BEHIND THE SCENES OF WILD MOMENT

Motor Sports as the Origin of Creating More Advanced Cars

There is a single purpose behind TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s participation in grueling races in a variety of categories: To continue to forge cars and drivers by traversing roads throughout the world.
In the world of motorsports, cars and drivers are subjected to stress that would be unimaginable on a normal test course or on public road. This leads to the discovery of weaknesses in cars that were previously unapparent.
How can we ensure that cars are reliable under such extreme conditions? We cultivate knowledge and technology through trial and error in pursuit of this goal, and then utilize that knowledge and technology to improve driving performance and improve fuel efficiency, thus leading to the creation of environmentally-friendly cars.

Born to Run

Just as nature has evolved wild animals into the optimal form for their natural environment, motorsports forges cars to reach peak performance for roads and racing environments.
It is as if the roads and wide-open spaces are the natural habitat of cars, and a wild environment created by human hands.

Capturing the Wild Nature of Cars

We seek to capture the wild nature of cars that compete in the extreme world of motorsports.
While searching for ways to transform this vision into a reality, Master Driver Morizo conceived the idea of relying on the senses of drivers who compete in the world’s top races.
“At what moment do you feel the wild nature of a car?”
“Is it possible to capture that moment on video?”
Together with four drivers, we analyzed the wild nature of each car and captured that moment with a super slow camera.
GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID
GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID is driven on roads around the world in the WRC.
Our video captures how the movement of the suspension is similar to human muscles, expanding and contracting in the momentary period between jumping and landing.
The GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID that I usually drive has a very large suspension damper stroke. This causes the suspension to expand and contract like a living thing when the car lands from a jump. This moment was captured on video using a camera car driven by my father, Norihiko Katsuta.
The GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID that I usually drive has a very large suspension damper stroke. This causes the suspension to expand and contract like a living thing when the car lands from a jump. This moment was captured on video using a camera car driven by my father, Norihiko Katsuta.
TGR WRC DRIVER
TAKAMOTO KATSUTA
GR SUPRA
Drivers want to increase the speed of their car, even by one-tenth of a second. In pursuit of this speed, drivers steer their cars by cutting corners as close as possible. Drivers push the tire grip to the limit for the ultimate in vehicle control.
There is a large corner at the S-shaped corner of Sportsland SUGO. I always cut the corner in order to take the shortest route possible. At that time, my car leans far to the side and jumps. While cutting the corner to the greatest extent possible, I fight to control the ferocity of my vehicle in pursuit of speed that is faster by even one-tenth of a second. I hope to express this situation as the wild nature of driving.
There is a large corner at the S-shaped corner of Sportsland SUGO. I always cut the corner in order to take the shortest route possible. At that time, my car leans far to the side and jumps. While cutting the corner to the greatest extent possible, I fight to control the ferocity of my vehicle in pursuit of speed that is faster by even one-tenth of a second. I hope to express this situation as the wild nature of driving.
TGR RACING DRIVER
MASAHIRO SASAKI
GR010 HYBRID
WEC races are driven at ultra-high speeds exceeding 300km/h under harsh conditions of darkness and rain.
We are taking on the challenge of visualizing the air flow known as “downforce” that impacts cars running in such harsh environments.
Downforce cannot actually be seen due to the transparent nature of air. I racked my brain to think of a method of visualizing this unseen force. For this project, I decided to use water to visualize an approximation of downforce through water droplets, as well as the flow of wind on the car.
Downforce cannot actually be seen due to the transparent nature of air. I racked my brain to think of a method of visualizing this unseen force. For this project, I decided to use water to visualize an approximation of downforce through water droplets, as well as the flow of wind on the car.
TGR WEC DRIVER
KAMUI KOBAYASHI
GR DKR HILUX T1+
The Dakar Rally is said to be the world’s toughest rally race. Drivers compete on all types of roads, including deserts, mud, and mountains. This video captures the image of a car kicking up sand while running through a desert that resembles an ocean.
I have attempted numerous jumps over sand dunes in the heart of the Namib Desert. The huge amount of sand in front of the care made it very challenging to get the right timing for the jumps.
I have attempted numerous jumps over sand dunes in the heart of the Namib Desert. The huge amount of sand in front of the care made it very challenging to get the right timing for the jumps.
TGR W2RC DRIVER
Giniel de Villiers
DRIVER PROFILES
  • TAKAMOTO KATSUTA
    WRC driver. Since joining the TGR WRC Challenge Program in 2015, Takamoto has worked diligently and joined the regular team lineup in 2023. He also helped the team win the Manufacturers’ Championship, including a third place finish at Rally Finland. From 2024, he will participate in all races as a regular driver.
  • NORIHIKO KATSUTA
    All Japan Rally Driver and father of Takamoto Katsuta. Norihiko competed in all races of the All Japan Rally Championship in 1993. Competing under the nickname “Tarmac King,” he has won a total of eight titles. In 2021, he transferred from Subaru to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. Norihiko has continued to actively compete in rallies for many years. For example, he competed in the GR YARIS GR4 Rally, clinched the title with four consecutive wins in the second half of the season, and finished second in the series in 2022.
  • MASAHIRO SASAKI
    TGR racing driver. Masahiro has competed in the 86/BRZ Race since 2015 and won the title in 2016. He won the opening race of the 2021 season. He has also been competing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours since 2020. In addition to racing, he also has experience as a development driver for the GR86.
  • KAMUI KOBAYASHI
    WEC driver. Kamui has been competing full-time in the WEC since 2016, winning four races in the 2019-2020 season and to achieve his first champion title. In 2021, he won his first Le Mans 24 Hours. From the following year, he also served as the representative of the WEC team, winning two races as the driver of the No. 7 car and contributing to the Manufacturers’ Championship.
  • Giniel de Villiers
    TGR W2RC driver. Winner of the 2009 Dakar. Giniel has completed all 20 Dakar Rally races he has competed in, and finished out of the top ten only once. Additionally, he has an unparalleled record of 15 top-five finishes in 20 races, including eight podium finishes.