Toyota Strengthens Links with UK Round of the FIA World Rally Championship

• Toyota becomes Official Car Partner to Dayinsure Wales Rally GB
• Title partner to the Toyota RallyFest at Cholmondeley Castle
• Event vehicles powered by hybrid engines built in Wales at Toyota’s Deeside plant

Dayinsure Wales Rally GB, Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship, is delighted to announce an extensive new partnership that will see Toyota not only become the event’s ‘Official Car Partner’ but also take title sponsorship of the family-focused Toyota RallyFest at Cholmondeley Castle.

Toyota returned to the WRC with a factory-backed team at the start of this season, but has played a pivotal role in the staging of the UK’s WRC event since 2013, when Toyota Manufacturing UK first hosted the Deeside Service Park on-site at its engine manufacturing centre.

Toyota is also supporting a schools’ design competition, organised by the Welsh Government and Dayinsure Wales Rally GB. The winning livery will be applied to a Toyota GT86 coupe and displayed in the Rally Village.

As ‘Official Car Partner’, Toyota will supply a fleet of liveried vehicles for use on the event by key members of the organisation team, safety crews and international dignitaries.

The versatility of the company’s range will be fully demonstrated with Land Cruisers employed as Safety Cars running on the rally route ahead of the competition cars; Toyota Hilux pick-ups used by crews setting up the competitive stages; and Proace Verso MPVs ferrying rally personnel between venues.

Toyota Auris Touring Sports and Toyota C-HR hybrids will also be supplied, equipped with engines manufactured at the Deeside facility. The use of these state-of-the-art petrol-electric hybrids will contribute further to the rally’s already pace-setting sustainability credentials.

Many of these vehicles will be out in force at the Toyota RallyFest at Cholmondeley Castle on 28 October – a family-friendly speed test in the grounds of the famous stately home in Cheshire. A selection of Toyota’s classic rally cars will also be on display, offering the many thousands of visitors a wonderful showcase of the company’s rallying heritage.

“We have built up a great relationship with Toyota at Deeside during the past four years,” said Ben Taylor, Managing Director of Dayinsure Wales Rally GB. “The company has been a fantastic supporter of the rally, not just as our landlord, but also in giving its backing for various initiatives with young people, such as the Big Bang exhibition and Dare to be Different. With Toyota’s return to the WRC this year, the Official Car Partnership was a natural progression and we look forward to working closely together on the 2017 event.”

Andrew Cullis, Toyota (GB) Marketing Director, said: “Our partnership with Dayinsure Wales Rally GB and support for RallyFest gives us a great opportunity not only to celebrate our return to the pinnacle of world rally competition, but also to demonstrate our leadership in advanced technologies for road cars. It’s fitting that our new petrol-electric hybrid models will be helping with the smooth running of the rally, right on the doorstep of where their engines are manufactured in Wales.”

The newly formed TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team, run by four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Mäkinen, has taken outright WRC wins in both Sweden and Finland this year. Those two successes in Scandinavia will give the team strong confidence heading into the Welsh forests – more so, as its line-up of Yaris WRC drivers includes Jari-Matti Latvala, one of only two past winners taking part in the event.

Tickets for the Toyota RallyFest at Cholmondeley Castle are on sale with significant savings for those buying in advance. What’s more, accompanied children aged under 16 are offered FREE admission.

Priced at just £23 (£30 on the day), advance tickets include free car parking, a copy of the Official Programme (value £9) plus a full day of entertainment including historic rally car displays, supercars, stunt bikes, fairground rides, climbing wall, inflatable obstacle course, segways, an autograph session with the world’s top drivers and, of course, the chance to see the sensational new-era World Rally Championship cars in action.

There’s also the option of the Rally Xtra @ Cholmondeley Castle package which includes a morning bacon roll, hearty hot lunch, dedicated VIP parking, premium toilet facilities, free tea and coffee, pay bar and a private viewing area adjacent to the dramatic Dayinsure Donut.

Full details of 2017 Dayinsure Wales Rally GB including route, timetable and ticket information can be found on the official www.walesrallygb.com website.

Notes to Editors

About Wales Rally GB: Since its inception in 1932, the International Rally of Great Britain has been run 72 times. Enforced stoppages have included World War 2, Suez Crisis (1957) and Foot and Mouth (1967). It is one of only two events (along with Finland) to have retained its status as both a qualifying and scoring round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) since the championship was established in 1973.

Dayinsure Wales Rally GB is the penultimate round of this year’s WRC and is organised and promoted by International Motor Sports Ltd (IMS), the commercial arm of the Motor Sports Association, the governing body of UK motor sport. Branded as Wales Rally GB since 2003 when the Welsh Government became the principal funding partner, the rally is based out of a central Rally Village in Deeside with competitive stages throughout north and mid Wales.

The event’s official website is www.walesrallygb.com and provides regular news updates as well as a link to copyright-free images.

Sustainability: Dayinsure Wales Rally GB achieved the FIA Institute Environmental Accreditation at the highest level of ‘Excellence’ in 2016. The organisers will continue to make the event more sustainable and reduce its impact on the environment. Where possible the use of locally sourced produce and recyclable products will be encouraged.

About Dayinsure: Established in 2005 and backed by Aviva and Allianz, Dayinsure has grown into one of the UK’s leading short term online car insurance firms. Based in Tarporley, Cheshire, Dayinsure provides customers with an easy way to add an additional driver to their vehicle or a cost effective way of insuring themselves on another vehicle on a temporary basis. Find out more by visiting: www.dayinsure.com.

Accreditation: Media accreditation for the 2017 Dayinsure Wales Rally GB is now open until Wednesday 27 September and full details can be found at www.walesrallygb.com/media.

Media Contacts: 
Wales Rally GB: Jonathan Gill, Wales Rally GB Media Office, MPA Creative, High Barn, Effingham, Surrey KT24 5PR.

Tel:01372 414120 or 07860 563000

E-mail: Jonathan.Gill@MPACreative.com

For high-resolution imagery from previous events, visit www.walesrallygb-images.com (Username: WalesRallyGBMedia / Password: WRGB2016) or www.at-world.com (Username: walesrallygb / Password: atworldphotosgb).