Team Toyota Europe
Encyclopedia
Toyota Motorsport GmbH is a Toyota division based in Köln
, Germany
. It was renamed from Toyota Team Europe to Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in 1993. It currently employs around 200 people in a 30,000m2 factory and provides motorsport
and automotive services both to fellow Toyota companies and outside clients.
TMG was responsible for Toyota's World Rally Championship
cars starting from the 1970s right up to the 1990s. In addition, since 1994, TMG has developed a tuning business for road cars, offering complete vehicles or tuning and sports accessories.
In 1999 the company stopped participating in rallying, in order to prepare for a switch to Formula One
in .
In the meantime, they entered sports car racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans
: the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
and the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
. The Toyota GT-One
were very fast, but not lucky, starting on pole position but finishing 2nd in 1999.
In 1997, it became the first motorsports business in the world to be ISO 9001 certified.
From 2002 to 2009, TMG participated in Formula 1 under the team name Panasonic Toyota Racing, starting 139 Grands Prix. In that time, they finished on the podium 13 times, earned three pole positions and scored a total of 278.5 points. On November 4, 2009, Toyota announced their withdrawal from Formula 1.
TMG continues with a new business model, offering high-performance development, testing and production facilities for clients in the motorsport and automotive sectors, and more recently has moved back into sports car racing as an exclusive engine supplier from 2011 onwards to Lola Cars, currently powering Rebellion Racing.
TTE was started in London
in 1972 when Toyota representatives and Ove Andersson
, who won the Monte Carlo Rally
in 1971, decided that he should drive a Toyota Celica
in the RAC Rally in the autumn of that year. Andersson came 9th, beating other Japanese top teams who mostly worked with the Datsun 240Z.
The Toyota Celica had to travel from Japan to the European events all the time, which was not good for the car, so Andersson set up a workshop of his own, Andersson Motorsport, which became Toyota's first European team. It was founded in 1973 with its workshop in Uppsala
, Sweden
. Shortly thereafter it moved to Brussels
, Belgium
. It ran Corolla
s and Celicas from this location, with some help from Japan for major events.
Toyota Team Europe began in February 1975. In August of that year, Hannu Mikkola
won TTE's first rally, the 1000 Lakes Rally in a Corolla 1600
, where the competition used 2.0 L engines.
In 1979 TTE moved 11 of the 20 employees from Brussels
to Cologne
, where the Toyota Allee was created. This was also the first time it used a Celica Turbo, and TTE won the next two Safaris.
In September 1987, TTE moved to a larger premises, in which they still reside. It was also the time they revealed their first four wheel drive
car, the Toyota Celica GT-Four
, driven by Juha Kankkunen
and Kenneth Eriksson
. Carlos Sainz
won the 1990
FIA World Rally Championship
Title for Drivers with ST165. The newer GT-Four, ST185, made its debut at the 1992 Rallye Monte Carlo, culminating in Sainz again winning the title in this year. The ST185 also won the WRC Driver's and Manufacturer's Titles in 1993 with Juha Kankkunen
, and in 1994 with Didier Auriol
.
In 1993 Toyota Motor Corporation
bought TTE which then renamed Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG). At this time, as a fully owned part of Toyota Motor Corporation
, Toyota Motorsport were employing 300 staff from 17 nations.
In 1995 TTE was famously banned for 12 months from the WRC
for cheating by designing a illegal air restrictor on the ST205 that included both a bypass mechanism and spring-loaded devices to conceal it from scrutineers.
In the 1996 and 1997, despite lack of works team appearance in 1996 due to the ban, TTE supported the Celica ST205 rallied by Italian HF Grifone Team, Toyota Team Sweden, Marlboro Toyota Team Belgium, and Tein Sport in the selected WRC events, before introduced the Corolla WRC
in the 1997 Rally of Finland. When they returned to the WRC for 1998, they did so with a Corolla driven by the crews of Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya
and Didier Auriol/Denis Giraudet. They finished the season in second overall in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships.
