TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will aim to conquer the challenging asphalt roads of the Croatia Rally once more at round four of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship on April 18-21.
2024 GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID
Since Croatia first joined the WRC schedule three years ago, TGR-WRT has tasted victory with three different drivers in as many editions. Two of those drivers return as part of its line-up for this year’s event, with the 2021 winner Sébastien Ogier to make his second start of the season alongside 2023 victor Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, who has a trio of top-six finishes under his belt in Croatia.
After achieving a record-extending victory on Safari Rally Kenya, TGR-WRT leads the manufacturers’ championship by four points while Evans leads its challenge in the drivers’ championship, just six points from the leader.
The rally continues to be based in the Croatian capital Zagreb – although the service park this year moves to a new location at the Westgate shopping mall to the north-west of the city centre. The stages take place across the north of the country, close to neighbouring Slovenia, on roads that feature a wide variety of different asphalt types. This means that grip levels are constantly changing, which can be further complicated by rain and mud. Some sections are technical and twisting, while many others are fast and flowing with jumps and crests.
After a shakedown and ceremonial start on Thursday, the rally begins on Friday with its longest day. Four stages take the rally south-west from Zagreb towards the coastal city of Rijeka, which hosts a lunchtime regroup. After a tyre-fitting zone, the same four stages will be tackled in reverse order in the afternoon on the way back to Zagreb.
Saturday runs to a more typical format, with a loop of four stages to the west and south of Zagreb to be run twice either side of mid-day service. As usual, Sunday’s finale takes place to the north of Zagreb where a pair of stages will be run twice, with Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec once more hosting the rally-ending Power Stage.
Four GR Yaris Rally2 cars are entered in Croatia, with Sami Pajari (Printsport) and Georg Linnamäe (RedGrey Team) joined by the TGR WRC Challenge Program duo of Yuki Yamamoto and Hikaru Kogure, who are registered to compete for WRC2 points.
For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2024/rd04-preview/.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) and Lexus plan to exhibit at Tokyo Auto Salon 2024*1 to be held at Makuhari Messe (in Chiba City, Japan) for three days from January 12 to 14, 2024. Displays are to be held under the banner of “Getting more passionate about cars with car lovers”, and Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda, a.k.a. Morizo, is to speak at a press conference scheduled to begin at 9:30 on January 12. The TGR and Lexus displays are to feature vehicles and parts under such themes as “Beloved cars”, “Customization”, and “Motorsports”. During the event, TGR and Lexus also plan to hold talk sessions featuring racing drivers and development engineers, as well as demo runs. Details of the vehicle and other displays, along with information on the talk sessions, demo runs, and others are available on the following special website. https://toyotagazooracing.com/eventexhibition/tokyoautosalon/
“Beloved cars” and “Customization”
Under the themes of “Beloved cars” and “Customization”, Morizo and TGR intend to uniquely express the joy of owning an automobile―the only industrial product that is prefixed (in Japanese) by “beloved” among many industrial products. Also, exhibited are to be both GR and Lexus new production models and vehicles customized under the supervision of professional drivers, as well as GR parts, including GR Heritage Parts, due for sales launch from 2024, and other items.
“Motorsports”
In addition to vehicles that raced in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), in which the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team won its third successive triple crown in 2023, and in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), in which TGR won its fifth consecutive double title in 2023, the “TGR TEAM au TOM’S” No. 36, which won the 2023 Super GT, and the “Kuo VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S” No. 37, which won the 2023 Japanese Super Formula Championship, are also to be on display. They are to be joined by the CP ROOKIE PRIUS CNF-HEV GR concept, which raced in the Idemitsu Super Endurance Southeast Asia Trophy 2023 (Thailand 10-hour Endurance Race) in December 2023.
Talk sessions and outdoor events
The talk sessions are to include inside stories about the development of a new production model and are to feature drivers such as Norihiko Katsuta, who competes in the Japanese Rally Championship and Hiroaki Ishiura, who competes in the Super Taikyu Series and SUPER GT*2.
Outdoors, a gymkhana duel between the AE86 BEV Concept, which was first unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 as a concept car themed on making one’s personal car carbon neutral, and Keiichi Tsuchiya’s AE86 Super Mame-go is to be held on January 13 from noon, with Tsuchiya and professional driver Masahiro Sasaki behind the wheels. Also, on January 14 from noon, Norihiko Katsuta and WRC driver Takamoto Katsuta are scheduled to give demo runs of rally vehicles, including the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID. Details are to be released on the special site as they become available.
(1) A customized car event; January 12: business day (industry and press), January 13 and 14: general public days (2) Please note that the personalities making appearances are subject to change.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) has unveiled the new livery for the cars that will compete in the FIA World Rally Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship in the 2024 season.
There are two concepts for the all-new matt black livery for the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID and the GR010 HYBRID, which compete in the respective FIA World Championships. One of the concepts is “Speed” representing our spirit, “Hate to lose”. The other one is the “Prototype” which represents making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and to keep evolving.
The new livery will be used not only in the WRC and the WEC, but also in other competitions in which TOYOTA GAZOO Racing participates.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) has launched a special Le Mans section(1) within its official website ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours, to be held in France on June 10-11.
Striking new visuals depicting the Toyota GR010 HYBRID #7 and #8 cars were unveiled, as well as commemorative photos of the team’s five Le Mans-winning cars from 2018-2022, which were united for the first time at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Information about events to be held during race week was also published.
