Toyota Industry News
TOYOTA OUTLINES MOTOR SPORTS ACTIVITIES FOR 2009
By
Mar 16, 2009 - 11:37:58 AM

Tokyo – TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC), which regards motor sports as an ideal medium for conveying the anticipation and excitement associated with automobiles, announces it plans to continue engaging in motor sports this year, despite being financially restricted by severe business conditions. TMC plans to focus on these top-class racing series: the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1), Japanese Super GT, Formula Nippon and NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). TMC will also support young drivers expected to some day be competitive on the world stage.

This will mark TMC’s eighth year in F1 competition. Its TF109 racecar, in line with new regulations, sports a broader front wing and improved performance and reliability. With veteran driver Jarno Trulli and second-year member Timo Glock, the team is aiming for its first win. The team’s third driver, Kamui Kobayashi, will also compete in the just-below-F1 GP2 Series.

In Japan, TMC will participate using the Lexus brand this year and will aim to recapture the Super GT GT500 title using the Lexus SC430. TMC will continue to supply engines to the Japanese Championship Formula Nippon – the top category of formula car racing in Japan, aiming for the fourth straight title by a Toyota-powered car.

In the United States, TMC will again participate in NASCAR’s pinnacle Sprint Cup Series with the Toyota Camry, which totalled 10 wins last year. TMC is also aiming to win the Nationwide Series, NASCAR’s second most-popular series, also with the Camry. And TMC will continue to race the Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Truck Series (formerly the Craftsman Truck Series), after having won both the manufacturer’s and driver’s titles last year.

In addition to directly participating in racing, TMC is also committed to continuing its
support for a wide range of events and race categories starting from the grassroots
level to promote motor sports in general.

One such initiative is the Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP), which aims to help train world-class drivers of the future. This year TMC has selected eight drivers to participate in the programme, including Kazuki Nakajima, a second-year driver for the AT&T Williams team expected to play a bigger role this year.

Furthermore, to promote environmentally friendly motor sports and to improve the efficiency of hybrid systems (including those for production vehicles), TMC will continue developing hybrid systems for motor sports.

TMC’s motor sports activities are centered at TMC’s Motor Sports Division at TMC’s Higashifuji Technical Center in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and are backed by regional bases in Japan (Toyota Technocraft Co., Ltd (TRD)), Germany (Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG)) and the United States (TRD, U.S.A. Inc. (TRD-USA)).

Outline of TMC’s 2009 Motor Sports Activities
1. F1

• The Panasonic Toyota Racing team, which is competing in 2009 for its eighth consecutive year, will aim for its first victory and strive to accumulate points in each race.
• The team will compete using a new racecar, the TF109, which features a new chassis designed to deliver aerodynamic stability regardless of the racetrack or driving conditions. The car’s suspension and gearbox have also been modified in an effort to achieve greater driving performance and reliability.
• This year’s drivers will be Jarno Trulli (Italy, Car No. 9) and Timo Glock (Germany, Car No. 10), driving for his second year in F1. The third driver will be the TDP’s Kamui Kobayashi (Japan).
• TMC will also supply its RVX-09 engine to the AT&T Williams team.
• The TF 109 will have Bridgestone Potenza slick tyres.

2. Super GT
TMC will continue to support teams in this premier Japanese racing series through Toyota Technocraft Co., Ltd (TRD). Vehicles scheduled to participate are the GT500-class Lexus SC430 powered by a 3.4-litre V8 engine (RV8KG), the GT300-class Lexus IS350 powered by a 3.0-litre V8 engine (RV8J) and the Toyota Corolla Axio powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine (2GR).

Supported Teams

Tyres: BS = Bridgestone; DL = Dunlop; KH = Kumho; YH = Yokohama; MI = Michelin

3. Japanese Championship Formula Nippon
TMC will provide 3.4-litre V8 engines (RV8K) to five teams (eight vehicles) in this top category of Japanese formula car races. All vehicles will have Bridgestone tyres.

Supported Teams (Engine Support)

4. NASCAR
TMC will once again compete in all races of the NASCAR National Series with the support of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) and TRD-USA. Race vehicles in every category will be fitted with Goodyear tyres.
Sprint Cup Series
The Sprint Cup Series is the pinnacle of NASCAR. TMC has been racing in the series since 2007 (when it was then called the Nextel Cup Series) with the Camry.

Supported Teams

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all drivers are from the U.S.

Nationwide Series
The Nationwide Series is the next most-popular series after the Sprint Cup Series. TMC has been racing the series since 2007 (when it was then called the Busch Series) with the Camry.

Note: All drivers are from the U.S.

Camping World Truck Series
TMC has been racing in the series since 2004 (when it was then called the Craftsman Truck Series) with the Tundra.

Note: All drivers are from the U.S.

5. Other Support Activities
All-Japan F3 Championship Series
Formula Three is the first step toward F1. TMC will provide 1AZ-FE engines to the three teams (five vehicles) participating in the All-Japan class races. TMC will also provide 3S-GE engines to nine cars participating in National class races, which began in 2008.

From this year, all the cars will use Hankook tyres. All-Japan class teams using TMC-supplied engines and their drivers are listed below.

Supported Teams

Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ)
This entry-class category is in its fourth year. All of the cars are specially and independently designed FCJ vehicles (FC106). This year, the FCJ has scheduled a total of 14 different races at seven race events to be held at four different circuits.

Netz Cup Vitz Street-legal Series
This series features the street-legal Toyota Vitz RS TRD Racing racecar, which is based on the 1.5-litre Vitz RS.

Five regional series (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Kansai and Western Japan) are scheduled along with a special race.

Additional Support

Japan
Support will be provided to the Toyota Motor Sports Club (TMSC).

United States

1. TMC will provide 5.0-litre V8 (redesigned 3UZ) engines to the Grand American Road Racing (Grand Am) Series.
2. TMC will provide engines to the Midget Series, Sprint Series and Silver Crown Series of the United States Auto Club (USAC).
3. Support will go to Toyota vehicles participating in The Off Road Championship Series (TORC) and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag races.
4. TMC will sponsor the Long Beach Grand Prix, the second race in the Indy Car Series, marking the 35th time since 1975 for TMC to sponsor the race.
5. TMC will sponsor Race 14 (Nashville) of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Race 16 (Infineon Raceway) of the Sprint Cup Series.

6. Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP)
This programme is aimed at cultivating drivers who hope to compete in top racing categories, both in Japan and throughout the world. It is dedicated to identifying new talent and allows participants to improve in line with their own respective abilities. The programme is being offered in Europe and Japan, as listed below.

List of Trainee TDP Drivers for 2009
Europe

Japan