TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) announced its 2022 motorsport team setups during an online event at the Megaweb facility in Tokyo on December 6. Attendees included “Morizo” (President Akio Toyoda), Koji Sato, President of GAZOO Racing Company, WEC and WRC team principals, and the drivers who lead TGR activities. The live broadcast featured information on new challenges for the next season and our racing team setup, in addition to the history of TGR and the significance its motorsport engagements.
Major achievements in 2021
| World Championships | FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) |
Won 24 Hours of Le Mans for the fourth year in a row, and won all races in the season for the first time ever - Teams’ Championship - Drivers’ Championship (Kamui Kobayashi / Mike Conway / José María López) |
|---|---|---|
| FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) |
Won all three major titles for the first time since 1994 - Manufacturers' Championship - Drivers’ Championship (Sébastien Ogier) - Co-drivers’ Championship (Julien Ingrassia) |
|
| Dakar Rally |
TGR: 2nd overall(Nasser Al-Attiyah / Matthieu Baumel) TLC: Eighth consecutive victory in the production car category (Akira Miura/Laurent Lichtleuchter) HINO Team Sugawara: 12th consecutive victory in the under 10-liter class truck category (Teruhito Sugawara/Hirokazu Somemiya/Yuji Mochizuki) |
|
| Japanese Championships | Japanese Rally Championship | Season champion in the first year racing the GR YARIS GR4 Rally (Norihiko Katsuta / Yusuke Kimura) |
| SUPER GT |
TGR Team au TOM’S became season champion - Teams’ Championship - Drivers’ Championship (Yuhi Sekiguchi / Sho Tsuboi) |
|
| Japanese Super Formula Championship |
carenex TEAM IMPUL became season champion - Teams’ Championship |
■2022 racing team setup （World Championships）
＜FIA World Endurance Championship（WEC）＞
- In 2022, we will continue to race in the Hyper Car category (LMH class), which is the top class of the WEC.
- TGR will enter with the GR010 HYBRID, which won all races in 2021 on its way to the World Championship. This vehicle was newly developed for this category and is fitted with RACING HYBRID technology that has been advanced during WEC competition.
- Two vehicles will compete in the series with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe GmbH in Cologne, Germany as the base.
| Team name | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing |
|---|---|
| Team founder | Akio Toyoda |
| Team principal | Kamui Kobayashi |
| Vehicle | GR010 HYBRID (length 4900mm; width 2000mm; weight 1040kg) |
| Engine | 3.5-liter V6 turbo engine |
| Tires | MICHELIN Radial |
| Team | Vehicle | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | GR010 HYBRID | 7 | Mike Conway (UK) |
| Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) | |||
| José María López (Argentina) | |||
| 8 | Sébastien Buemi (Switzerland) | ||
| Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) | |||
| Ryo Hirakawa (Japan) |
＜FIA World Rally Championship（WRC）＞※The following information has already been made public
- In 2022, we will participate in the Rally1 class, which is the top category of the WRC, under the new regulations in order to promote sustainable motorsports.
- TGR will race with the GR YARIS Rally1, which is based on the GR Yaris and fitted with a hybrid system. It has been developed mainly in Finland.
- With our team principal, Jari-Matti Latvala, TGR will aim to win three titles (Manufacturer, Driver, Co-driver) for the second year in a row.
- We will further promote ever-better car making by continuing to compete in various arenas and refine our vehicles.
| Team name | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT（World Rally Team: WRT） |
|---|---|
| Team founder | Akio Toyoda |
| Team principal | Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) |
| Vehicle | GR YARIS Rally1 (length 4207mm; width 1875mm) |
| Engine | GI4B |
| Tires | Pirelli |
| No. | Driver / Co-driver | |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Driver | Elfyn Evans (UK) |
| Co-driver | Scott Martin (UK) | |
| 69 | Driver | Kalle Rovanperä (Finland) |
| Co-driver | Jonne Halttunen (Finland) | |
| 1 | Driver | Sébastien Ogier (France) |
| Co-driver | Benjamin Veillas (France) | |
| 4 | Driver | Esapekka Lappi (Finland) |
| Co-driver | Janne Ferm (Finland) | |
＜Driver Development Initiatives in Japan＞※The following information has already been made public
We are continuously implementing programs aiming to cultivate and produce young drivers who can actively compete in top categories in Japan and worldwide to achieve a sustainable motorsports industry. These initiatives include identifying and cultivating talented drivers and offering continuous support for improvement.
