First and Third for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Flying Finns on Snow
Toyota City, Japan, Feb 28, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is celebrating the first win for its new GR YARIS Rally1 car after Kalle Rovanpera secured victory on Rally Sweden, round two of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship. Rovanpera's fellow Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi finished third to complete a double podium finish for the team on his first start for TGR since 2018.Car 69 (Kalle Rovanpera, Jonne Halttunen)For most of the rally, all three of the team's drivers were part of a close fight for victory on the unfamiliar, high-speed, snow-covered roads around the event's new base in Umea. Rovanpera was disadvantaged on Friday by having to run first on the road as the highest-placed driver in the championship, but concluded Satuday leading team-mate Elfyn Evans by 8.3 seconds.Evans was penalised 10s overnight after an incident at the end of Saturday's final stage, but his hopes of victory were ended in Sunday's opener. Having started with the centrally-supplied hybrid system deactivated due to an issue, Evans then had a spin in the stage and damaged the front of the car. After stopping to make repairs he reached the end of the s...
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing: Snow and Ice Spectacular the Next Test for GR YARIS Rally1
Toyota City, Japan, Feb 18, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has its sights set on a successful second event for its new GR YARIS Rally1 car on Rally Sweden (February 25-27), the only true winter round of the FIA World Rally Championship season held on high-speed roads covered in snow and ice.2022 GR YARIS Rally1The team intends to build on a promising start to the WRC's new Rally1 era at Rallye Monte-Carlo last month, where the hybrid-powered GR YARIS proved reliable and fast on its debut and was only cruelly denied victory on the penultimate stage.With Sweden not part of Sebastien Ogier's programme of selected rallies this season, Esapekka Lappi will make his first start in the team's colours since 2018. Kalle Rovanpera will open the road in Sweden as the highest-placed driver in the standings after finishing fourth and winning the Power Stage on Rallye Monte-Carlo. Elfyn Evans was part of the lead battle on round one before a small but costly mistake ended his chances of a strong result; he will hope for a repeat of the championship's last visit to Sweden in 2020 when he scored his first victory for Toyota. As on every round this...
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing: Strong Debut for the GR YARIS Rally1 with Second Place for Ogier
Toyota City, Japan, Jan 24, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has completed a strong debut event for the new GR YARIS Rally1 with Sebastien Ogier claiming second overall and Kalle Rovanpera finishing fourth at Rallye Monte-Carlo.Ogier had been on course to claim a record-extending ninth win on the famous event before a cruel late twist in the thrilling weekend-long battle for the victory, suffering a flat front-left tyre on the penultimate stage of the rally. The time lost turned his lead of 24.6 seconds into a deficit of 9.5s. Along with new co-driver Benjamin Veillas, Ogier gave his all in the final stage and, having been handed a 10-second penalty for a jump start, finished just 10.5s from the win.Fourth was an impressive result for Rovanpera and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen, who made huge strides forward in pace and confidence in their new car from Saturday onwards. In all they claimed three stage wins, including on the rally-ending Power Stage. The five bonus points put Rovanpera third in the championship as the leading full-season contender, with Ogier to contest selected events this year after stepping away from full-time com...
Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 Ready for the WRC Hybrid Revolution
TOKYO, Jan 17, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will begin a bold new era in the FIA World Rally Championship when the 2022 season begins and the GR YARIS Rally1 makes its debut on the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo from January 20-23.The GR YARIS Rally1 is the successor to the all-conquering Yaris WRC, which claimed a clean sweep of the manufacturers', drivers' and co-drivers' in the 2021 season that concluded just eight weeks ago at Monza in Italy. Now, the roads of the French Alps will play host to the first event for the revolutionary Rally1 cars, which take over from the World Rally Cars that have formed the highest category of the WRC for the past quarter of a century.Rally1 cars feature several significant changes compared to their predecessors, headlined by the arrival of hybrid technology to the highest level of rallying for the first time. The hybrid unit in each car comprises of a 3.9kWh battery and a motor-generator unit (MGU) delivering an additional 100 kW (134 PS) under acceleration.In the GR YARIS Rally1, this is combined with the proven 1.6-litre turbocharged engine from the Yaris WRC to provide the drivers with over ...
