Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Group have efficiently retained their crown as producers’ champions and are assured one other clear sweep of FIA World Rally Championship titles in 2023 after an thrilling finale to Rally Chile on Sunday.

Elfyn Evans completed third, simply forward of team-mates Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta. These outcomes, along with Rovanperä and Evans reaching a one-two on the rally-ending Energy Stage to say the utmost accessible bonus factors, had been sufficient to safe the producers’ title with two rounds nonetheless to go (topic to official affirmation). It’s the fourth time, and third yr in a row, that TGR-WRT have received the title for the reason that staff had been shaped. It’s Toyota’s seventh producers’ crown since 1993.

TGR-WRT are additionally now assured to have their fifth consecutive drivers’ and co-drivers’ champions. The efforts of Rovanperä and Evans on the Energy Stage ensured that solely they and their respective navigators Jonne Halttunen and Scott Martin can win this yr’s titles. Rovanperä and Halttunen lead Evans and Martin by 31 factors with 60 accessible from the final two occasions.

The return to Chile for the primary time since 2019 was removed from simple, presenting groups and drivers not solely with a lot of new roads but in addition some relatively totally different circumstances, with the occasion happening in spring relatively than autumn.

Evans was within the combine for the rally win earlier than he and his team-mates suffered unexpectedly excessive tyre put on on extraordinarily abrasive levels on Saturday. He continued to push for a podium place and was rewarded when one other driver forward was caught out by the tough roads in Sunday’s penultimate check.

As factors chief, Rovanperä had misplaced extra time on Friday after having to run first on roads that had been far drier and looser than 4 years in the past. However he would bounce again on the day of his 23^rd birthday along with his sixth Energy Stage win of the season, which meant he solely conceded two factors of his pre-event benefit over Evans.

Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston – who’ve contributed to the producers’ title success after stepping up into the primary TGR-WRT line-up this yr to share a automobile with Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais – ensured that each one three of the staff’s automobiles completed within the high 5 on the finish of a demanding weekend.

Group quotes

Akio Toyoda (Chairman, Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Group)

“To all of the staff members of TGR-WRT, congratulations on profitable the producers’ title. 

This yr Elfyn was the driving power behind the producers’ title with six podiums together with two wins out of 11 occasions to date. Elfyn and Scott, thanks for getting the third place, which grew to become the deciding issue to conclude the title. And Kalle and Jonne’s three victories had been after all an enormous assist as nicely. I hope each Elfyn and Kalle will drive with out regrets for the remaining two rallies, in Central Europe and Japan. I’m assured that the staff will put together one of the best automobiles, so I anticipate you two will give it your all. 

“As a staff, we secured the title one spherical sooner than final yr. I believe it says that the staff has change into even stronger. I wish to thank Jari-Matti from the underside of my coronary heart for persevering with to work with all people to make the staff stronger after already profitable the producers’ title in his first yr because the Group Principal. I’m actually wanting ahead to seeing all people in Japan.” 

Jari-Matti Latvala (Group Principal): “I’m actually pleased with how this rally ended for us. Saturday was a extremely demanding day, and on Sunday morning we thought it will be troublesome to get on the rostrum. But it surely reveals that in rallying you simply must be affected person and hold going till the top, as a result of it might at all times carry surprises. I’m actually happy with the staff and crews for all of the work we’ve executed throughout the season. Two rounds earlier than the top of the season is the earliest we’ve ever received the producers’ title as TGR-WRT. The competitors is tough and the automobiles are shut, however I believe we now have made the distinction with our reliability and bringing the automobiles dwelling with out issues, as we did right here. Now we’re excited to see which of our two crews preventing for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ title will succeed over the past two rounds.”

Kalle Rovanperä (driver automobile 69): “It feels good to have helped the staff safe the producers’ title. To substantiate it right here in Chile with two rounds to go is a good achievement. This was not the simplest weekend for us, as we had been a bit handicapped by our beginning place on Friday and didn’t make one of the best choices on Saturday. Right this moment it was nonetheless tough with numerous street cleansing even on the second cross. However we had a superb plan to avoid wasting the tyres and push onerous on the Energy Stage. The fast time got here, exhibiting we had the pace, and it was good to get these factors.”

Elfyn Evans (driver automobile 33): “General, the weekend was maybe not what we hoped for and I believe there was potential for extra. We didn’t fairly get all of it proper this time round regardless that we had some good pace at occasions. However I believe we may be comparatively pleased with our podium. The most effective information is that the staff has clinched the producers’ title. It’s an honour to be part of the staff and it’s nice to reward all people for all their onerous work. Within the drivers’ championship we most likely wanted to shut a bit extra on Kalle this weekend than we did, however not less than the struggle remains to be alive.”

Takamoto Katsuta (driver automobile 18): “It has been a really demanding weekend however I wish to say an enormous congratulations to everybody within the staff for profitable the producers’ title. There are such a lot of individuals doing such nice work throughout the season: an enormous due to all of them as a result of we’re at all times pleased to drive such a powerful and quick automobile. The levels right here in Chile had been good however very troublesome. I felt fairly good on Friday afternoon however then on Saturday we had been struggling rather a lot with the aggressive floor. It wasn’t simple however we acquired an concept of easy methods to enhance for the long run, so it was good expertise.”

Provisional closing classification, Rally Chile

1 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID) 3h06m38.1s

2 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +42.1s

3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +1m06.9s

4 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +2m11.0s

5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +4m41.5s

6 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +8m18.5s

7 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +8m44.3s

8 Sami Pajari/Enni Mälkönen (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +9m20.6s

9 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroën C3 Rally2) +9m53.9s

10 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +10m08.2s

(Outcomes as of 14:20 on Sunday, for the newest outcomes please go to www.wrc.com)

What’s subsequent?

The penultimate spherical of the season on 26-29 October is a brand-new occasion for the WRC: the Central European Rally, happening on demanding asphalt roads in Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.

ENDS