GAZOO Racing Achieves Clean Sweep with 1-2-3 Victory at 2019 Rallye Deutschland

23 Sep 2019

GAZOO Racing team claims all three podium places during thrilling event in Germany, with Ott Tänak celebrating his third consecutive Rallye Deutschland victory for Toyota

The GAZOO Racing (GR) World Rally Team (WRT) claimed a historic clean sweep of the podium places recently at Rallye Deutschland in Germany. Ott Tänak secured victory in the No. 8 Toyota Yaris WRC to increase his lead in the drivers' championship to 33 points, with team-mates Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala also joining him on the podium. The result represents the first time in four years that a single manufacturer has filled all spots on the podium on a WRC round, and brings the team to within eight points of the lead in the manufacturers' championship.

 

Tänak led the rally almost from start to finish in the No. 8 Toyota Yaris WRC as he and co-driver Martin Järveoja notched up their third win in as many years on the demanding German asphalt event. The afternoon of the third day saw an intense battle, with Meeke in the No. 5 Toyota Yaris WRC and Latvala in the No. 10 Toyota Yaris WRC building a gap during the fearsome Panzerplatte stages to move into podium positions.

 

The three crews protected their positions on the fourth and final day, with Tänak ultimately winning by 20.8 seconds in the No. 8 Toyota Yaris WRC as he clinched his fifth victory of the year. Meeke and co-driver Seb Marshall claimed second place in the No. 5 Toyota Yaris WRC, their first podium finish for GR, while third for Latvala and Miikka Anttila in the No. 10 Toyota Yaris WRC represented a repeat of their strong result during the previous round in Finland. Together, they produced a perfect result at the home event of Toyota Motorsport GmbH, which is based nearby in Cologne and was responsible for developing the engine of the Toyota Yaris WRC.

Akio Toyoda, Team Chairman, commented: “All six GAZOO Racing WRT drivers and co-drivers stood on the podium at Rally Germany, and it was a great sight! Thank you very much to the drivers, co-drivers, team members, and all of the fans who are pleased with this result. Tänak and Järveoja, thank you very much for your two consecutive wins, and your win in Germany, the home of the Yaris WRC engine. Let's keep fighting for the remaining four events this season, and let's do our best to keep delivering the best sights for the fans! To all the fans, I thank you for your continuous support for GAZOO Racing WRT.”

 

Ott Tänak, Driver of the No. 8 Toyota Yaris WRC, said: “It's an amazing result for the team, but we still have four more rounds to go, so we need to stay focused and give our maximum. The championship is still tight, and we've seen in this race that nothing is coming easy. We were not always the fastest but we were more consistent, and, in the end, we managed to get the victory. The main job was done on the third day of the race, and on the final day, we just had to bring home the 1-2-3.”

Kris Meeke, Driver of the No. 5 Toyota Yaris WRC, said: “I'm delighted. To be on the podium and to bring a big haul of points to Toyota with a perfect score, a 1-2-3, it's special to be part of this race. To take maximum points for the manufacturers' championship is really important. I felt good in the Yaris throughout the race, it gave me great confidence, and I definitely was able to drive at a good speed and be comfortable.”

Jari-Matti Latvala, Driver of the No. 10 Toyota Yaris WRC, said: “If you finish 1-2-3, you cannot ask for more. This is the most perfect of perfect results. We had a really nice weekend without any problems, and the car worked perfectly. I was slightly too cautious on the first stage of the last day, but I realized that I needed to give a bit more attack and after that it was fine. It's a great feeling to be on the podium for the second time in a row.”

 

Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, ‎including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 ‎Hours endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate ‎entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established GAZOO Racing (GR), ‎to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing ‎Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ GR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to ‎making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme ‎conditions of various motorsports events, GR aims to forge new ‎technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.

The next event of the season is Rally Turkey, which will take place from 12 to 15 September around Marmaris on the Mediterranean coast. With its rocky gravel roads and high temperatures, drivers can expect a grueling weekend at the fourth-last event of the season.

 

Race Notes:

 

  • No. 8 Toyota Yaris WRC (Ott Tänak & Martin Järveoja)
  • Position: 1st
  • Time: 3h15m29.8s
  • No. 5 Toyota Yaris WRC (Kris Meeke & Seb Marshall)
  • Position: 2nd
  • Time: 3h15m50.6s
  • No. 10 Toyota Yaris WRC (Jari-Matti Latvala & Miikka Anttila)
  • Position: 3rd
  • Time: 3h16m5.8s