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Toyota Gazoo Racing open 2025 World Rally Championship marketing campaign in Monte Carlo 

Toyota Gazoo Racing open 2025 World Rally Championship marketing campaign in Monte Carlo 

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Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Crew (TGR-WRT) embark on a 2025 FIA World Rally Championship marketing campaign that includes new challenges, opening this week with Rallye Monte-Carlo (23-26 January). 

The oldest and most well-known rally on the calendar gives a well-known begin to what will probably be an prolonged schedule of 14 rounds, together with model new occasions within the Canary Islands, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia. 

There are additionally important modifications to the championship’s technical rules with high class Rally1 automobiles not permitted to make use of plug-in hybrid items. Consequently, the automobiles’ minimal weight has been lowered from 1,260kg to 1,180kg and the air restrictor measurement has additionally been lowered, to keep up the same power-to-weight ratio as earlier than. Hankook turns into the only tyre provider for the highest WRC classes for the primary time. 

The sporting rules have been revised, in order that factors will as soon as extra be allotted in response to total positions on the finish of the rally, with a win price 25 factors. The Tremendous Sunday classification now presents as much as 5 factors, as does the rally-ending Energy Stage. 

Within the eight weeks since TGR-WRT claimed the producers’ title in an exciting conclusion to the 2024 season at Rally Japan, the staff have been working laborious to adapt to those modifications and proceed enhancing the GR Yaris Rally1. The Toyotas will proceed to run on 100 per cent sustainable, fossil-free gasoline. With enhance from the hybrid unit not accessible, modifications have been made to the exhaust system, camshafts and equipment rations to optimise the bundle. 

The staff are fielding a strengthened and expanded driver line-up this season, operating as many as 5 GR Yaris Rally1 automobiles on many occasions, together with Rallye Monte-Carlo. 

Double world champions Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen return to full-time competitors alongside Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin, the 2024 championship runners-up. Sébastien Ogier will goal a record-extending tenth victory on the Monte – which relies in his hometown of Hole within the French Alps – as he begins one other partial marketing campaign alongside co-driver Vincent Landais. These three crews are nominated to compete for producers’ factors for TGR-WRT on spherical one, ably supported by Takamoto Katsuta and navigator Aaron Johnston in a fourth entry. 

Sami Pajari, the 2024 WRC2 champion, begins his first full season within the high class, reunited along with his skilled co-driver Marko Salminen. To finest assist his growth whereas following the same path to that beforehand cast by Katsuta, Pajari’s GR Yaris Rally1 is entered underneath a second staff, TGR-WRT2. This may even add to the competitors within the producers’ championship. The automobile includes a half-and-half white and black livery, representing the staff’s dedication to providing alternatives for younger drivers to succeed in the very best degree in WRC. 

Oliver Solberg, who fought Pajari for the WRC2 crown, switches to a GR Yaris Rally2 automobile run and entered by Printsport for his 2025 title bid and has the prospect to familiarise himself with the automobile on Rallye Monte-Carlo forward of the seven-round WRC2 marketing campaign. Additionally driving the GR Yaris Rally2 are TGR WRC Problem Program drivers Hikaru Kogure and Yuki Yamamoto, making their Monte-Carlo debuts, forward of their second season in WRC2. 

Identified for its often-changeable climate situations which may carry ice and snow to the asphalt roads, Rallye Monte-Carlo will, as ordinary, begin and end in Monaco’s On line casino Sq.. Departing on Thursday afternoon, crews deal with three opening phases in darkness on the best way again to the Hole service park. On Friday, a loop of three phases east and north of Hole is run both facet of mid-day service. Saturday follows the same format with three repeated assessments to the west, together with the all-new Aucelon – Recoubeau-Jansac stage. Sunday’s last leg begins from Hole, repeating two of Thursday night’s phases forward of the Energy Stage, which takes within the iconic Col de Turini. 

