Toyota Gazoo World Rally Team will enter two distinct teams each running a different car under the Toyota Racing and Gazoo Racing Toyota banners in the 2027 WRC season.
Toyota Racing will debut the all-new GR Celica Rally1 while the sister team will field the new 2027 specification GR Yaris Rally1 and will operate both teams under the same roof at its headquarters in Jyväskylä in Finland.
The two teams have three WRC Champions in their mix with the return to the WRC of Kalle Rovanperä and Ott Tanak joining Elfyn Evans in the driver lineup.
Having secured a sixth consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship this year, TGR-WRT has reiterated that all six crews will receive cars capable of competing for victories and championships.
Competing under the Toyota Racing umbrella is the reigning Championship pairing of Evans and Scott Martin, who will be joined by Oliver Solberg and Elliot Edmondson – who won more stage than anyone else across the ’26 season and Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen who claimed a record three consecutive breakthrough WRC victories this year.
Gazoo Racing Toyota will field Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston, the pair claiming their maiden rally victories this season past, while the returning Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja, who renew their successful WRC partnership with Gazoo Racing seven years after winning the 2019 world championship aboard the Toyota Yaris WRC.
Finally, Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen are back for a partial season, leaving the way open to share the sixth car with other drivers, most likely Sebastien Ogier who remains part of the TGR family. The keys may be handed to a promising youngster, which is another prospect for the rapidly approaching new season.
The presentation of the driver line-up at the Jyskä HQ followed an official groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, 2nd November at the site of its new technical centre currently under construction at nearby Majajärvi.
Evans is delighted to be continuing into his eighth season with the team: “This was another strong season for us and for the team, and it was obviously very special to finally get the world championship over the line after coming close a few times before. I’m grateful to everyone who has continued to support and believe in us, and especially the team. I’m very happy to head into our eighth season with Toyota as we enter this new era. I think we share a similar mentality of always wanting to push for better and achieve more, so our goals are very much aligned. Attention is already turning to next year and what’s to come with the new car. It will be very different from what we’ve been used to, so there’s some work ahead for everyone to adapt and get the most out of it. I’m looking forward to that challenge and hope we can keep on achieving good things together.”
Solberg came desperately close to winning the WRC title in his first full WRC season and is looking forward to another strong season. I’ve had an amazing first full year with the team. It was quite a rollercoaster season, with some incredible highs and also some tough moments, but we learned a lot and to fight for the championship right until the end was something special. Now I just want to take the positives and everything I’ve learned and look forward. It’s a dream for me to be a TOYOTA driver and it’s super exciting to enter this new era together and be involved in developing a brand-new car. Next season will be a completely new challenge for everybody so there will be a lot to learn and adapt to again, and hopefully we can have some great competition for everyone to enjoy. I will keep giving my best, enjoy the driving and the battles, and try to achieve more good results.”
Pajari too, had a strong season. “I think we can be very happy with our 2026 season and the progress we have made. To take three wins and nine podiums and fight for the championship until the final round was more than we could have expected. I think we have proven that we can be competitive on many different kinds of rallies, and that gives me good confidence for the future. I’m really grateful to the team for supporting us and giving us this opportunity to grow and develop.
Tanak is looking forward to getting back on to the stages: “I’m honoured to be back with Gazoo Racing Toyota and the team with which Martin and I became world champions. We have very good memories from our previous time here, and I have a lot of respect for the people and what they have achieved, so it has been nice to start working together again this year in a development role. I have enjoyed having some time away from competition, but the desire to drive has still been strong, and it’s been an interesting challenge to get involved in this new project.”
Katsuta is looking forward to competing alongside his two champion teammates. “This has been a special year for me, especially because I could achieve a target I had for a long time and take my first WRC victories. I’m very grateful to everybody who has supported me on this journey, but I still have a bigger target – to fight for a world championship title – so I need to keep working, pushing and improving myself.”
Rovanperä admitted to missing the driving although he enjoyed being able to do things and now that his health is back to where it was, is relishing the chance to compete once more. “The main priority this year became my health and once I was fit to drive again, the team offered me the opportunity to test the development car and from there we started making plans for next season. It’s an interesting time to come back, and while the new cars will be very different from what we had before, that makes it an exciting new challenge for me. The main thing will be to enjoy the driving and the competition, learn about the car, and see what we can do together.”
Toyota continues to nurture young talent through its GR WRC Challenge Programme which will see seven talented youngsters competing in various machinery across Rally2, 3 and 4.
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