Toyota reveals Yaris WRC and confirms drivers for 2017

Toyota launched the new Yaris for 2017 World Rally Championships and confirmed drivers line-up for the next season.

The new car was launched on Tuesday at a ceremony in Helsinki and Toyota Gazoo Racing chairman Akio Toyoda, who is also Toyota CEO and president, talked of returning Toyota to the height of the rallying powers that carried it to seven world titles.

The driver line-up led by Jari-Matti Latvala, who already drove for Toyota 15 years ago, will a have a hard task to meet the high ambitions set by the team’s officials. Former Volkswagen driver Latvala sealed a deal with Toyota last week and today Juho Hanninen and Esapekka Lappi completed an all-Finnish line-up.

Toyota Yaris WRC 2017

Latvala and Hanninen will contest all 13 rounds of the 2017 WRC, while recently crowned WRC2 winner Lappi will contest a selected third-car program.

The new WRC season is starting on 20th of January 2017 with a Monaco Rally which will be held for the 85th time.

Photo: toyotagazooracing.com