Round nine of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Finland, ran from July 31 to August 3.
The contest unfolded chiefly on gravel roads in the forests around the city of Jyväskylä. This rally is renowned as one of the WRC’s fastest, with average speeds reaching 130 km/h.
For the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT), which is also based in the city, the event is something of a home rally. The team fielded five cars and achieved a historic victory by sweeping the top five spots on the leaderboard.
First overall was Finnish-born Kalle Rovanperä. Local fans cheered as he clinched his long-awaited first victory on home soil.
In second place came Takamoto Katsuta, who in 2015 was among the first cohort of young drivers to be brought up in the WRC Challenge Program, and had honed his skills while living in Jyväskylä. Commenting on the result, he said, “Placing well in Finland is the best feeling both personally and as a driver.”
TGR-WRT rounded out the top spots with Sébastien Ogier in third, Elfyn Evans in fourth, and Sami Pajari finishing fifth.
Watch the episode to see the team’s unprecedented achievement, as well as thrilling footage of high-speed drifting and massive jumps.
We also captured a demo run by the GR2 Yaris Rally2 H2 Concept, the world’s first rally car running on gaseous hydrogen. Behind the wheel was legendary driver Juha Kankkunen, a four-time WRC world champion. What were his impressions of the car?
During the rally, we also checked out an event showcasing different uses for hydrogen. Grills, stone ovens, and other items that have previously appeared on Toyota Times are helping to create more hydrogen fans in Finland.
Some two months after this episode, it will be time once again for Rally Japan (November 6-9). We hope our behind-the-scenes look at the latest rally event will get everyone excited for the next one.