- Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans finish second and third for GR-WRT
- Toyota maintains 93-point championship lead, with GR-WRT dominating drivers’ standings
Dubai, UAE – 13 May 2026: GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (GR-WRT) secured a double podium finish at Rally de Portugal following a closely fought and demanding gravel contest. Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson finished second in the No. 99 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1, with teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin securing third place in the No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 after a decisive performance across the four-day event’s rally-ending stages.
Juha Kankkunen, Deputy Team Principal, said: “It’s never a nice feeling to lose a rally victory so close to the end like this, but we benefitted from a similar situation in Croatia this year and now we were on the other side. This is rallying: it’s never over until it’s over. It looks like Seb and Sami both picked up punctures in a similar place on this penultimate stage; it’s frustrating because both of them had been doing such a great job, especially in the wet conditions yesterday. Still, Oliver and Elfyn were able to step up onto the podium and finish one-two in Super Sunday. We have a strong team and now we look forward to Rally Japan.”
Held on the classic sandy and rocky gravel roads north-east of Porto, Rally de Portugal once again presented rapidly changing conditions, with wet weather and heavily rutted stages placing a premium on tyre management, precision driving, and durability.
Solberg and Edmondson took home second place following a strong rally run and topped the Super Sunday classification to add valuable championship points. Evans and Martin, who secured second place in Super Sunday and set the third-fastest time in the rally-ending Power Stage, finished close behind in third.
Following Rally de Portugal, Toyota continues to lead the manufacturers’ championship by 93 points, while Evans extends his advantage at the top of the drivers’ standings to 12 points. GR-WRT crews now occupy the top three positions in the championship, with Katsuta remaining second and Solberg climbing to third following his podium finish.
Toyota’s motorsports history dates back over 60 years. Reflecting the concept that “the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,” Toyota has competed in a wide range of motorsport disciplines worldwide. Its major successes, achieved under the most extreme conditions, together with the hard-won knowledge and technical insights they have yielded, continue to serve as the foundation for building “ever-better” cars.
From 2026, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has reverted to the name GAZOO Racing. The team competes in top-level motorsport categories such as the FIA World Rally Championship, as well as in customer motorsport activities using production vehicles.
Round seven of the 2026 FIA WRC is Rally Japan (May 28-31), a home event for GR-WRT that moves forward in the calendar from its usual November slot. Held on twisting asphalt roads across the mountains of the Aichi and Gifu prefectures around Toyota City near Nagoya, the rally is one of the championship’s most technical asphalt contests.
Race Notes:
- No. 99 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson)
- Position: 2nd
- Time: 3 hours, 53 minutes, and 18.0 seconds
- No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin)
- Position: 3rd
Time: 3 hours, 53 minutes, and 30.8 seconds