TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in search of more Swedish snow success JCN Newswire

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in search of more Swedish snow success

February 3, 2023
Toyota City, Japan, Feb 3, 2023 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Sweden was the scene of TGR-WRT's first victory in 2017 when Jari-Matti Latvala - now Team Principal - claimed a shock win in only the team's second event. Since then the team has taken three further wins in the rally's last three editions, including the first victory for the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID one year ago in the hands of Kalle Rovanpera.2023 GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRIDThat result kick-started Rovanpera's run to his first drivers' championship, and the Finn will again arrive in Sweden this year effectively leading the race for the title. Last month he completed a one-two finish for TGR-WRT on the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo behind Sebastien Ogier -- who heads the standings but does not include Sweden in his part-season programme.Takamoto Katsuta therefore steps up to be part of the main three-car line-up for the first time, alongside Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans -- who won in Sweden in 2020. Having often rallied on snow and ice in Finland as part of his training through the TGR WRC Challenge Program, Japanese driver Katsuta also has a strong record in Sweden, taking a breakthrough WRC2 win there in 2018 and finishing fourth overall last year.TGR-WRT will still have four cars in action in the top category in Sweden, as Italy's Lorenzo Bertelli becomes the first customer driver to compete in the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID.Part of the inaugural WRC season 50 years ago, Rally Sweden is the only true winter round on the calendar. Last year it moved to a new home in Umea: the largest city in northern Sweden and closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to the country's capital of Stockholm. As well as providing a greater guarantee of the extreme conditions the rally is known for, the move also brought even quicker roads. Special studded tyres bite into the surface to provide impressive grip; helping make this one the fastest rallies of the year with drivers 'leaning' their cars on snow banks by the sides of the road to carry more speed through corners.The rally will begin on Thursday evening with a short 'sprint' stage in Umea, which is run again on Friday following two loops of three stages: Brattby and Sarsjoliden to the west were driven on Saturday and Sunday respectively last year, while Botsmark to the north is new. Saturday's repeated loop of three stages begins with two new tests: Norrby and Floda, which is the most northerly stage of the rally and also the longest at 28.25 kilometres. A double-length version of the Umea stage rounds out the day, and will also serve as the rally-ending Power Stage on Sunday following two passes of another new test, Vastervik.For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2023/rd02-preview/. Copyright 2023 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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Ogier claims ninth Monte win in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing one-two JCN Newswire

Ogier claims ninth Monte win in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing one-two

January 23, 2023
TOKYO, Jan 23, 2023 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has started the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship with a one-two finish on Rallye Monte-Carlo as Sebastien Ogier claimed a record ninth victory on the legendary event ahead of team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.Car 17 (Sebastien Ogier, Vincent Landais)Mostly dry weather made this year's rally more a test of outright performance than usual, and Ogier set the pace from the start with five straight stage wins as he opened up a lead of half a minute by Friday lunchtime.The GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID was fastest in the first 11 stages of the season, its streak only ended on Saturday afternoon - by which point Ogier was focused on managing his lead. He carried an advantage of 16 seconds over Rovanpera into the final day, when he proceeded to claim his eighth and ninth stage wins of the weekend and finished up with a winning margin of 18.8s.Ogier's 56th WRC win is also the first for his co-driver Vincent Landais, in only the second event since he began working with the up-and-coming French navigator at the end of last season. It is also Toyota's fifth Monte win with a fifth different model of car: the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID winning all but two of the 18 stages across the weekend.With Ogier once more only contesting selected events this season, second place plus victory in the rally-ending Power Stage represents an ideal start to Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen's defence of their first championship titles. Rovanpera grew in confidence and speed during the rally, taking six stage wins in total on his way to a first Rallye Monte-Carlo podium.Elfyn Evans displayed similarly strong pace to his team-mates throughout the weekend and was second to Ogier before losing around 40s with a damaged tyre in SS5 on Friday morning. He and co-driver Scott Martin fought back to finish fourth, 27.8s from the podium despite a brief spin on Sunday morning. He was also third in the Power Stage to claim three additional bonus points.The strong start to the season for TGR was completed by Takamoto Katsuta in his WRC Challenge Program-supported entry. He produced his strongest Rallye Monte-Carlo performance to-date alongside co-driver Aaron Johnston, frequently joining his team-mates in the top-four on stage times and finishing sixth overall.For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2023/rd01-day4/. Copyright 2023 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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Second consecutive DAKAR victory for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing JCN Newswire

