Competition in the World Rally Championship (WRC) is heating up. We have two very large mainstream manufacturers – VW and Hyundai – that have official teams and another two with semi-works outfits (Citroen and Ford); the undisputed king of rallying, Sebastien Loeb, has just returned; and now we have another big name returning.
Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda ended months of speculation when he confirmed that the firm will be returning to the fold in 2017. Toyoda made the announcement during a press conference in Tokyo, at which the Yaris WRC made its public debut in launch livery.
As with Toyota’s ill-fated F1 programme, the WRC team will be handled by Toyota Motorsport (TMG) in Cologne, Germany.
Frenchman Eric Camilli, who drove a Ford Fiesta R5 in WRC 2 at Rallye Monte Carlo, has been selected as the first member of Toyota’s junior driver development scheme. Camilli has already been testing the Yaris WRC on asphalt and gravel.
The 27 year old will carry out the test programme alongside former Subaru driver Stéphane Sarrazin, now a racer in Toyota’s FIA World Endurance Championship squad, and eight-time Finnish champion Sebastian Lindholm.
Toyoda said at the conference: “Last time we competed was in 1999. That makes me think we are not announcing a return, but perhaps a start. We must begin again from scratch and carefully prepare both team and cars.”
The current Yaris WRC complies with existing regulations, but changes are expected when updated technical rules are introduced to WRC in 2017.
Toyota won four drivers’ and three manufacturers’ world titles in the 1990s with legendary drivers such as Carlos Sainz and Juha Kankkunen.
