Toyota with Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier part-time in 2024!

At the end of an absolutely perfect Rally of Japan concluded by a hat-trick of Yaris Rally1 hybrids, Toyota Gazoo Racing has revealed its line-ups for 2024. Unsurprisingly, the two world champions will share a car with the mixed consequences that that implies.

Published on 20/11/2023 à 10:26

Loïc ROCCI

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Toyota with Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier part-time in 2024!

Kalle Rovanperä part-time in 2024! © Nikos Katikis / DPPI

On several occasions during the final round of the calendar, Jari-Matti Latvala and some of his drivers made blunders by unwittingly revealing information concerning next year's squad.

In recent weeks, the rumor claiming that Kalle Rovanperä would not play the full season had gained weight and this is confirmed by this very surprising announcement for a boy not even 25 years old who already seems to have had enough of the environment in which he excels. The good news is that the Finn has signed a new multi-year contract with TGR-WRT. The bad news for fans is that he will only be present at a certain number of races next year.

No information has been made official, but if Kalle will share the heats with Sébastien Ogier as it seems logical, they should make an almost equitable distribution, 6 for one, 7 for the other, because the Frenchman does not want to do more. The choice of meetings has, of course, not been revealed, but the Gapençais has split several “ meet at Monte-Carlo » this weekend which leaves no doubt about his coming to Gap in January. In turn, Kalle Rovenperä will be present in Sweden and it is not very complicated to imagine where they will perform next depending on the profile of the races and their affinity.

"JHe has been driving rally cars for 15 years, which is quite a long time”

« Next year I will only participate in a few events, explains Kalle. The main reason is that I drive cars of rally for 15 years already, which is quite a long time. While the last few seasons have of course been extraordinary, they have also been very demanding mentally and physically. So I thought the time was right to take a year to recharge the batteries and then come back full-time to fight for the championship again with an all-out attack. I love all types of motorsport and look forward to drifting and maybe some other cool events besides the rallies we select next year. »

While the two world champions will act on an interim basis, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta will be the pillars of the team and it is they who will be responsible for bringing in points for the Constructors' championship. The Japanese is now a full-time official driver, which will come with a lot of responsibilities. After what he demonstrated in Japan, he has arguments to be the pleasant surprise of 2024.

This distribution is a disaster for the WRC, since it means that there will be one less Rally1 at the start of the rounds. Concerning the withdrawal of Kalle Rovanperä, the people at the FIA ​​who are in charge of the rally and those at the promoter are for once all of the same opinion: it is a very bad signal for the championship.

ALSO READ > Sébastien Ogier after the Toyota hat-trick in Japan: “A dream result”

Loïc ROCCI

Journalist specializing in rallying past, present and future... and with a southern accent

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