Wall Street equities end lower after three-day rally
NEW YORK (AFP) - US stocks took a breather from this week's stretch of gains on Thursday (Dec 9), with two of the three main indices closing with solid losses and the Dow ending flat. The declines ended a three-day rally that took Wall Street back near record territory, amid positive data on the jobs markets but a day before a key inflation report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 35,754.69, less than a point below Wednesday's close. The broad-based S&P 500 lost 0.7 per cent to finish at 4,667.45, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index was the biggest loser, dropping 1.7 per cent to 15,517.37. "I don't see where the selling pressure really comes from," said Ms Maris Ogg of Tower Bridge Advisors. "I'm not sure it's very obvious where the buying pressure would come from either. So we probably just waffle around for the rest of the year." Investors appear to have got over concerns about the latest Covid-19 variant while new claims for jobless benefits dropped sharply last week, again bringing them to levels not seen since 1969. Attention now turns to Friday's much-anticipated November consumer price data. Rising worries about inflation have prompted the Federal Reserve to...
Evans and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Seal Second in Spain
Toyota City, Japan, Oct 18, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Elfyn Evans finished second overall at the Rally de Espana to set up a final-round FIA World Rally Championship title decider with his TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team team-mate Sebastien Ogier, who finished fourth.Car 33 (Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin)Evans and co-driver Scott Martin had led the rally after winning the first three stages on Friday, but despite battling hard didn't quite have the level of performance over the rest of the weekend to maintain the fight for the victory. Still, the second-place finish ensures that Evans remains in with a shot of a maiden drivers' championship going into the final round in Italy.Ogier was in contention for a podium position all the way to the end of the rally, but just missed out on third position in a closely-fought battle through the final day's four stages - missing out by 6.8 seconds. Nevertheless he and co-driver Julien Ingrassia continue to the lead the standings with a 17-point advantage over their team-mates as they look to claim an eighth world title.In the manufacturers' championship, the points scored by Evans and Ogier - including those achieved by setting...
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Set for Spain with Eyes on the Prize
TOKYO, Oct 8, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team takes on the penultimate round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship - the Rally de Espana on October 15-17 - with the opportunity for both the manufacturers' and drivers' titles to be clinched on fast and flowing asphalt roads.2021 Yaris WRCThe team leads the manufacturers' championship by 61 points, with a maximum of 52 points available after the Spanish event. For the third season in a row, a Toyota driver is guaranteed to win the drivers' title, with 24 points separating team-mates Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans after the latter's victory on the previous round in Finland.For Ogier, a six-point swing in his favour on a rally he has won three times would secure him his eighth world title, while Evans is looking to maintain his chances of a maiden crown. Kalle Rovanpera is currently fourth in the standings and only one point away from a place in the top three, while TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta will once more be in action in a fourth Yaris WRC.Based in Salou on the Costa Daurada to the south of Barcelona, the rally returns to the calendar after one year away an...
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Counts on Proven Winners for a New WRC Era
TOKYO, Oct 7, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will enter a new era of the FIA World Rally Championship relying on a strong driver line-up of proven winners across its three full-season manufacturer entries in 2022.TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT driversElfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanpera will contest every event in the new hybrid Rally1 car after signing new contracts with the team, while multiple world champion Sebastien Ogier will also continue to compete for Toyota in selected rounds even as he steps back from full-time rallying. To complete the high-calibre line-up, Esapekka Lappi makes a welcome return to the team to share a car with Ogier during the season.TOYOTA GAZOO Racing now heads into a crucial phase of development and competition with the new-for-2022 technical regulations knowing it can count on four drivers who have all previously won rallies for the team and helped it towards championship success.Evans joined the team at the beginning of 2020 and soon proved himself to be a championship contender, claiming wins in Sweden and Turkey and ultimately finishing runner-up to Ogier in a contest that went right down to the final round....
