Toyota had just one more target from its successful 2022 World Rally Championship campaign: a win at home as the series returned to Japan for the finale. The land of the rising sun, back on the calendar after a 12-year wait, was expecting a Toyota homecoming party, but arch South Korean rival Hyundai ripped up the script.
The pressure valve had been slightly released, with Toyota having already completed a clean sweep of titles thanks to Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen blitzing their way to the drivers’ and co-drivers’ crowns in New Zealand last month, followed by the capture of the manufacturers’ championship in Spain. But with its homeland hosting the WRC season finale in Toyota City, the pressure ratcheted up again, and the marque was expected to deliver in front of thousands of passionate fans who lined the streets and crammed the service park at Toyota Stadium for a sight of the now-revered GR Yaris.
For Toyota it didn’t go to plan, and ultimately it was a rally conquered by Hyundai. One by one Toyota’s key fighters primed to deliver the coveted victory began to fall, setting up a highly impressive 1-2 for Hyundai
