The 2027 season of the World Rally Championship promises to be exciting with the return of two prominent drivers: Kalle Rovanperä and Ott Tänak. Both will join a team of six vehicles from the Toyota brand, which will compete with two different teams and models of Rally1.
Toyota has revealed that its project for 2027 will include the use of new models, the GR Celica and the GR Yaris, developed in accordance with the new technical regulations coming into effect. This is a clear commitment to competition at the highest level, which includes at least three world champions.
Rovanperä, who has won the title twice (2022 and 2023), and Tänak, the 2019 champion, will return to racing after a season of absence. The current champion, Elfyn Evans, will be part of the Toyota Racing team along with last year’s closest rivals, Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari.
The three drivers will drive the GR Celica Rally1 model, which returns after a prominent era in the 80s and 90s, where it achieved two titles, in 1993 and 1994. Evans has expressed his enthusiasm for facing this new era and the challenges that come with the new vehicle.
On the other hand, Tänak and his co-driver Martin Järveoja, who have been involved in the development of the new cars, will pilot the GR Yaris Rally1. This is a significant comeback for Tänak, who secured the title with Toyota in 2019. They will compete alongside Takamoto Katsuta, who will also participate in the full championship.
Rovanperä, who left the WRC at the end of 2025 to explore a career in single-seaters, will return with a partial program. The young driver has highlighted his connection with the team and his mission to enjoy returning to the rally tracks. After recovering from an illness, he feels ready to face this new challenge with the new car.
Moreover, the team has announced that it will also be able to host other drivers during the season, including possible appearances from the new world champion, Sébastien Ogier, as well as other talents from Toyota’s young driver program.
The presentation of these drivers took place at Toyota’s headquarters in Jyvaskyla, Finland, coinciding with the start of construction of a new technical center in Majajärvi. As this progresses, the team has already conducted six days of rally simulation testing with its 2027 prototype.
The homologation of vehicles will be completed by the end of the year, and more details about the models and their decorations for the new season will be released soon.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