Flying Evans delivers another home win for the Toyota Yaris WRC
Toyota City, Japan, Oct 4, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is celebrating a fourth home victory on Rally Finland thanks to an outstanding weekend from Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin. The British duo are now the only crew who can catch team-mates Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia - who finished fifth in Finland - from winning the championship with two rounds remaining, meaning a Toyota driver is now guaranteed to win the title for a third year in a row. The team has also taken a step closer to clinching the manufacturers' championship.Elfyn Evans, Scott MartinIn the first Rally Finland to be held for over two years, the team faced strengthened competition on the high-speed gravel roads. Evans was its best-placed driver at the end of the opening day on Friday in third overall, having produced a strong performance despite running second on the road. On Saturday morning he surged into the lead with four stage wins out of four, and he took an advantage of 9.1 seconds into the final day.He was only 0.4s off the fastest time in the first of Sunday's tests before delivering fastest times in both SS17 and SS18 to increase his...
Toyota Yaris WRC Returns to Home Roads for an Autumn Rally Finland
Toyota City, Japan, Sep 24, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will compete on home roads for the first time in more than two years when the spectacular Rally Finland returns with a new autumn look on October 1-3.2021 Yaris WRCDeveloped at the team's headquarters close to the event's service park in Jyvaskyla, the Toyota Yaris WRC has an unbeaten record on Rally Finland after victories in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The rally was called off in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and this year moves back from its normal summer date to ensure that fans can watch the action in the stages.All of the team's drivers will be contesting Rally Finland in the Yaris WRC for the first time. Sebastien Ogier, who won the event in 2013, has a 44-point lead in the drivers' standings with team-mate Elfyn Evans his closest rival in second place. Just seven points further back in fourth and on a high after his recent wins in Estonia and Greece is Kalle Rovanpera, starting his home rally in the top category for the first time.Also looking forward to an event familiar to him is TGR Rally Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta, who will be joined in the ...
Toyota Yaris WRC encounters the legendary Acropolis Rally
Toyota City, Japan, Sep 3, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is preparing to face another of the sport's most iconic and demanding events when the legendary Acropolis Rally in Greece returns to the FIA World Rally Championship on September 9-12.The Acropolis Rally last featured in the WRC in 2013, having been almost ever-present on the calendar since the inaugural season 40 years earlier. The event is known for rocky mountain roads and high temperatures which combine to create a tough challenge for the cars, tyres and drivers.Sebastien Ogier, who won the rally in 2011, heads to Greece with a 38-point lead in the championship, with team-mate Elfyn Evans in joint second place. Kalle Rovanpera, fourth in the standings, will be making his Acropolis Rally debut, as will TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta. Toyota has a 41-point lead in the manufacturers' championship with four rounds remaining.The rally will begin on Thursday afternoon from the capital city Athens, with a start ceremony beneath the ancient Acropolis citadel and a short street stage around Syntagma Square. From there, Friday takes the crews out west for a pai...
Rovanpera on the podium at Spa for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
Toyota City, Japan, Aug 16, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Kalle Rovanpera claimed a podium finish for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team at Ypres Rally Belgium following a final-day battle with his team-mates Elfyn Evans and Sebastien Ogier as the event came to a close at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.In the first Ypres Rally to be held as part of the FIA World Rally Championship, all three of the team's drivers were very closely matched throughout their debut appearances on the tricky Belgian roads. They ended Saturday covered by just 4.3 seconds in an in-house fight for third overall, with Evans leading Rovanpera and Ogier as they headed to Spa for the final four stages.The final day's stages were considerably different in character to what had come before, combining twisty public roads in the Ardennes region with access roads around the Spa circuit as well as sections of the racetrack itself. Rovanpera stole a march on the competition in the day's first stage, where he posted the fastest time to move ahead of Evans and into third. Ogier meanwhile dropped back from his team-mates after sustaining tyre damage.Rovanpera went on to seal third place by 6.5s o...