Toyota Gazoo Racing to debut hydrogen Rally2 car at Rally Finland
Toyota Gazoo Racing will debut the GR Yaris Rally2 H2 Concept, a rally car equipped with a hydrogen engine, at Rally Finland, taking place from 31 July to 3 August.
Toyota has been competing with a hydrogen engine Corolla since 2021 in Japan’s Super Taikyu endurance circuit racing series, accelerating its efforts to create ever-better motorsports-bred cars and realise a carbon-neutral society. Jari-Matti Latvala, Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team Principal is among the drivers who have raced with the innovative powertrain and provided feedback for its development.
The technology was demonstrated for the first time on European rally stages in 2022 when the experimental GR Yaris H2 debuted at the FIA World Rally Championship round in Belgium, driven by Akio Toyoda and Juha Kankkunen.
Since then, development has continued to create the Rally2 H2 Concept, which will be demonstrated at Rally Finland to show fans the potential of hydrogen as an option for the future of motorsport in carbon-neutral society.
The car is based on the successful GR Yaris Rally2 chassis, fitted with an internal combustion engine fuelled by compressed hydrogen. It delivers near-zero emissions while retaining the sounds and sensation so enjoyed by rally fans.
It has been developed at TGR-WRT headquarters in Jyväskylä, Finland, and tested on local roads, including runs on gravel forest roads like those used in Rally Finland. For its public debut, the car will be demonstrated on the mixed-surface Harju stage in the centre of Jyväskylä, which will be the opening stage of the rally, and again as special stage 10 of the event the following day. Four-time world champion Kankkunen, Deputy Team Principal of TGR-WRT, will be at the wheel.
The car will also be exhibited in the service park during the event alongside other hydrogen vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai saloon and Tundra pick-up, as part of a wider showcase of hydrogen technology across the city of Jyväskylä.
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