran wide into a fast right-hander, clattering the trees and causing terminal damage to his GR Yaris, and was unusually visibly angry in the aftermath of the incident that threw away the 18 points earned on Saturday.

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The accident is the third incident in a row for Ogier after crashing on the final stage in Greece, while in Chile he clipped a rock that sent him into retirement on the Saturday.

«It was another example that the gravel crew are doing a crucial job for us. It was the only stage of the weekend where they were not allowed to go through and basically we didn’t have the information of the road evolution,» said Ogier at the scene of the crash.

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

«This first long corner under the trees people have been cutting more [than we were] anticipating. The corner was becoming very greasy and at the end I couldn’t turn basically and I understeered and went wide at the exit and hit the trees on the outside.

«I feel angry with myself in the moment and I’m very sorry for the team. I tried my best. It was really my main target to help them achieve the manufacturers’ title.

“I think I was doing a good job so far but unfortunately it is a third weekend in a row that has not gone my way. It is a tough time.»

Reflecting on the incident hours later, Ogier added: “I need a reset for sure. Right now I feel very disappointed for the team as it could have been another strong weekend for us.

“In France, we say ‘never two without three’ and now it is three rallies in a row that we have really tough luck. I’m very happy with the speed obviously but unfortunately, again this was even worse than the last weekends as we didn’t score any points this time. Let’s hope we still have some in Japan.”

Despite the crash, Toyota reduced the deficit to Hyundai to 15 points in the manufacturers’ race thanks to points scored by Elfyn Evans, who finished the rally third overall, while Takamoto Katsuta picked up the maximum 12 Super Sunday points.

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala admitted that it had been strange to see the mistakes from Ogier, but also believes safety note crews must be allowed to pass through each stage in the future.

“It was looking very good after Saturday and I thought we would be able to catch back on points and take it closer for Japan, but it has unfortunately changed quite rapidly,” Latvala told Motorsport.com.

“It’s strange [to see these errors from Seb] and he has apologised.

“This time, what he told me [is] they didn’t allow the safety crews to go through because of the timetable so there was more mud on this corner and he anticipated higher grip and he lost control of the car.

“With these cars, we should always have the safety crews going on stage. It is a different story with the slower cars but when the speeds are higher the risk levels are higher.

“I think it has hurt him quite hard because he had done a great fight and tried to help the team but when the accidents happen in a row… it starts to affect your confidence and everything it is not easy to handle that kind of thing.”



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Benched Katsuta sets goals for WRC return at Central European Rally

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Takamoto Katsuta has set out goals after being benched by Toyota for Rally Chile, as he prepares for his World Rally Championship return at next week’s Central European Rally.

Katsuta rejoins Toyota’s line-up after it temporarily dropped its full-time driver for the visit to Chile last month following a rough run of results.

After undergoing a reset, the 31-year-old jumped back behind the wheel of his GR Yaris Rally1 for a pre-event its last week ahead of Central European Rally’s tricky asphalt stages with a clear objective in mind.

“I’m looking forward to being back in the car and driving on a totally different surface for the last two rallies of the year,” said Katsuta.

“I really like driving on asphalt and I hope to find a good feeling and perform well.

“Central European Rally is a big challenge for everybody with a lot of surface changes and dirt on the road. Last year, the Friday on Czech roads was especially difficult with rain and a lot of cuts.

“With that experience it should be easier to return this year but there will still be many new stages, so we need to focus on making good pacenotes and communicating well with our route note crew.

Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: Toyota Racing

“I will try to be patient, be there to score points for the team and if everything goes well, it will be easier for me to push at Rally Japan [the season finale].”

Speaking at Rally Chile, Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala empathised with how his driver would be feeling after the decision, but is confident that Katsuta would return stronger.

Latvala also revealed that improving his pacenotes had been identified as area that would benefit the Japanese driver.

“We have had a few phone calls with him and of course it is never a nice situation as he wanted to come to Chile to drive, but after a few days he was thinking about it and understood the situation and was willing to work and try to improve himself to come back stronger,” said Latvala.

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“To understand it first is never nice for the driver. But at the end when you do it and come back, sometimes you realise that this is something good. We have seen that in the past with other drivers [that have been benched]. Adrien [Fourmaux] is a very good example and it also happened to Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans in the past.

“First of all I wanted him to switch off from rallying, then we wanted him to work with the co-driver to try and improve the notes as we realised in Greece that maybe there is too much information in them, which is then taking away the focus on the driving and the road as he has to listen too much.”

Looking ahead to next week’s rally, Latvala added: “The target will be to have a solid rally, score some points and find a good feeling in the car ahead of Rally Japan.”



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Toyota encouraged for future after Pajari’s WRC Chile drive

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Sami Pajari remains part of Toyota’s discussions regarding its 2025 World Rally Championship driver plans after the Finn impressed management at Rally Chile.

Pajari was handed a surprise second career Rally1 outing with the Japanese brand at last weekend’s gravel round in South America in place of regular driver Takamoto Katsuta, who will rejoin the team at this month’s Central European Rally.

Competing in challenging weather conditions on a rally new to Pajari, the Finn enjoyed a trouble-free drive, running as high as fourth on Friday before eventually finishing the 16-stage rally in sixth overall.

The result followed his run to an impressive fourth on his Rally1 debut with Toyota in Finland in August.

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala declared Pajari’s display as the «perfect result» given the circumstances he faced.

Latvala told Motorsport.com after Finland that the 22-year-old was among the team’s drive options for 2025 as Toyota continues to forge its driver line-up for next year.

Speaking after the Acropolis Rally, Latvala stated that Toyota needs at least three full-time drivers to lead its attack next year.

