Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will target further success on South American soil when Rally Chile hosts round 11 of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship this week, 11-14 September.
Following a one-two finish on a demanding debut Rally del Paraguay last week, TGR-WRT makes the trip across the Andes mountains to Chile with a lead of 100 points in the manufacturers’ championship and three of its drivers covered by just nine points at the head of an exciting fight for the title.
After finishing second in Paraguay, Elfyn Evans has a lead of seven points over Kalle Rovanperä, the winner in Chile in 2024, with Paraguay victor Sébastien Ogier just two points further behind. Ogier is set to start his 200th WRC event in Chile, becoming only the second driver in championship history to reach the impressive milestone after Team Principal, Jari-Matti Latvala.
Five GR Yaris Rally1 cars will once again be in action, with Takamoto Katsuta at the wheel of a fourth TGR-WRT entry while Sami Pajari competes under the TGR-WRT2 banner at an event where he made just his second Rally1 appearance one year ago.
In WRC2, championship leader Oliver Solberg has a chance to secure the title in Chile if he can claim a fifth win from seven starts in the class aboard his GR Yaris Rally2 run by Printsport. A total of six GR Yaris Rally2 cars are entered with Solberg joined by Teo Martín Motorsport duo Jan Solans and Diego Domínguez, Kajetan Kajetanowicz with Rallylab Technology, Marco Bulacia with Delta Rally and Toyota Gazoo Racing Paraguay’s Alejandro Galanti.
Paraguay and Chile are defined as linked rallies by the regulations, meaning that transmission components such as gearbox and differentials must remain sealed and used across both events. The five GR YARIS Rally1 cars were rebuilt and prepared over three days in Encarnacíon earlier this week before being transported by road for the journey of around 1,553 miles to Concepción.
Rally Chile is a more familiar challenge for teams and drivers, with this being the WRC’s fourth visit to the country. The gravel roads in the forests of the Biobío region surrounding the Pacific port city of Concepción – located about 310 miles to the south of capital city Santiago – combine fast and technical sections with a mix of smooth and abrasive surfaces.
The rally route is identical is that of 2024, totalling 190 competitive miles. Shakedown and a ceremonial start in Concepción on Thursday are followed on Friday by an opening loop of three stages to the south-east, to be repeated after mid-day service. The rest of the weekend’s action takes place across the Biobío River to the south: Saturday is the longest day of the rally with 86 miles to be driven across two loops of three stages separated by service, while Sunday features a pair of stages run twice without service.
