TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team takes on the second in a trio of tough consecutive gravel events at Rally Italia Sardegna on June 5-8, anticipating a tough challenge as it looks to continue its current winning run.
The team claimed its fifth victory from the first five rounds of 2025 last time out in Portugal, as Sébastien Ogier scored his record-extending seventh win on the event. With Kalle Rovanperä also finishing on the podium in third, TGR-WRT has extended its manufacturers’ championship lead to 55 points while Elfyn Evans continues to lead the drivers’ standings, 30 points in front of Rovanperä and 32 ahead of Ogier.
While the gravel tracks on the Italian island of Sardinia can appear similar on paper to those in Portugal, the event usually provides an even more demanding challenge, beginning with temperatures that can exceed 30 degrees centigrade and punish cars, crews and tyres. The stages are narrower and more technical, with little margin for error, while the sandy surface is soon swept away by each passing car to expose a rocky and abrasive base.
A quartet of silver GR YARIS Rally1 cars will once again be entered by TGR-WRT, with Evans, Rovanperä and Ogier nominated to compete for manufacturers’ points and Takamoto Katsuta at the wheel of a fourth car. Sami Pajari drives a fifth car entered under the TGR-WRT2 banner.
After a record 15 GR Yaris Rally2 cars took part in Portugal, there is strong representation again in Sardinia with 13 cars entered. Having claimed WRC2 victory in Portugal, Oliver Solberg will drive in Sardinia without counting it as one of his seven points-scoring rounds for the season with the Printsport team – as will the TGR WRC Challenge Program duo of Yuki Yamamoto and Hikaru Kogure. Those competing for WRC2 honours include a trio of cars run by Teo Martín Motorsport for Jan Solans, Alejandro Cachón and Diego Domínguez, as well as Roope Korhonen (Rautio Motorsport), Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Rallylab Technology), brothers Marco and Bruno Bulacia (both Delta Rally) and privateer Fabio Schwarz. Two more drivers – Eduardo Castro from Peru and Italian Simone Romagna – will drive GR Yaris Rally2 cars outside of WRC2.
The rally’s base alternates back from Alghero to Olbia this year with all the action to take place around the north-east of the island. The first two days on Friday and Saturday each total just over 120 competitive kilometres across a loop of three stages run either side of mid-day service in Olbia. Two new stages are driven twice to form Sunday’s finale, with a final service preceding the second pass of Porto San Paolo which serves as the rally-ending Power Stage.
Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“Portugal was a good result for our team overall but we know that we face another challenge in Sardinia. The stages there have a very hard base covered with a layer of fine sand, which can be very slippery for the first cars on the road. With Elfyn, Kalle and Seb at the top of the standings, we have to be prepared that Friday could be a challenging start, but on the other hand, it would be great to see if Taka and Sami could also have the chance to benefit and be in the fight for the top places. It’s been a very good season for us so far, but the competition is fast and we are realistic that we cannot win every rally. Still, we can be confident that our car is strong and reliable and we will be aiming for another good team result.”
