WRC 2022 TEAM & DRIVER
DRIVER
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Elfyn Evans
Driver
Born— December 28, 1988 Nationality— UK (Wales)Elfyn Evans is a British rally driver. Son of the former British Rally Championship champion Gwyndaf Evans, Elfyn Evans made his rally debut in 2006 in a Nissan Micra. He appeared in a WRC rally for the first time at the Wales Rally GB in 2007. In 2010, Evans won the British Junior Rally Championship, and secured four victories out of six rallies in the 2012 WRC Academy (now the Junior WRC) as he claimed the series title. He joined M-Sport Ford in 2013, and made a one-off appearance at Rally Italia Sardegna, where he finished sixth overall. The same year, Evans also participated in WRC2 in the Ford Fiesta R5, winning Wales Rally GB, his home event. In 2016, Evans secured three rally victories on his way to second in the WRC2 Driver's Championship. He has participated in the WRC since 2017, a year in which he won the Wales Rally GB and also finished second overall in two further rallies. A series of dependable performances saw Evans finish fifth in the Driver's Championship. In 2019, he held the lead until the final stage at the Tour de Corse, proving his talent as an all-rounder and demonstrating he has the ability to win even on tarmac.
Evans has been a member of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT since 2020. He won victories at Rally Sweden and Rally Turkey, and finished second overall in the Drivers' Championship. In 2021 he also won twice - at Rally Portugal and Rally Finland - and finished second in the Drivers' Championship.【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2021
- Second in WRC for drivers
- 2020
- Second in WRC for drivers
- 2017
- First WRC win (Britain)
- 2016
- British Rally Champion
- 2012
- WRC Academy Champion
- 2010
- British Junior Rally Champion
- 2008
- British and Irish Fiesta Trophy Champion
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Scott Martin
Co-Driver
Born— November 6, 1982 Nationality— UKScott Martin is a British rally co-driver. He works together with Elfyn Evans. Martin made his rally debut in 2001, and was active largely on the domestic U.K. rally scene. In 2004, he made his first WRC appearance at Wales Rally GB, as co-driver to Matthew Wilson, the son of M-Sport founder Malcolm Wilson. Martin began competing in the WRC more seriously from 2006 onward, gaining experience in Group N cars. In 2008, Martin participated fully in the WRC alongside Wilson in a Ford World Rally Car. Since then, he has worked as co-driver to Khalid Al-Qassimi and Craig Breen, and secured two podium finishes in a Citroën World Rally Car. In 2019, Evans returned to his former team, M-Sport Ford, and formed a new pairing with Evans. The two finished third overall at Rally Mexico and Tour de Corse. Despite sitting out three rounds due to an injury to Evans, Martin finished fifth overall in the Co-driver's Championship.
In 2020, Martin joined TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT along with Evans. Together they secured two victories, and Martin achieved his best-ever finish in the Co-drivers' Championship with second overall. In 2021 the pair also won two rallies, in Portugal and Finland, and Martin was again second in the Co-drivers' Championship.【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2021
- Second in WRC for co-drivers
- 2020
- Second in WRC for co-drivers
- 2019
- Fifth in WRC for co-drivers
- 2016
- First WRC podium - Rally Finland overall third
- 2014
- Third in European Rally Championship
- 2007
- Fiesta Sporting Trophy International series champion
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Kalle Rovanperä
Driver
Born— October 1, 2000 Nationality— FinlandKalle Rovanperä is a Finnish rally driver. He is the son of Harri Rovanperä, who won the WRC Rally Sweden in 2001 and was a works driver for Peugeot and Mitsubishi. Even before he acquired his driver's license, Rovanperä honed his driving skills by driving in practice areas that had been closed due to ice, and he had mastered drifting techniques by the age of eight. Rovanperä started his rally career when he was 12, participating in rally sprints in Latvia. In Latvia, a driver's license is not required to take part in rallying, and Rovanperä took part in many events, with his co-driver taking the wheel on public roads. He won the Latvian R2 class in 2015, before securing the championship in the Open Class two years in a row. In 2016, Rovanperä expanded his sphere of activities outside Latvia, and made his WRC2 debut at the 2017 Wales Rally GB. He took his maiden WRC2 victory at Rally Australia later the same season. In 2018, he was selected as a works driver for the Škoda Motorsport team, and secured two victories on his way to third overall in the WRC2 Driver's Championship. In 2019, he participated in WRC2 Pro, the highest category for R5 rally cars; behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia R5, Rovanperä won five rallies and clinched the Driver's Championship.
