TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is all set to attack another asphalt spectacular when Rally Islas Canarias hosts round five of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship on April 23-26.
The team arrives on the island of Gran Canaria with Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta leading the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career, following back-to-back victories on the demanding dirt tracks of Safari Rally Kenya in March and challenging asphalt roads of the Croatia Rally just last week.
GR YARIS Rally1 drivers currently fill the top four places in the standings. Elfyn Evans is second, seven points away from Katsuta, with Oliver Solberg six points further back in third. TGR-WRT2 driver Sami Pajari is fourth, 29 points from the lead, after finishing on the podium in each of the last three events. Returning to action to complete a full-strength line-up for this event is reigning world champion Sébastien Ogier, who sits sixth in the championship having contested two rounds so far this year.
TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto begins his WRC2 points-scoring campaign after a promising return to action in Croatia and is one of eight GR Yaris Rally2 drivers entered into the class. He is joined by Spanish star Alejandro Cachón, Paraguayan pairing Diego Domínguez and Andrea Lafarja, Canary Islands champion Enrique Cruz, Northern Ireland’s Philip Allen, Austrian Johannes Keferböck and French WRC2 debutant Adrien Mosca.
While Rally Islas Canarias only made its WRC debut in 2025, returning a Spanish round to the calendar, this will be the 50th edition of the event.
In contrast to the often dirty, broken and slippery asphalt experienced in Croatia, the roads that wind across the mountainous terrain of Gran Canaria usually offer consistently high grip thanks to a surface made partly from volcanic lava. This draws comparisons to racing circuits, but the room for error is still small with stages often lined by barriers on one side and rock on the other. The abrasive asphalt makes tyre wear a consideration, and although the island’s location off the coast of northwest Africa makes it a popular warm and sunny holiday destination, changeable conditions can also blow in from the Atlantic Ocean.
The rally is again based in the island’s capital city Las Palmas with the service park located at the Gran Canaria Stadium, which this year also hosts a super special stage that opens the event on Thursday night. The same test is repeated to round out Friday after two loops of three mountain stages. Another loop of three stages is run twice to form the longest day of the rally on Saturday, with a pair of repeated tests to conclude the event on Sunday.
Quotes:
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“Rally Islas Canarias is a very nice event. I have done the rally many times myself and the roads are really enjoyable to drive. There is a great passion for rallying, as we all experienced when the WRC went for the first time last year, and we look forward to returning for the 50th edition. We had a very strong performance last year, when we finished 1-2-3-4. I’m sure it could be closer between the different cars this time, like we saw in Croatia, but I’m feeling quite confident. Both Taka and Sami are driving very well at the moment with good confidence and this is a rally that can suit them. Elfyn and Oliver both showed their speed on Sunday in Croatia, which is promising for the Canaries. We also have a certain Sébastien Ogier back with us, so I think we have good chances.”
