Jun 28, 2019 17:05 JST

Source: Toyota Motor Corporation

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge Program
TOYOTA accelerates the 2019 activities Takamoto Katsuta to compete in WRC class with Yaris WRC

TOKYO, Jun 28, 2019 - (JCN Newswire) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is accelerating the 2019 activities of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge Program, which supports young drivers competing in the tough global arena of rallying.

As the 2019 season reaches the half-way mark, Takamoto Katsuta has so far competed on seven rounds in the WRC2 class of the FIA World Rally Championship with an R5 car, claiming one victory, on Rally Chile. In addition, he scored two wins from two starts in the Finnish championship with the Yaris WRC, and has been steadily improving himself.

Considering Katsuta's growth in the first half of this season, the planned activity for the second half of the season has been revised. He will join the top category with a Yaris WRC in round 10, Rally Germany, and round 13, Rally Spain, with the goal of continuing his growth as a WRC driver. Contesting these two WRC events in the top class as part of his training, Takamoto Katsuta is contributing towards the final aim of Toyota in its challenge to develop a Japanese WRC driver.

Tommi Makinen (Program Supervisor)

Takamoto has made some big steps already this year. In his WRC2 program, he has shown very good progress with his driving and his consistency. He also handled his first rallies in the Yaris WRC in the Finnish championship very well. Because of this, we are sure that he is ready to make the next step up already. We waited to finalise his programme for the end of the season, to see how he was progressing, and it is great that we can already add these two events in a World Rally Car in the world championship. We know that these will be very challenging rallies--Takamoto has no experience of competing in Germany, and Spain is tough as it's a mixed-surface event. So we are not setting any targets in terms of results: the main priority will be for him to continue learning and to develop his driving.

Takamoto Katsuta

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me. Since I switched to rallying four years ago, I have worked hard to be world rally champion in the future. There have been many good moments, but also frustrating ones. Now, I can take a big step forward with support from many people around me.

However, I have not yet reached my end goal: I'm just standing on the start line. I am gaining valuable experience step-by-step in the Yaris WRC. I will develop myself consistently, rally-by-rally, to fight in the top category in the near future. I still have so much to do to make my dream come true, but I am sure I can make it. Thank you in advance for your strong support.

Contact:
Public Affairs Division
Global Communications Department
Toyota Motor Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3817-9926
Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
Sectors: Automotive

Copyright ©2024 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network.

Related Press Release


Toyota Releases Sales, Production, and Export Results for February 2024
March 28 2024 12:35 JST
 
PEVE to change name to TOYOTA BATTERY Co., Ltd. and produce batteries for a wide range of electric vehicles
March 27 2024 14:13 JST
 
Toyota to Open New Tokyo Head Office in Shinagawa in FY2030
March 22 2024 15:15 JST
 
Toyota: Clarification of the Roles of and Expectations for Outside Executives, Revision of the Independence Assessment Criteria, and the Changes to Members of the Board of Directors and the Audit and Supervisory Board Members following the 120th Ordinary General Shareholders' Meeting
March 21 2024 15:47 JST
 
Sales of Evolved GR Yaris to Start in April, While Purchasing Lotteries for WRC Driver-supervised Special Editions Start Today
March 21 2024 15:31 JST
 
TMF Collaborates with the Okinawa Prefectural Police Headquarters to Develop Accident Prevention Approaches Integrating Police Accident Data with Vehicle Data
March 19 2024 11:49 JST
 
The Future of Accessibility: Toyota Mobility Foundation and MaRS Discovery District Launch the Mobility Unlimited Hub in Toronto
March 08 2024 09:35 JST
 
TMC Strengthens Battery Production Capabilities
March 06 2024 16:25 JST
 
Hard-earned points for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
March 04 2024 15:45 JST
 
Daimler Truck, Mitsubishi Fuso, Hino and Toyota Motor Corporation report progress on the collaboration based on the Memorandum of Understanding
March 01 2024 20:30 JST
 
More Press release >>

Latest Press Release


More Latest Release >>