Toyota Gazoo Racing arrives at Rally Estonia (July 17-19), round nine of the 2026 World Rally Championship, with all five of its drivers holding the top five places in the standings. It is the first of two back-to-back events on the fast gravel roads of northern Europe, with Rally Finland to follow two weeks later. Elfyn Evans leads the championship, while reigning champion Sébastien Ogier returns to Estonia for the first time since 2021.

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team switches to a very different challenge in Estonia after last month’s rough and rocky Acropolis Rally Greece. Where Greece was about protecting tyres over punishing terrain, Estonia’s smoother, high-speed gravel invites a flat-out fight. It is also the opening act of a fast double-header, with the event feeding straight into Rally Finland, the quickest round of the season and the team’s home rally.

Toyota locks out the top five

All five of the team’s drivers head to Estonia occupying the top five positions in the drivers’ championship. Elfyn Evans leads the table with an 11-point margin over Takamoto Katsuta, who is set to reach a career milestone of 100 WRC starts on the event.

Ogier climbed to third after his win in Greece and now sits 37 points off the lead. According to the team, the Frenchman has not contested Rally Estonia since 2021, making his return one of the storylines of the weekend. The team’s younger pairing of Finland’s Sami Pajari and Sweden’s Oliver Solberg both count fast gravel among their strengths — Solberg won here a year ago on his debut in the GR Yaris Rally1 car.

A busy programme for rising talent

Seven cars run under the TGR WRC Challenge Program in the support categories. WRC2 regular Yuki Yamamoto, fresh from a first podium at Rally Japan and a Power Stage win in Greece, is joined by three category debutants in GR Yaris Rally2 cars: Japan’s Shotaro Goto and Takumi Matsushita, and Estonian driver Jaspar Vaher, who arrives after winning the recent Finnish championship round in Jyväskylä.

In WRC3, Japanese drivers Rio Ogata and Kanta Yanaguida make their category debuts in Rally3 machinery. Across the wider entry, 14 GR Yaris Rally2 drivers feature, among them new WRC2 championship leader Roope Korhonen and fellow Finn Teemu Suninen, winner on his last start in Portugal.

Fast, flowing and heavily rutted

Rally Estonia is known for wide, flowing roads laced with crests and large jumps, but the route also mixes in narrow, technical sections where the soft, sandy surface can cut up badly by the second pass. Based in Tartu, the country’s second largest city, the event runs a more compact format this year, packing 301.8 competitive kilometres into just over 48 hours.

After Friday morning’s shakedown, the action opens with three gravel stages south of Tartu run twice, split by a tyre-fitting zone, before a street stage in Elva closes the day. Saturday runs two northern and two southern stages twice over, plus a super special beside the service park. Two passes of the 24.39 km Kääriku stage, the longest of the rally, settle matters on Sunday.

“The Acropolis Rally was all about managing the tyres, but Estonia should be more of a flat-out fight,” said Deputy Team Principal Juha Kankkunen. “All of our drivers enjoy driving on fast roads and can be strong there.”

What it means

With a clean sweep of the top five, Toyota’s title fight is largely an internal one — but the road-position game matters. As leader, Evans runs first on the road and may benefit if conditions are dry, while those starting further back could gain a cleaner line. Ogier’s return after five years away adds a wildcard to an event the team rates among the most spectacular of the season.

Facts: Rally Estonia 2026

  • Round: 9 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship
  • Dates: July 17-19, 2026
  • Base: Tartu, Estonia
  • Competitive distance: 301.8 km over just over 48 hours
  • Longest stage: Kääriku, 24.39 km
  • Toyota Rally1 drivers: Evans (33), Ogier (1), Katsuta (18), Pajari (5), Solberg (99)

Rally Estonia runs from July 17 to 19, ahead of Rally Finland two weeks later.

Source: newsroom.toyota.eu