TGR-WRT TAKES WRC TITLE BATTLE TO ACROPOLIS RALLY GREECE

TOYOTA HEADS TO GRAVEL SEASON WITH FIVE DRIVERS HOLDING TOP FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team heads into Acropolis Rally Greece with a commanding position in both FIA World Rally Championship title races as the series begins a decisive run of seven consecutive gravel events.

Round eight of the 2026 WRC season marks the start of the championship's gravel phase, with the legendary Acropolis Rally expected to provide one of the toughest tests of the year.

Toyota arrives in Greece following a dominant 1-2-3-4 finish at Rally Japan, a result that strengthened its lead in the manufacturers' championship to 127 points. The Japanese manufacturer also occupies the top five positions in the drivers' standings.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans holds a 20-point advantage over Takamoto Katsuta after his victory in Japan. Young Toyota drivers Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari sit third and fourth respectively, while reigning world champion Sébastien Ogier remains fifth despite contesting only a partial campaign.

ACROPOLIS SET TO OPEN CRUCIAL GRAVEL CAMPAIGN

The Acropolis Rally returns to Loutraki as its service park location for the first time since 2013. Famous for its rough mountain roads, sharp rocks and high temperatures, the Greek event is widely regarded as one of the most demanding rallies on the WRC calendar.

This year's rally begins on Thursday evening with a new super special stage in Athens before crews travel by sea through the Gulf of Corinth to begin Friday's stages in central Greece.

Friday features the longest leg of the event with 129.22 competitive kilometres and six stages. Saturday's route takes competitors onto the Peloponnesian peninsula with a mix of new and returning stages, while Sunday's finale consists of two passes through two revised tests above Loutraki.

STRONG GR YARIS RALLY2 PRESENCE IN WRC2

Toyota will also be strongly represented in WRC2, with 11 GR Yaris Rally2 cars entered for the event.

Following his maiden WRC2 podium at Rally Japan, Yuki Yamamoto continues his campaign in Greece as part of the TGR WRC Challenge Program.

The WRC2 field also includes Roope Korhonen, Alejandro Cachón, Gus Greensmith, Diego Domínguez, Bernhard ten Brinke and Adrien Mosca.

Andrea Lafarja and Johannes Keferböck are entered in the WRC Masters Cup category, while Alejandro Galanti makes his first WRC2 appearance of the season. Argentina's Luis Arceluz is set to contest a WRC event for the first time.

TOYOTA LOOKS TO MAINTAIN CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENTUM

With seven gravel rallies remaining in the 2026 season, Acropolis Rally Greece could prove to be a significant turning point in both championship battles.

Toyota enters the event with momentum firmly on its side, but the demanding Greek stages are expected to test crews, cars and tyres throughout the four-day contest.

KEY POINTS

• Acropolis Rally Greece hosts Round 8 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.

• Toyota leads the manufacturers' championship by 127 points.

• Toyota drivers occupy the top five positions in the drivers' standings.

• Elfyn Evans leads the championship by 20 points over Takamoto Katsuta.

• Seven consecutive gravel rallies will complete the remainder of the season.

• Loutraki returns as the rally service park for the first time since 2013.

• The rally starts with a new super special stage in Athens.

• Competitors will travel by sea through the Gulf of Corinth before Friday's stages.

• Friday is the longest leg with 129.22 competitive kilometres.

• Eleven GR Yaris Rally2 cars are entered in WRC2.

Quotes:

Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)

“We have had quite a strong season so far, but the second half of the year will also be demanding with so many gravel rallies to come, each one with its own challenges. The Acropolis Rally has always been one of the toughest events in the WRC. It was in my day when I was driving, and it remains the case today, even if it’s driven at much higher speeds now. It’s still a rally where anything can happen, and where it can pay to be smart. Coming back onto gravel, I expect the competition will be much closer like we saw in Portugal. It will be a tough rally, especially with all five of our cars at the front of the running order, but our team is strong and our drivers are strong.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)

“To win Rally Japan again was amazing and it rounded off what’s been quite a good first half of the year for us, but we know that the second half can be tough with every rally being on gravel, so everything is still very open in the championship. Greece can be one of the more difficult rallies to open the road, particularly with most of the Friday stages being run only once. But we’ve got some good experience now of being in this position, and we’ve been working hard together with the team to try and improve the feeling and the pace for those conditions. We already made a step forward in Portugal, and we’ll be trying to make the best of the situation again in Greece.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)

“Greece is a country that I always enjoy going to, and the Acropolis Rally is one of the historic events in our sport. It’s a rally that I managed to win quite early in my career, but since it came back to the calendar, we haven’t quite had the luck you need on this kind of rough event, with second last year being our best finish. Returning to Loutraki means there will be stages that are new or that nobody including myself has driven for a very long time, and this is a challenge I enjoy. Having come close to winning last time we were on gravel in Portugal, we will try to achieve that in Greece.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)

“We’ve had some tough results on asphalt recently, but I’m looking forward to putting that behind me and focusing on gravel for the rest of the season, with an exciting mix of rallies coming up. We had a good result in Portugal, finishing second, and hopefully we can build on that in Greece. The Acropolis is a very demanding rally; it’s usually very hot and very rough. It’s another rally we won last year in the Rally2 car, but I’ve never driven it with a Rally1 car before. So there will be some adapting to do once again, but I will be giving it my best shot like always.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)

“The Acropolis Rally is a really rough and tough rally for the cars, the tyres and us as crews. Last year, when the rally moved back to the summer, was especially demanding for everyone with the heat. This year the conditions could be similar, so being as fit and prepared as possible is one of the main priorities in the lead up to this rally. It has not been the easiest event for me in the past, but working together with the team I have started to find better feeling and pace on these rougher rallies, and I will try my best like always to get a good result.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)

“We have been on a really strong run recently and hopefully we can continue this now that we are going back onto gravel, which is perhaps a more natural surface for me than asphalt anyway. Our performance on gravel in Portugal was really good – one of our best so far – even though we didn’t get a reward for it. The Acropolis is a tough rally but I’ve done quite well there before – I finished P4 with the Rally2 car two years ago, and started with good pace last year until we had to stop with a problem. If we can have a clean run this time, I think we can do well.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)

“After our successful finish at Rally Japan, I’m confident to continue fighting for good results in the next events. Greece is a tough rally where you cannot really push to the maximum; there can be surprises and you need to manage it well. I did have pretty good feeling and pace there last year, and with the experience that I now have, I think we can have a good rally. There will be a lot of competition in WRC2, but I hope to score some good points. I’m trying to prepare as well as I can, especially on the physical side given the hot conditions, and I’m looking forward to it.”