Toyota targets manufacturers’ title in Chile with just seven points needed

Toyota arrives in Chile with a commanding 173-point advantage over Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team after 11 rounds of the championship. With only 180 points remaining across Rally Chile, Rally Italia Sardegna and Rally Saudi Arabia, TGR-WRT can mathematically secure the manufacturers’ crown this weekend by scoring at least seven points.

The opportunity comes after another hugely successful run for Toyota, with Sami Pajari’s historic victory at Rally Paraguay adding further momentum to an already dominant campaign. Pajari’s triumph was his third consecutive WRC victory, while Toyota’s overall advantage continued to grow as Hyundai struggled to match the Japanese manufacturer’s consistency.

A seven-point haul may appear to be a relatively modest target for a team that has five GR Yaris Rally1 cars entered in Chile, but the manufacturer will still need to manage the event carefully. Rally Chile is a fast and technical gravel rally where precision is essential, with narrow roads, blind corners, changing grip levels and limited visibility creating plenty of opportunities for mistakes.

Toyota will therefore be aiming not only to secure the championship but also to maintain its momentum in the drivers’ title fight. Elfyn Evans leads the standings by 20 points over team-mate Pajari, while Oliver Solberg and Takamoto Katsuta remain within striking distance.

The Japanese manufacturer will also have nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier competing in Chile, where he will attempt to repeat his 2025 victory. Meanwhile, Katsuta will start the rally with James Fulton alongside him after regular co-driver Aaron Johnston was ruled out following the collarbone injury he sustained in Paraguay.

For Toyota, however, the manufacturers’ championship remains the immediate priority. Should the team score the required seven points, it will secure another major title before the championship moves on to the final two rounds.

With Hyundai currently sitting 173 points behind, Toyota has built a cushion that gives it a significant margin for error. Nevertheless, the team will know that Rally Chile can be unforgiving, and the priority will be to bring its cars to the finish while collecting the points needed to make the title mathematically certain.

If Toyota succeeds, it will add another manufacturers’ crown to its remarkable recent record and underline its superiority during the final season of the current Rally1 regulations.

Photo Credits: Toyota