Ott Tanak Helps Toyota Develop WRC27 Car in Rome

WRC, Sportrik Media - Ott Tanak will support Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT’s WRC27 development programme by performing zero-car duties at the European Rally Championship round in Rome. The 2019 world champion will drive a Toyota Yaris Rally2 alongside Martin Jarveoja without competing for an official result.

The programme forms part of Toyota’s preparations for the new WRC regulations that will take effect in 2027. Tanak and Jarveoja will use the Toyota Yaris Rally2 to collect information on tyre wear, suspension performance and vehicle behaviour across the varying conditions of the Rally di Roma Capitale.

“The main objective of the project is to gather information because Rally di Roma Capitale could become a World Rally Championship event in the future. It’s important for Toyota to understand what the rally is like,” Tanak told Delfi Sport.

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Under the current plans, the Rome ERC round could replace the Rally Sardinia on the WRC calendar in a future season. The zero-car role therefore gives Toyota an opportunity to study the asphalt characteristics, component wear and set-up requirements without the competitive pressure of pursuing a rally result.

Toyota team principal Juha Kankkunen considers Tanak one of the world’s strongest drivers for this type of development work. Tanak’s experience at the highest level provides Toyota with a reference for vehicle response, changes in grip and suspension demands that can support the WRC27 programme.

Toyota is currently the only existing Rally1 manufacturer actively developing a car for the WRC27 regulations. Tanak believes that level of commitment demonstrates the Japanese manufacturer’s ambition, although the scale of the technical changes means that most concepts and components still require substantial development.

“The technical changes are huge and almost everything is still new. There’s a lot of development work still to do,” Tanak said.

The position of the other manufacturers remains less defined. M-Sport has announced its intention to build a Rally2-WRC Kit car for the transition period, while Hyundai Motorsport has not committed to that route. Skoda Motorsport has confirmed that it will not develop a Rally2-WRC Kit package.

The FIA has approved Rally2 cars fitted with the Rally2-WRC Kit for the championship’s top category in 2027 and 2028. The package, capped at 7,500 euros, adds specified components to existing Rally2 machinery and could result in several types of car competing together under different technical concepts.

Tanak admitted that the final structure of the 2027 WRC remains difficult to predict, with as many as three categories potentially sharing the field. His involvement in further Toyota development work has also not been decided and will depend on the team’s strategy and the final calendar, but the Rome outing represents an important early step in strengthening Toyota’s data before the championship enters its new era.