Past, Present and Future of Toyota Rally in WRC 9

Mercredi 25 novembre 2020

• All-new GR Yaris Rally Concept introduced in latest WRC 9 update
• Offers gamers and fans a tantalising glimpse into the future
• Gamers can also experience 2020 Yaris WRC and 1999 Corolla WRC

The Toyota GR Yaris is “Born from WRC”, so Toyota and NACON’s collaboration to bring this unique product into the WRC 9 game fulfils Toyota’s goal to excite and engage with car fans everywhere, while offering a tantalising glimpse into a possible future of Toyota rally cars.

The Toyota GR Yaris Rally Concept is inspired by the Toyota GR Yaris-shaped World Rally Car prototype which tested earlier this year. TME, together with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team, GAZOO Racing Company and NACON, collaborated to turn our collective dream into reality as part of TME’s eSports WRC partnership with NACON. The overall winner of this season’s eSports WRC competition will also have a chance to win an all-new Toyota GR Yaris (1).

It is rare for enthusiasts to experience a video game version of a newly-launched road or race car so early in the car’s lifecycle. But Toyota has brought a special rally edition of the Toyota GR Yaris to WRC 9 and the road car version to Gran Turismo Sport (2) during the product’s launch phase, demonstrating the company’s commitment to e-Motorsport and to excite fans everywhere.

For Toyota President Akio Toyoda, the creation of a sports car made purely by Toyota – the first in 20 years – was a personal ambition, which grew when TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT won the WRC Manufacturers’ Championship in 2018.

The Toyota GR Yaris is that car, built from scratch and designed to win at the highest levels. It is Toyota’s second global GR model, following the launch of the GR Supra in 2018.

The GR Yaris is built on a unique platform, combining Toyota’s new GA-B platform (which debuted on the new generation Yaris hatchback) and a rear section adapted from the GA-C platform used for the Corolla and C-HR. Input from the rally team emphasised the importance of light weight which is reflected in the use of aluminium body panels and a forged carbon composite roof, while weight reduction was prioritised throughout the car.

For the best aerodynamic performance, the body itself is unique: although based on the new Toyota Yaris hatchback, it is a three- rather than five-door model, with a lower, tapering roof line. This has been designed to direct wind flow onto the large rear spoiler which generates downforce. As with a competition car, the shaping of the lower body efficiently channels airflow down the sides of the vehicle.

The engine is also all new, a 1.6-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged unit. It is the world’s most powerful three-cylinder engine as well as being the smallest and lightest 1.6 turbo. Producing 261 DIN hp and 360 Nm of torque, it complies with WRC2 technical regulations and can launch the Toyota GR Yaris from rest to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds, and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 230 km/h. Its construction uses features derived directly from motor sport, including a ball bearing turbocharger, large-diameter exhaust valves and multi-jet oil piston cooling.

A kerb weight of just 1,280 kg gives the Toyota GR Yaris an excellent weight-to-power ratio of 4.9 kg per 1 DIN hp.

Engine power is harnessed through a Toyota’s new GR-FOUR permanent, electronically controlled all-wheel drive system. Another competition-inspired feature, this provides three driving modes with different front/rear drive torque to suit the conditions – Normal (60/40 front/rear torque distribution), Track (50/50) and Sport (30/70).

The all new Toyota GR Yaris Rally Concept now joins the already-available 2020 Toyota Yaris WRC and the legendary 1999 Toyota Corolla WRC in WRC 9 to complete a past, present and future experience of Toyota rally in the official WRC game.

Despite a reduced 2020 World Rally Championship season, the Toyota Yaris WRC has performed strongly and is in contention for a double World Championship for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for the first time since Toyota returned to WRC in 2017. Elfyn Evans leads the Drivers’ World Championship by 14 points from teammate Sebastien Ogier, while TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is in second place in the Manufacturers’ standings, trailing by just seven points prior to the season-ending Rally Monza, scheduled to take place next month.

