Ogier, Evans and Rovanperä arrive at Toyota

The announcement was expected in a sense. After the end of the Citroën Racing adventure in WRC et the end of the collaboration between the chevron brand and Sébastien Ogier, the future of the six-time world champion seemed almost written.

We are pleased to confirm an exciting, all-new driver line-up for the 2020 season:

Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia
Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen

Read more: https://t.co/zOhOWaMFp6#TOYOTA #YarisWRC #ToyotaGAZOORacing #WRC #Rallying pic.twitter.com/1uwdQDvVW5

— Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) November 27, 2019

It will be with Toyota Gazoo Racing that the native of Gap will compete in the 2020 campaign, at the wheel of a Yaris WRC which has took Ott Tänak to the 2019 world title. The Frenchman will replace the Estonian, who left towards Hyundai Motorsport, but will not arrive alone within Tommi Mäkinen's structure.

The Japanese are recruiting in addition to Ogier, Elfyn Evans, from M-Sport Ford, but also Kalle Rovanpera, rising star of the discipline and WRC2 champion this year with Skoda Motorsport. “The goal of every pilot rally is to get a seat in a WRC, underlined the Finn, only 19 years old.

The transition from an R5 to a WRC is important, so I will focus on learning the car and speed, especially at the start of the season. I have so much to learn from Seb and Elfyn, it’s great to have them in the stable! »

As for the Frenchman, he finally gave in to the call of the second best-selling manufacturer in the world. “We had already held discussions at the end of 2016 (before joining M-Sport. Editor’s note), and even though we were not able to reach the end of the negotiations, I am now delighted to start working with a brand as well known as Toyota as much as to collaborate with my childhood idol, Tommi Mäkinen.

The plan is to aim for further successes together and to try to win the world championship again. It's an interesting line-up, because I know Elfyn very well from the past (at M-Sport in 2017 and 2018. Editor’s note) while Kalle has already proven many things in rallying. He undoubtedly has talent and I am sure that he will progress quickly. »

Finally, the Welshman Elfyn Evans, credited witha WRC success on home soil with a Ford Fiesta in 2017, hopes to give new impetus to his career. “Tommi has had many victories (four crowns with Mitsubishi. Editor’s note) and he knows what it costs to be so efficient.

It was very pleasant to manage this transfer with him. The 2019 campaign was average for us, missing three events due to injury, but we also experienced solid results. Now I want to win rallies more often. »

Discover more information on the end of the Citroën Racing adventure in the WRC and the arrival of Sébastien Ogier at Toyota, in AUTO issue 2244hebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.