TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) delivered a breathtaking performance at Rally Finland, sweeping the top five positions in an unprecedented show of dominance. Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen claimed their first home victory, leading a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for Toyota – a feat achieved only once before in World Rally Championship (WRC) history.
Rovanperä, driving the No. 69 GR YARIS Rally1, controlled the event from the first stage and completed the fastest WRC rally ever, maintaining an average speed of 129.95 km/h over four days. His winning time of 2h 21m 51.4s secured both the top spot and a place in rally history.
“This 1-2-3-4-5 finish is a way of saying thank you to our hometown of Jyväskylä,” said Akio Toyoda, Chairman of TGR-WRT. “I truly appreciate every member of the team for making this happen. And congratulations to Kalle and Jonne—our local heroes—on their first win at home.”
Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston delivered a clean and consistent drive in the No. 18 GR YARIS Rally1, securing second place—Katsuta’s second Rally Finland podium in three years. They finished just 39.2 seconds behind the leaders.
Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais rounded out the podium in third, with Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin close behind in fourth. Evans’ finish elevated him back into the lead of the drivers’ championship with 176 points, ahead of Rovanperä (173) and Ogier (163).
Rounding off the Toyota lockout was Finnish rising star Sami Pajari, co-driven by Marko Salminen, who placed fifth in the No. 5 GR YARIS Rally1. The young crew impressed with three stage wins and a composed drive throughout the weekend.
This performance marks Toyota’s eighth win in nine rallies this season and extends its commanding 87-point lead in the manufacturers’ standings, with 458 points overall.
The result also underlines TGR’s core philosophy—“the roads build the people, and the people build the cars.” Since 2015, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has unified all of the company’s motorsport ventures under one brand, including participation in WRC, Formula One, WEC, and endurance racing at Nürburgring.
With five rallies remaining in the season, TGR aims to continue developing cars that bring joy, freedom, and adventure to drivers worldwide, all while pushing the limits of performance and innovation.
The WRC now looks ahead to Rally Paraguay (28–31 August), the first-ever South American round for the championship, followed by Rally Chile in September.
