HISTORYChallenging Motorsport
“The 24 Hours of Le Mans”
“Making Ever-Better Cars”
and “Fostering More Car-Fans”
In March 1952, Toyota’s founder Kiichiro Toyoda wrote in his final work, he left to the posterity entitled “Auto-racing and the Japanese Automobile Industry”:
“Japan’s auto industry must succeed in building passenger vehicles. To this end, manufacturers must participate in auto-racing to test their vehicles’ durability and performance and display their utmost performance. With competition comes progress, as well as excitement among motoring fans. The aim of racing is not just to satisfy our curiosity, but rather to enable the development of the Japanese passenger vehicle industry.”
Toyota believes motorsport instills excitement and joy in consumers, fans, and communities around the world. By striving to improve participants’ skills and by refining our cars, our desire is to build the future based on the philosophy of “making ever-better cars” for our customers. Toyota’s motorsport participation is rooted in that desire, and it’s the solid focus of Toyota’s future involvement.
Kiichiro Toyoda
- 24 Hours of Le Mans
- TOYOTA Staged Numerous Racing Dramas Since 1985
TOYOTA TOM’S 85C-L
First Challenge, First Finish!
TOYOTA TOM'S 85C-L entered the 53rd 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Championship in the FIA Group C for the first time and finished in 12th position.
Engine displacement: Equipped with an 2090cc and Turbo (Toyota Twin Entry Turbocharger) it was running accordingly on the circuit (one lap 13.6km, 6km straight), maximum speed oriented, with increased durability of the transmission and all parts reinforced.
TOYOTA 87C
In 1986, TOYOTA TOM’S 86C-L and TOYOTA DOME 86C-L entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Championship in1986.
In 1987 the 87C, and in 1988 the 88C raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Championship.
In 1989, the 89C-V, a drastically modified version of the previous challenger arrived.
TOYOTA 90C-V
The first ever 6th, big impressions In the 58th 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Championship, three units of TOYOTA 90C-V appeared, and the 90C-V took the highest rank to date finishing in 6th position.
Long Desired Podium Finish In the 60th 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Championship, three units of TOYOTA TS010 and two units of TOYOTA 92C-V entered the race and the final battle resulted in Toyota’s first finish in 2nd position for a TOYOTA TS010 unit.
Three units of TOYOTA TS010 and two units of TOYOTA 93C-V entered, and a TOYOTA TS010 finished in 4th position.
TOYOTA 94C-LM
Running First Until the Last Hour The turbocharged TOYOTA 94C-V had evolved in Japan. Thanks to the further developed turbo engine, the car was eligible again for competition in Le Mans in 1994. In that year, Toyota entrusted the TOYOTA 94C-LM to Team SARD for the entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1994. Even the team was on the verge of victory, it slipped away from its hands due to problems in the end.
TOYOTA Prius
Toyota launches “Prius”, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle in 1997.
TOYOTA TS020
Fastest Lap, Finishing 2nd Overall In the second year, Ukyo Katayama/Toshio Suzuki/Keiichi Tsuchiya driving the TS020 (Car #3) fought fair-and-square for the overall win. A burst of the left rear tire at high-speed deprived them from the golden opportunity, leaving them the gallant losers. Nevertheless, their samurai fighting spirit and sheer commitment to winning impressed the fans all over the world.
LEXUS GS450h
The DENSO LEXUS GS450h, a production-based hybrid vehicle, races in the Tokachi 24-hour endurance race in Japan in 2006.
DENSO SARD SUPRA HV-R
A purpose-built racing hybrid system is adopted into the DENSO SARD SUPRA HV-R for the first time and it achieves an astonishing overall victory in the Tokachi 24-hour endurance race in Japan in 2007.
the history of hybrid racing
TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID
Hybrid Racing Technology The THS-R (TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing) powertrain used in the TS030 HYBRID is designed to deliver maximum performance and features an all-new V8 3.4litre normally-aspirated petrol engine and hybrid system with capacitor storage.
TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID
Returning to Meet a New Challenge:
Hybrid Technology
Toyota celebrated its comeback to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, entering two units of the TS030 HYBRID in the top LMP1 category, which were equipped with a full-scale capacitor hybrid racing system.
In mounting the "TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing (THS-R) ", Toyota poured the best of hybrid technology and knowledge accumulated based on the track record of hybrid road cars into a hybrid system that had been continuously developed focusing on the future of ultimate infinite hybrid technology.
Both units were not able to finish their debuting 24 hours endurance race in Le Mans, where one unit somersaulted after a spectacular crash, unable to return for the rest of the season and other unlucky incidents over-shadowed the race.
In 2012, a remarkable debut season has delivered 3 victories in 6 races as well as 3 pole positions and 4 fastest laps to highlight the impressive performance of the TS030 HYBRID and its innovative TOYOTA HYBRID System – Racing (THS-R).
TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID
Continuous Evolution, Finishing 2nd again
In the second round of the 2013 season at the 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the TS030 HYBRID with 2013 specifications was competing together with one unit from the last season. Improvements had been made on chassis and power train, realizing important upgrades in reliability and maintenance of high quality performance.
In addition, development of the aerodynamic package, as well as enhancement of the monocoque had to be achieved, to minimize the impact of at least 15kg increased weight due to new regulations of the 2013 season and improve the performance further.
Toyota Racing participated for the first time throughout the whole 2013 FIA WEC season, winning a podium with the #8 unit in 2nd position and finishing 4th with the #7 unit at the 24 hours of Le Mans. Additionally, the team gained 2 victories in the 6 hours of Fuji and the 6 Hours of Bahrain.
Finishing third and record TOYOTA’s fifth podium finish at Le Mans
TS040 HYBRID: Maximum power of 1000PS and the most advanced hybrid technology in racing! Toyota Racing won both the Manufacturers and the Drivers categories of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship, a series of eight endurance races.
The #2 TS040 HYBRID finished in sixth place
The #6 TS050 HYBRID finished in 2nd place