Error code: %{errorCode}
How a WRC team prepares for the South American double header
It’s easy to marvel at the world’s best drivers tackling the planet’s toughest roads in the World Rally Championship from the armchair. But this can only happen after an impressive Herculean logistical challenge completed away from the television cameras.
The WRC’s South American double header offers up a unique challenge for the championship, with rallies taking place on the South American continent in Paraguay and Chile, separated by only a week. This provides its own set of hurdles for the WRC and its teams, without a return to the comfort of team workshops in between events to prepare and re-build the cars.
This week the WRC circus has travelled from Paraguay, which played host to round 10, to Chile, ready to take the next instalment of the season, held on the South American nation’s abrasive gravel roads. So what does it take to tackle the WRC’s only flyaway double header of the season?
Toyota has offered a rare insight into the logistical challenge that face teams to allow the world’s best rally drivers to strut their stuff in pursuit of the coveted world title. While for many this South American trip is a three-week odyssey, in truth the work begins for these events many months in advance.
In order to compete in Paraguay and Chile, the WRC cars are air freighted, while spare parts and all the items required to run the team at a rally are packed into containers that arrive by sea. Toyota shipped nine containers by sea on 13 June. The sea freight containers include the team’s five recce cars, a kitchen, two workshops and one spare parts container. Meanwhile, 15 air freight containers transporting items including the rally cars took off on 14 August. This process is all carried out by DHL as the team’s transport logistics partner.
Once the freight has arrived in Paraguay and is transported to the rally’s Encarnación service park, work begins on creating Toyota’s temporary home away from home and its operations headquarters for the rally.
A team of 10 personnel are required to build Toyota’s impressive temporary service park structures which includes its tents to house its five GR Yaris Rally1 cars, it’s hospitality and buildings for its operations staff. It’s a process that takes three days to construct and takes only a day to dismantle.
Toyota
Nineteen rally stages later and with the celebrations of Toyota’s record-equalling 102nd WRC win complete, work is well under way to prepare to relocate and a prepare for Rally Chile.
Before the cars can compete in Chile, they will undergo a re-build and re-prep. This is undertaken in Paraguay and takes three days to complete the process across Toyota’s fleet of five GR Yaris Rally1 cars. This is undertaken by a workforce of 25 technicians, seven specialists, three engineers and four team coordinators.
The rebuild process is meticulous and intensive. On hand are 25 tool boxes, 12 jacks, spare body panels, transmissions and engines. Main body panels (nine) on each car can be changed. The engine is removed and reassembled along with the transmission.
Once this three-day effort is completed everything is packed up ahead of a 2,400km journey by road to Rally Chile host city Concepción. On arrival, Toyota’s temporary home will be rebuilt ahead of 16 more stages, to complete the WRC’s South American double header.
Watch WRC on DAZN
The 2025 World Rally Championship is available through DAZN on its own dedicated app channel, Rally TV. It is available either as a dedicated Rally TV subscription, or as part of your existing DAZN subscription for a small add-on fee.
DAZN is the home of Rally TV worldwide, excluding Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Rally TV also broadcasts every rally from the FIA European Rally Championship.
Watch every WRC and ERC rally this year on DAZN's 24-hour dedicated Rally TV channel. For more information on prices, subscriptions and more, click here.
