Toyota confirmed today it will be returning to the FIA World Rally Championship with a Yaris World Rally Car in 2017.
Preparations have begun for its return to the WRC in 2017, judging this competition to be a leading stage on which to promote its “ever-better cars” activities.
The car is being developed and tested by Toyota Motorsport (TMG) in Cologne, Germany, they are putting the engine and the car through the paces and they have completed a preliminary test programme in Europe with the Yaris WRC on asphalt and gravel.
Frenchman Eric Camilli has been selected as the first member of Toyota’s junior driver development scheme.
The 27-year-old will carry out the test programme alongside former Subaru driver Stéphane Sarrazin, now a racer in Toyota’s FIA World Endurance Championship squad, and eight-time Finnish champion Sebastian Lindholm.
Toyota’s WRC heritage includes wining 43 events and three manufacturers’’ titles between 1973 and 1999.
Toyoda said his visit to last season’s Neste Oil Rally Finland impressed him.
“Toyota has a long and distinguished history in motorsport, particularly in world rallying, and we’re delighted to welcome one of the automobile industry’s giants back to WRC.”