TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) achieved a sensational result at Rally Finland, completing a remarkable clean sweep of the top five positions. Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen, secured their first victory on their home turf in spectacular fashion, leading an unprecedented 1-2-3-4-5 finish for Toyota.
The dominant performance by the No. 69 GR YARIS Rally1 crew saw them command the event from the very first forest stage. Rovanperä’s victory also set a new record for the fastest rally in FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) history, maintaining an average speed of 129.95kph across four days of flat-out action.
Akio Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman, commented: “Congratulations to all the crews for this 1-2-3-4-5 finish! We were able to return the favour to the people of our hometown, Jyväskylä, with this fantastic result. I really appreciate everyone in the team for making this happen!”
Toyoda added: “Congratulations to Kalle and Jonne on their first victory in their home country! I'm truly happy that they were finally able to show the winning trophy to the local fans. Congratulations to the local heroes! There are five more rallies left this season, and we will work together as a team to build cars that let our drivers enjoy driving more than ever before!”
The No. 18 crew of Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston secured a strong second place, marking Katsuta’s second podium finish in the last three editions of Rally Finland. The pair delivered a consistently fast and error-free performance to finish 39.2 seconds behind the winners.
Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais rounded out the podium in third place, with the No. 17 GR YARIS Rally1, after a closely fought battle with teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who finished fourth. Evans’ solid performance also elevated him back into the lead of the drivers’ championship standings with 176 points, closely followed by Rovanperä and Ogier with 173 and 163 points, respectively.
Completing the historic Toyota lockout was local rising star Sami Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen, who claimed fifth overall with an impressive performance that included three stage wins and a composed, mature drive throughout the weekend.
This remarkable result represents only the second time in WRC history that a single manufacturer has occupied all top five positions, an achievement not seen since 1990. With its eighth victory in nine rallies this season, Toyota further extends its commanding lead in the manufacturers’ championship by 87 points, with a staggering total of 458 on the board.
Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR, to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
The next round of the 2025 FIA WRC is Rally Paraguay, taking place from 28–31 August, marking the championship’s first-ever visit to the South American nation, followed by Rally Chile a fortnight later.
Position: 1st
Time: 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 51.4 seconds
Position: 2nd
Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 30.6 seconds
Position: 3rd
Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 36.5 seconds
Position: 4th
Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 39.5 seconds
Position: 5th
Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 10.2 seconds
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