They also provided the team with a victory to mark its 100th start in the WRC since debuting in 2017: the 53rd win and 123rd podium result that the team has achieved in that time.
Successive victories in Sweden and Kenya mean Evans now leads the drivers’ championship by 36 points after three rounds. He and Martin were joined on the podium by Deputy Team Principal, Juha Kankkunen, who received another Safari winning trophy 40 years after scoring his maiden WRC win as a driver on the very same event with Toyota. This latest win extends Toyota’s all-time record on the event to 13 victories.
Rovanperä started the final day in fifth overall after sustaining suspension damage during Saturday afternoon, and was ultimately forced to retire due to an electrical issue on the road section towards SS18.
After a battling performance, fourth-placed Takamoto Katsuta took up the push for additional points on the final day, winning two stages to move within 0.3s of the lead in the Super Sunday classification ahead of the rally-ending Power Stage. Unfortunately, he would roll near the start of the stage, and although he managed to continue to finish the stage in fifth overall, the damage to his car meant he had to retire before reaching the final time control.
Sami Pajari gained fourth place overall at the finish of his first ever Safari Rally Kenya following an impressive and mature drive in which he avoided major trouble and gained significant new experience.
The next Rally Islas Canarias (April 24-27) is new to the WRC for 2025, taking place on asphalt roads across the island of Gran Canaria and marks a return to Spanish territory for the first time since 2022.
Please read the details on the team's official web site : https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/
