Never give up. Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team put this motto into practice to win its fourth consecutive World Rally Championship Manufacturers’ title, again in collaboration with OMP as supplier of racewear for drivers and co-drivers, overalls for the mechanics and seats for the GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID cars.
Despite having the highest number of wins during the 2024 season, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT came into the final round 15 points behind in the Constructors’ standings. However, the final day of Rally Japan proved pivotal as Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier finished first and second overall; Ogier was also fastest in the Power Stage, with Evans third and Takamoto Katsuta fourth. All this allowed them to jump to the top of the championship and retain the WRC throne by just three points.
“We have had such a rollercoaster season and we knew coming here to Rally Japan that we still had a chance to take the title, but the odds were not in our favour. However, we said that we would fight until the last metre of the rally and see what happens, and actually we kept that fight on to the end and that’s how we managed to win the title”, underlined Jari-Matti Latvala, Team Principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
Welshman Evans, along with co-driver Scott Martin, rounded off his 2024 campaign in the best possible way, becoming runner-up and bringing the team its seventh win of the year. Three victories were achieved by Ogier, with co-driver Vincent Landais, in Croatia, Portugal and Finland, while defending champion Kalle Rovanperä scored four wins from seven appearances (Kenya, Poland, Latvia and Chile), having gone through a part-time programme alongside Jonne Halttunen. Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston also contributed to the team’s mission with 116 points.
OMP has been a partner of Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT since 2017, supporting the Japanese brand in its return to the WRC scene. The first Manufacturer’s title came the following year, and four Drivers’ titles have also been won since then. The 2024 season is also enriched by the WRC2 title of young talent Sami Pajari at the wheel of the new GR Yaris Rally2, a project including OMP’s car parts as well as the top class model.
