Zeal Jones secures place in factory TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC team

New Zealand-born Japanese national rallying star Zeal Jones could become a worldwide name in the sport after securing a place in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s factory rally programme.

Jones won one of two places given this year by TGR-WRT from an original pool of 100 drivers who competed in the 2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program Generation 5 search. He will move to Europe for 2026 to live and train and for now will race Rally 4 cars, predominantly in Finland.

Jones secured support for his efforts in making the programme from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s New Zealand arm in 2024 and that support has remained in place for 2025, when he was also the last recipient of support from the Kiwi Driver Fund.

His success in securing a factory seat has been welcomed by TGRNZ Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol, who said: “We are incredibly proud to see Zeal take the next step in his rally journey as part of the TGR-WRT team.

“Zeal’s selection is a testament to his talent, determination, and the spirit of Kiwi motorsport. At TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand, our mission has always been to find and nurture New Zealand’s next world champion, and Zeal’s achievement is a shining example of that vision in action.

“We are honoured to have been part of Zeal’s development and proud that Toyota can provide a pathway for talented drivers to reach their full potential. We have succeeded in circuit racing and now added rallying to our portfolio.

“Everything we do here is about creating opportunities for our drivers to shine on the world stage; we believe where talent meets opportunity, success follows. Zeal’s journey inspires us all and reinforces our commitment to supporting the next generation of champions.”

It was Jones’ second attempt at making the programme, and having narrowly missed out in 2024 he was naturally delighted to secure a factory place for 2026.

“None of this would’ve been possible without the help of everyone involved in this journey so far,” said Jones. “It is difficult to explain how grateful I am. It is an honour to have everyone supporting me and giving me reason to keep pushing.

“This is a huge opportunity for me and a goal ticked off,” he explained. “We can now make the next step and I can begin a part of the journey which will hopefully develop into my ultimate goal of becoming the WRC champion.

“I will move to Finland at the start of February and start the next chapter from there.”

In 2025, Zeal competed in the Morizo Challenge Cup Campaign, where he earned a win to end the season in front of the TGR WRC Challenge Program instructors.

“MCC this year was a huge learning curve and a great base to use the skills I developed, skills the GR Yaris teaches you to perform. I lacked consistency last year, but the MCC series taught me how to maximise the car and my driving consistently.”