Toyota's WRC player development program selects three new generation players following Takamoto Katsuta

On the 7th, Toyota GAZOO Racing (TGR) announced three new participants for the "TGR WRC Challenge Program," which aims to train drivers who can compete in the World Rally Championship (WRC). Nao Otake, Hikaru Kogure, and Yuki Yamamoto are aiming to make a breakthrough following Takamoto Katsuta.

Speaking of the TGR WRC Challenge Program, Takamoto Katsuta is currently competing regularly in the top category of the WRC from the "TGR World Rally Team Next Generation". He performed well in last year's WRC Round 6 Safari, finishing second, his personal best, and is expected to make even greater strides this season, as the top category has moved to new regulations.

And TGR has also begun training young drivers to follow Katsuta. Recruitment of new members for the TGR WRC Challenge Program started in August last year, and 8 people were selected from 60 applicants in January this year. (Jyväskylä is also known as the 'host' for the WRC Finland round).

After going through the training camp, the selection of the three participants was based on consideration of their potential (learning ability, etc.) to become a professional rally driver rather than their current skills. The lineup is Nao Otake (age 21), Hikaru Kogure (age 20), and Yuki Yamamoto (age 24) (as of February 7, 2022). These are the players who have participated in rallies held in Japan until now.

The three of them started their training centered on creating pace notes and running on the "Rally 4" machine (the top category machine from this season is "Rally 1"). In April, he will move to Finland and conduct intensive training, and from the summer onwards, he plans to participate in rallies in Europe, including Finland, with a Rally 4 machine.

Chief instructor Mikko Hirvonen (15 WRC wins) said, "I was really impressed with the attitude of the eight candidates who participated in the previous training, and the selection process was not easy." Regarding the three people selected this time, "I felt a strong will to study their own careers well and constantly improve. Also, the degree of growth during the training period, the degree of proficiency with advice from the instructor, and the various pressures. It was also very impressive in terms of how it responded to difficult situations."

Additionally, Hirvonen said, "I believe they have a really bright future ahead. It will be a real challenge for them, but I hope they are well prepared for it." continued. It should be noted that (according to TGR) the decision to continue participating in the program will be made each year based on an evaluation of performance and growth.

This year (finally) the WRC is scheduled to be held in Japan, and with the success of Toyota (TGR-WRT) and Katsuta, the tailwinds surrounding the WRC in Japan are (gradually) getting stronger. situation that continues. It is expected that the three will achieve great growth while making such a place an ally. And I would like Katsuta, who is a “senior”, to aim for his first WRC win as soon as possible (although it will not be easy).