TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Secures Podium Finish on Swedish Snow
05 Mar 2024
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) World Rally Team (WRT) has ended 2024 Rally Sweden on a high note with Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin scoring a strong haul of points towards the championship in the No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 Hybrid Electric Vehicle and claiming second overall.
Nobuyuki Takemura, Chief Representative of Middle East & Central Asia Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, commented: “I would like to congratulate the team on their unwavering determination and performance, which has once again allowed them to claim a podium position. At Toyota, we believe that our active participation in motorsports such as the World Rally Championship is an opportunity to not only test the mettle of our performance machines and leading technologies, but also to guide the future development of Toyota vehicles. We are proud to contribute to a carbon neutral society by developing ‘ever-better cars’ through motorsports to ensure no one is left behind. I’d like to thank our fans from around the world for supporting us as we strive to provide them with incredible experiences both on and off the racetrack.”
Based in northern Sweden’s Umeå city, the rally’s proximity to the Arctic Circle ensures extreme winter conditions in what is considered one of the fastest stages of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season. The action kicked off across fast forest roads and concluded in a more technical spectator arena, followed by a day of heavy snowfall who’s final two stages were conducted in darkness. Evans made a strong recovery against all odds after he was forced to run first on the road and plough through.
Evans climbed the ranks throughout the rally, advancing from sixth to second place by the start of the final day's opening stage. The fastest in its subsequent second pass, he finished a close second in the rally-ending Power Stage.
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 TGR, to consolidate all of its motorsport activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ TGR 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, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
The upcoming Safari Rally Kenya on 28-31 March is the next competition of the season and the WRC’s only African round. Since its return in 2021, this event has challenged racers the world over with its rough and rocky roads and high speeds across open plains.
Race Notes:
- No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID Electric Vehicle (Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin)
- Position: 2nd
- Total time: 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 44.5 seconds