In 1999, however, the manufacturers championship was taken, the third in TTE's existence.
In addition to spearheading Toyota's efforts in the World Rally Championship, the group also developed and ran the Toyota GT-One
in sports car racing
. The GT-One entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in both 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
.
Introduced in time for Le Mans in 1998
, the GT-One first appeared at the official testing days for the race held in May. Three GT-Ones appeared, setting the 2nd, 5th, and 10th best times, easily beating out custom built prototypes which were meant to be the superior class. For the race week itself, all three cars performed admirably in qualifying by continuing their quick pace, qualifying 2nd, 7th, and 8th, being beaten only by their GT class competitor, Mercedes-Benz. For the race itself, the #28 GT-One suffered from a high speed accident halfway through the race, taking it out of competition. The two other entrants continued to fight on, both remaining in the top 10. However, within the closing hours, the higher ranked #29 GT-One suffered a gearbox failure while in competition for the race win. Thus Toyota was left to take 9th place in the race with the lone #27 entry, which ended the race 25 laps behind the winning Porsche 911 GT1
.
Their 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
started bitterly after the team was plagued by multiple Michelin
tyre failures, the situation becoming somewhat reminiscent of 1998, when the #1 & #2 car were retired. Martin Brundle
in the #1 Toyota suffered a puncture at high speed on the Mulsanne straight, the cars rear suspension was badly damaged and he was unable (despite his best efforts) to get back to the pits. The #2 Toyota being driven by Thierry Boutsen
was next to go when he suffered a high speed crash under the Dunlop bridge due to a rapid deflation. The car was destroyed and Boutsen suffered injury to his lower back. At the break of dawn, the #15 BMW was almost a lap ahead of the #3 Toyota which had been quietly cruising around at a steady pace. With this sniff of a win Ukyo Katayama
put the foot down in the Toyota and set the fastest lap of the race. He narrowed the gap to less than a minute till again a tyre blowout befell the Toyota team again. Ukyo was however able to return to the pits for new tyres and continued. He managed to finish second after a valiant effort placing first in the GT-P class. However, they fell short of the overall victory at Le Mans, which would have made them only the second Japanese manufacturer to get an overall win (Mazda
being the first in 1991
).
The GT-One would race only once more, a single entrant appearing in the 1999 Le Mans Fuji 1000km
. Although the race mostly consisted of Japanese teams, thus leaving out most of the manufacturers that had competed at Le Mans, Toyota still had to compete against rival Nissan, who also entered their R391
. In the end the GT-One would fall short once again, finishing 2nd and only one lap behind the winning R391.
The GT-One program would not be continued into 2000, Toyota instead turning TTE into leaders of the new Toyota F1
team. This would mark the end of Toyota's attempts at Le Mans, and would return over a decade later to once again contest at the top tier of sports car racing.
In addition to its motorsport activities, Toyota Motorsport also undertakes production vehicle analysis and development on behalf of Toyota, providing "highly skilled and rapidly reacting engineering" services. A range of modified Toyota road cars is also available from the Köln
factory.
is General Manager Chassis Engineering while Jens Marquardt
, the former F1 team manager, has become the head of business development, although he will join BMW Motorsport
in 2011.
Toyota Motorsport is working with "a few dozen" customers on various projects, not all of which are from the motorsport world. Several major projects, including an iQ sports conversion, are being carried out for parent company Toyota Motor Corporation. According to the company's 2010 annual review, Toyota Motorsport has hit its financial targets for the year.
Toyota Motorsport is providing a TF109 F1 car to Pirelli for tyre testing at various circuits in preparation for the Italian company becoming F1's sole tyre supplier. Very few details are available regarding the identity of other customers, although media speculation says several leading F1 teams are using Toyota Motorsport's two modern wind tunnels and other testing rigs.
