A new era of WRC starts in 2022 with Toyota Gazoo Racing, M-Sport Ford, and Hyundai N competing for the title with their brand-new Rally1 hybrid rally cars. Just a few days before the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo, Toyota has fully revealed the 2022 GR Yaris Rally1 together with the announcement of the driver lineup. During the presentation, in typical Akio Toyoda fashion, the company’s President sat behind the wheel of the new rally car performing some donuts.
The new rally car looks like a beefed-up
version of the production-spec GR Yaris, but it is actually based on a
dedicated spaceframe chassis. Visually it retains the three-door silhouette of
the production car but it benefits from a very aggressive bodykit that includes
wide fender extensions, pronounced bumpers, a massive rear spoiler, and the
newly introduced side-mounted air intakes.
The plug-in hybrid powertrain consists of
a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that is a carry-over from the previous season,
working alongside an electric motor-generator unit producing an extra 134 hp and a 3.9 kWh battery back. Toyota claims that the combined
power output is over 493 hp, transmitted to all four wheels. Besides
the electrification, the new regulations mandated the return to the mechanical
gearshift and the removal of the active center differential, thus making
driving more demanding for the drivers. All Rally1 cars will be running on
sustainable fuel while batteries will charge both through regenerative braking
and from an external power source in the service area between stages.
The driver lineup for 2022 will include
eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier with new co-driver Benjamin Veillas.
However, the reigning champion will be competing in a partial schedule of
events for the new season. The leading
duo for 2022 will be Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who came second last year,
plus the promising Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttune who came fourth in 2021.
The other GR Yaris Rally1 will be driven by Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron
Johnston, with four Toyota rally cars present at every stage. The Toyota GR
Yaris Rally1 will compete against the recently-revealed Hyundai i20 N Rally1
and M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 starting from Rally Monte Carlo in January 20-23.
Toyota Gazoo Racing has big shoes to fill this year since they come from a
pretty successful season having won both the manufacturers’ and the drivers’
titles in 2021.