Crew quotes 

Jari-Matti Latvala (Crew Principal) 
“It feels just like the 2024 season has solely simply completed and now we’re making ready for a brand new one to begin with many new facets. With the removing of the hybrid unit and the lowered weight, we’ve been working laborious to optimise the automobile and discover the fitting stability with the setup. I’ve had the prospect to drive this new bundle myself and, even with much less energy, the efficiency is near earlier than and the automobile feels much more agile. We additionally welcome a brand new tyre provider in Hankook. We are able to anticipate to see drivers who adapt to this transformation quicker and are in a position to push the bounds sooner. Rallye Monte-Carlo is probably the most difficult occasion when it comes to tyre technique given the changeable situations. We skilled a mixture of climate in testing together with some snow, however the rally can all the time carry surprises. With our strengthened line-up this 12 months we’re assured that our drivers could be combating for the highest locations on this occasion and for the championship titles. For his first full 12 months in Rally1, we’ve entered Sami underneath a second staff, as we did beforehand with Takamoto, which may additionally carry an additional dimension to the producers’ championship. Whereas the primary goal for him on this occasion is to succeed in the end and achieve the expertise, we hope to see him develop and develop in the course of the 12 months.” 

Elfyn Evans (driver automobile 33): “Beginning a brand new season, the purpose is as all the time to offer our greatest to win. Now we have a robust staff for 2025 and the goal from my perspective stays to battle for rally wins and for the championship titles. With the introduction of a brand new tyre provider and a few modifications to the technical rules, there will probably be some adaptation and studying to do on all surfaces, nevertheless it’s the identical for everybody and we simply have to do the perfect job we are able to to be as prepared as we are able to. Rallye Monte-Carlo is the occasion with the most important selection of tyres accessible and with the restricted testing allowed, it’s not attainable to attempt the tyres in all of the totally different situations. It’s all the time an especially difficult rally and adapting to the situations and making the fitting calls on the proper time will probably be as key as ever.” 

Kalle Rovanperä (driver automobile 69): “It’s cool to be again with the staff for a full season of WRC. It’s a unique feeling getting ready and excited for the complete 12 months and to battle for the title, which needs to be our purpose. Final 12 months we have been quick however this 12 months we should be extra constant via the entire 12 months. Rallye Monte-Carlo is all the time an excellent troublesome begin to the season. It has by no means been my strongest rally however nonetheless we’ve managed to do a couple of good outcomes there. I’ll be completely happy if we are able to have a clear rally and good factors to begin the season. Having a brand new tyre provider will probably be fairly an enormous factor, as a result of everyone has to be taught concerning the tyres in all varieties of situations, and on the Monte you need to have the ability to really feel assured within the automobile as quickly as attainable.” 

Sébastien Ogier (driver automobile 17): “It’s all the time thrilling for me to be making ready for Rallye Monte-Carlo, and to proceed my relationship with TGR-WRT into one other 12 months. I’m nonetheless having fun with driving for this incredible staff, which I’ve now been with for longer than some other in my profession, and I hope to have extra enjoyable within the automobile this 12 months. With much less energy, much less weight and new tyres there are a number of query marks at first of the season, and it’s a brand new problem for the groups and the drivers to see who can adapt finest. Even after many begins, this rally by no means will get any simpler and I all the time go into it with respect for the problem and not directly just a little little bit of concern, as a result of you understand you’ll face unpredictable situations. It’s about attempting to handle the chance, much more than on different rallies.” 

Takamoto Katsuta (driver automobile 18): “It’s the beginning of a brand new season with new expectations. I’ll attempt to preserve the identical velocity as earlier than and be extra constant: that is the primary purpose for me this 12 months. Final season was troublesome however I felt huge assist from the staff and I realized lots about how you can handle these conditions. I positively really feel that it made me stronger and it is a 12 months to indicate what I realized. Monte-Carlo is without doubt one of the most troublesome rallies when it comes to the situations, and it’s laborious to organize for every part in solely someday of testing. Now we have to seek out the perfect setup to swimsuit the totally different stability following the change in rules, however my feeling is mostly good with the automobile and with the tyres.” 

Sami Pajari (driver automobile 5): “I’ve a very good feeling forward of my first full season with a Rally1 automobile. We had a primary style of it final 12 months and I’m actually trying ahead to getting began. With some new rules and a brand new tyre provider, there are some new issues for everybody to get used to, which is attention-grabbing and fairly thrilling. To this point, the sensation has been very nice in testing. For this primary rally of the 12 months in Monte-Carlo, the purpose is possibly simply to succeed in the end with a very good feeling. If the situations are good then possibly we are able to improve the tempo like we may do already generally final 12 months, however I feel we nonetheless want to achieve a bit extra expertise earlier than we are able to actually be combating for the highest positions.” 

ENDS 

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