The company revealed in its annual review that it has developed an electric racing car based on the Radical sportscar, along with Cologne company e-WOLF. This car was developed using knowledge Toyota Motorsport gained during its KERS development for F1 and used some of the company's dedicated engine dynos, including an 'EV component test rig'.
Speculation surrounding TMG's return to active racing began in early 2010 after sports car racing media reported they had information of a Lola B10/60 sporting TRD engine name plates. In September 2010, Toyota Motorsport's general manager, Hiromi Hayashi, revealed they had signed a deal to supply the 3.4 liter V8 engine derived from the Super GT campaign (RV8KLM) to Rebellion Racing from 2011 onwards. Toyota announced in 2011 that they would extended their deal to Lola Cars for the remainder of the season and onwards.
In October 2010, rumours appeared in the media that Toyota Motorsport had been sold to the HRT F1 team. These were denied by Toyota Motorsport. Their machinery was eventually acquired by Stefan Grand Prix
, with TMG support. After a failed bid for the 2010 season, Toyota and Stefan Grand Prix parted ways, closing out any possible chance to see Toyota Racing return in any form to Formula 1.
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was renamed from Toyota Team Europe to Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in 1993. It currently employs around 200 people in a 30,000m2 factory and provides motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
and automotive services both to fellow Toyota companies and outside clients.
TMG was responsible for Toyota's World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
cars starting from the 1970s right up to the 1990s. In addition, since 1994, TMG has developed a tuning business for road cars, offering complete vehicles or tuning and sports accessories.
In 1999 the company stopped participating in rallying, in order to prepare for a switch to Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
in .
In the meantime, they entered sports car racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
: the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 6 and 7 1998.-Race:1998 saw a significant increase in manufacturer involvement. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz remained, with upgraded cars in both GT1 and LMP. Toyota sent three of their new, extremely fast...
and the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...
. The Toyota GT-One
Toyota GT-One
The Toyota GT-One was a racing car initially developed for grand touring style rules, but later adapted into a Le Mans prototype. It raced in the 1998 and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.-History:...
were very fast, but not lucky, starting on pole position but finishing 2nd in 1999.
In 1997, it became the first motorsports business in the world to be ISO 9001 certified.
From 2002 to 2009, TMG participated in Formula 1 under the team name Panasonic Toyota Racing, starting 139 Grands Prix. In that time, they finished on the podium 13 times, earned three pole positions and scored a total of 278.5 points. On November 4, 2009, Toyota announced their withdrawal from Formula 1.
TMG continues with a new business model, offering high-performance development, testing and production facilities for clients in the motorsport and automotive sectors, and more recently has moved back into sports car racing as an exclusive engine supplier from 2011 onwards to Lola Cars, currently powering Rebellion Racing.
Rally history
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1972 when Toyota representatives and Ove Andersson
Ove Andersson
Ove Andersson was a Swedish rally driver and the first head of Toyota's F1 program. His nickname was "Påven" .-Early life:...
, who won the Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
in 1971, decided that he should drive a Toyota Celica
Toyota Celica
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....
in the RAC Rally in the autumn of that year. Andersson came 9th, beating other Japanese top teams who mostly worked with the Datsun 240Z.
The Toyota Celica had to travel from Japan to the European events all the time, which was not good for the car, so Andersson set up a workshop of his own, Andersson Motorsport, which became Toyota's first European team. It was founded in 1973 with its workshop in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Shortly thereafter it moved to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It ran Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
s and Celicas from this location, with some help from Japan for major events.
Toyota Team Europe began in February 1975. In August of that year, Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
won TTE's first rally, the 1000 Lakes Rally in a Corolla 1600
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
, where the competition used 2.0 L engines.
In 1979 TTE moved 11 of the 20 employees from Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
to Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, where the Toyota Allee was created. This was also the first time it used a Celica Turbo, and TTE won the next two Safaris.
