Toyota confirmed six drivers for next season’s World Rally Championship on Tuesday, but one of them will compete on a part-time basis.
Who, therefore, will drive when Kalle Rovanperä doesn’t?
The two-time champion will compete alongside Ott Tänak and Takamoto Katsuta for the Gazoo Racing Toyota outfit in a GR Yaris Rally1. Toyota team-mates Elfyn Evans, Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari will represent Toyota Racing in GR Celica Rally1s.
Sébastien Ogier was absent from Toyota’s launch event but sporting director Kaj Lindström made it clear” “Séb is still part of our family and he has a strong desire to do some rallies next year.”
Ogier, though, will not drive all the rallies Rovanperä doesn’t.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala told DirtFish: “The idea is that we will have always six drivers in every rally.
“In the Toyota Racing Team, we have a Celica with three solid drivers. And then in the Gazoo Racing Toyota, we have two solid drivers and one changing driver. There’s Kalle Rovanperä, who is going to be driving about half a season.
“Sébastien Ogier, not decided yet, but just a couple of events. And then we are offering the seat for the young drivers, young talents which we can also decide by during the season who are doing well.
“We can give that opportunity for them to drive the Rally1 car.”
They do not necessarily have to be Toyota Challenge Program drivers either, just drivers that are using a GR Yaris Rally2.
“It doesn’t need to be a challenge program, but he needs to be a Toyota driver,” Latvala confirmed. “So if you had been doing the WRC2 with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, it’s also possible to come from that side.”
Strategy will inevitably be involved in selecting which drivers to use, and more pertinently at which events.
Rovanperä added: “I think we need to combine a little bit with other drivers who will drive the cars, what and who does where. But I think my calendar will be pretty much the events I like to do anyway and strong ones. It should be pretty much half of the events.”
Rovanperä’s season is expected to begin in Monte Carlo.
Asked if he’d be there at round one, the Finn said: “Yes, I think so. At the moment, it’s the plan.”