TGR WRC Challenge Program
- Takamoto Katsuta will participate in all rounds of the 2022 WRC with the GR YARIS Rally1.
- In order to identify and cultivate young Japanese drivers who can actively compete in the WRC in addition to Katsuta, new participating drivers are currently being selected. The final selection will be held in Finland in January 2022 and the selected drivers will undergo full-scale training starting in Finland from April.
| Team name | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team Next Generation |
|---|---|
| Team founder | Akio Toyoda |
| Team principal | Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) |
| Vehicle | GR YARIS Rally1 (length 4207mm; width 1875mm) |
| Engine | GI4B |
| Tires | Pirelli |
| No. | Driver / Co-driver | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Driver | Takamoto Katsuta (Japan) |
| Co-driver | Aaron Johnston (Ireland) | |
URL：https://toyotagazooracing.com/challengeprogram_rally/release/2021/1029-01/
- Three young drivers have been selected to join the program. They start intensive training in Finland from April. ※Updated in April 2022
| Driver |
|---|
| Nao Otake (Japan) |
| Hikaru Kogure (Japan) |
| Yuki Yamamoto (Japan) |
URL：https://toyotagazooracing.com/challengeprogram_rally/release/2022/0207-01/
TGR WEC Challenge Program
- Future drivers for the program are being considered. Following the same process as the WRC Challenge Program, we will continuously implement programs aiming to cultivate and produce young drivers who can actively compete in top categories worldwide to achieve a sustainable motorsports industry.
TGR Driver Challenge Program（TGR-DC） ※Updated in April 2022
- The program aims to cultivate racing and rally drivers who are capable of competing in top racing categories within and outside of Japan.
- Talented drivers are identified and, according to their level of skill, provided with programs for further improvement including SUPER GT, Japanese Super Formula Championship and TGR WRC/WEC challenge programs.
【2022 TGR-DC Training Drivers】
(All TGR-DC Training Drivers are Japanese)
| Driver | Category | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Kazuto Kotaka | Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship | TOM'S |
| Hibiki Taira | Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship | TOM'S |
| Seita Nonaka | Japanese Super Formula Lights Championship | TOM'S |
| SUPER GT（GT300） | HOPPY team TSUCHIYA | |
| Miki Koyama | Formula Regional Japanese Champiohship | SUPER LICENSE |
FIA-F4 Japanese Championship ※Updated in April 2022
- TGR will support the following young drivers who compete in the Japanese FIA-F4 Championship series, the entry class formula category.
| Drivers | Team |
|---|---|
| Rin Arakawa | TGR-DC Racing School |
| Rikuto Kobayashi | |
| Jin Nakamura | |
| Ryoma Henzan |
TGR-DC Racing School ※Updated in April 2022
- The program aims to cultivate young drivers who are capable of competing in top racing categories, and to expand the base of motorsports through proper driving schooling.
- The schooling session is planned to be held in July 2022 at Fuji International Speedway.
- Drivers with outstanding results will receive support from TGR to participate in races in the following year(s).
＜Dakar Rally＞※The following information has already been made public
- TGR will enter four cutting-edge GR Dakar Hilux T1+ vehicles built to rally raid-specifications in the Dakar Rally 2022, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2022.
