Toyota Wrc Return

[Ant182]

 

Toyota already was one of the powers of the WRC years ago until in 1999 the Japanese company decided to focus all sports in the Formula 1 World Championship.

 

The brand has already begun to work on the engine turbocharged 1.6 liter to comply with the current rules of the WRC. At the same time, has also sought approval from the FIA (International Automobile Federation) and brands that already compete in WRC so it can use the Yaris as a basis for its project, while this vehicle is 15 cm shorter than the provisions of the regulation, which requires that cars have a minimum a length of 3.9 meters.

 

"We hope to be ready for 2014," Kino****a told Autosport magazine. "Of course that the ultimate goal is the WRC, but it is necessary to follow several steps to return to the World Rally Championship. After leaving our program of rallies in 1999, most people of that team are no longer with us, so there is no great knowledge about this specialty in the company. We need to prepare engines homologated chassis, and from this construct our knowledge. If we do all this, then we will be ready".

 

Toyota is currently in its first year of the three scheduled races of resistance, in spite of this, Kino****a said that it would be possible to combine both projects at the same time.

 

The image is for a S2000 type car.

 

[G6-R]

http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/january-2015/toyota-return/page/2142--12-12-.html

[Ant182]

Looks Awsome and the vids on you tube of tarmac testing show what a great base it has to be a WRC or rallycross car. It's a shame they won't do a hot version for the road :( like they used to with the corollas and older yaris.

[Ant182]

Looks like from the news that the testing is going well and Toyota have announced that Tommy Makinen will be the team principal.

I know the cars all really look the same these days and they all sound the same which is a shame, but what we going to do.

It will be nice to see the Toyota brand back in WRC though and run by TMG (Toyota Motorsport Group)

Toyota have been using the GT86 in group N but its not the same as WRC.

[Heidfirst]

I thought that Makkinen was not working with TMG, it was a separately run enterprise badged under Gazoo for the 2017 season?

[Ant182]

According to what I have read, is that Tommy's own team (T.M.R) are developing the car that is now and then reengineering it to what will be 2017 reg's, ie more powerfull engines and wider tracks. It's really are partnership between TMG and TMR so its still unknown if the car that is testing now will be entered into the 2016 championship or weather they will wait until 2017.

I really want to see if Toyota will release a road going hot hatch version on the Yaris.

[Ant182]

Toyota Gazoo Racing boss Tommi Mäkinen has dropped his biggest hint yet that Juho Hänninen will drive a Yaris World Rally Car when the Japanese manufacturer returns to the WRC in 2017.

[Ant182]

In late January, Toyota announced its long-awaited return to the World Rally Championship for the first time since the withdrawal of its factory team in 1999.

That season saw the team win the last of three manufacturers’ titles and marked the end of more than 25 years of continuous rally activity at Toyota’s Cologne-based Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG).

 

During those years, Toyota captured 43 rally wins in iconic cars like the Celica Twincam Turbo and GT-Four and the Corolla WRCar with top drivers like Carlos Sainz and Juha Kankkunen.

Now a source close to Toyota has revealed that the company’s new WRC entry will be based on the next-generation Yaris (called Vitz in Japan) due in 2016, and it will pack a turbocharged 1.6 litre inline four-cylinder engine producing upwards of 224kW.

Toyota’s return to the WRC has been led by Toyota’s CEO Akio Toyoda, who carries the nickname in Japan of Morizo and who himself has been dabbling in rally competition piloting a Toyota 86 car over the past few years. He was also seen testing the Yaris WRC prototype in Europe recently.

To meet FIA homologation regulations and qualify for entry in the 2017 WRC, Toyota must sell at least 2500 rally-spec versions of its new Yaris hatch. Given the popularity of the car in Europe, that task should be easy.

Based on information gained from its sources Japan’s Best Car magazine has published an artist’s impression of what it believes the car will look when it surfaces in 2016 (pictured).

Using a prototype based on the current Yaris, Toyota tested its WRCar’s potential in France and Belgium last year. This year Toyota will evaluate the car on tarmac roads in Italy and several other well-known stages.

Following in the footsteps of popular WRC-mimicking models like the limited edition VW Polo R and Citroen DS3 Racing – neither of which are sold here – yet), the Yaris WRC car will employ flared wheel-arches and a rear wing and well as other bespoke aerodynamic devices.

Naturally, however, the “return to competition” Yaris WRC celebration model that will be available to the public will not come with the same engine as the fully blown WRC machine.