Rovanperä joined TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT for the 2020 season. Despite it being his first full season in a World Rally Car, the Finn stood on the podium with third place at the second event of the season, Rally Sweden. In 2021 he became the youngest ever driver to win a WRC round when he triumphed on Rally Estonia, before also claiming victory on the Acropolis Rally in Greece.【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2021
- Fourth in WRC for drivers
- 2020
- Fifth in WRC for drivers
- 2019
- WRC 2 Pro champion, five wins
- 2018
- Third in WRC 2, two wins
- 2017
- First WRC 2 win (Australia)
- 2017
- Latvian Rally Champion
First WRC 2 win (Australia)
- 2016
- Latvian Rally Champion
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Jonne Halttunen
Co-Driver
Born— December 13, 1985 Nationality— FinlandJonne Halttunen is a Finnish rally co-driver. He works together with Kalle Rovanperä. He made his first appearance as a co-driver in 2009, in a domestic Finnish rally. In 2011, he began to participate in more events, appearing in rallies in both Finland and Estonia, before expanding his sphere of activities to include the whole of Europe. Halttunen made his WRC debut at the 2011 Rally Finland, and took part in Rally Finland every year alongside drivers such as Matias Kauppinen and Teemu Asunmaa. In 2017, Halttunen teamed up with Rovanperä for the first time, taking part in WRC2 at Wales Rally GB and Rally Australia in a Ford Fiesta R5. In 2018, he participated in the entire WRC2 series together with Rovanperä, securing two wins in the Škoda Fabia R5 and placing third overall in the Co-driver's Championship. In 2019, Halttunen recorded 10 podium finishes, including five victories, as he won the Co-driver's Championship. Halttunen joined TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT for the 2020 season alongside Rovanperä, finishing fifth overall in the Co-drivers' Championship. In 2021 they claimed their first two WRC victories on Rally Estonia and Acropolis Rally Greece, and Halttunen finished fourth in the Co-drivers' Championship.
【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2021
- Fourth in WRC for co-drivers
- 2020
- Fifth in WRC for co-drivers
- 2019
- WRC 2 Pro champion, five wins
- 2018
- Third in WRC 2, two wins
- 2017
- Finnish Rally Championship SM1 class champion
First WRC 2 win (Australia)
- 2017
- Finnish Rally Championship SM1 class champion
- 2016
- Finnish Rally Championship SM2 class champion
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Sébastien Ogier
Driver
Born— December 17, 1983 Nationality— FranceSébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He began his rally career in 2005, when he was selected to take part in the FFSA Rallye Jeunes, a talent-spotting event organized by the French Federation of Automobile Sport. In 2007, he won the Peugeot 206 Cup, then went on to secure the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008. Impressed by his performances, Citroën provided Ogier with the opportunity to compete in the final rally of the 2008 season, Wales Rally GB. Despite this being his first appearance in a World Rally Car, Ogier recorded the fastest time in SS1 and held the rally lead until SS5. In 2009, he became a member of the Citroën Junior Team, where he won his first WRC event at the 2010 Rally de Portugal. The following year, Ogier clinched five rally victories on his way to third place in the Driver's Championship. In 2013, he joined Volkswagen Motorsport and won four consecutive driver's championships between 2013 and 2016. He moved to M-Sport Ford in 2017, where he added a further two championships; this meant he had won an incredible six WRC Driver's Championships in a row. Ogier returned to Citroën in 2019, before moving to the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT for 2020. He won two rallies for his new team and secured his seventh drivers' championship in the process. Ogier extended his full-time WRC career by one more season as he stayed with the team for 2021, and he began the season by claiming his 50th WRC victory on Rallye Monte-Carlo. Four further wins followed as he clinched his eighth drivers' championship. He will continue to participate in selected rounds in 2022, sharing a car with Esapekka Lappi.
【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2021
- Eighth drivers' championship victory
- 2020
- Seventh drivers' championship victory
- 2013-18
- Six consecutive WRC titles
- 2010
- First WRC wins (Portugal and Japan)
- 2008
- Junior WRC Champion
- 2007
- French 206 Cup Champion
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Benjamin Veillas
Co-Driver
Born— February 26, 1978 Nationality— FranceBenjamin Veillas is a French rally co-driver. He works together with Sébastien Ogier. He began co-driving in 1997 and was mostly active in the French domestic scene. In 2010 he finished third on Rallye Monte-Carlo alongside Nicolas Vouilloz, when the event was a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. At the end of 2014 he teamed up with up-and-coming French driver Eric Camilli, and in 2015 they competed in WRC2, finishing second in the class on Rallye Deutschland and on Rally GB. Camilli was then promoted to the M-Sport World Rally Team for 2016, resuming his relationship with Veillas from round three onwards, and together they finished fifth overall on Rally Portugal. For 2017 they returned to WRC2, taking class victory on Rallye Deutschland, and Veillas finished second in the Co-drivers’ Championship. At M-Sport, Veillas also began working with Ogier during tests, and served as a member of Ogier’s gravel crew during his 2020 and 2021 championship-winning seasons with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT. In 2022, following the retirement of Julien Ingrassia, Veillas will serve as Ogier’s co-driver as they contest selected rounds of the WRC.