【Dakar Rally 2022—TGR Team setup】
| Team | No. | Driver / Co-driver | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | 201 | Driver | Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar) |
| Co-driver | Matthieu Baumel (France) | ||
| 207 | Driver | Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) | |
| Co-driver | Dennis Murphy (South Africa) | ||
| 225 | Driver | Henk Lategan (South Africa) | |
| Co-driver | Brett Cummings (South Africa) | ||
| 233 | Driver | Shameer Variawa (South Afria) | |
| Co-driver | Danie Stassen (South Africa) | ||
URL：https://toyotagazooracing.com/dakar/release/2021/0922-01/
- TGR supports Team Land Cruiser/Toyota Auto Body (TLC), the rally team of Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd., which participates in rallies with Toyota Land Cruiser 200 vehicles. In 2021, TLC achieved its eighth consecutive victory in the production car category. In 2022, it will aim for its ninth consecutive victory at Dakar.
- HINO TEAM SUGAWARA of Hino Motors, Ltd. achieved its 12th consecutive victory in the under 10-liter class truck category. It will aim for its 13th consecutive victory at the Dakar Rally 2022 with Hino’s first racing hybrid system.
【Dakar Rally 2022 TLC team setup】
| Team | No. | Driver / Co-driver | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Land Cruiser / Toyota Auto Body(TLC) | 242 | Driver | Akira Miura (Japan) *1 |
| Co-driver | Laurent Lichtleuchter (France) | ||
| 245 | Driver | Ronald Basso (France) | |
| Co-driver | Jean-Michel Polato (France) | ||
*1 Toyota Auto Body Employee
【Dakar Rally 2022 HINO TEAM SUGAWARA team setup】
| Team | No. | Driver / Co-driver | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HINO TEAM SUGAWARA | 512 | Driver | Teruhito Sugawara (Japan) |
| Co-driver | Hirokazu Somemiya (Japan) | ||
| Mechanic | Yuji Mochizuki (Japan) | ||
＜Nürburgring 24 Hours＞
- We have been actively engaged in preparations for the Nürburgring 24 hours race in 2022 after cancelling our participation in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, TGR has decided not to race in 2022 as the event date in May conflicts with other major races in Japan, which would hinder the team preparation and setup.
- TGR will participate in some races in the NLS series, which are also held at Nürburgring, and will leverage the learnings to make ever-better cars.
■2022 racing team setup （domestic championships）
＜Japanese Rally Championship＞
- In 2022, TGR will participate in the top category JN1 class with two GR Yaris vehicles, as it did in 2021.
- Employees will participate as team principal, engineers and mechanics so we can cultivate human resources while offering ever-better car manufacturing.
| Team name | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle / class | GR YARIS GR4 Rally / JN1 class | |
| Main Specifications | Engine | 1.6-liter three-cylinder inter cooler turbo |
| Drive System | Sport 4WD system, “GR-FOUR” | |
| Driver / Co-driver | Norihiko Katsuta / Yusuke Kimura | |
| Tomoyuki Shinkai / Yuichi Ando | ||
＜SUPER GT＞
GT500 Class
- TGR will also participate with the GR Supra GT500 in 2022.
- We will support six teams (six vehicles) through TOYOTA CUSTOMIZING & DEVELOPMENT Co., Ltd.,(TCD).
- Sena Sakaguchi and Giuliano Alesi will participate in GT500 for the first time.
