A Toyota Rally1 to rent for 7 rounds in 2023

Mais que se passe-t-il à Jyskä l’usine dans laquelle le Toyota Gazoo Racing est installé à la limite nord de Jyväskylä ? En plus de s’épanouir dans cette nouvelle structure, l’équipe dirigée par Jari-Matti Latvala est en train de connaître des transformations intéressantes. Cela s’est tout d’abord matérialisé par la présentation au Japon de la toute première Yaris Rally2. Celle-ci a effectué quelques mètres avec Juha Kankkunen et elle va désormais subir une année de test avant de débuter en course 2024. Ce premier pas du TGR vers la compétition client, qui était jusqu’ici un domaine regardé avec une certaine condescendance, marque un premier changement. Il sera bientôt possible d’exploiter une auto sortie de l’antre des multi-champions du monde. Dans le milieu du WRC2, ils sont nombreux à attendre cette opportunité. Le seront-ils aussi pour le nouveau projet qui s’est dessiné lors de la présentation du line-up de 2023 ? En choisissant de ne pas faire appel à un pilote supplémentaire pour pallier le départ d’Esapekka Lappi, Toyota s’est retrouvé avec une voiture sans chauffeur. Takamoto Katsuta étant associé à Kalle Rovanperä et Elfyn Evans pour marquer des points, la 4^e car could have been entrusted to a crew coming to lend a hand to the other three. This could be the case, but this is not the objective of the new project which consists of renting this Yaris hybrid Rally1. “ We decided that this car would be available for one or more drivers during the 7 rounds where Takamoto will help us for the Manufacturers' championship., explains Jari-Matti Latvala. The goal is not for this driver to provide us with support and it is not a sporting strategy, but purely commercial. In order to successfully implement this new activity, we are in the process of structuring ourselves so that this Rally1 can run. »

Jari-Matti Latvala was one of the rare drivers to use a Yaris WRC 2017 by renting it to the TGR during the rally of Sweden 2020

Seeing Toyota agree to share its know-how with private companies is a small revolution, because until now unofficial Yaris had been very rare. The last example was offered by Lappi during the 2021 Rally Finland (there was Latvala in Sweden 2020 and Marcus Grönholm in Sweden 2019). This new system should prevent the championship from losing any cars, but it will not allow it to gain any. There also remains the question of customers potentially interested in renting this Toyota. If this new process is a nice rock in the garden of Malcolm Wilson who was until now the only one to offer it, there may be differences in terms of services. “ It will not be cheaper than with the 2017 WRC, confirms Latvala. The construction of hybrid cars is more expensive than before and therefore the rental price will also be higher than before. We have already had discussions, but there is nothing to finalize. » Drivers capable of putting several millions on the table to race occasionally in the WRC are not legion. Could Jourdan Serderidis swap his Puma for a Yaris? Can Oliver Solberg try to bounce back with the Japanese? Pierre-Louis Loubet, if he still has the same financial support as in recent years, can he find a way to move up the hierarchy? The first rally on which this car will be available will be Sweden (February 9-12) where Sébastien Ogier will be out, which is early in the season. We must hope that the TGR will already have a customer in the queue, otherwise there will only be 3 Yaris at the start.