TOYOTA CELICA WINS SAFARI RALLY FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR

Toyota City―Three Celica Twin Cam Turbos, entered by Toyota Team Europe (TTE) and supported by TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, finished first, second and fourth in the Safari Rally, the 4th in the '86 World Rally Championship, beating off strong competition to snatch the top two spots. This marks the third consecutive year that Toyota has won the overall Safari Rally.

This year's Safari Rally, run over five days (March 29 - April 2), covered a treacherous 4,214 km course. The race was extremely demanding and only 16 of the 69 cars which started completed the event. The winning Celica Twin Cam Turbo driven by Bjorn Waldegaard took the lead in the first half of the first leg and despite a few problems went on to victory. Waldegaard also won the Safari Rally the year before last and this latest win sets a new record of 18 victories in the WRC.

Lars-Eric Torph came in second in another Toyota, after a steady run right from the first leg and without any serious trouble. With the latest victory, the Celica Twin Cam Turbos have swept first and second places for two straight years. Erwin Weber was in third place in his Toyota after the first leg, but mechanical trouble cost him time, and he finished fourth.

The winning Celica Twin Cam Turbo is equipped with an improved version of the 326 horsepower, 4T-GT engine. The car is a high-performance Group B rally machine with a strengthened body, suspension and differential.

This was the first time that the Celica Twin Cam Turbo competed in this year's World Rally Championship, and the future looks bright for this powerful machine.