Twenty-four hours on from sealing the WRC2 title, Sami Pajari has been announced, alongside Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, as a full-time Toyota driver in 2025.
A fifth GR Yaris Rally1 will be fielded on selected rounds for Sébastien Ogier, but the Frenchman has told DirtFish he wants next year to be quieter than 2024.
Pajari’s arrival in the factory squad was largely expected following strong performances from the 22-year-old in Finland, Chile and at the Central European Rally this year. Katsuta’s continued participation was also widely predicted, until his comments at the end of last week’s Rally Japan, where he told DirtFish he was unsure if he would be retained for 2025.
Katsuta was informed later on Sunday night that his contract would be extended with the factory squad.
As well as announcing its factory driver line-up, Toyota also confirmed Juha Kankkunen as deputy team principal at its Nagoya press conference.
Pajari impressed on his WRC debut in Finland, winning a stage and finishing fourth despite an early off
A predictably delighted Pajari said: “This is a dream come true for me and Iʼm really grateful to Toyota Gazoo Racing and the team for giving me this amazing opportunity. There have also been many important people who have been helping me and making this possible.
“It has been an incredible year for us in the GR Yaris Rally2 and in our first events in the Rally1 car, and although we have now reached the place we were aiming for, I also know that this is where the hard work really starts to learn and to push for good results in the future.”
Pajari’s replacement co-driver for Enni Mälkönen has yet to be announced.
A relieved Katsuta admitted his season had been a difficult one, but said he would be chasing more podiums into 2025.
“Iʼm really happy that I will continue driving with the team in 2025,” said the Japanese. “It has been a challenging season for me this year, and I want to thank the team and everyone who has been supporting me in the difficult moments.
“I feel I have shown my speed on most of the rallies, so the confidence is growing and I just need to find the right rhythm through every rally – this is my main target next year. If everything goes well, Iʼm sure I can fight for more podiums.”
The returning Rovanperä said his motivation was high to chase a third drivers’ title in four years. He said: “Iʼm really excited that I will be driving in the full WRC season again next year. This year has been quite different for me, driving a few different cars and still winning some rallies at the same time.
Katsuta has retained his full-time drive for 2025 despite being dropped for Pajari in Chile earlier this season
“Itʼs been a nice year, but itʼs also given me a lot of motivation to return for the full season, to push together with Jonne [Halttunen] for championships.”
A decade on from discovering Katsuta, the TGR WRC Challenge Program continues next season with second generation drivers Hikaru Kogure and Yuki Yamamoto continuing to drive GR Yaris Rally2 cars on selected WRC rounds in 2025.
The third generation: Shotaro Goto and Takumi Matsushita step up to four-wheel drive Rally3 machinery. The search for the fourth generation is underway and, following an initial selection event at Fuji Speedway, seven drivers will take part part in the final part of the selection process in Finland next month.
Jari-Matti Latvala’s efforts in the European Historic Rally Championship with his Celica ST185 will also be run under TGR colors, with former WRC2 co-driver Janni Hussi confirmed as his navigator for that campaign.
