Ott Tänak will drive a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 at the Rally di Roma Capitale in Italy from July 3-5, 2026. Tänak, who is retiring from the World Rally Championship (WRC) at the end of the 2025 season, will compete in a non-competitive (0-B) car; this will be his first rally event for Toyota since 2019.
What is a brand new vehicle, and how will Tänak perform its duties?
According to Toyota, Tänak and longtime road navigator Martin Järveoja will drive the GR Yaris Rally2 test car through special stages in front of the main race track. This arrangement, where drivers are not racing against a timer, will be carried out using a 0-B car format, allowing organizers to use selected individuals for promotional purposes. Toyota described the primary objective of this mission as gathering technical and logistical information about the asphalt event, which is planned to host the WRC in 2027.
Rome will replace Sardinia on the WRC calendar in 2027.
The Rally di Roma Capitale, the third round of the 2026 European Rally Championship (ERC) season, is projected to replace the Sardinia leg of the 2027 WRC calendar. While the approval process is not yet complete, the event is attracting significant interest from WRC teams this year: Lancia's factory drivers Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin are among those planning to compete in Rome.
Following Tänak's departure from WRC at the end of the 2025 season, Toyota has assigned him a role in the testing program for the new car being developed for the 2027 technical regulations. Tänak and Järveoja will use this demonstration in Rome to familiarize the team with the region and provide data for Toyota's 2027 preparations. Toyota's official statement reads: 'Our GR Yaris Rally2 test car will be in the hands of Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja as a brand-new vehicle at the Rally di Roma Capitale. They will run stages outside the main area, contributing to the preparations for the region to host the WRC in 2027.'‘