TGR-WRT TARGETS TITLE CLINCH AT RALLY DEL PARAGUAY 2026
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING WORLD RALLY TEAM HEADS TO SOUTH AMERICAN GRAVEL WITH MANUFACTURERS' CROWN IN SIGHT
Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team heads to Rally del Paraguay 2026 from August 27-30 with an opportunity to secure a sixth consecutive FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers' title.
The Paraguay event is round 11 of the 2026 WRC season and the first of two consecutive South American gravel rallies. Following strong results in Estonia and Finland, TGR-WRT leads the manufacturers' championship by 174 points. The team can clinch the title in Paraguay if it extends that advantage by at least six points.
THE MOST IMPORTANT IN A NUTSHELL
• TGR-WRT leads the manufacturers' championship by 174 points ahead of Rally del Paraguay.
• Toyota can secure a sixth consecutive manufacturers' title if it increases its advantage by at least six points.
• Elfyn Evans leads the drivers' championship by 30 points.
• Sami Pajari has moved into second after back-to-back WRC victories in Estonia and Finland.
• Takamoto Katsuta and Oliver Solberg remain in contention, 41 and 45 points from the lead respectively.
• Sébastien Ogier returns with Vincent Landais after his accident in Finland.
• Ogier and Landais won Paraguay's inaugural WRC event in 2025.
• Yuki Yamamoto will contest his first rallies in South America as part of the TGR WRC Challenge Program.
• Twelve GR Yaris Rally2 cars are entered for Rally del Paraguay, making it the most represented car in the field.
EVANS LEADS A TOYOTA TOP FIVE
TGR-WRT arrives in Paraguay with all five of its drivers occupying the top five positions in the championship standings.
Elfyn Evans remains the championship leader, with his advantage increasing to 30 points. Sami Pajari has moved into second after securing his first two WRC victories in consecutive rallies in Estonia and Finland.
Takamoto Katsuta is 41 points from the lead, while Oliver Solberg sits 45 points behind Evans.
Nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier is 62 points from the championship lead after his accident in Finland. He returns to competition in Paraguay alongside regular co-driver Vincent Landais. The pair have already experienced success at the event, winning Paraguay's first WRC round in 2025.
"TGR-WRT extended its lead of the manufacturers’ championship to 174 points and will have its first opportunity to clinch a sixth successive crown in Paraguay if it can grow its advantage by at least six more points."
TWELVE GR YARIS RALLY2 CARS ENTERED
Yuki Yamamoto will continue his WRC2 campaign in Paraguay, marking his first rally in South America.
The GR Yaris Rally2 is the most numerous car in the Paraguay entry, with 12 examples entered. Among the WRC2 competitors using the car are Alejandro Cachón and Gus Greensmith, as well as Paraguayan drivers Diego Domínguez, Andrea Lafarja, Alejandro Galanti, Gustavo Saba, Fabrizio Galanti, Augusto Bestard, Franco Pappalardo and Miguel María García.
Bolivian driver Marco Bulacia also returns to WRC competition on his home continent.
DEMANDING RED CLAY STAGES AHEAD
Rally del Paraguay made its first WRC appearance one year ago, with crews facing fast stages characterized by red clay and changing grip levels.
The stages can also feature significant bumps and sharp rocks, creating additional challenges for cars and tyres. The rally is based in Encarnación, on the banks of the Paraná River near the border with Argentina.
After Paraguay, the championship will continue in South America with Rally Chile two weeks later.
FOUR-STAGE LOOPS OPEN THE RALLY
The rally begins with a ceremonial start in Encarnación on Thursday evening.
Friday features the longest day of competition, with two loops of four stages covering a total of 153.78 competitive kilometres.
Saturday brings another two loops of four stages before a new super special stage in Encarnación closes the day's action. The rally concludes on Sunday with five final stages.
Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“We’re excited to enter this last part of the season and travel to South America with everything still to be decided. In Paraguay we will have our first opportunity to secure the manufacturers’ title, but we are not expecting that to be easy. We found out last year when we did this rally for the first time just how challenging the roads and the conditions can be there. We saw a lot of passion and support too, like we always seem to do in South America, so we’re looking forward to going back. With our drivers also driving for their own ambitions in the championship and our competitors undoubtedly motivated to try to beat us, I’m sure this will be another exciting edition to follow.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Our first time competing in Paraguay last year proved a lot more challenging than everyone had anticipated. On paper the stages looked quite straightforward with many long straights and junctions, but the rally was made far more difficult by the polished clay surface and the changing grip levels. Then, when it rained on the final morning, there was almost no grip available at all. In our position running first on the road on these gravel rallies, some rain can help to level the playing field, but it can also turn quickly into a lottery when the grip is so low. Like always, we’ll just have to do our best in whatever conditions we face when the rally begins.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“Rally Finland didn’t turn out the way we hoped after what had been a very good rally until the point that it ended for us, but the most important thing is that Julien and I were both OK. Now we’ve had some time to rest and recover and I’m ready to compete in Paraguay together with Vincent. Even if our championship hopes are more or less over, we still want to aim for the top step in each of the remaining rallies this year, and help the team secure the manufacturers’ title. We experienced a great first rally in Paraguay last year, with an amazing atmosphere as well as challenging stages and conditions, and we will try our best to repeat our victory there.”
Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“Paraguay put on an amazing event last year and it was special to experience the atmosphere there and the passion of the people. The roads were also rather unique, with narrow sections and wide sections and jumps and dips, and the surface was quite slippery at times. It was a lot of fun, even if it was pretty difficult. In the faster places it felt like we were on the limit with the Rally2 car; with the Rally1 car and the extra downforce we will be able to carry more speed, but I’ll need to make that adjustment like on almost every rally this year. After two podiums in the last two rallies, I hope we can keep this run going.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I have very good memories from Paraguay and can’t wait to go back. There were so many fans supporting us and it was a really impressive event. The roads themselves are nice and enjoyable, but we discovered last year that the surface is very unique; very compacted and very polished, and there was very little grip when it rained. With that knowledge from last year, it can be easier to go back, but we can’t know exactly how the conditions will be this time. Anyway we will try to enjoy it once more and hopefully it can be a nice rally for us.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Since Rally Finland it’s been nice to have some time to really enjoy and appreciate what we’ve achieved recently before we refocus on the coming rallies in South America. It was great to go to Paraguay for the first time last year and see the excitement of all the fans there. It’s quite a nice rally to drive with really fast roads and some big jumps, which I always enjoy. There are also some really twisty sections and if it rains, the surface can become crazy slippery. Our recent results don’t change our approach for this event; we just have to continue trying to do the best job possible and hopefully we can keep achieving good results.”
Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“These next two rallies will be a completely new adventure for me and I’m firstly looking forward to visiting South America for the first time. Last year when I was watching Paraguay from home, it looked quite unique with a massive atmosphere and challenging stages. I’ve been trying to prepare as best I can by watching onboards from last year; the roads look fast but if it’s wet the conditions can be tricky with very slippery surfaces. It will be a big challenge but after the last few rallies I’m hoping that we can change the momentum towards a nice result.”
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