TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will expand its rallying activities in North America in 2026 by entering the all-new GR Corolla RC2 rally car in the American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship, the leading rally series in the United States.
The GR Corolla Rally RC2 is based on the GR Corolla Rally Concept first shown publicly at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2025. Since then, the car has undergone extensive development under the direction of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT), working closely with Rallysport Services, an organisation formed by ARA promoter Lance Smith.
The project draws heavily on TGR-WRT’s experience at the highest level of the sport. Toyota has won six WRC manufacturers’ titles since 2018, and that knowledge has been transferred into the GR Corolla’s development. (Article continues after photo.)
Technically, the GR Corolla RC2 shares much of its DNA with the highly successful GR Yaris Rally2 car. It features a 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine and a four-wheel-drive system, and has been designed for national-level competition. In the ARA, it will compete in the RC2 class. Toyota says the GR Corolla RC2’s performance is “roughly equivalent to Rally2 level”.
Toyota also views the programme as an opportunity to support the growth of rallying in North America, a key market where the GR Corolla is already sold as a rally-inspired performance car for the road. For reference, the Toyota Yaris and GR Yaris models are not sold in the United States, making the GR Corolla the brand’s natural rally platform for the North American market. (Article continues after photo.)
Quintero to drive Toyota GR Corolla RC2 Rally to contest seven ARA rounds in 2026, Latvala and Hänninen involved in development testing
One GR Corolla RC2 will contest seven rounds of the 2026 ARA season, starting with the 100 Acre Wood Rally on 13–14 March. The 100 Acre Wood Rally is the second round of the 2026 ARA season. The car will be driven by 23-year-old American Seth Quintero, who already represents Toyota in the FIA World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC). He will be co-driven by experienced Finnish co-driver Topi Luhtinen.
Quintero has played an active role in the car’s development testing on North American roads, working alongside TGR-WRT drivers including TGR WRC Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hänninen. Toyota is also evaluating the possibility of entering a second GR Corolla RC2 on selected events during the season. (Article continues after photo.)
“I’m very excited and grateful to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for this opportunity. It’s truly an honour to link up with this team and to hopefully enjoy it and learn a lot. It’s a new challenge for me to go stage rallying.
“I’m used to driving 500 kilometres a day or more in W2RC, so doing up to 100 km a day will bring a different intensity, and switching between the light and nimble GR Corolla and the bigger DKR GR Hilux will be two different worlds – but they are also similar in a lot of aspects and in the driving characteristics,” Quintero said.
Photos: Toyota GAZOO Racing