| Class | Team | Vehicle | No. | Driver | Tires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT500 | TGR TEAM ENEOS ROOKIE Racing | ENEOS X PRIME GR Supra | 14 | Kazuya Oshima (Japan) | BS |
| Kenta Yamashita (Japan) | |||||
| TGR TEAM WedsSport BANDOH | WedsSport ADVAN GR Supra | 19 | Yuji Kunimoto (Japan) | YH | |
| Sena Sakaguchi (Japan) | |||||
| TGR TEAM au TOM'S | au TOM’S GR Supra | 36 | Sho Tsuboi (Japan) | BS | |
| Giuliano Alesi (France) | |||||
| TGR TEAM KeePer TOM'S | KeePer TOM'S GR Supra | 37 | Ritomo Miyata (Japan) | BS | |
| Sacha Fenestraz (France) | |||||
| TGR TEAM ZENT CERUMO | ZENT CERUMO GR Supra | 38 | Yuji Tachikawa (Japan) | BS | |
| Hiroaki Ishiura (Japan) | |||||
| TGR TEAM SARD | DENSO KOBELCO SARD GR Supra | 39 | Yuhi Sekiguchi (Japan) | BS | |
| Yuichi Nakayama (Japan) |
Tires = BS: Bridgestone YH: Yokohama
GT300 Class ※Updated in April 2022
- In the GT300 class, one Prius PHEV, four GR Supra, three GR86, and one Lexus RC F GT3 models will race.
| Class | Team | Vehicle | No. | Driver | Tires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT300 | muta Racing INGING | muta Racing GR86 GT | 2 | Hiroki Katoh (Japan) | BS |
| Yuui Tsutsumi (Japan) | |||||
| SHADE RACING | SHADE RACING GR86 GT | 20 | Katsuyuki Hiranaka (Japan) | DL | |
| Eijiro Shimizu (Japan) | |||||
| HOPPY team TSUCHIYA | HOPPY Schatz GR Supra | 25 | Takamitsu Matsui (Japan) | YH | |
| Seita Nonaka (Japan) | |||||
| apr | apr GR86 GT | 30 | Hiroaki Nagai (Japan) | YH | |
| Manabu Orido (Japan) | |||||
| apr GR SPORT PRIUS GT | 31 | Koki Saga (Japan) | BS | ||
| Yuki Nakayama (Japan) | |||||
| Saitama Toyopet Green Brave | Saitama Toyopet GB GR Supra GT | 52 | Hiroki Yoshida (Japan) | BS | |
| Kohta Kawaai (Japan) | |||||
| LM corsa | Syntium LMcorsa GR Supra GT | 60 | Hiroki Yoshimoto (Japan) | DL | |
| Shunsuke Kohno (Japan) | |||||
| K-tunes Racing | K-tunes RC F GT3 | 96 | Morio Nitta (Japan) | DL | |
| Shinichi Takagi (Japan) | |||||
| Max Racing | HACHI-ICHI GR Supra GT | 244 | Kimiya Sato (Japan) | YH | |
| Atsushi Miyake (Japan) |
Tires=BS：Bridgestone, YH：Yokohama, DL：Dunlop
＜Japanese Super Formula Championship＞
- TRD (Toyota Racing Development) will supply 11 vehicles from six teams with two-liter four-cylinder direct injection gasoline turbo engines (TRD 01F).
- All vehicles will be equipped with tires made by Yokohama.
- Giuliano Alesi will participate for his first full season of Super Formula Championship, with the Kuo VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S team.
| Team | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| KONDO RACING | 3 | Kenta Yamashita (Japan) |
| 4 | Sacha Fenestraz (France) | |
| KCMG | 7 | Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) |
| 18 | Yuji Kunimoto (Japan) | |
| docomo business ROOKIE | 14 | Kazuya Oshima (Japan) |
| carenex TEAM IMPUL | 19 | Yuhi Sekiguchi (Japan) |
| 20 | Ryo Hirakawa (Japan) | |
| Kuo VANTELIN TEAM TOM’S | 36 | Giuliano Alesi (France) |
| 37 | Ritomo Miyata (Japan) | |
| P.MU/CERUMO INGING | 38 | Sho Tsuboi (Japan) |
| 39 | Sena Sakaguchi (Japan) |
＜Customer Motorsport＞ ※Updated in April 2022
LEXUS RC F GT3
- Through customer support for LEXUS RC F GT3, we provide opportunities for customers around the world to participate in GT3 races. It is also leveraging the technologies developed through race participation into enhancing its products by applying feedback to production vehicles.
| Region | Series | Class | Team | Number of Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | GTD Pro | VASSER SULLIVAN | 1 |
| GTD | 1 | |||
| Japan | SUPER GT | GT300 | K-tunes Racing | 1 |
| Super Taikyu Series | ST-X | apr | 1 | |
| Asia | Thailand Super Series | GT3 | Toyota Team Thailand | 2 |
GR Supra GT4
- The GR Supra GT4 is a dedicated racecar that was developed based on the GR Supra production vehicle.