In September 1987, TTE moved to a larger premises, in which they still reside. It was also the time they revealed their first four wheel drive
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
car, the Toyota Celica GT-Four
Toyota Celica GT-Four
The Toyota Celica GT-Four is a high performance model of the Celica liftback, with a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine, and full-time AWD. It was created to compete in the World Rally Championship, whose regulations dictate that a manufacturer must build road-going versions of the vehicle in sufficient...
, driven by Juha Kankkunen
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
and Kenneth Eriksson
Kenneth Eriksson
Kenneth Eriksson is a now retired World Rally Championship rally driver. He drove for several manufacturer teams, including the Subaru World Rally Team, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Škoda...
. Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
won the 1990
1990 World Rally Championship season
The 1990 World Rally Championship season was the 18th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 12 rallies. The drivers' world championship was won by Carlos Sainz in a Toyota Celica GT-Four, ahead of Didier Auriol and Juha Kankkunen...
FIA World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
Title for Drivers with ST165. The newer GT-Four, ST185, made its debut at the 1992 Rallye Monte Carlo, culminating in Sainz again winning the title in this year. The ST185 also won the WRC Driver's and Manufacturer's Titles in 1993 with Juha Kankkunen
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
, and in 1994 with Didier Auriol
Didier Auriol
Didier Auriol is a French rally driver.Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, Auriol made his name as a French rally driver in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first from his country to do so...
.
In 1993 Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
bought TTE which then renamed Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG). At this time, as a fully owned part of Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
, Toyota Motorsport were employing 300 staff from 17 nations.
In 1995 TTE was famously banned for 12 months from the WRC
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
for cheating by designing a illegal air restrictor on the ST205 that included both a bypass mechanism and spring-loaded devices to conceal it from scrutineers.
In the 1996 and 1997, despite lack of works team appearance in 1996 due to the ban, TTE supported the Celica ST205 rallied by Italian HF Grifone Team, Toyota Team Sweden, Marlboro Toyota Team Belgium, and Tein Sport in the selected WRC events, before introduced the Corolla WRC
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
in the 1997 Rally of Finland. When they returned to the WRC for 1998, they did so with a Corolla driven by the crews of Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya
Luís Moya
Luis Rodríguez Moya, better known as Luis Moya is a now-retired rally co-driver, synonymous with the driver Carlos Sainz...
and Didier Auriol/Denis Giraudet. They finished the season in second overall in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships.
In 1999, however, the manufacturers championship was taken, the third in TTE's existence.
Sports car racing history
Toyota GT-One
The Toyota GT-One was a racing car initially developed for grand touring style rules, but later adapted into a Le Mans prototype. It raced in the 1998 and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.-History:...
in sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
. The GT-One entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in both 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 6 and 7 1998.-Race:1998 saw a significant increase in manufacturer involvement. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz remained, with upgraded cars in both GT1 and LMP. Toyota sent three of their new, extremely fast...
and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...
.
Introduced in time for Le Mans in 1998
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 6 and 7 1998.-Race:1998 saw a significant increase in manufacturer involvement. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz remained, with upgraded cars in both GT1 and LMP. Toyota sent three of their new, extremely fast...
, the GT-One first appeared at the official testing days for the race held in May. Three GT-Ones appeared, setting the 2nd, 5th, and 10th best times, easily beating out custom built prototypes which were meant to be the superior class. For the race week itself, all three cars performed admirably in qualifying by continuing their quick pace, qualifying 2nd, 7th, and 8th, being beaten only by their GT class competitor, Mercedes-Benz. For the race itself, the #28 GT-One suffered from a high speed accident halfway through the race, taking it out of competition. The two other entrants continued to fight on, both remaining in the top 10. However, within the closing hours, the higher ranked #29 GT-One suffered a gearbox failure while in competition for the race win. Thus Toyota was left to take 9th place in the race with the lone #27 entry, which ended the race 25 laps behind the winning Porsche 911 GT1
Porsche 911 GT1
The Porsche 911 GT1 was a car designed for competition in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street legal version for homologation purposes...
.