Second consecutive DAKAR victory for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

January 17, 2023
TOKYO, Jan 17, 2023 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah and his French co-driver, Mathieu Baumel, successfully defended the Dakar title they won for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) in 2022, when they brought their GR DKR Hilux T1+ over the finish line of the final stage of Dakar 2023 on 15 January. The pair lost 5min 41sec to the stage winners, but that hardly mattered, as they sealed the overall victory with a winning margin of 1hr 20min 49sec.The final stage of Dakar 2023 was a 136km-long test that started from the bivouac at Al-Hofuf. Competitors had to complete a short liaison of 167km before taking on Stage 14, which was then followed by a final liaison of 100km to the finish podium in the coastal city of Dammam.For Nasser, this was his fifth win in the Dakar Rally, while Mathieu's tally is now four victories. The pair have won three times for Toyota, with the latest victories coming in a back-to-back display of quality, durability and reliability for the Japanese manufacturer. The pair took over the lead of the event on Stage 3, and never relinquished that position.Giniel de Villiers, who completed his twentieth consecutive Dakar Rally when he crossed the finish line near Dammam, ended the rally in 4th place in the overall standings. This result brings his total number of Top 5 finishes to 15, including one victory in 2009. The South African has only finished outside the Top 10 on one occasion, and his performance in the 2023 Dakar Rally underscores the toughness and tenacity of one of the Dakar Rally's true veteran racers. Together with co-driver Dennis Murphy, Giniel finished this year's 45th edition of the rally 2hr 31min 12sec in arrears.Dakar 2023 will long be remembered by Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings as a race that could have turned out very differently for them. They moved as high as 2nd place in the overall standings, before two setbacks pushed them down the order. The pair showed great pace throughout the rally, and will be hoping for a truer reflection of their speed in future editions. Even so, they finished in 5th place overall, less than 5min behind their teammates in fourth.Toyota dominated the Dakar 2023 results, with the works TGR crews finishing 1st, 4th and 5th. A privately entered Toyota Hilux T1+ in the hands of the young Brazilian, Lucas Moraes, added to the Japanese manufacturer's tally, by finishing in third place overall. This was Lucas' first attempt at the Dakar Rally, though he had an experienced co-driver in the form of Timo Gottschalk beside him in the car.In terms of the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship, of which the Dakar Rally was the opening round, Nasser and Mathieu amassed a total of 85 points. This means they trail the log leaders by just two points after Round 1 of the five-round championship. Toyota is in 2nd place in the Manufacturers' championship, just a single point behind the leaders. The next race is the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which takes place during the last week of February.For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/dakar/release/2023/0116-01/. Copyright 2023 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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TOYOTA GAZOO Racing concludes a rocky Acropolis weekend JCN Newswire

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing concludes a rocky Acropolis weekend

