History has a funny way of echoing itself, and nobody knows that better than Juha Kankkunen. Toyota's sixth consecutive manufacturers' crown has drawn the squad level with Lancia on a record 10 WRC titles, marking a stunning milestone that carries deeply personal significance for the deputy team principal. The four-time world champion drove for Lancia during their legendary run of six straight manufacturers' titles between 1987 and 1992, before claiming the drivers' crown with Toyota in 1993 as the Japanese marque secured its very first manufacturers' title. Now, over three decades later, he finds himself in the management team that has steered Toyota back to those exact benchmarks.
That historic 10th title, alongside a sixth successive manufacturers' championship, was officially sealed by Oliver Solberg's victory at Rally Chile BIOBÍO. "It's a fantastic feeling to secure another manufacturers' championship with this team," Kankkunen stated. "I was involved in some of Lancia's championships as a driver, and some of the first titles won by Toyota, but I'm so happy to be part of this team now too. The atmosphere in the team and the way that everyone works together is fantastic."
When they are on the stages they are fighting each other hard and pushing for the best results, but they also get on and help each other and the team very well.
Toyota's path to this double-digit milestone traces back to 1993 and 1994, when they became the first Japanese manufacturer to claim the WRC manufacturers' championship and successfully defend it. A third title followed in 1999 prior to their departure from the championship. Following their return to the WRC in 2017, they added another title in 2018 before launching their current unbroken streak in 2021.
Their 2026 campaign has been nothing short of emphatic. Solberg's triumph in Chile marked Toyota's 11th victory out of the opening 12 rallies, alongside their eighth one-two finish of the season. Perhaps most remarkably, every single one of Toyota's five crews has won at least twice this year. Takamoto Katsuta took back-to-back victories earlier in the season, Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier have each secured two wins, Sami Pajari reeled off three consecutive triumphs in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay, and Solberg added his Chile success to his season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo victory.
This absurd depth has handed Kankkunen a uniquely difficult challenge in figuring out which drivers are best suited to deliver for the manufacturer on any given weekend. "I've been in the business for such a long time and I've been a driver myself," he explained. "When you talk with the guys, you can basically feel it. I can feel who is going well and who is maybe not 100 per cent. But it's teamwork. All the guys are good anyway."
That fine line between individual rivalry and collective power is what Kankkunen points to as the bedrock of Toyota's success. "When they are on the stages they are fighting each other hard and pushing for the best results, but they also get on and help each other and the team very well."
Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda echoed those exact sentiments after Chile, where Solberg headed Ogier in a Toyota one-two to lock down the championship with two rounds still remaining. "We are a team that believes in letting our drivers compete on equal terms and decide the outcome on the stages," Toyoda said. While the manufacturers' battle is done, the intra-team warfare is far from over. All five drivers remain mathematically in contention for the drivers' championship, leaving the squad free to chase down the final remaining individual prize.