Their 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...
started bitterly after the team was plagued by multiple Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
tyre failures, the situation becoming somewhat reminiscent of 1998, when the #1 & #2 car were retired. Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....
in the #1 Toyota suffered a puncture at high speed on the Mulsanne straight, the cars rear suspension was badly damaged and he was unable (despite his best efforts) to get back to the pits. The #2 Toyota being driven by Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Marc Boutsen is a former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One.-Career:thumb|left|Boutsen driving for [[Arrows]] at the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]]....
was next to go when he suffered a high speed crash under the Dunlop bridge due to a rapid deflation. The car was destroyed and Boutsen suffered injury to his lower back. At the break of dawn, the #15 BMW was almost a lap ahead of the #3 Toyota which had been quietly cruising around at a steady pace. With this sniff of a win Ukyo Katayama
Ukyo Katayama
is a Japanese racing driver, most notable for competing six years in Formula One. Despite struggling with under-funded teams throughout his career, Katayama's performances impressed on several occasions, and was popular in the F1 paddock for his unshakeably sunny disposition and self-deprecating...
put the foot down in the Toyota and set the fastest lap of the race. He narrowed the gap to less than a minute till again a tyre blowout befell the Toyota team again. Ukyo was however able to return to the pits for new tyres and continued. He managed to finish second after a valiant effort placing first in the GT-P class. However, they fell short of the overall victory at Le Mans, which would have made them only the second Japanese manufacturer to get an overall win (Mazda
Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...
being the first in 1991
1991 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 59th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 22 and 23 1991. It was also the fourth round of the Sportscar World Championship.-Pre-race:...
).
The GT-One would race only once more, a single entrant appearing in the 1999 Le Mans Fuji 1000km
1999 Le Mans Fuji 1000km
The 1999 Le Mans Fuji 1000 km was an endurance race backed by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , who ran the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Japan Automobile Federation , who ran the JGTC race series...
. Although the race mostly consisted of Japanese teams, thus leaving out most of the manufacturers that had competed at Le Mans, Toyota still had to compete against rival Nissan, who also entered their R391
Nissan R391
The Nissan R391 was a prototype racing car built by Nissan and their motorsports counterpart Nismo for competition at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans...
. In the end the GT-One would fall short once again, finishing 2nd and only one lap behind the winning R391.
The GT-One program would not be continued into 2000, Toyota instead turning TTE into leaders of the new Toyota F1
Toyota F1
Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to participate in F1 in 1999, and after extensive testing with their initial car, dubbed the TF101, the team made their debut in 2002...
team. This would mark the end of Toyota's attempts at Le Mans, and would return over a decade later to once again contest at the top tier of sports car racing.
In addition to its motorsport activities, Toyota Motorsport also undertakes production vehicle analysis and development on behalf of Toyota, providing "highly skilled and rapidly reacting engineering" services. A range of modified Toyota road cars is also available from the Köln
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
factory.
Current business
The company is currently headed by president Yoshiaki Kinoshita, the man formerly in charge of Toyota's global motorsports programme and previously its Champ Car engine development. Former F1 technical director Pascal VasselonPascal Vasselon
Pascal Vasselon was the Senior General Manager Chassis of the Panasonic Toyota Formula 1 team, based at Toyota Motorsport GmbH. When he joined Toyota F1, he was the Head of Development and Research Chassis prior to his 2006 promotion. Before being involved with Toyota, Vasselon held many positions...
is General Manager Chassis Engineering while Jens Marquardt
Jens Marquardt
Jens Marquardt , is a motor sports engineer and manager, most recently the business development manager of Toyota Motorsport GmbH....
, the former F1 team manager, has become the head of business development, although he will join BMW Motorsport
BMW Motorsport
BMW Motorsport is the division of BMW responsible for motorsport-related activities, including works-run competition programmes in touring car racing, sportscar racing and Formula One.-See also:* BMW M* BMW in motorsport* BMW Sauber* Schnitzer Motorsport...
in 2011.
