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Toyota Returning to Rallying, Promises To Also Remain in WEC

Rumors about Toyota getting back into rallying is now confirmed by the automaker itself along with the unveil of their new car for the job - the Yaris WRC. Don’t worry though, the carmaker will still run in the World Endurance Championship.
Toyota Yaris WRC 21 photos
Photo: Toyota
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According to Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG), they will continue to test the new Yaris WRC for two more years to make sure they are up to continue from where they left. The car already went through preliminary tests on both tarmac and gravel around Europe, establishing a promising baseline to start with and build upon.

"To run two works motorsport programs simultaneously is of course a challenge but we believe we have the expertise and determination to succeed,” team president Yoshiaki Kinoshita said. "There is much to do as we make the journey back to WRC but to have received the support of Toyota Motor Corporation and our President Akio Toyoda is already very encouraging.”

Not much about the new Yaris WRC

The new Yaris WRC is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four engine making around 300 hp and 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque, which is coupled to a six-speed sequential transmission with a ZF Sachs clutch.

It’s body got reinforced, has a new adjustable suspension as well as upgraded brakes and rides on performance Michelin tires. The car measures 3,910 mm (153,9 inch) in length and 1,820 mm (71.6 inch) in width.

Several young drivers have already been behind the car’s wheel and Frenchman Eric Camilli, 27, got selected as the first member of a junior driver development scheme aimed at developing Toyota rally stars in the future.

We can only hope the new rally-spec Yaris will be at least as good as the Corolla WRC and new pilots will hold the candle to what legendary drivers like Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol did back in the day.

WEC is still on the list

Entering a whole new motorsport niche puts quite a big stress on the automaker, but it confirmed today it will remain loyal to the Le Mans Prototype racing series and it will not interfere with the World Rally Championship when it plans to join in 2017.

This year, Toyota will enter again two cars in the World Endurance Championship with Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi in the first TS040 Hybrid prototype and Alex Wurz, Stephane Sarrazin and Mike Conway in the second one.

After a lot of work, bad luck and crashes, last year Toyota finally managed to dominate the WEC season, with Davidson and Buemi taking first place ending the Germans domination so far.

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