September 12, 2022
Toyota City, Japan, Sep 12, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has completed a very challenging weekend at the Acropolis Rally Greece without the overall results it desired but with some important points secured to maintain its advantage in the drivers' and manufacturers' championships.In its second running since returning to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, the Acropolis lived up to its reputation with slippery and rocky roads and high temperatures providing a considerable challenge. For much of the weekend, the team was in contention for a podium position but those hopes ended early on the final morning when Elfyn Evans had to retire from fourth place after an engine-related issue on the road section to SS14.With this, the team's focus moved to the rally-ending Power Stage. Here, Kalle Rovanpera managed to set the second-fastest time to claim four bonus points. The championship leader experienced a trying weekend after sweeping the loose gravel roads on Friday before losing around 15 minutes on Saturday morning after damaging his car. However, his Power Stage drive ensures he still leads the drivers' championship by 53 points with three rounds remaining.Esapekka Lappi was running in second place on Saturday before he was slowed and forced to stop by a technical issue. Restarting on Sunday, he set the fifth-best time on the Power Stage. With the points scored by Rovanpera and Lappi for reaching the finish combined with those they claimed on the Power Stage, the team remains in the lead of the manufacturers' championship by 63 points.Takamoto Katsuta was the highest-finishing GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID driver, completing his Acropolis Rally debut in sixth overall to maintain his unbroken scoring run in 2022 with TGR WRT Next Generation.For more information check https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2022/rd10-day4/ and for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com.What's next?The WRC heads to Rally New Zealand (September 29 - October 2) for the first time in 10 years. The smooth gravel roads around the capital city Auckland on the country's North Island are hugely popular with drivers for their fast and flowing nature and considerable camber changes. Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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Younger Colorectal Cancer Population Highlights the Importance of Early Screening, Highly Sensitive Test Product Prenetics has Launched the Market

September 2, 2022
HONG KONG, Sep 2, 2022 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Colorectal cancer (CRC) has become one of the main cancers threatening the health of human beings. In the United States and China, CRC has ranked among the top three cancers that leads to death.CRC screening has been proven to be one of the most effective tools for preventing colorectal cancer. Research indicated that since screening was first recommended in 1980 in the United States, the incidence rate of CRC has dropped by 40%. Meanwhile, it's also important to follow the updated evidence, ensuring that the screening is suitable for the people who benefit most.The onset of Disease Tends to be YoungerLatest research has indicated that 94% of newly CRC cases occur in adults over 45 years old. Among which, the number of newly onset and death cases occurring in individuals under the age of 50 has increased a lot. CRC diagnosis among younger adults is growing.Therefore, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated its guidance in 2021, suggesting that people at average risk shall conduct screening from the age of 45.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) also pointed out that all asymptomatic adults aged 45 years old or above are exposed to CRC risks. Even without high-risk factors, they're recommended to take CRC screening.Although the incidence rate of CRC is as high as thyroid cancer and breast cancer, chance of treating CRC is better at an early age. It is very important to early find and treat the disease to ensure a higher survival rate. Research by the world-leading diagnosis and genetic health testing company Prenetics (PRE.O) showed that the 5-year survival rate of stage I and II CRC is up to 90% and stage III is 72.8%. It falls to 15.1% for stage IV CRC.Despite the significantly higher survival rate in the early treatment of CRC, unfortunately nearly half of the CRC cases are detected in the advanced stage, leading to extremely difficult treatment. Lacking a convenient and highly effective detection method is the vital cause of this phenomenon.Significant Reform of CRC DetectionCRC screening has always relied on invasive detection methods including colonoscopy. Since such detection may cause pain or discomfort, some patients refuse the screening.With the rising popularity of genetic detection science, CRC screening has welcomed a significant reform. Currently, a non-invasive and at-home screening test product - ColoClear has been introduced by Prenetics and New Horizon Health to the Southeast Asia market, which can detect pre-cancerous lesions and early, middle, and advanced stage CRC in an effective way.Combining advanced stool DNA technology with a fecal immunochemical test (FIT), ColoClear is easier, cheaper, and simpler and has high sensitivity, up to 96%, which is comparable to the traditional colonoscopy.On top of ColoClear, CircleDNA, a home health diagnosis product of Prenetics that give over 500 test reports in 20 categories, which plays an important role in the early detection of cancer and other potential disease risks. Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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Another double podium for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing JCN Newswire

