Greensmith explains his Toyota switch for the 2026 WRC2 season

Gus Greensmith explains the reason why he decided to leave Skoda and to join Toyota in WRC2 class for this season and shares his first impression with his new car.

The British driver decided not to continue his partnership with Toksport and Skoda Motorsport for the 2026 WRC2 season as the entry list of Safari Rally Kenya confirmed his participation with a new car, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. In fact, he spent three days testing his new car in Portugal while he will test it again just before the start of the third WRC round. Greensmith wants to follow Sami Pajari's and Oliver Solberg's paths as both of them became a WRC2 Champion with Toyota. It must be mentioned that the Japanese team signed both of them just a year after their success in WRC2 class. We do not have to forget that Greensmith had competed in the main category of WRC with M-Sport Ford in the past and wants to return back to the premier class. Last but not least, the WRC27 regulations may allow the competition between the two categories as the next generation of WRC cars will use some basic parts of the current Rally2 cars, including the engine and the suspension.

"We have had three good years with Škoda and I enjoyed them, and I had some very good success, but I think it was about time for a change", Greensmith said.

"I think it became clear as day that a lot of drivers who had jumped into the Toyota have all seen a step forward in pace. 

"I have always enjoyed working with Škoda and I have always wanted to give them a certain level of loyalty, but I think it just got to the point that it is too night and day difference between the cars, so I wanted to make the change.

"So far all of the testing has gone well and it is definitely a trickier car to drive than the Škoda. 

"The Škoda is a very well-adapted car for everyone to jump into, but after the third day of testing I was becoming pretty happy.

"The philosophy of the car is very different to the Škoda, so it is a very different way of driving, especially compared to my driving style. 

"But Toyota have been great to work with and we went through an extensive test plan. 

"They explained the philosophy of the car and adapted it to a few things I like. 

"By the end of the test I was feeling very comfortable in the car.

"I think the front end of the car is incredibly strong and that was the thing I had to adjust to the most. 

"How quickly it pulls you into the line is really impressive.

"I think if you put a Škoda and Toyota back-to-back on a stage and ran them over and over again there would be very little difference between the two. 

"But at the moment it feels like the Toyota is doing a lot to help you in more of a rally situation, where not every input will be perfect. It is too early for me to say properly, but that is the feeling I have had so far.

"One of the main things during the three test days was to study all the manuals and get to know it. 

"The more time I have and the more practice I get working on the car - hopefully not too much practice 

"I will understand it better. 

"Generally it seems the rear is simple to work on, but the idea is that I don’t have to do any of that.

"As the season goes on I will understand it more and I suppose Kenya is not really about out-and-out performance in the car, it needs a bit of mitigation for the conditions. 

"I should be bang on it with no excuses by the time we get to Portugal".

Source: wrc.com

Photo Credits: Red Bull Content Pool