Toyota Gazoo Racing has loved an unparalleled weekend of competitors success, sealing 4 world championship titles.
On Rally Spain, Toyota sealed victory as the highest producer within the World Rally Championship (WRC), courtesy of a victory for Sébastien Ogier and points-placings for Kalle Rovanpera (already topped the 2022 WRC World Champion) and Elfyn Evans.
Additional south, second place on Rally Andalucia, the ultimate spherical of the primary FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), was adequate for Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel to assert the motive force and co-drivers’ championships. The outcome additionally earned Toyota the producers’ title.
WRC Rally Spain
The WRC producers’ championship success follows the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles gained by Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen on the earlier rally in New Zealand. It’s the second yr in a row that the workforce have gained all three WRC titles, a feat that’s all of the extra notable for spanning a significant change within the technical rules which noticed the Yaris wRC automotive making means for the GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid.
Jari-Matti Latvala, Workforce Principal, stated: “I’m actually pleased with this workforce and what now we have achieved this season. As Kalle stated on the finish of the ultimate stage, now we have such a proficient group of individuals. That’s the very first thing. Secondly, these folks have the fervour and want to win. Lastly, and most significantly, all people is working collectively. When you may have these components, the outcomes will observe.”
This takes Toyota’s WRC document to 6 producer titles – three of them achieved because it returned to the collection in 2017.
In his first asphalt rally because the begin of the season, Ogier was among the many pacesetters from the beginning, successful three phases on Friday to take the lead. He took three extra stage wins in a commanding efficiency on Saturday, pulling forward of the sphere. He went on to win the final two stage on Sunday, together with the ultimate Energy Stage, to take his 55th profession victory by a margin of 16.4 seconds.
Rovanperä was additionally within the battle for the lead on Friday when he was quickest in 4 phases. He finally completed third, his hopes of second place fading after he was one among a number of opponents to endure tyre harm on Sunday’s second stage.
Elfyn Evans was a part of a close-fought prime 5 at the start of the rally however was unable to match the fast tempo on the entrance. Two flat tyres contributed to him ending sixth, a outcome which nonetheless made a priceless contribution to the workforce’s producers’ factors haul. Takamato Katusta was one place additional again, having recovered from a troublesome begin to present robust and constant pace in his TGR WRT Subsequent Era entry.
The 2022 season will conclude with Rally Japan on 10-13 November with the WRC returning to the nation for the primary time since 2010. The occasion shall be staged on demanding asphalt roads within the mountains of the Aichi and Gifu prefectures, with the service park in Toyota Metropolis close to Nagoya.
Rally Spain ultimate classification
1 Sébastien Ogier/Benjamin Veillas (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) 2h44m43.9s
2 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +16.4s
3 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +34.5s
4 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +44.0s
5 Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +1m16.5s
6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +1m51.1s
7 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +2m19.1s
8 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) +2m38.4s
9 Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) +2m43.0s
10 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Vincent Landais (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) +3m25.1s
(Outcomes as of 14:30 on Sunday, for the most recent outcomes please go to www.wrc.com)
W2RC Rally Andalucia
Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel clinched their championship titles in a hard-fought battle that went right down to the wire on the ultimate stage of Rally Andalusia on Sunday (23 October), the climax of the four-round inaugural W2RC collection.
Though comparatively quick at round 60 miles, the stage proved a stern problem. The Toyota Gazoo Racing crew pushed exhausting, successful the take a look at of their GR DKR Hilux T1+ stage by 22 seconds. This left them simply 6 seconds behind the general rally winners after three aggressive phases – a outcome that sealed championship success by 17 factors forward of their rivals Sebastien Loeb and Fabian Lurguin.
Along with Al-Attiyah securing the W2RC drivers’ title by 19 factors, Baumel gained the Co-drivers’ title by the identical margin. Within the producers’ championship, Toyota Gazoo Racing secured 163 factors, 28 factors away from Bahrain Raid Xtreme.
Glyn Corridor, Workforce Principal, stated: “This was a shocking outcome right this moment, not solely by way of Rally Andalucia, but additionally the W2RC title as a complete. We began the season with a win on the Dakar Rally and managed to profit from our alternatives all year long to win the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship title. The GR DKR Hilux T1+ has confirmed itself but once more, and we’re extraordinarily pleased with all the pieces we’ve achieved this yr.”
The workforce will now shift their focus to the 2023 Dakar Rally, beginning with a take a look at session in an space much like the terrain they anticipate in Saudi Arabia early subsequent yr. To this point, the GR DKR Hilux T1+ has accomplished all 4 rounds of the 2022 W2RC with none technical issues, and the workforce shall be aiming to construct on this reliability throughout its ultimate preparations for subsequent yr’s Dakar.
ENDS