Toyota Motorsport is working with "a few dozen" customers on various projects, not all of which are from the motorsport world. Several major projects, including an iQ sports conversion, are being carried out for parent company Toyota Motor Corporation. According to the company's 2010 annual review, Toyota Motorsport has hit its financial targets for the year.
Toyota Motorsport is providing a TF109 F1 car to Pirelli for tyre testing at various circuits in preparation for the Italian company becoming F1's sole tyre supplier. Very few details are available regarding the identity of other customers, although media speculation says several leading F1 teams are using Toyota Motorsport's two modern wind tunnels and other testing rigs.
The company revealed in its annual review that it has developed an electric racing car based on the Radical sportscar, along with Cologne company e-WOLF. This car was developed using knowledge Toyota Motorsport gained during its KERS development for F1 and used some of the company's dedicated engine dynos, including an 'EV component test rig'.
Speculation surrounding TMG's return to active racing began in early 2010 after sports car racing media reported they had information of a Lola B10/60 sporting TRD engine name plates. In September 2010, Toyota Motorsport's general manager, Hiromi Hayashi, revealed they had signed a deal to supply the 3.4 liter V8 engine derived from the Super GT campaign (RV8KLM) to Rebellion Racing from 2011 onwards. Toyota announced in 2011 that they would extended their deal to Lola Cars for the remainder of the season and onwards.
In October 2010, rumours appeared in the media that Toyota Motorsport had been sold to the HRT F1 team. These were denied by Toyota Motorsport. Their machinery was eventually acquired by Stefan Grand Prix
Stefan Grand Prix
Stefan Grand Prix is a proposed Serbian Formula One team named after its creator, Zoran Stefanović. The team was attempting to compete in the 2010 Formula One season. Its initial application was one of those rejected in July 2009 and although the team persisted in its attempts to gain an entry, it...
, with TMG support. After a failed bid for the 2010 season, Toyota and Stefan Grand Prix parted ways, closing out any possible chance to see Toyota Racing return in any form to Formula 1.
List of rally wins
| Year | Event | Driver/Navigator | Car | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Press-on-Regardless | W. Boyce / D. Woods | Corolla (TE20) | 1st |
| 1975 | 1000 Lakes Rally | H. Mikkola / A. Aho | Corolla Levin (TE27) | 1st |
| 1979 | National Gravel French Rally Championship | J.-L. Therier / M. Vial | Celica (RA20) | 1st |
| 1980 | German Rally Championship | A. Warmbold / W. Inhester | Celica (RA40) | 1st |
| National Gravel French Rally Championship | J.-L. Therier / M. Vial | Celica (RA40) | 1st | |
| 1982 | Motogard Rally | B. Waldegard / H. Thorzelius | Celica (RA63) | 1st |
| 1983 | Ivory Coast Rally | B. Waldegard / H. Thorzelius | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st |
| 1984 | Safari Rally | B. Waldegard / H. Thorzelius | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st |
| 1985 | Safari Rally | J. Kankkunen / F. Gallagher | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st |
| Ivory Coast Rally | J. Kankkunen / F. Gallagher | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st | |
| 1986 | Safari Rally | B. Waldegard / F. Gallagher | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st |
| Ivory Coast Rally | B. Waldegard / F. Gallagher | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st | |
| Middle East Rally Championship | M. Bin Sulayem / R. Morgan | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st | |
| 1987 | Rally Hong Kong - Beijing | B. Waldegard / F. Gallagher | Supra 3.0i (MA70) | 1st |
| Middle East Rally Championship | M. Bin Sulayem / R. Morgan | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st | |
| 1988 | Safari Rally | K. Eriksson / P. Diekmann J. Kankkunen / J. Piironen B. Waldegard / F. Gallagher |
Celica Supra Turbo (MA70) | Team Prize |
| Cyprus Rally Cyprus Rally The Cyprus Rally is a rallying competition held yearly in Cyprus since 1970. The event is run by the Cyprus Automobile Association and is based in the city of Limassol . It is run on the winding roads of the nearby mountains of Troödos. It was part of the FIA's World Rally Championship from 2000... |
B. Waldegard / F. Gallagher | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Middle East Rally Championship | M. Bin Sulayem | Celica Twincam Turbo (TA64) | 1st | |
| 1989 | Rally Australia | J. Kankkunen / J. Piironen | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st |
| 1990 | Safari Rally | B. Waldegard / F. Gallagher | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st |
