Doha,
Qatar – 24 February 2024: TOYOTA
GAZOO Racing (TGR) World Rally Team (WRT) has ended 2024 Rally Sweden on a high
note with Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin scoring a strong haul of
points towards the championship in the No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 Hybrid
Electric Vehicle and claiming second overall.

Nobuyuki Takemura, Chief
Representative of Middle East & Central Asia Representative Office, Toyota
Motor Corporation, commented: “I would like to congratulate
the team on their unwavering determination and performance, which has once
again allowed them to claim a podium position. At Toyota, we believe that our
active participation in motorsports such as the World Rally Championship is an
opportunity to not only test the mettle of our performance machines and leading
technologies, but also to guide the future development of Toyota vehicles. We
are proud to contribute to a carbon neutral society by developing ‘ever-better
cars’ through motorsports to ensure no one is left behind. I’d like to thank
our fans from around the world for supporting us as we strive to provide them
with incredible experiences both on and off the racetrack.”

Based in northern Sweden’s
Umeå city, the rally’s proximity to the Arctic Circle ensures extreme winter
conditions in what is considered one of the fastest stages of the FIA World
Rally Championship (WRC) season. The action kicked off across fast forest roads
and concluded in a more technical spectator arena, followed by a day of heavy
snowfall who’s final two stages were conducted in darkness. Evans made a strong
recovery against all odds after he was forced to run first on the road and
plough through.

Evans climbed the ranks throughout
the rally, advancing from sixth to second place by the start of the final day’s
opening stage. The fastest in its subsequent second pass, he finished a close
second in the rally-ending Power Stage.

Over the years, Toyota has
been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula
One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 ‎Hours
endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate
entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR, ‎to
consolidate all of its motorsport activities under one in-house brand.
Representing ‎Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people
build the cars,’ TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar
of Toyota’s commitment to ‎making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of
experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events,
TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom,
adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.

The upcoming Safari Rally
Kenya on 28-31 March is the next competition of the season and the WRC’s only
African round. Since its return in 2021, this event has challenged racers the
world over with its rough and rocky roads and high speeds across open plains.

Race Notes: 

●      
No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID
Electric Vehicle (Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin)

o   Position: 2^nd

o   Total time: 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 44.5 seconds