Based on the eighth generation of the world’s best-selling model, the Toyota Corolla WRC was produced by Toyota Motorsport GmbH (recently renamed to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe GmbH), debuting at the 1997 round of Rally Finland with legendary WRC drivers Didier Auriol and Marcus Grönholm behind the wheel. The Toyota Corolla WRC was driven to victory by another Toyota legend, Carlos Sainz, at the 1998 Monte Carlo Rally. In the following year, which would become Toyota’s last season before returning in 2017, the Toyota Corolla WRC won the marque’s final WRC victory at the 1999 Rally China, enabling Toyota to leave the sport on a high with a third Manufactures’ World Championship.

The all-new Toyota GR Yaris Rally Concept is available to anyone who owns WRC 9, the official game of the FIA World Rally Championship, after installing the latest game update which is scheduled to be released in December.

(1) Terms and conditions apply and are available on https://www.wrc.com/en/more/gaming/rules/, subject to availability of the model, a prize fund may be offered to the winner

(2) Information about the Toyota GR Yaris Time Trial in Gran Turismo Sport are available on https://toyotagazooracing.com/e-motorsports/join-entrant-gryaristt/2020/

For more information about Toyota GR Yaris, please visit: https://newsroom.toyota.eu/toyota-yaris-gr/

For more information about WRC9, please visit: https://www.wrcthegame.com/

For more information about eSports WRC, please visit: https://www.wrc.com/en/more/gaming/esports-wrc/

Copyright-free, high-resolution images can be found at https://www.tgr-dam.com/

About NACON

NACON is a company of the BIGBEN Group founded in 2019 to optimize its know-how through strong synergies in the video game market. By bringing together its 8 development studios, the publishing of AA video games, the design and distribution of premium gaming devices, NACON focuses 20 years of expertise at the service of players. This new unified business unit strengthens NACON's position in the market and enables it to innovate by creating new unique competitive advantages. https://corporate.nacongaming.com/

About Kylotonn

Created in 2006, Kylotonn is one the most important French video game development studios, also known under KT Racing label. Specialized in motorsports and official developer of the WRC FIA World Rally Championship series and Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the company is internationally recognized for its know-how and for the passion of its teams. With more than 110 employees as of today in Paris and Lyon, Kylotonn has developed more than 25 titles distributed by major publishers. Kylotonn has forged itself a strong technological expertise thanks to the real-time 3D engine KT Engine that the company owns. At the forefront of the video game industry, this technology is also used within R&D partnerships on autonomous vehicle projects in the automotive industry. Since 2018, NACON, one of Europe's leading video game publishers, holds a 100% stake in the company. Kylotonn is member of the French National Developers Federation (Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo) and Capital Games. The company is supported by BPI, IFCIC and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. For more information, visit www.kylotonn.com.

About WRC Promoter GmbH

WRC Promoter GmbH is responsible for all commercial aspects of the FIA World Rally Championship, including TV production and the marketing of global media and sponsorship rights. The Promoter also has responsibility to increase the field of participants and to propose the venues that form the FIA WRC calendar.

The World Rally Championship is the FIA’s premium rally series. WRC showcases authentic motorsport, high performance cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings ranging from the ice and snow of Scandinavia to the blistering heat of Mexico. Established in its current format in 1973, WRC participants battle for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ world titles at 13 rallies spanning 15 countries and six continents. Additional championship information can be found at www.wrc.com.

About TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing embodies Toyota’s commitment to overcoming every limit to make ‘ever-better’ cars, to forge new technologies and solutions under the extreme conditions of motorsports, and to never stop innovating. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing races its cars to push the limits for better and to learn from the toughest challenges. Competing on every kind of road, no matter what the challenge, inspires TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to build ‘ever-better’ cars and engineer Toyota’s future DNA to bring freedom, adventure and joy of driving to everyone. For more information, visit www.toyotagazooracing.com