Three decades ago Didier Auriol was on top of the world. In 1994, he and Toyota combined to secure the World Rally Championship crown, bringing the Celica to its third successive title across two generations of the car.
Three decades later the Frenchman is getting back behind the wheel at a WRC event to celebrate that success – albeit this time in a production-spec GR Yaris. A sponsor of Toyota’s current WRC team is behind the celebratory outing.
“Fit Easy proposed to me that I do this event just to enjoy it,” Auriol told DirtFish. “People in Japan have great memories of me driving with the Toyota Celica so the thinking was it would be nice to come here for the fans.”
“I called my old co-driver [Denis Giraudet] and said it could be interesting to do this, to have some fun together. Maybe it’s the last one.
“It’s a nice thing for me, for Denis, for the fans, to be back in a Toyota 30 years after my title. But we won’t be pushing like hell – we’ll enjoy this one in a different way.”
Auriol's Japan outing is a celebration of 30 years since becoming world champion driving a Toyota
Auriol is the first to admit he’s not entering to compete toe-to-toe with the current generation of drivers. As he pointed out to Fit Easy president Hisashi Kunie when the idea was initially floated: “Okay, but you know, I don’t drive anymore! It’s in the past now.”
That didn’t stop him from wanting to scratch the natural itch of a world champion, though. Learning plans were afoot for a Rally Japan entry, his first question was: why not enter WRC2?
“When they proposed this rally with the JN1 car, I tried to push to have a Rally2,” said Auriol. “Even if it was just to enjoy driving a proper rally car, rather than compete. But the team doesn’t have this car, so it was impossible. But it would be even nicer to have been in a faster car!”
The car he will drive is a road-going GR Yaris with some modifications to match the Japanese championship’s JN1 regulations. Though Auriol is part of the rally, he won’t be classified as a WRC entrant – the car he’s driving is homologated by the Japanese federation but not by the FIA – the new car will still present a challenge to the 1994 world champion.
“It’s right-hand drive,” Auriol pointed out. “The last time I drove right-hand drive was with the Metro 6R4 [in 1986]!
“It also has six gears, so there will be lots of gear changes. It’s a lot for an old man! It’s also complicated because there is no hydraulic handbrake – I asked!”
Auriol will drive a production-spec GR Yaris similar to this one in Japan
Proving once again that Auriol, while doing this for fun, continues to take his rallying seriously, he insisted on a pre-event test to get accustomed to the car before attacking the stages around Aichi and Gifu.
It might be his last outing on a WRC event – but equally, it might not. Who knows, maybe he’ll be crossing the start ramp even into his seventies?
“If I have this opportunity one day, I have to do it very well,” said Auriol. “I mean, good testing, setting up the car for my driving style and everything. But I don’t dream about that anymore.
“But if there is an opportunity for a nice rally, which I really enjoy, okay, it’s good!”
