Each year, Toyota’s rally team selects new talents for its WRC Challenge Program, where selected drivers can develop their skills in top-level conditions and under elite coaching.
Programme “head coach” Mikko Hirvonen and Jouni Ampuja were in Japan last week at the Fuji Speedway assessing the next candidates. Out of a pool of 100 applicants, six drivers were selected to advance.
Shoki Asano, 22, Mahito Inaba, 21, Rio Ogata, 23, Kanta Yanaguida, 24, Yoshiaki Yonebayashi, 17, and Zeal Jones, 19, ultimately secured their places in the final selection round, which will be held in Finland in mid-December.
In Central Finland, the drivers’ physical fitness and driving skills will be rigorously tested over five days. At the end of the tests, the drivers chosen for the programme will be announced, and they will move to Jyväskylä under the wing of Toyota’s WRC team.
Among the six, two names stand out. Kanta Yanaguida is a familiar figure even to Toyota star Kalle Rovanperä, as they have competed against each other—not in rally, but in drifting.
Kanta has been competing in drifting for a full decade. Last year, he and Rovanperä faced off in the final of Japan’s Formula Drift competition, where the Japanese driver outperformed the rally champion.
Kanta has only a year’s experience in rallying. This year, he competed as a driver for Toyota’s Japanese star Takamoto Katsuta’s team in the Morizo Challenge Cup, held alongside the Japanese rally championship, where he finished fourth.
“My goal is to succeed as a WRC driver on the world stage, so I’ll prepare thoroughly to seize this opportunity and do my best in Finland to show my potential 100%,” Kanta assures.
Zeal Jones, 19, has been rallying in his home country of New Zealand for several years. He was eligible to participate in Toyota’s Challenge Program selection process due to his Japanese mother.
This year, Jones competed in the New Zealand rally series with a Skoda Fabia R5, securing the junior championship title.
“I’m really relieved because I put in a lot of preparation for this week. There are many talented competitors in Japan, so I knew it would be tough. It was challenging for me, as I have very little experience on tarmac, but I focused on keeping my driving as consistent as possible. I want to give my all in Finland and showcase my all-round abilities,” says Jones.
Former WRC star Hirvonen was impressed with what he saw. According to Hirvonen, more applications were received for the programme this year than the previous year.
“We had many strong drivers again this year, and the selection process went well. I’m confident in the choices we made for those heading to the final selection in Finland,” Hirvonen says.
