Before we talk about the Toyota GR Yaris. I want to be honest with you, I love cars to a fault, and I love motorsport even more, but I promise you you’ll catch me bantering about 0-100 times, draggy times, and how much power one could harness from an engine, I am no die-hard F1 or rally fan. That said, I viewed the WRC Rally through a very different perspective unlike most motorheads around. While the Rally was undoubtedly scenic and intriguing to watch, my focus was on one thing, the engineering behind it. Mind-bending!
Before I pour my heart out, let us do a brief recap of what the rally is, why it even started, and why it still happens, please note that this is my personal opinion, and whatever I say here is to the best of my knowledge since I am not expert, not by a long shot. The Rally was first held in 1953 in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania and this was to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Later on, it evolved and adopted a special stage format from 1996 through to 2002, and get, according to the WRC website, Kenya’s Shekhar Mehta tops the rally’s roll of honor with a bountiful five wins!
Concerning the WRC Rally 2023 edition, the results were somewhat unsurprising, for me at least. Toyota has been the workhorse of Africa since time immemorial and it would have been quite a surprise to witness other manufacturers sweeping the podium positions if it were not for them. The rally results corroborate my analogy. That said, the outright winners of this rally were:
- Sebastian Ogier/Vincent Landais (France) – Toyota GR Yaris
- Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Hattunen (Finland) – Toyota GR Yaris
- Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Great Britain) – Toyota GR Yaris
- Katsuta Takamoto (Japan)/Aaron Johnson (Ireland) – Toyota GR Yaris
The Kenyan Safarirally.co.ke website has a comprehensive result sheet covering all the competing stages and a comprehensive outline of what and how it went down at the rally.
All images used below are courtesy of Alvin Kibet and Sean Cardovillis.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
Now off to the good part (my favorite at least), the Toyota GR Yaris has proven to be the Queen of the rally, so let us take a superficial dive into what this car is. We all know tackling the African terrain is no joke, with twisty roads, unrealizing wildlife, and rocky gravel paths that could take out most cars. From the WRC website, the specs of the GR Yaris are quite shallow for nerds like me but here goes.
Engine-wise, the GR Yaris runs an inline-4 direct fuel injection and turbocharged engine that is coupled to a hybrid electric system of 3.9kwh paired to a motor-generator unit that delivers at least 134hp/180nm. The engine is mated onto a 5-speed mechanical shift gearbox with a double plate sintered clutch for those quick and precise shifts. If you have watched the in-car videos, you notice the shifter is bidirectional, just forwards and backward, doing away with the fear of missing out a gear.
The engine + hybrid system is claimed to make over 500ps (about 493hp) of power and 500nm of torque channeled to all four wheels by the help of the front and rear mechanical differentials (another reason why I insist Toyota understands this terrain, they keep their systems as simplistic as possible). The front of the car runs McPhearson struts with suspension travel of 270mm. The steering is a hydraulic rack and pinion (again, not electrical). For the Kenyan safari, Toyota fitted a gravel-oriented suspension system, set up the car for higher ride height for better ground clearance thanks to the rocky roads, and had a choice of soft and hard compound Pirelli Scorpion tires.
With all these parts fitted onto the lightweight body, the GR Yaris weighs in at just 40kg shy of 1300 kilos and with that, is capable of a top speed of 201kph which as Toyota insist is ratio specific and with superb acceleration.
While at it, I think it is worth mentioning that besides hybrid technology, the Yaris is capable of running on 100% sustainable fossil-free fuel (a renewable blend of synthetic and bio-fuel components), a first of its kind to ever be used in an FIA motorsport world championship.
This is a wake-up call to all other competing parties in any division of motorsports to remind them that it can be done sustainably while minding the well-being of our environment as we make strides toward sustainable green and renewable energy. That said, you can head over to Toyota Gazoo Racing and check out their in-detail description of the GR Yaris that swept the WRC Rally clean, until then, Adios!
Automotive content writer and self-teaching auto-mechanic.
I will mainly discuss and banter about cars.