Another double podium for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

August 22, 2022
TOKYO, Aug 22, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has scored another double podium finish at Ypres Rally Belgium as Elfyn Evans finished just five seconds away from victory in second position with Esapekka Lappi in third.In their second time hosting a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the farmland roads of the West Flanders region again lived up to their historic reputation as one of rallying's most demanding asphalt tests with frequent surface changes and little margin for error.Kalle Rovanpera was one of many drivers to be caught out when he rolled on Friday morning's second stage: a first significant setback in what has been an outstanding season so far from the young Finn. An extensive rebuild of his car by the team's technicians allowed Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen to return under restart rules the next day and target points in the rally-ending Power Stage over the famous cobbled climb of the Kemmelberg. There they set the fastest time to leave Belgium with their championship lead still a commanding one at 72 points with four rounds remaining.Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin took over the lead when Rovanpera dropped out, but a slow puncture that compromised their tyre strategy and a 10-second penalty for arriving late to one stage meant they ended Friday third overall and 13.7 seconds from the lead. Having fought back on Saturday and gained second overall, Evans continued to close the gap to the leader Ott Tanak with two stage wins on the final morning, but just fell short in the end.Lappi and co-driver Janne Ferm scored their third podium from six starts and second in as many weeks with a superbly consistent and clean weekend on a rally where their only previous experience came eight years ago, having already had top-four pace from the start. The result ensures TGR still has a strong lead of 88 points in the manufacturers' championship.Takamoto Katsuta recovered from an issue on Friday morning to finish fifth in his TGR WRT Next Generation entry with co-driver Aaron Johnston, and is now the only driver to have finished every rally in the top 10 this season.The public debut of the innovative GR Yaris H2 concept took place on the stages in Belgium, and was completed by Toyota rally legend Juha Kankkunen driving the Power Stage ahead of the competitive field in the hydrogen-fuelled car, running on Pirelli tyres. After driving the GR Yaris H2 himself on Saturday, Team Founder Akio Toyoda had the chance to ride alongside Kankkunen on the most varied stage of the weekend before greeting his drivers at the podium.For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2022/rd09-day3/. Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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Rovanpera extends WRC lead with rapid home run for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing JCN Newswire

Rovanpera extends WRC lead with rapid home run for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

August 8, 2022
TOKYO, Aug 8, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team's Kalle Rovanpera has further extended his FIA World Rally Championship lead with a well-calculated drive to second place on a ferociously fast Rally Finland, as team-mate and fellow Finn Esapekka Lappi survived remarkable late drama to join him on the podium at their home rally.Tasked with sweeping the gravel roads around their hometown of Jyvaskyla, Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen ended Friday 21 seconds from the lead and fourth overall on a rally known for high speeds and narrow margins. Willed on by the local support in the spiritual home of rallying, Rovanpera was then rapid through the longest day of the rally on Saturday and fastest in six out of eight stages to climb to second overall and slash the gap to the leader to 8.4s.He thus went into the final day still eyeing a famous home win, but was not in a position to risk everything while on course to strengthen his grip on the championship and ultimately had to settle for second place, only 6.8s behind Ott Tanak. He did however take the maximum five bonus points for the fastest time in the rally-ending Power Stage, which increases his advantage to 94 points with five rallies remaining.The first Rally Finland for the new generation of hybrid Rally1 cars was the fourth-fastest WRC round of all time, and the incredibly close lead fight required drivers to have good confidence in their cars despite limited testing on such roads. The GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID recorded the quickest time in 15 of the 22 stages.Lappi led the Toyota charge through Friday and much of Saturday, before a freak incident with a rock that deflected up and damaged his windscreen, hampering visibility. He was to encounter further drama in the penultimate stage of the rally, which was heavily rutted. One such rut on the exit of a corner caused him to roll over three times. He was able to complete the stage while losing only 20 seconds and remaining third overall, but he and co-driver Janne Ferm had to carry out roadside repairs including removing the car's windscreen and topping up a radiator. Incredibly, despite the obvious damage, they lost only 10 further seconds in the final stage to hold onto third by a relatively comfortable 16.9s and score their second podium of the season.Like his team-mates, Elfyn Evans was also part of the thrilling lead battle for much of the weekend before having to make repairs of his own after damaging his suspension on Saturday afternoon. He and co-driver Scott Martin still finished fourth overall and took third in the Power Stage: Points that ensure TGR increased its manufacturers' championship lead by one point to 88.Takamoto Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston ensured there were four GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRIDs inside the top six for almost the entire rally. By finishing sixth they continue their unbroken 2022 scoring run for TGR WRT Next Generation after Katsuta's strongest performance yet on the roads around his Finnish hometown.For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2022/rd08-day4/. Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)
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