Dakar winner Toby Price will make his second start behind the wheel of a GR Yaris Rally Cup car in Rally Hawkes Bay this August.
Price, who is building his rally career on four wheels after a remarkable run of success in two-wheeled motorsport, will return to the New Zealand Rally Championship’s fourth round on 22 August as one of two GR Yaris Rally Cup entries.
Price put the brand-new GR Yaris through its paces in the recent Central Machine Hire Rally Otago event and finished a strong 15th outright (from 148 cars) – showcasing the car’s performance despite his relative inexperience in the sport.
Price will join Tararua’s William Menzies in the Hawkes Bay event; Menzies is the first to have committed to purchasing a car ahead of the series’ 2027 debut and is a long-time supporter of the concept.
GR Yaris Rally Cup organisers recently confirmed that Menzies and Southland’s Carter Strang have each purchased cars – Strang to make his debut in the upcoming Barry Robinson Memorial Rally Southland on 17-18 July.
Meanwhile, four-time NZRC champion Ben Hunt will make a guest appearance in the existing FORCE Motorsport GR Yaris Rally Cup demonstration vehicle at the Southland event.
Price’s appearance in Hawkes Bay adds to the development program underway as GR Yaris Rally Cup organisers build towards the 2027 championship debut of the exciting new class.
“I am really excited to run the GR Yaris Rally Cup Car again in Hawkes Bay,” Price said.
“Everything went extremely well in the Otago Rally earlier this year, and I had a lot of fun with the crew and the team. The car is very exciting to drive; it’s a new platform for the 2027 season, and they’re going to have a strong presence in the sport.
“It’s exciting to try and help develop and improve the car – it would actually be really nice to try and do a full season over there in New Zealand next year.
“I had a lot of fun in it, and for the price point, it’s a great starting area for someone to get into the sport. I’m enjoying every minute of it, and I can’t wait to get back over there with the boys and get back into it and enjoy the experience.”
“We’re excited to get Toby back behind the wheel in Hawkes Bay,” said GR Yaris Rally Cup coordinator, Tony McConachy.
“Though he is still learning as a rally driver, his level of experience in top-level motorsport is invaluable to us, and his feedback has helped shape our development program.
“His performance at Rally Otago really made people stand up and pay attention: not just to the car, but to how well he drove it as well.
“He’s also a brilliant guy to have around and to work with and I think adds to the championship as well – he’s ‘been there and done that’ in the sport and brings a lot of attention to the program as we continue to grow towards 2027.”
Endorsed by Toyota GAZOO Racing New Zealand, the GR Yaris Rally Cup cars are built by FORCE Motorsport at their Auckland-based fabrication workshop, with cars sold as a turn-key package ready for gravel; however, they come with a tarmac change-over kit. The championship is managed by R2G.
For more information about the category, search for ‘GR Yaris Rally Cup NZ’ on social media platforms.
Header Image: Tayler Burke/Shots By TayB
