Toyota has nominated Oliver Solberg to score points at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, with Sami Pajari again competing for a second team.
Reigning WRC2 champion and Rally Estonia winner Solberg joins Toyota’s Rally1 fold full-time in 2026, effectively replacing Kalle Rovanperä who’s racing in Super Formula instead.
With Monte being one of world champion Sébastien Ogier’s events on an anticipated 10-event schedule this year, Toyota is running five Rally1 cars but can only nominate three drivers to score for its main ‘Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT’ entry.
Ogier and five-time WRC runner-up Elfyn Evans are clear choices, but Solberg has been preferred to Takamoto Katsuta despite Katsuta’s greater experience.
Pajari meanwhile, who enters his second season in a GR Yaris Rally1, has been entered under the same ‘Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2’ moniker as last year, affording Toyota a greater number of test days throughout the year.
The five Toyotas form nearly half of the 11-strong Rally1 entry, with Hyundai fielding Hayden Paddon in its third car alongside full-time drivers Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.
Adrien Fourmaux will be keen to build on his Monte podium from last year
M-Sport Ford is represented by Josh McErlean and Rally1 newbie Jon Armstrong, with Grégoire Munster also Puma mounted for Monte Carlo at least.
Armstrong has selected #95 as his competition number, with Paddon opting for #20 (the number his Hyundai wore when he won Rally Argentina 2016). Ogier has activated his option to run #1 as the world champion, with Neuville returning to #11.
The Lancias of Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin headline the WRC2 entry list which features 25 cars.
Notable contenders include Léo Rossel (Citroën), Roberto Daprà (Škoda), Eric Camilli (Škoda), Pablo Sarrazin (Citroën), Eliott Delecour (Toyota) and Chris Ingram (Toyota).
Yuki Yamamoto will drive the Printsport-run Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – the team recently being acquired by Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala – but won’t compete for WRC2 points along with M-Sport’s Romet Jürgesnon.
In total, 66 cars have entered the event which runs from January 22-25.
