The Japanese manufacturer has been close to flawless in this year’s World Rally Championship. With ten rounds completed, Toyota has now claimed nine victories.
From the inaugural Rally Paraguay, Toyota walked away with a one-two finish. Sébastien Ogier secured victory, and Elfyn Evans snatched second place on the final stage.
It marked a historic milestone: Toyota has now reached 102 wins in the WRC, equalling the long-standing record held by Citroën. Team boss Juha Kankkunen, in charge of Toyota’s operations in Paraguay, was delighted with the achievement.
“It’s one point which we have been trying to catch this year. But there are still rallies to come,” Kankkunen said.
Toyota has every chance of breaking the all-time record outright before the season is over, with four rounds still to come this autumn.
Kankkunen was extremely proud of his team’s performance. Despite setbacks, such as Kalle Rovanperä’s costly puncture and Takamoto Katsuta’s retirement, Toyota still managed to collect a massive haul of points.
“It was a little bit up and down and so many punctures and so many problems and small things, even if it’s quite flat rally. But I’m more than happy,” Kankkunen underlined.
“And on the last stage, in the little rain, Elfyn managed to come second. Not big differences, but I’m very happy, I must say.”
Three Toyota drivers are now firmly in the hunt for this year’s drivers’ title. Evans remains on top of the standings ahead of Rovanperä and Ogier, with the Toyota trio separated by just nine points. The only Hyundai driver threatening the Toyota trio is Ott Tänak, who sits 18 points off the lead.
Check the full WRC standings here!
In the manufacturers’ championship, Toyota’s position is even stronger, with Hyundai now trailing by a hefty 100 points.
“We have a comfortable lead at the moment, but it can change in one rally upside down. So we haven’t achieved anything before the last stage I think,” Kankkunen warned.
