Today (13 December) Toyota Gazoo Racing launched the Toyota Yaris WRC and presented its driver line-up for the 2017 season. Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hänninen will take the all-new car to the world's stages over the coming season. 

With the start of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in Monte-Carlo, Monaco just over a month away, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC is putting the final touches on its preparations for the eagerly-awaited event.

Team Chairman Akio Toyoda said: “Today, it is my great pleasure to present the car to compete in WRC, with our team and partners. I would like to express my gratitude to, and respect for, the those fans who waited 17 years for this day and also all the rally organizers, participants and automakers who have safeguarded and furthered the sport of rally during our absence. Thanks to all of you, we’re back here.”

The Yaris WRC: A new generation of World Rally Cars

The Yaris WRC has been developed complying with the requirements of the FIA technical regulations for the 2017 season, and it is part of the new generation of World Rally Cars that will add a new dimension to the sport’s top-flight category in upcoming seasons.

Equipped with a 1.6-litre direct injection engine, it has 380 horsepower under the bonnet and impressive design thanks to the freedom allowed by the regulations in terms of aerodynamics.

“The Yaris WRC is a well-designed car with incredible potential,” revealed Tommi Mäkinen, Team Principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC. “The new regulations allow for much greater freedom in terms of development. Although we have yet to explore all the possibilities, we can say that the car is reliable and quick. I really can't wait to see the results in racing conditions.”

A team of complementary drivers for the first season

Two Yaris WRCs, driven by Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hänninen, will contest the opening round of the World Rally Championship in Monte-Carlo on 19 January. Esapekka Lappi, Finnish young driver who won the WRC 2 Championship this year, will also join the team as a test driver.

Since contesting his first WRC rally in 2002, Jari-Matti Latvala has continued to impress and ended the 2016 season with 16 WRC wins to his name. With 169 starts under his belt and a three-time runner-up in the World Rally Championship alongside co-driver Miikka Anttila, Jari-Matti is without question one of WRC’s top talents.

“I started my rally career in a Toyota Corolla GT back in 2001,” said Latvala. “My first competitive outing in a World Rally Car was behind the wheel of a Corolla WRC in 2003 in Estonia. So in many ways, it feels like I’m coming home! I’m really happy to join the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC team from the very start and lead this new adventure with them. I feel lucky to be part of this story and I hope we will amass a lot of victories in it.”

Juho Hänninen, who will be competing for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC alongside co-driver Kaj Lindström, took part in the development of the Yaris WRC from its very first outing.

Newly-crowned WRC 2 World Rally Champion, Esapekka Lappi, has been appointed as test driver for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC team. He cut his teeth in R5 category cars in the European Rally Championship and developed his skills on the world stage in WRC 2.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me and my co-driver Janne Ferm,” he said. “It’s a dream come true. We have both worked so hard over the years to get to this point and finally, it’s here. We’re excited and motivated about joining the team, and we’re extremely grateful for this opportunity. I can’t wait to start our testing program together with Toyota Gazoo Racing and the Yaris WRC.”