WRC: Toyota Yaris WRC revealed

Pictures have emerged from Toyota's first test of the Yaris WRC in Italy this week.

The Japanese manufacturer's first World Rally Car in 14 years has been tested on four different gravel roads in Tuscany. Its Yaris test car, which features a Global Race Engine developed at Toyota's motorsport facility in Cologne, has been driven by Stephane Sarrazin and Sebastian Lindholm.

Motorsport Italia, the team which formerly ran Mini's WRC effort, has completed the test work on behalf of Toyota Motorsport.

Prior to this week, the Yaris had only completed shakedown running on asphalt. The Italian mileage offers the mannufacturer the first real idea of how the car works and sources close to the test admitted the Yaris had impressed.

"It kept on running, there didn't seem to be any long periods of downtime," a source told AUTOSPORT. "It looked and sounded very good."