TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) delivered an exhilarating one-two finish at Rally Sweden, solidifying its dominance in the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season. Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin exhibited exceptional performance in the No. 33 GR YARIS Rally1, securing victory with the smallest winning margin in Rally Sweden history. Takamoto Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston followed closely in second place in their No. 18 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1, marking their best-ever WRC finish and a remarkable achievement for the team.
Akio Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman, commented: “The top five within a 25-second gap, and three GR Yaris Rally1s among them—this year’s Rally Sweden was really exhilarating. Congratulations to Elfyn and Scott for winning the rally! It’s great to see them triumph once again. And congratulations to Takamoto and Aaron for securing second place! Next up is the Safari Rally, and I’m counting on him to showcase his spirit of ‘returning to the finish line no matter what’. Both drivers delivered fantastic performances during the Power Stage, thank you for the perfect one-two finish! I also thank everyone in the team for building cars that allowed the drivers to compete comfortably until the end.”
Rally Sweden, the WRC’s only pure winter event, witnessed one of the most intense battles in recent history, with the top five drivers separated by mere seconds. Evans and Martin led from the start, navigating the treacherous snow and ice-covered roads with precision. Katsuta delivered an impressive drive, taking the lead on the final morning after winning the first pass of the 29.35-kilometre Västervik stage. However, Evans responded decisively in the penultimate stage, reclaiming the lead with a spectacular performance. Holding just a 3.7-second advantage entering the rally-ending Power Stage, Evans clinched victory in style by setting the fastest time, edging out Katsuta by just 0.2 seconds.
With this result, Toyota now leads the manufacturers’ championship with 48 points, further cementing its place at the top of the leaderboard. Evans’ second victory in Sweden—five years to the day since his first with Toyota—also puts him at the forefront of the drivers’ standings with a 28-point lead.
The next round of the 2025 FIA WRC is Safari Rally Kenya, one of the most challenging events on the calendar, taking place from March 20-23. Known for its rugged terrain and unpredictable weather conditions, the rally will test both drivers and their machines to the limit.
Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR, to consolidate all of its motorsport’s activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
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