WRC car upgrades “nothing too dramatic” for 2024

The Japanese squad heads into the 2024 season because the reigning producers’ champions after its GR Yaris gained 9 of 13 occasions final yr.

Whereas the Toyota was the automotive to beat final yr, it wasn’t utterly bulletproof. Nevertheless, the workforce is anticipated to roll out upgrades to additional enhance the GR Yaris in sure areas for the 2024 marketing campaign, which begins in Monte Carlo later this month.

Final month, Toyota unveiled its new-look GR Yaris, which options an all-new matte black livery. The workforce has confronted a busy low season making ready its new Rally2 model of the GR Yaris, that can also be set to make its WRC debut in Monte Carlo from 25-28 January.

“Nowadays there are fairly a restricted quantity of [homologation] jokers, so there are not any massive issues you are able to do over the season,” Latvala advised Motorsport.com.

“However after all, there are some areas the place we have to do some work, however there’s nothing too dramatic [for 2024 on the car], which is a assist as after all we’ve a Rally2 programme for the workforce and people first vehicles can be showing in Monte Carlo. In that sense Rally1 is in a great steadiness for the time being.”

Picture by: McKlein / Motorsport Photos

Jari-Matti Latvala, Group principal Toyota Gazoo Racing

Talking to Motorsport.com final yr, Toyota technical director Tom Fowler says the workforce is continually attempting to evolve its automotive to keep up a bonus over its predominant rival Hyundai, which is anticipated to unveil a raft of upgrades to its i20 N this yr.

“I feel we’re in fairly a great state of affairs the place we don’t have one thing you would need to outline particularly as a weak spot that wants emergency consideration, however after all there are nonetheless issues we want to enhance,” he mentioned.

“We’ve got a plan for subsequent season already in place to convey some upgrades. For certain, we see that the primary state of affairs now’s usually an uncomfortable efficiency in comparison with Hyundai for the time being, within the sense that in each kind of situation we’re very shut.

“It’s honest to say you by no means know at which rally which would be the best-performing automotive between the Toyota and the Hyundai. We need to change that.”

Toyota is anticipated to discipline entries for Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and Sebastien Ogier on the season opener.