【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2019
- WRC 2 victory, Rally Spain
- 2017
- WRC 2 runner-up, one win
- 2016
- Fifth place, Rally Portugal
- 2015
- Sixth in WRC 2
- 2010
- Third place, Rallye Monte-Carlo
- 1999
- First WRC rally
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Vincent Landais
Co-Driver
Born— October 17, 1991 Nationality— FranceVincent Landais is a French rally co-driver. He works together with Sébastien Ogier as of Rally Japan 2022. He began co-driving in 2010 in domestic competitions in France. At the end of 2013 he began competing regularly in European Rally Championship events, alongside Robert Consani and later Jonathan Hirschi, with whom he made the switch to the WRC 2 class during 2015. At the end of that year he joined forces with Pierre-Louis Loubet in the Junior WRC, before they stepped up to WRC 2 for 2016. In 2019 Landais won the WRC 2 title alongside Loubet after they scored class victory in both Portugal and Sardinia. In 2020 they moved up to the top category with the Hyundai 2C Competition team. After starting 2022 as part of Ogier’s gravel crew at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT for Rallye Monte-Carlo, Landais then returned to competition with Loubet for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and finished fourth overall in Sardinia and Greece. For Rally Japan he will debut as Ogier’s co-driver at TGR WRT.
【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2022
- Fourth place, Rally Italy and Acropolis Rally
- 2020
- Seventh place, Rally Italy
- 2019
- WRC 2 champion, two wins
- 2016-18
- 10th in WRC 2
- 2012
- First WRC rally
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Esapekka Lappi
Driver
Born— January 17, 1991 Nationality— FinlandEsapekka Lappi is a Finnish rally driver. As a teenager he was a national karting champion, before he switched to rallying and made his WRC debut at Rally Finland in 2011. In 2012 he won the Finnish Rally Championship with seven wins from seven rallies. After signing with Škoda he was second in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 2013, then became European Rally Champion in 2014. He moved on to WRC2 and came third in the championship in 2015 before claiming the championship in 2016. In 2017 he joined TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT and made his World Rally Car debut on Rally Portugal before claiming his maiden victory in just his fourth event; Rally Finland. He went on to finish third in Sardinia, Germany and Britain in 2018. In 2019 and 2020, Lappi competed for other teams. He started 2021 with WRC2 wins in Arctic Rally Finland and Rally de Portugal before returning to a Toyota Yaris WRC as a privateer for Rally Finland and finishing fourth overall. In 2022 he rejoins TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT, sharing a car with Sébastien Ogier.
【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2018
- Rally Italia, Rallye Deutschland 3rd in WRC
- 2017
- First WRC victory – Rally Finland
- 2016
- WRC 2 World Champion
- 2014
- European Rally Champion
- 2013
- First WRC 2 victory – Rally Portugal
- 2011
- First WRC rally
- 2009
- First rally
- 2008
- Rallysprint (won all races)
- 2007
- Karting Finnish Champion
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
Janne Ferm
Co-Driver
Born— August 29, 1980 Nationality— FinlandJanne Ferm is a Finnish rally co-driver. He began rallying in 2005 and competed in the Finnish Rally Championship alongside Andreas Amberg in 2009 before linking up with Esapekka Lappi in 2010. His WRC debut came alongside Lappi at Rally Finland in 2011, and in 2012 the pair won the Finnish Rally Championship. Ferm joined Lappi in signing with Škoda Motorsport, and in 2014 he became European champion before claiming the WRC2 title in 2016. He graduated with Lappi to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT in 2017 and celebrated victory on their home event, Rally Finland. In 2018 they claimed podiums together in Sardinia, Germany and Britain before moving on to other teams for 2019 and 2020. After finishing fourth on Rally Finland 2021 in a privately-entered Toyota Yaris WRC, Ferm remains by Lappi’s side as they return to the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT line-up for a partial schedule of rallies in 2022.
【CAREER HIGHLIGHTS】
- 2018
- Rally Italia, Rallye Deutschland 3rd in WRC
- 2017
- First WRC victory – Rally Finland
- 2016
- WRC 2 World Champion
- 2014
- European Rally Champion
- 2013
- First WRC 2 victory – Rally Portugal
- 2011
- First WRC rally
- 2007
- First rally
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
TEAM
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- Team ChairmanAkio Toyoda
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- Team PrincipalJari-Matti Latvala
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- Project DirectorYuichiro Haruna
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- Sporting DirectorKaj Lindström
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- Technical DirectorTom Fowler