Toyota Gazoo rally team achieves an all-Yaris podium in historic Ralleye Deutschland triumph

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s World Rally Team made history in Germany last week, with three team members, each competing in a Toyota Yaris WRC rally car, taking the top three spots at Ralleye Deutschland 2019.

Finishing first, driver Ott Tänak increased his overall lead to 33 points for the season. Teammates Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala joined him on the podium, finishing second and third, respectively, for the event.

Sweeping the top three spots at Ralleye Deutschland brings the Toyota team within eight points of an overall lead for the season in the manufacturer’s championship.

At the individual level, Tanak currently tops the standings for the season.

“It’s an amazing result for the team, so I’m sure there will be big celebrations tonight, and also when we go to visit the team at TMG here in Germany tomorrow,” Tanak said, following the historic sweep. “We still have four more rounds to go and we need to stay focused and give our maximum. The championship is still tight, and we’ve seen this weekend that nothing is coming easy. We were not always the fastest but we were more consistent, and in the end we managed to get the victory. The main job was done yesterday and today we just had to bring home the 1-2-3.”

Running from August 22-25, Ralleye Deutschland was the 10th event of the 14-round 2019 World Rally Championship season, which launched at Monte Carlo in January. The next round, Rally of Turkey, is set for September 12-15.

Run on gravel, Rally Turkey is “a grueling event” according to Toyota, characterized by rocky course and high temperatures.

The season wraps up in November with Rally Australia, with rounds in Wales and Spain following Rally of Turkey.

Participating manufacturer teams this year include Citroën, Ford, Hyundai and Toyota.