| Acropolis Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Rally New Zealand Rally New Zealand The Rally New Zealand was first held in Taupo in 1969, and was subsequently staged in Canterbury, before moving back to the North Island in 1971.The rally was included as a round of the World Championship in 1977... |
C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| 1000 Lakes Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| RAC Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Middle East Rally Championship (Drivers) | M. Bin Sulayem / R. Morgan | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Asian-Pacific Rally Championship (Drivers) | C. Sainz / L. Moya | 1st | ||
| World Championship of Drivers | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Manufacturers | 2nd | |||
| 1991 | Monte Carlo Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st |
| Portugal Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Corsica Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Rally New Zealand | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Rally Argentina | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| Rally Catalunya | A. Schwarz / A. Hertz | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Drivers | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST165) | 2nd | |
| World Championship of Manufacturers | 2nd | |||
| 1992 | Safari Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st |
| Rally New Zealand | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| Rally Catalunya | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| RAC Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Drivers | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Manufacturers | 2nd | |||
| 1993 | Monte Carlo Rally | D. Auriol / B. Occelli | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st |
| Swedish Rally | M. Jonsson / L. Backman | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| Safari Rally | J. Kankkunen / J. Piironen | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| Rally Argentina | J. Kankkunen / N. Grist | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| 1000 Lakes Rally | J. Kankkunen / D. Giraudet | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| Rally Australia | J. Kankkunen / N. Grist | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| RAC Rally | J. Kankkunen / N. Grist | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Drivers | J. Kankkunen / N. Grist | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Manufacturers | 1st | |||
| 1994 | Portugal Rally | J. Kankkunen / N. Grist | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st |
| Safari Rally | Ian Duncan / David Williamson | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| Corsica Rally | D. Auriol / B. Occelli | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| Rally Argentina | D. Auriol / B. Occelli | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| Rallye Sanremo | D. Auriol / B. Occelli | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Drivers | D. Auriol / B. Occelli | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st | |
| World Championship of Manufacturers | 1st | |||
| 1995 | Safari Rally | Y. Fujimoto / A. Hertz | Celica GT-Four (ST185) | 1st |
| Tour de Corse | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Celica GT-Four (ST205) | 1st | |
| 1996 | European Rally Championship | A. Schwarz / D. Giraudet | Celica GT-Four (ST205) | 1st |
| RAC Rally | A. Schwarz / D. Giraudet | Celica GT-Four (ST205) | 1st | |
| 1998 | Monte Carlo Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 1st |
| Rallye Catalunya | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Corolla WRC | 1st | |
| Rally New Zealand | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 1st | |
| World Championship of Drivers | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 2nd | |
| World Championship of Manufacturers | 2nd | |||
| 1999 | Rallye Monte Carlo | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Corolla WRC | 3rd |
| Swedish Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 2nd | |
| Safari Rally Kenya | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Corolla WRC | 2nd | |
| Rallye de Portugal | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 2nd | |
| Rallye Catalunya | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Corolla WRC | 2nd | |
| Tour de Corse | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 3rd | |
| Rally Argentina | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Corolla WRC | 3rd | |
| Acropolis Rally | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 2nd | |
| Rally Finland | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 3rd | |
| China Rally | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Corolla WRC | 1st | |
| Rallye Sanremo | D. Auriol / D. Giraudet | Corolla WRC | 3rd | |
| Rally Australia | C. Sainz / L. Moya | Corolla WRC | 2nd | |
| World Championship of Manufacturers | 1st |