Full-page Advertisement in Japanese Media After WRC 2024 Event

Congratulatory Message to Hyundai Featured in Major Newspapers

"Enjoyable Rally, Let's Compete Again Next Year"

A full-page advertisement of Toyota Gazoo Racing Team published in major Japanese daily newspapers on the 25th. It featured a Korean phrase congratulating Hyundai Motor's driver on the victory. Photo by Toyota Joint Press Team

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A photo of Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota Motor Group, and Euisun Chung, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, standing side by side was published in major Japanese daily newspapers. This was to encourage each other for their hard work in successfully concluding the global motorsport event, the WRC (World Rally Championship), and to emphasize harmony between the two companies.

On the 25th, Toyota's Gazoo Racing ran a full-page advertisement in 10 major Japanese media outlets, including Asahi and Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The ad conveyed Toyota’s congratulations and gratitude to its competitor Hyundai, with whom they had just finished the 2024 WRC event the previous day.

In the print ad photo, Chairman Toyoda and Toyota Gazoo Racing team members, along with Chairman Chung and Hyundai World Rally Team members, are standing on either side, smiling brightly. Chairmen Toyoda and Chung are each wearing their team’s jumper or uniform, cheering for their respective teams. At the center of the ad, a message in Korean reads, "Congratulations to Chairman Euisun Chung and everyone at Hyundai."

Through the advertisement, Toyota stated, "We enjoyed competing for the championship all the way to the final WRC Rally Japan," and added, "We believe motorsport fans also enjoyed the rally. We look forward to another great competition next year."

This season in WRC, Toyota and Hyundai shared the victories. Toyota took the manufacturer title, while Hyundai claimed the driver title. This is the first time Hyundai has won the driver title, and Toyota achieved its fourth consecutive manufacturer championship.

On the morning of the 24th, while the final Japan rally was underway, Chairman Toyoda met with Korean reporters and said with a smile, "Please write many articles supporting our team," and added, "I also hope you will write many articles about Thierry Neuville of Hyundai, who secured the driver championship."

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a global auto racing event organized by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and, along with Formula One (F1), is considered one of the two pillars of global motorsport. While F1 is a speed competition with multiple cars racing on a set circuit, WRC is a time-based competition where a single car races through various stages, and the fastest time wins.

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The WRC rally, in which Hyundai and Toyota compete, is held from January to November each year across four continents and 13 countries. Participants must prepare for a variety of conditions, including hot summers, cold winters, muddy or rocky mountain stages, slippery icy roads, and paved circuit sections. The WRC season winner is determined by the cumulative results from 13 events. Awards are given in two categories: driver/co-driver and manufacturer.

Another feature of the WRC is that there are sections of the race where competitors drive on public roads alongside regular vehicles. Additionally, the participating cars must be rally cars modified from production models, not purpose-built racing cars.

The WRC rally course consists of Special Stage (SS) sections where vehicles are controlled to quickly record their times, and Road Section (RS) segments that connect the SS sections. On the RS, which are regular roads, drivers must obey the traffic laws and speed limits of each country. If a driver fails to arrive at the SS within the designated time after passing through the RS, a penalty is imposed.

The main rally usually starts on Thursday night and ends on Sunday afternoon. However, preparations for the race typically begin on Monday. From Monday to Wednesday, drivers and co-drivers survey the rally sections in regular cars, each completing their own 'pace notes.' Pace notes refer to the process of recording preliminary information such as the shape and condition of the rally roads, the steering angles required, and the entry speeds for each section.

In an actual race, the codriver acts as a kind of navigator. They provide the driver with real-time driving information such as the angle of upcoming corners and obstacles on the road. Cooperation between the codriver and the driver is crucial to complete a perfect rally.

The FIA, the organizer of the WRC, adopted hybrid vehicles using eco-friendly synthetic fuel called 'e-fuel' as the official specification of the competition starting from the 2022 season. This decision aims to enhance the environmental friendliness of the event itself while promoting the development of e-fuel technology by testing the durability of eco-friendly hybrid engines. A total of three manufacturers participated in this season. Hyundai entered with the i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, Toyota with the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, and Ford with the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.