Toyota Eyes Chile Crown

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will chase a second consecutive victory on South American soil when Rally Chile hosts the 12th round of the FIA World Rally Championship from September 10 to 13.

TGR-WRT arrives in Chile after Sami Pajari completed a historic hat-trick of victories at Rally del Paraguay. The result also moved Toyota closer to another manufacturers’ championship.

Toyota leads the standings by 173 points with only 180 available over the final three rounds. The team can secure the title in Chile if it scores at least seven points.

Its five GR YARIS Rally1 cars were rebuilt after the demanding Paraguay event before being transported across the Andes to Chile.

Pajari’s three consecutive victories have also tightened the battle for the drivers’ championship. He trails Toyota teammate and championship leader Elfyn Evans by 20 points.

Oliver Solberg holds third place, 41 points behind Evans. Takamoto Katsuta is another 15 points back in fourth, while nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier sits 68 points off the lead.

Ogier returns as the defending Rally Chile winner after taking victory at the event in 2025.

Katsuta will compete with James Fulton as his co-driver. Fulton replaces Aaron Johnston, who suffered a fractured collarbone in a high-speed accident on the final day of Rally del Paraguay.

Johnston underwent further examinations after returning home and will miss Rally Chile to continue his recovery.

Fulton’s move to Katsuta’s car has also resulted in a change for Yuki Yamamoto. The TGR WRC Challenge Program driver will compete alongside Topi Luhtinen as he continues his first South American campaign in WRC2.

Yamamoto is among eight drivers entered in GR Yaris Rally2 cars. Paraguay class winner Diego Domínguez and runner-up Gus Greensmith will again compete in Toyota machinery.

Alejandro Cachón, Andrea Lafarja and Adrien Mosca are also on the entry list. Chilean brothers Alberto and Pedro Heller have switched to GR Yaris Rally2 cars for their home round.

The WRC will make its fifth visit to Chile, where the gravel stages run through forests in the Biobío region around the Pacific port city of Concepción. The city is about 500 kilometres south of Santiago.

Fast sections are mixed with technical roads and surfaces that range from smooth to abrasive. Rain and fog can make visibility and grip more difficult.

Around 40 per cent of the rally’s 311.18 competitive kilometres are new to the WRC this year.

Shakedown and the ceremonial start will take place in Concepción on Thursday. Friday features three heavily revised stages southeast of the city, with each test run twice around the midday service.

Saturday is the rally’s longest leg at 139.2 kilometres. Crews will complete two loops of three familiar stages south of Concepción and across the Biobío River.

Sunday introduces the new Carampangue stage before the returning Biobío Power Stage closes the rally.