Toyota Gazoo Racing has created the GR Corolla RC2, whose testing program was led by world championship stars Jari-Mati Latvala and Juha Haninen. The all-new Corolla will make its debut in the American Rally Association (ARA) championship 100 Acre Wood Rally competition in March, with US off-road racer Seth Quintero at the wheel.
Foto: Toyota Gazoo Racing
The 23-year-old Quintero will start in seven stages of the season. Toyota is considering the possibility of applying for a second car in 2026 at certain stages of the ARA.
This is Toyota’s third rally version of the Corolla, following the TE20/27 (the car that won Hanna Mikola’s 1000 Lakes Rally in 1975) and later the Corolla WRC, which took the Japanese manufacturer to the World Manufacturers’ WRC Championship title in its final season in 1999.
Since then, Toyota has focused on the Yaris model in rallying.
Foto: Toyota Gazoo Racing
In cooperation with a US company Rallysport Servicesthe development of the rally version of the “GR Corolla” began shortly after the production debut of the car at the Tokyo Motor Show in early 2025. The GR Corolla RC2 draws on the experience gained from developing the GR Yaris Rally2 car, which won two WRC2 titles in a row. The car is equipped with the same 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbo engine. As the RC2 designation suggests, the car’s performance will be, in Toyota’s words, ”roughly equivalent to Rally2 level” and will be classified in the ARA RC2 category.
Explaining the car’s entry into the USA rally, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s statement says: “In developing the GR Corolla rally car, TGR-WRT takes the rich rally heritage of the Corolla model and continues to expand its use of motorsport to create ever better street cars.” At the same time, we hope to support the development of rallying in North America, where the GR Corolla is already available as a rally-inspired sports car for everyday roads.”
Foto: Toyota Gazoo Racing
Quintero, who is already part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team in the World Rally Championship, admits that he still has a lot to learn. The Californian has already tested the Corolla with Latvala and Haninen.
”I am very excited and grateful to Toyota Gazoo Racing for this opportunity. I am very honored to join this team, enjoy this experience and learn a lot. It’s a completely new challenge for me – to switch to classic rally. In W2RC races, I’m used to doing 500 kilometers a day or even more, so going up to 100 kilometers a day will be a completely different intensity. Switching between the light and nimble GR Corolla and the big DKR GR Hilux will be like two different worlds – even though they share many nuances and driving characteristics. The car has been fantastic to test drive so far and the team has given me a very warm welcome. I have huge respect for everyone involved in this project and I really look forward to making the team proud and enjoying this journey together.” so Sets Quintero.
