What had recently been circulating as a rumor in the rally scene is now official: Toyota Gazoo Racing will compete in the 2027 World Rally Championship with two different vehicle models. Under the name TOYOTA RACING the new GR Celica Rally1 will be used, while GAZOO Racing TOYOTA will run an also newly developed GR Yaris Rally1.
Each outfit is scheduled to have three drivers. Toyota plans to field up to six factory cars at WRC rounds. Both teams are to compete on equal terms for victories and will continue to be managed by Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) at the Jyväskylä base in Finland.
Evans, Solberg and Pajari in the Celica
The Celica’s return is likely to stir memories among older rally fans. In the 1990s the Toyota Celica GT-Four was one of the championship’s most successful cars.
The team is led by the reigning world champions Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. After five runner-up finishes the duo finally captured the long-awaited title in 2026.
Their teammates will be Oliver Solberg with Elliott Edmondson and Sami Pajari with Marko Salminen. Both junior crews were among the season’s biggest surprises in 2026. Solberg won three WRC events and battled for the title until the final stage in Sardinia. Pajari also scored three victories and finished the championship in third place.
That means the Celica squad brings together the three drivers who fought for the crown until the end at the 2026 finale. In the end Evans had only a five-point lead over Solberg and six over Pajari.
Tänak and Rovanperä return
The second team is also high-profile. GAZOO Racing TOYOTA will run the new GR Yaris Rally1 and has signed two former world champions for it.
Ott Tänak returns alongside Martin Järveoja to the competition program. The Estonian had already led Toyota to the drivers' world championship title in 2019. After a season without regular WRC entries he was heavily involved in developing the new rally car in 2026.
“I enjoyed the time away from competition, but the desire to drive was still strong,” Tänak explains. Working on the new car brought him a lot of pleasure. Now he wants to continue the development under competitive conditions.
A second comeback comes with Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen. The 2022 and 2023 world champions will return to Toyota after a one-year break, but only for selected WRC rounds.
Rovanperä had originally turned to circuit racing. Health problems made those plans difficult, and afterwards contact with Toyota was established.
“This year my health came first. When I was fit again, the team offered me the chance to test the development car. From then on we started planning the next season,” the Finn explains.
The third driver in the Yaris team is Takamoto Katsuta. Together with Aaron Johnston the Japanese driver celebrated his first two WRC wins in 2026 in Kenya and Croatia. He now wants to take the next step and permanently compete for the world title.
Ogier back as well
Because Rovanperä will not contest a full season, individual seats at GAZOO Racing TOYOTA remain available. Toyota therefore does not rule out additional appearances by other drivers.
Possible candidates include Sebastien Ogier, who remains connected to the team. The nine-time world champion had already announced he would not contest at least the season opener in Monte Carlo. Whether he will compete in further rallies later in the year is not yet clear.
Young drivers from the GR WRC Challenge Program could in future have an opportunity to prove themselves in the highest world championship category.
Rally1 cars with equal performance
Technically, the Celica and Yaris are being developed to the new WRC27 regulations. Both vehicles are to have the same power and achieve an identical performance level. Toyota wants to prevent one of the two teams from being disadvantaged by the choice of vehicle model.
Development has been underway for months. On 3 November Toyota completes a six-day test series with rally simulations in central Finland. Both vehicles are to be homologated by the end of the year. The manufacturer plans to present further technical details and the final vehicle designs before the start of the season.
At the same time Toyota is investing in its infrastructure. On 2 November the ground-breaking ceremony took place for a new technical centre in Majajärvi, not far from the team's current headquarters in Jyväskylä.
