Toyota pulls off unprecedented feat in WRC – top boss over the moon

Toyota managed to get back into the championship fight during last weekend’s Rally Chile.
Akio Toyoda
Akio Toyoda. Photo by: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
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Before the gravel event in Chile, it looked very much like Toyota had fallen out of the race for the manufacturers’ title, trailing Hyundai. However, Toyota made a significant counterattack in South America, narrowing the gap to just 17 points ahead of the final two rounds.

Check the WRC standings here.

Toyota collected the maximum 55 points in Chile. Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans secured the maximum haul on Saturday evening (33 points). On Super Sunday, Sebastien Ogier and Rovanperä were the top performers (13 points), and the same pair claimed the highest points on the Power Stage (9 points).

The current points system was introduced at the start of this season. No team had previously achieved the maximum points in a single event.

Toyota’s WRC team’s accomplishment had the chairman of the Japanese manufacturer, Akio Toyoda, practically jumping for joy.

“To the whole team, thank you for achieving the maximum 55 points in one event! You are all great,” Toyoda praised.

“It has been tough for everyone after the difficult results in Finland and Greece. I’m very happy to see the hard work of those who kept improving without giving up pay off.”

Hyundai still has a lead in the standings, and both the upcoming Central European and Japanese WRC rounds are expected to suit their i20 N Rally1 car well. However, Toyota boss Toyoda remains confident that Hyundai can still be beaten.

“Let’s enjoy the final stages of the season from the position of chasing! I’m really looking forward to Rally Japan,” Toyoda said, referring to the season finale, which will take place on home soil for the manufacturer.

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