It is anticipated that Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans will lead the team on a full-time basis. Part-time driver Sebastien Ogier has hinted that he is open to a reduced partial campaign next year, while the team has shown continued support to Katsuta, who has been part of the squad since 2020.

Sami Pajari, Enni Mälkönen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Sami Pajari, Enni Mälkönen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

«He [Sami] did an absolutely perfect result he did what we wanted him to do,» said Latvala.

«We couldn’t ask for more. We wanted him to have a consistent run and we can see that there is speed and he said himself that he could do more but I told him that we just wanted him to get more kilometres and get more comfortable in the car.

«There are going to be more steps to climb in the future. What we have seen I would be very encouraged to see him driving more events next year.

«There are some discussions but no decisions.»

Reflecting on his drive in Chile, Pajari felt there was plenty learned from his outing for the future.

«I was not expecting to be here but it was really nice opportunity so I’m super grateful to the team for once again making this possible,» said Pajari.

«I think there was still a lot of positives from this rally like I was really clean and there was some really tricky conditions out there.

‘I had some really good stage times and on Friday the pace was really nice but on the other two days it was about learning and surviving.»

Pajari is set for another Rally1 outing with Toyota at the Central European Rally which was announced in conjunction with the news that he would drive in Chile.



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Toyota ‘back in the fight’ for WRC title after Rally Chile

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Toyota World Rally Championship boss Jari-Matti Latvala says it’s a “big relief” for his team to be back in the manufacturers’ title fight after dominating Rally Chile.

Latvala had all but written off the team’s title hopes after a difficult Acropolis Rally Greece earlier this month left Toyota facing a 35-point deficit with three rounds of the season remaining.

However, Toyota issued the perfect response in Chile as Kalle Rovanperä headed a 1-2 for the brand ahead of team-mate Elfyn Evans.

Sébastian Ogier led home a 1-2-3 for Toyota in the Super Sunday standings, while adding the Power Stage win to claw back significant ground on rivals Hyundai.

The points haul has reduced Hyundai’s lead to 17 points ahead of next month’s Central European Rally and the season finale in Japan, reigniting Toyota’s hopes of claiming a fourth consecutive manufacturers’ crown.

“Having two devastating Sundays before Chile, it had added quite a lot of pressure,” said Latvala.

“But now with this result, getting the maximum points in Chile with the rally [victory], the Super Sunday points and Power Stage, really gets us back in the fight for the manufacturer title.

“It is a big relief for us and for the Japanese side [of the business] that we still have a chance.”

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Victory in Chile marked Rovanperä’s fourth win of his partial campaign, adding to triumphs in Kenya, Poland and Latvia.

But this weekend’s success wasn’t plain sailing for the Finn, who struggled for speed on Friday’s stages before surging to the lead when thick fog and rain hit the stages on Saturday afternoon.

“I was fighting a lot on Friday not being so comfortable in the car, so that was always big challenge,” said Rovanperä.

“We made it through without any big mistakes and after that we tried to climb back.

“We could do that especially when the conditions become difficult and we could do big gaps compared to the others.

“I’m really happy with how everything went and it is really good points for the team, which is important for the teams’ championship.

“For sure it [the manufacturers’ title fight] is on now; we have caught them [Hyundai] quite a lot and everything is again open.”



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Evans rues unfortunate WRC Chile “double whammy”

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Elfyn Evans has explained how he paid the price for an unfortunate “double whammy” of events that resulted in losing the Rally Chile lead to Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.

Evans had enjoyed one of the strongest Saturday mornings of the season, winning two of the three stages to open up an 11.3s lead over reigning world champion Rovanpera.

But the Welshman, searching for a his first win in a frustrating campaign, witnessed his work unravel as thick fog descended on stage 11.

Evans appeared to suffer the worst of the conditions that severely hampered visibility and reduced him to a crawl at places in the stage.

Evans lost 24.1s in the test and relinquished the lead to Rovanpera. To rub salt into the wounds, Evans had opted to run his soft tyres in the stage and was unable to make use of them due to the poor visibility.

Rovanpera saved his softs for the wetter stage 12, the final test of the loop, and maximised the grip advantage they offered to open up a 15.1s advantage over Evans heading into Sunday’s four stages.

“The fog was really really bad in the middle one [stage],” reflected Evans.

“It was like a bit of a double whammy as we decided to play our softs for this stage and of course I couldn’t make the most of it as I couldn’t see where I was going. Then we suffered a bit in the last one, as Kalle had two softs to use.

Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

“Our understanding was that the [last] stage was more dry than the reality, so I was not so happy with the last two stages.

“The fog was so dense that I couldn’t see the edge of the road. I was literally stopped in a few places as I had no idea where the edge of the road was and where we were heading, so that was quite bad.

“We can be pretty pleased with the performance overall. Of course you naturally feel disappointed, having had a good couple of days behind the wheel on the right trajectory. But then to get hit with the conditions we did was not ideal.”

Rovanpera admitted his Saturday was a day of two halves, having initially lost out to Evans in the morning before the tables turned in the afternoon.

“We were definitely not so strong in the morning and then when the weather got more damp and tricky with all the fog we were much stronger,” said Rovanpera, who is aiming for his fourth win of the season.

“I would say stage 11 was the most foggy condition I have ever driven, and even on a 100-metre straight you are going recce speed because you don’t know where the road is, as you can barely see in front of you. It was really difficult conditions, but we managed it.

“There is still a long day to go and like we saw in Finland [where I crashed from the lead] sometimes it is not up to you what happens in rallying.

“But for the team it was important to get a one-two in points on Saturday and we will try to bring as many points as we can on Sunday.”



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