Toyota will fight for the WRC manufacturers' title at Rally Japan, which closes the 2024 season, without Kalle Rovanperä. The Japanese event has released its entry list for next month's decider (November 21-24), confirming that the locals will only have three GR Yaris Rally1s available.
Toyota's attempt to overtake Hyundai Motorsport and win their fourth consecutive manufacturers' crown in the World Rally Championship will be led by the starting drivers, Elfyn Evans and the place Takamoto Katsutawhile in the third unit there will be the eight-time world champion, Sébastien Ogier. Thus, Rovanperä will not be on the list, since the Finn has already completed the half-season he had planned for this year.
After winning his second consecutive world championship last year, he opted to fight a partial campaign in 2024, before returning full-time in 2025. Rovanperä competed in seven of the season's thirteen races, with four victories in Kenya, Poland, Latvia and Chile.which strengthened Toyota's hopes across all brands.
Toyota will head to Japan with a 15-point disadvantage over Hyundai, as the Korean firm aims to win its first manufacturer's crown since 2020. They will also field their three usual i20 N Rally1s with Thierry Neuville And Ott Tanakwho will compete for the drivers' title, with 25 points ahead for the Belgian. The third car will be driven by Andreas Mikkelsenin what will be his fifth Test of 2024.
M-Sport-Ford will field a pair of Puma Rally1s for Adrien Fourmaux And Grégoire Munster. A total of 44 cars will take part in these tests, which will also decide the WRC2 title. Toyota's Sami Pajari must finish first or second to beat current overall leader, Olivier Solberg.
Auriol, world champion, returns to WRC
Japan will also mark the return of 1994 world champion Didier Auriol, who will participate in an event of the WRC for the first time since the 2005 Monte-Carlo Rally. He will drive a modified Toyota GR Yaris, prepared by the Japanese team Fit-Easy Racing, and will compete in the national category with his co-driver Denis Giraudet.
The Frenchman's return to the World Championship comes 30 years after he led a Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 to the title in 1994, with co-driver Bernard Occelli.