Our source says Toyota is readying a less powerful 175kW/350Nm 2.0 litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine – the same as the one seen in the Lexus NX 200t.

Nevertheless, matched to a six-speed manual transmission, it should deliver substantially better acceleration than the 80kW/141Nm 1.5-litre petrol four that powers all versions of the current Yaris, except the entry-level 63kW/121Nm 1.3.

It’s not yet clear if the next-generation Yaris hot hatch will be sold outside Europe – or how many Toyota will build — our insider says it will cost around the same as the Polo R, at around 33,900 Euros (about $A47,000).

[Ant182]

Could this be the new look for the WRC car for 2017 in the Toyoya Gazoo Racing colours?

[Ant182]

Due to the new rule changes and the designs of the cars been able to be wider and with more aero the Yaris will look more like this.

[Ant182]

As you can see the side skirts are bigger a updated from end an extra vent in the bonnet, but still all the cars will sound the same which for me is a shame as I like all the old group B sounds, if we could mix the 2 together it would be awesome.

[mickburkesnr]

Be still my beating heart, it looks fantastic.

[Ant182]

I know, I hope they make a road going version for the homologation rules.

[Ant182]

Toyota enters the final development stage of their new WRC contender based on their Yaris supermini.

The Japanese automaker will make its official return to the rally stages in 2017, with Gazoo Racing WRC Team undertaking the first shakedown of the new Yaris WRC last May in Puuppola, Finland.

Since then, the Toyota Yaris WRC has completed over 5,000km of testing. "We have worked hard to be on time" said Tommi Mäkinen, Team Principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC. "We have completed a lot of test sessions since May, and we have stuck to our schedule. The addition of a second car helped us to up the pace and diversify the development testing. We want to test the vehicle in all conditions and on all surfaces so that we are ready for 2017."

The team will add a second car to the development program in order to accelerate the process and make sure that the new Yaris WRC will have the speed to make a run at the title.

"The reason we are working with two cars is that, we wanted to split development into two parts. The first team works only in Finland, concentrating on the reliability and endurance of the car, with a test program focused on the engine and gearbox. The second test team is focused on the suspension, and is working at the other European bases, such as in Spain and Portugal," explained Tom Fowler, WRC Chief Engineer.

So far the driver line-up includes Tommi Mäkinen, Juho Hanninen and Jarkko Nikara. "I just couldn't resist, so I was the first to size up the car!" said Tommi Mäkinen. "The feeling was great and it was fun to drive as well. We are also lucky to be able to call upon the experience of Juho Haninnen and Jarkko Nikara. Other drivers are expected to join the development team very shortly," he mentioned.

The new Toyota Yaris rally car is expected to fight for the 2017 WRC title against the likes of the VW Polo, the Ford Fiesta and the Citroen C3.
 

[mickburkesnr]

Good to see Tommi Mäkinen back driving. I'm excited for this. 

[Ant182]

Today from the Paris Motor Show,a shot of  what could be the 2017 car.

[Ant182]

Confirmed - Hänninen will drive a Toyota Yaris WRC in 2017!
Juho Hänninen - WRC rally driver TOYOTA GAZOO Racing #WRC

[Ant182]

Hänninen confirmed
in 2017 Toyota

The 35-year-old Finn has conducted the lion’s share of testing ahead of the Japanese manufacturer’s return after a 16-year absence. He has completed the recce at every round this season and his confirmation comes as no surprise.

Hänninen will be co-driven by the experienced Kaj Lindström, who formerly partnered Toyota team principal and four-time world champion Tommi Mäkinen. The pair will contest all rounds of the 2017 championship, with an option to extend the deal beyond next year.

“This really feels like a dream come true,” said Hänninen. “Joining a works team with such potential for a full season is a real opportunity for me.

“We have been working together since the car’s first outing, so that makes it all the more exciting and motivating. The Yaris WRC is incredible. I can't wait to get started at the Rallye Monte-Carlo.”

Hänninen enjoyed several successful seasons with Skoda. He won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge title in 2010 and the SWRC crown the following season, before lifting the European title in 2012.

Juho Hanninen (right) and Kaj Lindstrom will pilot one of Toyota's Yaris World Rally Cars in 2017

He was heavily involved in the development of Hyundai’s i20 as the Korean manufacturer returned to the WRC in 2014. He drove in six rallies with the team before leaving at the end of the year.

Mäkinen emphasised that 2017 would be a learning year and said Hänninen’s testing experience made him an obvious choice.

