The former Rally Director of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) joins the team with the main goal of "enabling Toyota to retain its Manufacturers’ title in W2RC”.
The bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal (March 17-22), the second round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, will mark Yves Matton's debut in the discipline. The Belgian executive will serve as the new Team Manager of Overdrive Racing, the structure in charge of the official Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC program.
Aged 58, Yves Matton arrives in W2RC with more than three decades of experience at the highest level of motorsport. Having worked with the Future World and Kronos Racing teams in rallying, the Belgian joined Citroën Sport in 2002, before becoming its Team Principal in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He then took charge of a dual program with Citroën's parallel entry in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). His career took a new step when he joined the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as Rally Director, a position he held from 2018 to 2021.
“I am delighted to take on this new challenge with a major manufacturer that has a very strong track record in various disciplines”, said the new Team Manager in the press release issued by the team. “After the WRC and WTCC, I will have the opportunity to lead a professional team in a third World Championship, which will not be a complete discovery for me since rally-raid was obviously part of my responsibilities when I held the position of Rally Director at the FIA. Our objective is very clear: to enable Toyota to retain its Manufacturers’ title in W2RC.”
