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Bruce Newton2 Feb 2015
NEWS

Toyota wants WRC wins in 2017

Pace is not a problem says boss, but endurance must be improved

Toyota wants to do a Volkswagen when it re-enters the world rally championship in 2017 and have winning pace from the very first event.

The company's global boss Akio Toyoda confirmed its WRC return at a press conference in Tokyo last Friday after last competing in 1999 and that it will use a turbocharged 4WD Yaris developed by Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG).

TMG, which also manages Toyota's World Endurance Championship sports car program, will spend the next two years developing the Yaris WRC for its 2017 debut.

TMG president Yoshiaki Kinoshita told Australian media last Friday that testing in 2014 on world rally championship stages had established the car was already on the pace.

"Our Yaris time is quite similar, so from a stage time point of view I believe we are there," Kinoshita declared.

"But in the rally you need endurance performance. Last year we run 5000km, but normally you should run four times more – 20,000km per year. Minimum two years.

"That is what Volkswagen did, that is why the first year they come back they won the championship and dominate."

Asked whether emulating VW's performance was Toyota's ambition, Kinoshita said: "For sure, or even more".

Volkswagen Motorsport debuted in the WRC in 2013 with the Polo R WRC, but like Toyota announced its intentions two years ahead of time.

Sebastien Ogier won the drivers' championship in 2013 and 2014 for VW and the brand has also wrapped up the manufacturers' title both years.

But Kinoshita revealed one crucial difference between the Toyota and Volkswagen programs; while VW plucked rising star Ogier from Citroen, Toyota intends to stick with a youth development driver program.

It has already confirmed 27-year old Frenchman Alex Camilli will occupy the seat in one Yaris, while another youthful driver will be in the other car.

Kinoshita confirmed this policy despite his own admission that drivers are more important in WRC than ever, as the 225kW (approx) 1.6-litre cars are close on performance.

"Current rally regulations are much more simple (than the 1990s) and the performance of the cars is much more close. It means you need a good driver ... to win the championship.

"We will pick up some young talent and do the testing with them and then stepping up with them in two years ... I think that is the proper way, not buying the good driver with big money. For sure, I do not want to do this and Akio san does not want to do this.

"We want to grow up together to win the championship."

A third entry would be reserved for an emerging Japanese driver, although Kinoshita said that may not happen in 2017.

"Only two years, so very tough for Japanese drivers. But we hope like Kazuki Nakajima in the WEC. Without a Japanese driver this is not so easy to do some activities in Japan. To catch eyes."

Kinoshita expressed confidence TMG could manage both the WRC and WEC programs. While officially, Toyota is only committed to the sports car program through to the end of 2015, motoring.com.au understands it is planning to stay in the category until at least 2017.

Toyota Racing won both the WEC drivers' and manufacturers' championships in 2014.

TMG, which was previously known as Toyota Team Europe, managed Toyota's world rallying program from the 1970s until its withdrawal. It was also in charge of the unsuccessful Toyota Formula One program from 2002 until 2009.

"Our budget for the endurance race compared to Audi is less than half – maybe 30 per cent. We do the same approach to the rallies; do the project with minimum, very lean operations," explained Kinoshita.

"It means we can easily fit two programs into TMG. Our capacity is very big. Formula One time we have 1000 people, but now we have 250. We have many rooms, many chairs, many desks."

Kinoshita, who worked on TTE's WRC program, revealed Yaris WRC development began after the cancellation of the F1 program, as a self-funded after hours skunkworks effort. It took three years to develop the engine and two years to develop the chassis.

"Fortunately, the mood within TMC for going back to rallies is going up and up and up," Kinoshita explained. "Last year Akio san visited the Finland rally and he saw the rally and he confirmed this is a motorsport which Toyota must do because of many reasons. And then these two projects suddenly joined, and then we could run our Yaris WRC for the company project."

Toyota's entry to WRC in 2017 will coincide with technical regulation changes, but Kinoshita confirmed they would be relatively minor and not upset the ongoing development of the Yaris.

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