Toyota Yaris WRC wins Rally Chile

The Yaris WRC of Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team clinched its second victory of the season at Rally Chile.

Driver Ott Tanak completed a brilliant performance in a demanding event with the fastest time on the rally-ending Power Stage, gaining extra points to climb up to second in the drivers' championship, only 10 points away from the leader.

Having led the rally since the second stage on Friday morning, Tanak took a lead of half a minute into the final day, but with the two drivers behind him pushing hard in their own battle, he couldn't relax completely through the opening three tests.

He was then 1.3 seconds faster than anyone else in the Power Stage as he and co-driver Martin Jarveoja clinched overall victory by 23.1 seconds.

Teammates Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke also performed well in the Power Stage, setting the third and fifth best times respectively. Meeke moved from 10^th to eighth position overall on the final day, but was classified 10^th after receiving a one minute time penalty. Latvala just missed out on overall points in 11^th. The team remains second in the manufacturers' championship, reducing the gap to the lead to 29 points.

The World Rally Championship will return to Europe for Rally Portugal on 30 May. Based in Matosinhos near Porto in the north of the country, the event features classic stages on sandy and rocky roads. Grip can be difficult to find on the soft roads during the first pass through the stages, while rocks can be exposed and deep ruts can form during the second pass.