Up close and personal with a modern-day Toyota World Rally Championship car

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) has achieved an incredible clean sweep of the top four positions on Safari Rally Kenya for the second year in succession: Sébastien Ogier winning the epic African event ahead of teammates Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta.

TGR-WRT remains unbeaten on the most brutal round of the FIA World Rally Championship since it returned to the calendar in 2021. The 1-2-3-4 finish comes 30 years to the month since Toyota first recorded such a result in Kenya with the Celica ST185, something it repeated with the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid in 2022. 

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A recent trip to the World Rally Championship Safari Rally Kenya was a great opportunity to see and hear the latest WRC cars in action. During midday service, it also allowed me to get up close and personal with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid as technicians battled the clock to get their cars ready for the next round of stages on the notoriously rough Safari rally.

The Safari Rally is arguably the toughest event on the calendar and sees teams race flat out across rough African gravel that is littered with rocks and extremely fine dust while dodging Zebra and Giraffe. While these cars are extremely well built, the Safari Rally and its African conditions really test their durability to the maximum.

During the 40-minute service, the team will go through the entire car and replace several service items, such as filters and brakes. At the Safari Rally, all four corners, including wishbones and shocks, are entirely replaced with refurbished units as preventative maintenance. 

The suspension layout has been somewhat simplified and now