Toyota to box 5 automobiles in Monte Carlo 2025 WRC opener

Seventy crews will take on the 2025 Global Rally Championship season opener in Monte Carlo following the discharge of the development’s access listing.

Monte Carlo will kick off the expanded 14-round WRC season from 23-26 January with 10 entries representing the highest Rally1 magnificence for the asphalt curtain raiser.

The access listing is headed via new global champion Thierry Neuville, who will pilot certainly one of 3 Hyundai i20 N entries, along 2019 global champion Ott Tanak and new Hyundai signing Adrien Fourmaux. 

As up to now reported, Neuville will change his #11 for #1 because the quantity makes a go back to the WRC for the primary time since 2022. Hyundai may be no longer anticipated to debut its closely upgraded i20 N till later within the season. 

Toyota will make up part of the Rally1 box with the Eastern marque and reigning producers’ champions opting to box 5 GR Yaris entries. 

Final season’s identify runner-up Elfyn Evans might be joined via Sebastien Ogier, a record-holding nine-time Monte Carlo Rally winner. The development will mark the primary of a partial WRC marketing campaign for the eight-time global champion.

Takamoto Katsuta, two-time global champion Kalle Rovanpera, creating a full-time go back for 2025 and new signing, 2024 WRC2 champion, Sami Pajari whole Toyota’s line-up. Evans, Rovanpera and Ogier had been registered to attain producer issues.            

M-Game-Ford will input two Ford Puma Rally1s for Gregoire Munster, who has been retained via the British squad for 2025, along new recruit Josh McErlean, who steps up from WRC2. McErlean will run below #55 for his maiden season in rallying’s most sensible tier.

This season will see the Rally1 automobiles run with out hybrid energy following a transformation to the technical rules for 2025, whilst the championship will welcome Hankook as its new keep watch over tyre provider.

A box of 24 WRC2 entries will bring together for the hole around of the season. Name contender from final yr Yohan Rossel and previous team-mate Nikolay Gryazin headline the access. The latter will make a transfer from Citroen to Skoda equipment. 

Final yr’s WRC2 identify runner-up Oliver Solberg is at the access listing however has opted to not ranking championship issues as he makes his debut riding a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 automobile for Printsport.

Gus Greensmith may be again in the back of the wheel, riding a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 however isn’t scoring issues in Monte Carlo. 

Iron Dames will make its WRC debut with Sarah Rumeau set to pilot a Sarrazin Motorsport-run Citroen C3 Rally2.