- In 2022, the number of entries will be expanded further, and around ten GR Supra GT4s each in Europe, North America, and Japan will participate in various races as shown below.
| 2022 GR Supra GT4 participation (provisional) | |
|---|---|
| Europe | GT4 European Series, Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie, ADAC GT4 Series, DTM Trophy, British GT Championship, GT4 Scandinavia, etc. |
| Japan | Super Taikyu Series, Inter Proto Series, FANATEC GT World Challenge ASIA, etc. | North America | IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge、Pirelli GT4 America, etc. |
URL：https://toyotagazooracing.com/pressrelease/2022/0317-01/
＜Super Taikyu series＞
- In addition to a vehicle based on Corolla Sports and utilizing a hydrogen combustion engine, ROOKIE Racing will enter the ST-Q class with a vehicle based on the new GR86 that uses biomass-derived synthetic fuel. TGR will continue to implement testing at racing events in order to explore new options to achieve carbon neutrality. At the same time, TGR will also accelerate its technological development as SUBARU plans to race with a vehicle based on the new SUBARU BRZ.
- TOM'S SPIRIT will race in the ST-4 class with the new GR86.
(All drivers are Japanese)
| Team | Class | Vehicle | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORC ROOKIE Racing | ST-Q | ORC ROOKIE GR86 CNF Concept | 28 | Naoya Gamo Daisuke Toyoda Kazuya Oshima Ryuta Ukai*1 *2 |
| ORC ROOKIE Corolla H2 Concept | 32 | Masahiro Sasaki Hiroaki Ishiura Morizo Yasuhiro Ogura |
||
| TOM'S SPIRIT | ST-4 | TOM'S SPIRIT GR86 | 86 | Takamitsu Matsui Kenta Yamashita Shunsuke Kohno |
※1 Toyota Motor Corporation Employee
※2 Planned spot driver participation
【Challenges with ROOKIE Racing aiming for ever-better car making using motorsport as a starting point】
- With ROOKIE Racing, a diverse range of drivers participate in races, including master drivers, professional drivers, gentleman drivers and internal assessment drivers. From 2020, it has started competing in the Super Taikyu series with the GR Supra and GR Yaris, and TGR has engaged in coordination with ROOKIE Racing aiming for ever-better car making from a starting point in motorsports.
- During the 2021 Super Taikyu series, a vehicle powered by a hydrogen combustion engine was entered instead of the GR Yaris from the third event, the FUJI SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race, and this was refined in the harsh environment of motorsports to promote the agile development of this technology. By implementing a cycle of identifying issues in each race and then making improvements before the next race, power output was improved by approximately 20% and torque by approximately 30% to achieve performance at the same level or better than a gasoline-powered engine over approximately six months from the first race. Filling time was also reduced from approximately five minutes at the initial race to within two minutes.
- Much cooperation has been received for the entry of a vehicle powered by a hydrogen combustion engine, including from the Super Taikyu Organization (STO) and circuit officials. Toyota is working together with various companies and local municipalities in initiatives to expand options for “producing ” and “transporting” hydrogen rather than simply “using” hydrogen. With the help of all related parties, wide networks are being expanded across industries boundaries.
- In 2022, TGR will continue to work together with ROOKIE Racing to engage in challenging initiatives to expand new options with “purposeful passion and action” to achieve carbon neutrality.
GR 86 is Coming
