World Rally Championship grid names have several big brands associated with the extravaganza. Japanese automaker Toyota who has been absent from the event since past 18 years has finally decided to make its presence felt at the 2017 World Rally Championship with its fast machine Yaris. The fresh update came as announcement made by Akio Toyoda, President, Toyota Motor Corporation during a press conference event. Speaking more on the occasion he said, “When I was in Finland last year, many fans asked me when Toyota would return to the WRC. People talked about Toyota's history in the WRC. I was filled with surprise and gratitude that so many people still remembered. I started to feel strongly that we must return while people still remember. We are doing this to make better cars, to make people smile. We decided to return to the WRC and we plan to start competition again in 2017.”
Till the year 1999 when it had quit the circuit, the company held a strong 25 year history of winning about 43 events, including the four drivers’ and three manufacturers’ championships that had big names like Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol at the wheel. The Toyota Yaris that shall mark the company’s re-entry after years of absence is likely to be powered by 1.6 Liter engine. Speaking more about the vehicle at the launch event, Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Toyota Motorsport President said, “It is a great honour to be asked to bring the Toyota name back to the World Rally Championship alongside our continued participation in the World Endurance Championship. To run two works motorsport programmes simultaneously is of course a challenge but we believe we have the expertise and determination to succeed. There is much to do as we make the journey back to WRC, but to have received the support of Toyota Motor Corporation and our president Akio Toyoda is already very encouraging. We are looking forward to taking the next steps with an extensive development plan and a junior driver development programme.”
