Tsutomu Tomita
Encyclopedia
is the president of Fuji Speedway
from . He was the chairman of Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG, ex-Toyota Team Europe) and team principal of Toyota F1
, the Formula One
racing branch of Toyota, until June 2007.
Born and raised in Japan
, Tomita first joined Toyota in 1969 as an engine
development engineer
. He continually worked his way up the corporate ladder, becoming the executive in charge of all Toyota racing engines by 1987. In 1996, he became a member of the board of directors
, responsible for all of Toyota's international motorsport
activities.
Many credit Tomita as being the driving force behind Toyota's decision to enter Formula One in 2002. He did not want Toyota to enter F1 as merely an engine supplier; instead, his vision was for the Japanese automobile
giant to form its own "works" team. Toyota has now joined Ferrari
and Renault
as the only teams producing F1 cars completely from scratch, including the engine, chassis, brakes, suspension and electronics.
During the 2003 Formula One season
, Tomita relocated to the Toyota Motorsport factory
in Cologne, Germany
to personally oversee the team's F1 activities. In January 2004, Tomita was elevated to the role of team principal, managing every aspect of Toyota's F1 endeavors. Tomita has recently expanded Toyota's influence in Formula One, announcing that rebadged Toyota engines would be powering Jordan
cars in 2005. This deal carried through to 2006, when the team was renamed Midland F1 and then Spyker F1
. During the 2006 Formula One season
, Tomita announced that the Toyota F1
team would supply the Williams F1 team with engines from 2007
to at least 2008
.
In April 2007, Tomita announced he would be leaving his post as Toyota F1
team principal to return to work for the company in Japan
. Tadashi Yamashina
was announced as the person taking over the role. Tomita's exit took place in June.
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...
from . He was the chairman of Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG, ex-Toyota Team Europe) and team principal of 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...
, the 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...
racing branch of Toyota, until June 2007.
Born and raised in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Tomita first joined Toyota in 1969 as an engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
development engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
. He continually worked his way up the corporate ladder, becoming the executive in charge of all Toyota racing engines by 1987. In 1996, he became a member of the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, responsible for all of Toyota's international 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...
activities.
Many credit Tomita as being the driving force behind Toyota's decision to enter Formula One in 2002. He did not want Toyota to enter F1 as merely an engine supplier; instead, his vision was for the Japanese automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
giant to form its own "works" team. Toyota has now joined Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
and Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
as the only teams producing F1 cars completely from scratch, including the engine, chassis, brakes, suspension and electronics.
During the 2003 Formula One season
2003 Formula One season
The 2003 Formula One season was the 54th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 9, 2003 and ended on October 12 after sixteen races...
, Tomita relocated to the Toyota Motorsport factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Cologne, 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...
to personally oversee the team's F1 activities. In January 2004, Tomita was elevated to the role of team principal, managing every aspect of Toyota's F1 endeavors. Tomita has recently expanded Toyota's influence in Formula One, announcing that rebadged Toyota engines would be powering Jordan
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
cars in 2005. This deal carried through to 2006, when the team was renamed Midland F1 and then Spyker F1
Spyker F1
Spyker F1 Team was a Formula One team that competed in the 2007 Formula One World Championship, and was created by Spyker Cars after their buyout of the short-lived Midland F1 team...
. During the 2006 Formula One season
2006 Formula One season
The 2006 Formula One season was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship which began on March 12 and ended on October 22 after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault F1 for the second year in a...
, Tomita announced that the 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 would supply the Williams F1 team with engines from 2007
2007 Formula One season
The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the...
to at least 2008
2008 Formula One season
The 2008 Formula One season was the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 16 March and ended on 2 November with eighteen Grand Prix races....
.
In April 2007, Tomita announced he would be leaving his post as 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 principal to return to work for the company in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Tadashi Yamashina
Tadashi Yamashina
Tadashi Yamashina is the former Team Principal of the Toyota F1 Racing operation, having taken over from Tsutomu Tomita in June 2007.Yamashina started work for the Toyota corporation in 1977, working his way up through the company ranks to become the project general manager at the companies...
was announced as the person taking over the role. Tomita's exit took place in June.