“When he joined the team, Juho was incredibly motivated and involved. He also understood very clearly that we didn’t want to cut any corners and that the 2017 season would be about coming to grips with the championship and learning,” he said.

“He has quite a lot of experience in World Rally Championship, and I’m sure that because he has developed the Yaris WRC from the beginning, he knows the car best.”

Toyota is expected to confirm a second driver following the final round of the 2016 season in Australia next month. WRC 2 frontrunner Esapekka Lappi is widely predicted to get the nod.

[Ant182]

As he weighs up his options for 2017, Sébastien Ogier carried out two crucial tests this week; driving Toyota's Yaris WRC on Wednesday and taking the wheel of M-Sport's 2017-spec Ford Fiesta RS earlier today [above].

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Following the decision of his Volkswagen team to withdraw from the WRC, the reigning world champion is looking for a car and team to take him to a fifth consecutive title in 2017.

And on returning from last weekend's Kennards Hire Rally Australia, Ogier got to experience two options - heading first to Spain to drive Toyota's all new world rally car.

YouTube footage uploaded by E-RaceVideos [below] claims to show Ogier at the wheel of the Yaris - although the mirrored windows make it impossible to see who is inside. Team boss Tommi Makinen has since confirmed that Ogier did indeed drive the car on both gravel and asphalt roads.

 

Next, Ogier headed to the UK to meet with the M-Sport team. Earlier today Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia took the Fiesta RS for a spin on gravel at the Walters Arena rally complex in Wales.

Team boss Malcolm Wilson was at the test and left together with Ogier and Ingrassia when Ott Tänak took over the driving in the afternoon.

In Australia, Ogier revealed that he was talking to two teams about drives iin 2017 and with Rallye Monte-Carlo just 50 days away, he acknowledged he needed to make up his mind quickly.

"I like to judge before I sign with anyone - so that’s my next step. Also try the car. It’s important to have some feelings about which car I could drive next year," he said.

"Obviously we are already a little bit late now to be in optimal condition for next season but I hope that very soon I’ll be able to take my decision."

[Ant182]

Toyota is ready for its FIA World Rally Championship return next season, according to the Japanese executive who oversaw the company’s last success in the series.

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Koei Saga admits he had worries over Toyota Gazoo Racing’s WRC comeback after a 16-year absence, but believes Tommi Mäkinen’s Finland-based squad is capable of achieving strong results with the Yaris World Rally Car.

“The last time we had a victory at this competition was when I was the general manager of the motorsport section, and that is a long time ago,” said Saga. “Of course, things have changed and I had some concerns, but I could reassure myself that our staff are doing a really, really good job, a splendid job.

“I think, of course, we will confront many challenges but we from Japan, the headquarters staff, will support the team on site and we all share the ‘one team, one dream’ slogan. So I am very much convinced we will have good results and I’m very much looking forward to the competition,” he said.

The Yaris has been developed from a blank sheet of paper to comply with 2017’s exciting new WRC regulations, which bring more powerful and dynamic-looking cars. It has completed more than 10,000km of testing ahead of its debut at January’s Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Koei Saga - 'I don't have to worry'

Saga, team vice-principal and senior managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation, said there were both positives and negatives to designing the car from scratch.

“It can be an advantage because we are free of influences from the past when it comes to the design or the legacy we have, but, of course, it is difficult to have no benchmark. When it comes to rallying it is not just about competitive times, so it is maybe a deficit not to have a car that is now running so that we can compare.

“However, we are always determined to make ideal cars and ever-better cars so we are always pursuing the best, so maybe there is no benchmark needed at all. We have a very good team with a lot of experience so I don’t have to worry so much,” he said.

The automotive giant’s return evokes memories of four drivers’ and three manufacturers’ titles in the 1990s courtesy of some of the sport’s biggest names, including Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol.

You can hear more of Koei Saga’s thoughts on Toyota’s return below.

[Ant182]

Last few testes for the Yaris and with a certain world champion at the wheel,

 

[Ant182]

Creating the Yaris WRC Engine.

 

[Ant182]

Well its finally here the 2017 WRC car and the team that will steer Toyota back top of rallying.

[FROSTYBALLS]

See earlier post - 

 

[Ant182]

Hi Mike,

I was watching the stream on my phone, I'm so excited for the Monte Carlo rally in Jan, and with VW now not running the field is wide open and we have one of the best drivers out there. Role on 2017.