Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team announced on Apr. 3 that it is preparing for the Croatia Rally, which will take place from April 9-12 as round four of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship. This event marks the team’s return to asphalt racing after a year away from Croatia and is the first of several upcoming rallies on this surface.
The rally is significant as it starts a busy period with three events in five weeks and introduces new challenges due to changes in location and route. The base has moved approximately 150 kilometres south-west from Zagreb to Rijeka, with most stages being new to the World Rally Championship. Teams will face unfamiliar terrain, potentially changeable weather, and varying grip levels throughout technical and fast sections.
Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala said, “The Safari Rally was very challenging but it was fantastic for the whole team to see Takamoto take his first victory, and now we look forward to another different challenge with back-to-back asphalt rallies ahead. We have a good record in Croatia so we are looking forward to returning there after a year away, and also to taking on some new roads in a different part of the country. Usually we’ve seen the weather play a big role in the event and our drivers have experienced a wide range of conditions between them in pre-event testing. When the grip levels are changing, a driver can make a big difference if they’re feeling confident. Our car has been performing strongly on asphalt and all our drivers are looking confident lately, so our target will be to try to convert this into a strong result.”
Elfyn Evans leads the drivers’ championship by eight points ahead of teammate Oliver Solberg following his previous win at Croatia in 2023. Takamoto Katsuta joins them after securing his maiden WRC victory in Kenya recently; he completes Toyota’s nominated trio for manufacturers’ points as they defend their current lead.
Yuki Yamamoto returns following recovery from an accident before Rally Sweden: “My recovery has gone well and I’m really looking forward to being back in a rally car in Croatia… Again, we’re not scoring WRC2 points, but if we can put everything together, I’m sure we can have good pace and a good result.”
With multiple teams entering both main class GR Yaris Rally1 cars and GR Yaris Rally2 vehicles across categories including WRC2 honours, observers expect challenging competition over new routes around Rijeka under potentially unpredictable spring weather.
