Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Group (TGR-WRT) will additional strengthen their squad with a mixture of younger expertise and title-winning expertise for the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship.

Having received eight out of 13 rallies in 2024 and claimed a fourth consecutive producers’ championship on the season-ending Rally Japan, TGR-WRT will subject an expanded line-up of automobiles and drivers, with 4 or 5 GR Yaris Rally1 entries set to look on every occasion.

Sam Pajari will be part of the workforce for his first full season the game’s highest stage, following a powerful 2024 season by which he received the WRC2 driver’s championship driving the GR Yaris2 rally automotive. He additionally carried out nicely in his first three outings in Rally1 equipment, in Finland, Chile and Central Europe. The 22-year-old Finn’s promotion demonstrates the workforce’s dedication to creating younger drivers and the function of the GR Yaris Rally2 in offering a pathway to the highest of the game.

Pajari, whose co-driver for subsequent season will likely be confirmed in the end, is one in all 4 drivers who will function on each rally.

The double world champion pairing of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen will return to competing full-time with the workforce in 2025 after taking 4 wins from seven begins throughout a partial marketing campaign this 12 months. Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin, winners of final weekend’s Rally Japan, proceed for his or her sixth successive season with the workforce, with Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston additionally returning for one more 12 months. Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais will as soon as extra contest a partial schedule of chosen occasions after scoring three victories this season.

TGR-WRT are happy to verify that Jari-Matti Latvala will proceed within the function of Group Principal. Within the final 4 seasons, along with overseeing quite a few victories and championship titles, Latvala has been a trusted affiliate for the workforce’s drivers whereas additionally serving to to determine and develop new expertise equivalent to Pajari.

As a part of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s driver-first method, Latvala has additionally been given the chance by Akio Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman, to proceed pursuing his past love of driving alongside his duties of Group Principal – for instance, competing in Rally Finland with a GR Yaris Rally1 in 2023 and GR Yaris Rally2 in 2024. This can proceed in 2025 when Latvala will drive some of the profitable Toyota rally automobiles – the Celica ST185 – within the FIA European Historic Rally Championship. He’ll achieve this within the colors of TGR, serving to to attach the eras of Toyota participation in WRC and additional share its ardour for rallying with followers.

With the intention to finest assist the workforce and make sure the continuation of the profitable driver-first method, Juha Kankkunen will take up the function of Deputy Group Principal. A four-time world champion, who received the final of his titles driving the Toyota Celica ST185 in 1993, Kankkunen will convey appreciable expertise of success to share with the drivers and different workforce members. He already is aware of the workforce nicely, having attended a number of occasions in an ambassadorial function over the previous few years.

Group quotes

Jari-Matti Latvala (Group Principal): “The 2024 season offered new challenges for our workforce, however we continued to carry out at a excessive stage and stored preventing till the ultimate day to efficiently retain our producers’ title. For 2025, we’re very pleased to proceed with the identical drivers who’ve been performing strongly for us over latest seasons, and to have extra drivers strengthening our efforts for the total championship. It’s additionally nice to welcome Sami Pajari to our line-up due to the funding that we’re making to develop younger drivers. Sami has made nice progress this 12 months and we’re assured that he’s prepared to maneuver as much as the best stage. Personally, I’m excited to have the chance to mix my function as Group Principal with my ardour for driving, competing with the legendary Toyota Celica, and I’m actually happy that Juha Kankkunen will tackle the function of Deputy Group Principal to assist me and the workforce on WRC occasions: he is aware of the workforce nicely and brings plenty of expertise to the function.”

Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Group Principal): “It’s a nice pleasure for me to tackle this function with the workforce. Throughout my profession I drove with many alternative groups however I had 9 years with Toyota: it was the primary producer to present me a possibility within the WRC, and I consider it’s in all probability the perfect workforce on this planet. There are excellent folks and the cooperation has at all times been glorious between Europe and Japan. This workforce spirit and teamwork are crucial and all people is pushing collectively. I’ve a very good relationship with Akio Toyoda, having been driving with him in demonstration occasions throughout the previous few years, and in addition with Jari-Matti, who is a superb particular person and really straightforward to speak with. I’m actually pleased to work extra intently with them and to assist the place I can.”

Elfyn Evans: “I’m very pleased to proceed with TGR-WRT subsequent 12 months. Since 2020 we’ve had some nice seasons collectively, and though 2024 may have been much more profitable, I do know that there’s nonetheless plenty of potential within the workforce and I really feel I’ve loads extra to present as nicely. So I’m trying ahead to persevering with our partnership. We all know that we have to maintain working laborious collectively and hopefully we will obtain extra good outcomes sooner or later.”

Kalle Rovanperä: “I’m actually excited that I will likely be driving within the full WRC season once more subsequent 12 months. This 12 months has been fairly totally different for me, driving a couple of totally different automobiles and nonetheless successful some rallies on the similar time. It’s been a pleasant 12 months, however it’s additionally given me plenty of motivation to return for the total season, to push along with Jonne for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles and do our greatest with the workforce to win the producers’ championship too.”

Sébastien Ogier: “It’s actually thrilling to stay with Toyota Gazoo Racing for 2025. We now have already had 5 very incredible seasons along with plenty of victories and success and I’m actually trying ahead to persevering with this story. As soon as once more, my foremost aim is to assist the workforce within the producers’ championship with a partial programme. Hopefully we will win all three titles. Let’s maintain pushing the bounds collectively.”

Takamoto Katsuta: “I’m actually pleased that I’ll proceed driving with the workforce in 2025. It has been a difficult season for me this 12 months, and I wish to thank the workforce and everybody who has been supporting me within the troublesome moments. I really feel I’ve proven my pace on many of the rallies, so the arrogance is rising and I simply want to seek out the best rhythm by each rally: that is my foremost goal subsequent 12 months. If every thing goes nicely, I’m positive I can combat for extra podiums.”

Sami Pajari: “It is a dream come true for me and I’m grateful to Toyota Gazoo Racing and the workforce for giving me this wonderful alternative. There have additionally been many vital individuals who have been serving to me and making this doable. It has been an unbelievable 12 months for us within the GR Yaris Rally2 and in our first occasions within the Rally1 automotive, and though we now have now reached the place we have been aiming for, I additionally know that that is the place the laborious work actually begins to be taught and to push for good outcomes sooner or later.”

TGR WRC Problem Program
The TGR WRC Problem Program began in 2015 to develop skilled rally drivers who can compete on the world stage, following within the footsteps of Takamoto Katsuta. This system’s second-generation drivers Hikaru Kogure and Yuki Yamamoto will each proceed in 2025. It is going to be their second season driving the GR Yaris Rally2 automotive on occasions, together with WRC2 rounds, after gaining precious expertise this 12 months.

A 3rd era of drivers, Shotaro Goto and Takumi Matsushita, have been chosen to affix this system forward of 2024. Having now taken half of their first rallies in Europe in Rally4 automobiles, they’ll proceed their coaching in 2025 with a step as much as all-wheel drive Rally3 equipment.

The method to pick out a fourth consumption of younger drivers is underway. Following an preliminary choice occasion at Fuji Speedway, seven drivers will participate within the closing choice in Finland in December.

ENDS