Toyota: WRC won't replace WEC in 2017

Toyota will remain in the World Endurance Championship when it makes its re-entry into the World Rally Championship in 2017. The automaker, which claimed last year's WEC drivers' and manufacturers' titles, has revealed that it is committed to racing in the LMP1 division until at least the end of the 2017 season.

Toyota Motorsport GmbH team director Rob Leupens told AUTOSPORT: "We can say that we are committed for at least three more years; we want to stop discussions that the WRC programme will replace the WEC. We have discussed it with Toyota and they have made that commitment.

"It could be that we go beyond 2017 and we are planning in that direction, because the WEC offers Toyota the chance to showcase hybrid technology in a way that no other series does."

A new rules cycle is due to come in for 2017, which would make it likely that Toyota would continue beyond that. Leupens said that a longer-term commitment would depend on discussions about the future direction of the LMP1 rules.

Toyota confirmed its intention to rejoin the WRC with the TMG-deveoped and run Yaris in at the end of January.

Originally on Autosport.com