Ammon News - The Toyota GAZOO Racing (TGR) World Rally Team (WRT) recently achieved a one-two finish at Acropolis Rally, another demanding edition of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä cinched first place alongside co-driver Jonne Halttunen in the No.69 GR YARIS Rally1 Hybrid Electric vehicle, furthering his championship lead. Meanwhile, Elfyn Evans’ performance with co-driver Scott Martin in the No. 33 GR YARIS Rally1 Hybrid Electric vehicle secured him second place in the rally.

The GR YARIS Rally1 Hybrid Electric vehicle emerged victorious against wide-ranging conditions, from thick mud to rough and rocky terrain, as the weather dried out after torrential rain. Day three, the longest day of the rally, proved particularly challenging for the drivers, cars and tires, with several competitors facing trouble.

Rovanperä managed to avoid any issues while setting a string of fastest times to gain a lead of more than two minutes at the end of the third day. This allowed him to take a safety-first approach to day four’s first two stages ahead of the rally-ending Power Stage, setting the best time by 2.5 seconds to claim five additional bonus points. The season’s third win and maximum score for Rovanperä and co-driver Halttunen increased Rovanperä’s drivers’ championship lead to 33 points ahead of Evans.

TGR-WRT’s one-two finish and maximum score in both the rally and the Power Stage also boosted Toyota’s lead in the manufacturers’ championship to 91 points, with three WRC 2023 rounds remaining.

Akio Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman, commented: “Kalle and Jonne, congratulations on your victory. Elfyn and Scott, thank you for achieving the one-two finish. TGR-WRT is a field-oriented team; when I was in Finland last month as an alternative Team Principal, I witnessed up close the work of the team members. If something happens, an expert in the field makes a judgment and management members support. TGR-WRT is built to work like that. All team members within each field will continue to exert efforts so we are able to smile again in November in Japan. Thank you all for working hard in Greece.”

Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, ‎including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship and the Nürburgring 24 ‎Hours endurance race. Toyota’s involvement in these events was overseen by separate ‎entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established GAZOO Racing (GR) ‎to consolidate 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 garnered 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 round of the 2023 FIA WRC is Rally Chile in South America, from 28 September to 1 October.

Enthusiasts are invited to delve into the complete array of Toyota Gazoo racing cars at the Markazia Toyota showroom on Mecca Street. Stay updated on the latest updates and participation in local, regional and international races and championships by following the official Facebook and Instagram accounts.