13/09/2002

Q&A with Toshiro Kurusu

Explain your role at Panasonic Toyota Racing
In my role as Vice-President of Toyota Motorsport GmbH I am involved deeply in many areas of the Formula 1 programme.

Where are you based?
I am based at the factory in Cologne. I live in Düsseldorf and I work wholly at TMG.

Is this your first motorsport role for Toyota?
About 20 years ago when Toyota decided to develop Group B rally cars I worked as a chassis engineer. The cars were built by TMC and developed by the then TTE (Toyota Team Europe) and that was when I first worked with Ove Andersson. Unfortunately the regulations changed after I'd been there for just two-and-a-half years. Rally cars changed to Group A and this was my only experience of motorsport before we began the F1 programme.

Have you been a life-long F1 fan?
I have followed it since my youth and my hero is Chris Amon (New Zealand F1 driver in the 1960's and 1970's). He was a very fast driver but never won a race and developed his famous jinx! The unique thing about F1 in those days was that the cars were more evenly-matched than they are today and nearly all the fast drivers had a chance to win races.

How has Panasonic Toyota Racing's progress been received in Japan?
Toyota is a global company and some people look upon Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in Japan as a conservative company. We have in fact introduced a lot of new technology to road cars for example Hybrid or vehicle stability control but people still think we are conservative. The F1 programme is a very good opportunity for TMC to further develop and expand on its existing brand image. Motorsport appeals to younger people and after TMC announced the F1 programme lots of people in Japan were very excited for us.

Are you happy with the progress that the team has made this year?
We have treated this year as a learning year. We were not expecting anything in the way of results from the opening three races but we scored two points which was a surprise. This naturally led to higher expectations but our aims remained the same - simply to qualify for the races and to finish as many races as possible. We have a good engine a respectable chassis and good drivers in Mika and Allan but to combine all of these factors is very difficult. It is possible to be very logical when developing the technical aspects of performance but to build up a team at the same time is difficult. Before we will have success we have to combine the technology and the human factor and I am very confident that in time we will manage to do this.

When do you think Toyota can win races?
As I've already said the first year has been all about learning Formula 1. In the second year we should be stepping up to the next level picking up points often and making our way slowly up the grid.

Is there much technology transfer between Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motorsport?
We are increasing the collaboration between TMC and TMG. We already have a number of young Japanese engineers at TMG and they work on performance-related issues to do with the TF102. They are gaining invaluable experience and when they go back to TMC they will be better engineers as a result of their experience in Cologne.

Would you like to see more Japanese involved in the F1 programme?
We have around 20 Japanese engineers at TMG but in Japan we have nearly 100 people in TMC and they are working on the F1 project too. But certainly we can further develop the collaboration between TMG and TMC. In the future we plan to bring in some additional Japanese engineers.

Do you think Formula 1 too expensive?
Toyota is still very new to F1 and we want to watch and observe what happens before making comment. Only when we have been here for a while will we know if any changes are necessary for the sport.

Does Toyota want a Japanese driver in F1?
That would be very nice but Toyota is an international company and we sell cars all over the world. As a result we choose drivers on their ability to drive not on their nationality. But obviously we are the number 1 automobile company in Japan so to have a fast Japanese driver could be very beneficial.

Have programmes been set up to develop young Japanese drivers?
Karting in Japan is going through a big change at the moment. Until recently older established drivers won the championships. But we now have very young champions and the Japanese Automobile Federation is helping too. It has decided to give young racing drivers special dispensations. For instance you can only drive on the road at 18 in Japan but you can race on the track from 16. TMC is also running a young drivers' programme and through this I am very confident that we can nurture the talent of this up-and-coming talent to develop a very good Japanese driver as in motorcycle racing.