Top Welsh driver, 28-year-old Elfyn Evans starts this season in Monte Carlo WRC opening round for Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team, who have confirmed their star-studded driver line-up for the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season.
Kalle Rovanperä this year became the youngest winner of back-to-back WRC drivers’ titles, aged 23, and has signed a new multi-year contract with TGR-WRT. Following his remarkable rise to the top of the sport, Rovanperä will take part in a selected programme of rallies in 2024 alongside co-driver Jonne Halttunen. This will allow him some time away from the intense demands of competing for world championship titles and to enjoy driving across different disciplines including drifting, enhancing his skills and experience behind the wheel.
The team has also revealed its new WRC livery which will be seen around the world this season (below).
Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier achieved the last of his titles with TGR-WRT in 2020 and ’21 before stepping back from full-time competition. He remains a key player in the team, having claimed victories in Monte Carlo, Mexico and Kenya during 2023. He will again contest a partial programme together with co-driver Vincent Landais.
The team are also excited to continue their relationship with Elfyn Evans, from Dolgellau, for further seasons (below).
Since joining TGR-WRT after winning the British Junion Rally Championship, Evans has established himself as a regular championship contender, finishing runner-up three times in four years – including in 2023, when he scored rally wins in Croatia, Finland and Japan. Looking to build on the progress of this season, he and co-driver Scott Martin will enter 2024 with their sights set on competing for their first world championship titles.
Takamoto Katsuta will again form part of the team’s line-up and drive a full season in the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid with co-driver Aaron Johnston. A product of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge Program, Katsuta stepped up to join the team’s main line-up in 2023 and contributed to its manufacturers’ championship success with an excellent podium finish at Rally Finland.
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal) said, “We are very happy to be keeping our winning driver line-up together for the future. It’s great to know that we have such a strong squad of drivers who feel at home in our car and our team and want to continue working with us.
“Elfyn has shown us again this year that he can win rallies and compete for championships, and we know he will give his best efforts in every rally.”
Elfyn Evans said, “I’m looking forward to heading into what will be my fifth consecutive year with the team. We’ve had some great successes together over the last four years and I’m excited to continue that story with Toyota Gazoo Racing.
“I gelled with the team immediately when I joined and it feels very much like home now. The support from everyone to get me feeling comfortable in the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid has been great, and we’ve continued to make progress this year. I’m keen to build on that and be even better in 2024. We have a lot more to achieve together and I’m excited about the future. As always, the target will be to win, whether that’s in each rally or in the championship.”