GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (GR-WRT) celebrated a
home podium sweep at Rally Finland, with Sami Pajari and co-driver Marko
Salminen securing victory in the No. 5 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1. Teammates Oliver
Solberg and Elliott Edmondson finished second in the No. 99 Toyota GR YARIS
Rally1, while Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin completed the podium in third aboard
the No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1.
Akio Toyoda, GR-WRT Chairman, commented, “Sami, Marko,
congratulations on your back-to-back victories and on winning your home rally!
It was truly wonderful to see three of our crews standing together on the
podium in Jyväskylä. It was the best possible way to thank the local fans for
their incredible support. This achievement would not have been possible without
the efforts of the mechanics who worked on car 33. They brought the car back to
life in just 30 minutes and sent Elfyn and Scott back into the fight without
any penalty.”
Toyoda added, “Stories of heroic repairs by mechanics are
common in the WRC, but when you hear that they replaced the front and rear
bumpers, side panel, bonnet, tailgate, left headlight and right-side door, you
cannot help but be amazed by their skill. Thank you to all the mechanics for
your incredible work.”
Held across the fast forest
roads of central Finland, the 75th anniversary edition of Rally
Finland once again delivered rapidly changing conditions, with challenging
weather creating an unpredictable contest throughout the weekend.
Pajari and Salminen followed
up their maiden WRC victory in Estonia with another standout performance on
home roads to secure their second consecutive triumph. The result also marks
the 200th victory by a Finnish driver in the FIA World Rally
Championship.
Despite losing time in difficult weather conditions
during the rally, Pajari and Salminen remained close to the leading pace before
moving into the lead at the end of the penultimate leg. Adopting a measured
approach through the rally’s two final runs of Himos-Jämsa, the longest stage
of the event at 30.02 kilometers, they secured victory by 26.7 seconds.
Solberg and Edmondson claimed their second
consecutive runner-up finish after overcoming the worst of the wet conditions
earlier in the rally. The pair capped off the weekend by topping the Super
Sunday classification.
Evans and Martin recovered after rolling during the
penultimate leg to complete the podium in third place. They went on to win the
rally-ending Power Stage by just 0.025 seconds while finishing second in the
Super Sunday classification, extending Evans’ lead in the drivers’ championship
to 30 points.
Following Rally Finland, Toyota has brought its lead
in the manufacturers’ championship up to 174 points. GR-WRT crews now occupy
the top five positions in the drivers’ standings, with Evans leading the
championship ahead of Pajari, Katsuta, Solberg and Ogier.
Toyota’s motorsports history dates back over 60
years. Reflecting the concept that ‘Roads build
people, and people build cars’, Toyota has competed in a
wide range of motorsport disciplines worldwide. Its major successes, achieved
under the most extreme conditions, together with the hard-won knowledge and
technical insights they have yielded, continue to serve as the foundation for
building ‘ever-better’ cars. GAZOO Racing competes in top-level motorsport
categories, such as the FIA World Rally Championship, as well as in customer
motorsport activities using production vehicles.
Round eleven of the 2026 FIA WRC is Rally del Paraguay (August 27-30),
held on demanding stages around Encarnación near the Argentine border. The fast
roads feature a red clay surface that provides changing grip levels.
Those interested can follow the official Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages for the latest
updates and results from local, regional and international races. Motorsport
enthusiasts are also invited to discover the GAZOO Racing lineup at Markazia Toyota’s showroom on Mecca
Street.
