TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Ready to Defend WRC Leadership in Sardinia

TOKYO, Oct 2, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team heads to the Italian island of Sardinia for the sixth round of the 2020 season on October 8-11 with the goal of defending its leadership of the drivers' and manufacturers' championships. After his victory last time out in Turkey, Elfyn Evans leads the drivers' standings by 18 points over team-mate Sebastien Ogier, with the team's rookie driver Kalle Rovanpera another nine points behind.

2020 Yaris WRC

Held in June over recent seasons, this year's Rally Italia Sardegna was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and it will be staged as an autumn event for the first time since 2012. The rally features quick, narrow stages with a fine sandy surface that gets swept away by each passing car to leave a rockier, rutted road. The later date means that temperatures are unlikely to be as high as usual, with a greater possibility of rain.

After shakedown on Thursday afternoon, the rally begins on Friday morning with a pair of stages (Tempio Pausania and Erula-Tula) each run twice. Following an afternoon service in Alghero there will be another two stages, Sedini-Castelsardo and Tergu-Osilo: These will be repeated around 24 hours later to complete a similar format on Saturday after two loops of the Monte Lerno and Coiluna-Loelle tests. The Sunday is identical to 2019, based on Sardinia's western coast close to Alghero, with the Cala Flumini and Sassari-Argentiera stages each run twice.

For the full release, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/release/2020/wrc/rd06-preview.html.

About Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today, Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in 29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170 countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.

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