Ott Tanak’s growth driver function at Toyota will lengthen to driving a Rally2 automotive on the Rally di Roma Capitale European Rally Championship spherical subsequent week.
The 2019 world champion will group up with long-time co-driver Martin Jarveoja to pilot a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 automotive that can act because the occasion’s ‘zero automotive’, working forward of a aggressive ERC discipline.
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Toyota has chosen to deploy Tanak on the occasion in an try to collect information of the asphalt rally that’s set to affix the World Rally Championship subsequent yr as Italy’s spherical, changing the present gravel contest in Sardinia.
“At Rally di Roma Capitale our GR Yaris Rally2 check automotive will function ‘zero automotive’ within the fingers of Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja,” learn a Toyota assertion.
“Working non-competitively by way of the phases in entrance of the principle discipline, they are going to assist our group collect information of the asphalt occasion because the area prepares to host WRC in 2027 topic to approval.”
Tanak had been on the sidelines this yr after making the choice to step away from competing within the WRC this season.
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Whereas he has stayed away from the service park, the Estonian has remained linked to the championship by appearing as a mentor for present Toyota driver and shut good friend Takamoto Katsuta.
Ott Tänak at 2025 Rally Italy
Ott Tänak at 2025 Rally Italy
The occasion will act as the newest Toyota growth outing for Tanak after the model enlisted the companies of the previous Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford star to assist perform beneficial testing and growth work on the Japanese model’s automotive constructed to the WRC’s new technical laws subsequent yr.
Tanak has now been behind the wheel of Toyota’s 2027 challenger in assessments each on asphalt and gravel, the newest check happening on gravel in Greece.
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His return to Toyota as check driver, having beforehand gained his solely world title with the model in 2019, has created loads of hypothesis that he could possibly be set for a return to the WRC subsequent yr, ought to there grow to be a emptiness on the group.
Nonetheless, Toyota has maintained that Tanak has solely been employed in a growth capability up to now. Tanak’s information in creating vehicles is seen as extraordinarily beneficial, particularly throughout a busy 2026 when driver availability is strained as a result of present WRC calendar.
“Ott’s contribution as a driver comes loads from driver availability,” mentioned Toyota’s technical director Tom Fowler earlier this yr. “It is such a busy season this yr with all of the rallies now we have and never solely the rallies, however the time between every rally shouldn’t be very evenly spaced.
“We have principally rallied each two weeks for the final six weeks and on the similar time, we have pushed three assessments with the 2027 automotive.
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“So there isn’t any means that our drivers might do all of that work and on prime of that, in fact, Ott is a really skilled and really demanding driver who needs solely the very best merchandise, so that you undoubtedly get some suggestions from it.”
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