TOYOTA RALLY ESTONIA 2026: TGR-WRT READY FOR HIGH-SPEED GRAVEL CHALLENGE

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING HEADS TO ESTONIA WITH ALL FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS AND A STRONG WRC2 LINE-UP

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team heads to Rally Estonia, the ninth round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, looking to maintain its strong championship form as the season switches from rough gravel to some of the fastest roads on the calendar.

Following the demanding conditions of Acropolis Rally Greece, crews now face smooth, flowing gravel roads around Tartu, where high speeds, blind crests and technical forest sections reward precision and confidence.

Toyota arrives in Estonia with all five of its Rally1 drivers occupying the top five positions in the FIA World Rally Championship standings.

"Rally Estonia marks the start of the WRC's high-speed summer, with fast gravel roads demanding absolute precision and commitment from every crew."

CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE CONTINUES

Championship leader Elfyn Evans heads to Estonia holding an 11-point advantage over teammate Takamoto Katsuta, who will celebrate his 100th WRC start during the event.

Fresh from victory in Greece, Sebastien Ogier returns to Rally Estonia for the first time since 2021, having climbed to third in the championship standings, 37 points behind Evans.

Young teammates Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg are also expected to feel comfortable on the fast gravel roads. Solberg claimed victory in Estonia one year ago during his debut event in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.

"Toyota enters Estonia with all five Rally1 drivers inside the championship's top five, highlighting the team's strong form midway through the season."

STRONG TOYOTA PRESENCE IN WRC2 AND WRC3

Toyota's TGR WRC Challenge Program will field seven cars across the WRC support categories.

In WRC2, Yuki Yamamoto returns after claiming his first podium at Rally Japan and a Power Stage victory in Greece.

He is joined by Shotaro Goto, Takumi Matsushita and Estonian driver Jaspar Vaher, who all make their WRC2 debuts after gaining experience in European rallies this season. Vaher arrives after taking an outright victory in the Finnish Rally Championship round in Jyvaskyla.

In WRC3, Japanese drivers Rio Ogata and Kanta Yanaguida will make their category debuts, while Japanese co-driver Tomiya Maekawa competes alongside Jarkko Nikara.

14 GR YARIS RALLY2 CARS ENTERED

Toyota will also be strongly represented in WRC2, with 14 GR Yaris Rally2 entries.

The line-up includes current championship leader Roope Korhonen, Teemu Suninen, Gus Greensmith, Bernhard ten Brinke, Tuukka Kauppinen and Johannes Keferbock.

Four Estonian drivers will also compete in GR Yaris Rally2 machinery: Egon Kaur, Karl Martin Volver, Joosep Ralf Nogene and Urmo Aava.

FAST GRAVEL AWAITS

Rally Estonia is renowned for its wide and flowing gravel roads featuring fast crests, long jumps and technical forest sections. The soft sandy surface can become heavily rutted on the second pass through each stage.

Based in Tartu, the event covers 301.80 competitive kilometres across 18 special stages in a compact schedule lasting just over 48 hours.

Friday begins with shakedown followed by six gravel stages and a street stage in Elva. Saturday features eight competitive stages before a super special near the service park, while Sunday's final leg includes two passes of the 24.39-kilometre Kaariku stage, the longest of the rally.

"The combination of high-speed gravel, jumps and technical forest roads makes Rally Estonia one of the most demanding events for both drivers and teams."

KEY POINTS

• Toyota heads to Rally Estonia for Round 9 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.

• All five Toyota Rally1 drivers occupy the top five positions in the championship standings.

• Elfyn Evans leads the championship by 11 points over Takamoto Katsuta.

• Takamoto Katsuta will make his 100th WRC start in Estonia.

• Sebastien Ogier returns to Rally Estonia for the first time since 2021.

• Oliver Solberg won Rally Estonia one year ago on his GR Yaris Rally1 debut.

• Toyota's TGR WRC Challenge Program will field seven cars in the WRC support categories.

• Yuki Yamamoto is joined in WRC2 by debutants Shotaro Goto, Takumi Matsushita and Jaspar Vaher.

• Rio Ogata and Kanta Yanaguida will make their WRC3 debuts.

• A total of 14 Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars are entered, including Roope Korhonen, Teemu Suninen and Gus Greensmith.

• Rally Estonia features 18 stages covering 301.80 competitive kilometres.

• The event is based in Tartu and is one of the fastest rallies on the WRC calendar.

Quotes:

Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)

“As a team we always look forward to this part of the season and these very fast rallies in Estonia and Finland. Of course, Finland is our home rally, but Estonia is also a place where we have a good history and a good record. The Acropolis Rally was all about managing the tyres, but Estonia should be more of a flat-out fight. All of our drivers enjoy driving on fast roads and can be strong there; Oliver took an amazing win there last year, and Taka and Sami are both on very good form. For Elfyn, it should be easier to compete from first on the road, while Seb hasn’t driven this event for many years, but he will be motivated after his win in Greece.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)

“Greece was a challenging event for us but we can look forward to something completely different on much faster roads in Estonia and Finland. It’s important to find a good feeling and prepare the car as well as possible for these events, and it was helpful to drive a national rally in Estonia last week to get used to the highest speeds once again. If it’s very dry in Estonia then there can still be some cleaning for us to do, but we just need to focus on doing our best whatever conditions we face.”

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)

“To win in Greece was very important for us. Moving from there to Estonia will be a big contrast, and especially for me as I haven’t driven this rally for five years. I’m looking forward to being back, though. It’s one of the most spectacular rallies of the season, and a well-organised event with a great atmosphere. I enjoyed my test last week, getting back the feeling for high speed, and hopefully we can be competitive. I’m sure that it will not be easy, but I always enjoy a challenge like this and will give it my best shot.”

Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)

“I’m really looking forward to going back to Rally Estonia. It’s a very special place to me after we took our first win there last year. It’s a really cool rally that I’ve always enjoyed: with the high speeds, massive jumps and excited rally fans, it’s a lot of fun. We haven’t had the easiest run of rallies recently, but now I’m going back to a rally where I have experience with this car, and I just want to try my best and see what we can do.”

Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)

“After a good rally for us in Greece, I’ve got a good feeling to move onto very high-speed stages in Estonia and Finland, which are some of my favourite rallies. You have to be very committed in Estonia, especially on the second pass when the road gets rutted, but the margins are also very small at those speeds. All of my team-mates can also be very strong in these rallies, but I will try my best to achieve good results and take as many points as possible.”

Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)

“I’m really looking forward to these next two rallies in Estonia and Finland: they are my favourite ones on the calendar. I’m pretty happy with how we finished the last rally in Greece after a difficult start, we’re still in a good position in the championship, and at the same time our starting position should not be too bad for the next rallies and should allow us to be in the fight, so let’s see what we can do.”

Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)

“I’m really happy to be going back onto fast gravel roads again. I had a good feeling at Rally Estonia last year, and I’ve made a lot of progress since then with car handling and rally management. I also already drove a Finnish championship rally recently in preparation, so I’m confident I’m ready. I’m aiming high but there will again be many good drivers in WRC2; I’m excited to fight against them and try my best.”