1. Major events before and during the race week
Earlier this week, at the invitation of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), a unique group of historic Le Mans-winning cars were assembled for the first time at the site of the race, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary(2). TGR has been storing and exhibiting its Le Mans-winning race cars in their original condition at the team’s Cologne base, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe(3), and within Toyota Motor Corporation(4) in Japan, while the 2020 winner, a TS050 HYBRID, was permanently loaned to the Le Mans 24 Hours Museum(5) in 2021. These cars will be displayed at the Museum from June 1 to July 2. In addition, the 2018 and 2022 winning cars will be driven by two winning drivers, Alex Wurz(6) and Kazuki Nakajima(7), respectively, alongside other historic cars in the Centenary Parade around the 13.626km Circuit de la Sarthe on June 10.
Prior to the race, a demonstration run of the hydrogen-engine “ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 concept” vehicle with which ROOKIE Racing participated in the Super Taikyu Series as part of activities to make ever-better motorsport-bred cars, will take place at 12:20 on June 10 at the circuit to promote the potential of hydrogen engines as an option to achieve carbon neutrality.
2. Exhibitions at the Centenary Village and ACO fan zone―introducing efforts to realize a Carbon Neutral society in Japan
During the race week, exhibitions will be held at the Centenary Village and ACO fan zone within the Circuit de la Sarthe to look back on the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, where Toyota has honed and refined its vehicle technologies through competition with rival teams, and to introduce the various challenges for future realization of a carbon neutral society.
In particular, together with the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and Mazda Motor Corporation, the first Japanese automaker to win Le Mans in 1991, TGR will hold a themed exhibition to promote tourism to Japan and introduce its technological development efforts towards realizing a carbon neutral society in Japan. A concept car equipped with vehicle technologies that have been developed through numerous challenges in motorsports participation will be exhibited.
3. Live onboard video streaming
TGR will stream a live video feed from the onboard cameras on the GR010 HYBRID #7 and #8 cars on its official website during the Hyperpole session on June 8 and the race, which starts at 23:00 (Japan time) on Saturday, June 10.
In addition, during race week, news reports and other information will be distributed alongside TGR’s social media activities. TGR sincerely hopes fans and media will enjoy watching its battle to win the Le Mans 24 Hours for the sixth consecutive time in 2023, a significant milestone in the race’s centennial year.
The “TGR GT Cup” currently being held in Gran Turismo 7(8) will hold its third round on June 4 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, where the 24 Hours of Le Mans is held. Before the real race, please come and enjoy the race in the virtual world with GR010 HYBRID. If you enter the competition, you will receive a GR010 HYBRID Gran Turismo virtual car with the 2023 livery.
For detailed entry procedures and an outline of the event, please visit the following special website for the “TGR GT Cup 2023”.
URL https://toyotagazooracing.com/e-motorsports/join-entrant/2023/ (1) https://toyotagazooracing.com/wec/special/2023/24h-lemans/ (2) Please refer to the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe press release for more details. https://tgr-europe-newsroom.com/blog/wec/artikel/le-mans-winners-united-for-the-first-time-2/text (3) Home of the 2018 winning vehicle TS050 HYBRID and the 2021 winning vehicle GR010 HYBRID (4) Home of the 2019 winning vehicle TS050 HYBRID and the 2022 winning vehicle GR010 HYBRID (5) https://toyotagazooracing.com/wec/release/2021/0818-01/ (6) The youngest-ever winner who spearheaded Toyota’s return in 2012, remaining a key team member even after he retired from racing. (7) Now Vice Chairman of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe, he was the first Japanese pole position winner (in 2014) and the only Japanese to win three times (2018, 2019, 2020). (8) Gran Turismo 7 TM & 2023 Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. “Gran Turismo” logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing aims to maintain its dominant start to the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season when it competes in Europe for the first time this year, at the 6 Hours of Portimao.
At the season-opening 1000 Miles of Sebring, perfect team operations, exceptional driver consistency and smart tyre management delivered a one-two victory over a packed Hypercar field featuring other legendary endurance racing marques, such as Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Porsche.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez hold the advantage in the drivers’ standings after victory at Sebring in their #7 GR010 HYBRID. Reigning World Champions, and last year’s Le Mans winners, Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa began their title defence with a narrow second place.
After the unique challenges over the bumps in Sebring four weeks ago, Portimao marks the start of an important and intense European-based preparation period prior to the Le Mans 24 Hours, which includes the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at the end of this month.
Sebastien and Brendon already have a Portimao victory to their name, achieved when leading home a TOYOTA GAZOO Racing one-two on WEC’s first race there, in the second round of the 2021 season. That was also Toyota’s 100th FIA World Championship sportscar race.
As well as being a challenging circuit for drivers, Portimao is also a challenge for team logistics. An epic road journey to deliver the GR010 HYBRIDs and working equipment to Portugal began on Thursday 6 April when five trucks left the team’s base in Cologne, Germany.
The trip will end on Sunday, after the team’s five trucks have passed through five countries and covered 2,500km on the way to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, near the town of Portimao on Portugal’s southern coast. That distance is the equivalent to 538 laps of the 4.653km circuit, which would take a Hypercar around 14-and-a-half hours to complete at typical race pace and accounting for pit stops.
Preparation for the second race of the season begins on Friday, with a pair of 90-minute practice sessions, during which drivers and engineers will evaluate different aerodynamic and mechanical settings on the GR010 HYBRIDs, whilst also comparing the different compounds of Michelin tyres.
After a late-morning final practice on Saturday, the starting grid will be decided by a 15-minute qualifying session at 4.20pm that afternoon. The 6 Hours of Portimao, the second round of the seven-race 2023 WEC season, begins at midday local time (1pm CEST) on Sunday.
For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wec/release/2023/rd02-preview/.
