RE: Video: Toyota F1 Exit Opens New Doors

RE: Video: Toyota F1 Exit Opens New Doors

Wednesday 4th November 2009

Video: Toyota F1 Exit Opens New Doors

New GT1, Le Mans and WRC challenges could all follow the exit from F1 - but where will Toyota go?


As Toyota announced a painful withdrawal from F1 this morning, no attempt was made to suggest a future direction for its motorsport activity.

Toyota has unfinished business at Le Mans
Toyota has unfinished business at Le Mans
Fortunately, PH is happy to step into the breach with a dose of timely speculation on a handful of intriguing possibilities - namely a return to the quest for outright victory at Le Mans, the new FIA GT world championship, and of course the new 'cost effective' S2000 category for the WRC.

Toyota has a long and illustrious motorsport history and, in spite of its withdrawal from F1, the company's new president Akio Toyoda (who has raced the Lexus LF-A at the Nurburgring) has confirmed an ongoing commitment to competition.

"I have been calling for product-focused management since I became president at Toyota this June," he said today in the press conference called to announce the departure from F1.

The Celica was unbeatable in Africa
The Celica was unbeatable in Africa
"That priority mandates a fundamental shift in resource allocation. A sad result of that shift is that we have insufficient resources to maintain a viable commitment to F1 racing.

"Motor sports remain an important means of personalizing the automobile in the eyes of customers. Motor sports also remain an important means of cultivating human resources and our R&D operations.

"We will rethink our motor-sports activities with an eye to maximizing those benefits while addressing economic realities. And we will take what we learn on the racetrack and put it to work in ever-better vehicles that are aimed at meeting the highest of expectations."

Here at PH towers, we think 'product focused management' can only mean one thing - a return to forms of competition that showcase metal you can actually buy in the showroom.

It's no secret that Toyota top brass in Japan have fond memories of vintage WRC victories with cars like the Celica and Corolla, and they also speak wistfully of 'unfinished business' at Le Mans, where their best result was a second place finish in 1999 with the GT-One.

With the Lexus LFA supercar, and the FT-86 coupe coming on stream, it seems certain that Toyota products will appear in GT racing one way or another - but where will Toyota put its own money?

Clips like the fantastic video edit below should provide some inspiration...

Author
Discussion

havard01

Original Poster:

108 posts

174 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Rallying is arguably what Toyota were most successful at, they should have pulled the plug on F1 years ago, saved themselves some money and won some more World Rally Championships instead.

Come on Toyota, build a new WRC car!!!

rypt

2,548 posts

189 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
WRC of today not as production based really though, unlike when the Celica was raced.
I think it's a stupid move to go back into rally as things stand, not unless we get homologinated cars again.

wab172uk

2,005 posts

226 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
What was said

"We will rethink our motor-sports activities with an eye to maximizing those benefits "

What he meant

"We will rethink our motor-sport activities with an eye on what we might actually be able to win in"

BelperJim

2,500 posts

182 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
I was under the impression that Toyota did some cheating in WRC at one point?

UncappedTag

2,102 posts

184 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
I'm not supprised. The Prius is outselling anything else in their range so PR on a F1 car is kinda wasted don't you think?

It's still a shame.

Brabus Jord

1,589 posts

206 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
BelperJim said:
I was under the impression that Toyota did some cheating in WRC at one point?
didn't they have a very clever turbo that got around some of the restrictions that were made by the FIA???

Steve_F

860 posts

193 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
I don't get why Toyota would bother with any motor sport until they have a car in the range that would appeal to motorsport fans. They seem to be lacking any car with that type of appeal that they used to have.

Citreon baffles me even more, why hasn't there been a hot version released to replicate their rally car and steal sales away from Subaru and Mitsi? So much sucess in rallying seems to have been wasted (IMO) by not having a car the rally fans can buy.

Any I completely agree that Toyotas withdrawal was because they couldn't suceed no matter how much money they threw at it. They should always have been better than they were.

UncappedTag

2,102 posts

184 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Steve_F said:
I don't get why Toyota would bother with any motor sport until they have a car in the range that would appeal to motorsport fans. They seem to be lacking any car with that type of appeal that they used to have.

Citreon baffles me even more, why hasn't there been a hot version released to replicate their rally car and steal sales away from Subaru and Mitsi? So much sucess in rallying seems to have been wasted (IMO) by not having a car the rally fans can buy.

Any I completely agree that Toyotas withdrawal was because they couldn't suceed no matter how much money they threw at it. They should always have been better than they were.
They released the Loeb edition. Albeit it just stickers.

Dr G

15,159 posts

241 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Not 'if' Toyota return to competition, when:



"Tadashi Yamanashi, Chairman of Toyota Motorsport, sheds a tear during a press conference at Toyota's head office in Tokyo, to announce their withdrawal from Formula One racing"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/p...


Marf

22,907 posts

240 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Brabus Jord said:
BelperJim said:
I was under the impression that Toyota did some cheating in WRC at one point?
didn't they have a very clever turbo that got around some of the restrictions that were made by the FIA???
Yes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Motorsport_Gmb...

"In 1995 TTE was famously banned for 12 months from the WRC for cheating by designing an illegal air restrictor that included both a bypass mechanism and spring loaded devices to conceal it from scrutineers."

The Wookie

13,909 posts

227 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Brabus Jord said:
BelperJim said:
I was under the impression that Toyota did some cheating in WRC at one point?
didn't they have a very clever turbo that got around some of the restrictions that were made by the FIA???
Yep, one of the most ingenious cheats of all time. When static, the Turbo met the restrictions, but once loaded up, IIRC it opened up other another air path around the restrictor

Marf

22,907 posts

240 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all

havard01

Original Poster:

108 posts

174 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
rypt said:
WRC of today not as production based really though, unlike when the Celica was raced.
I think it's a stupid move to go back into rally as things stand, not unless we get homologinated cars again.
All of the cars in the WRC have to be homologated before they can run in the WRC, i'm not sure what point you are trying to make. Also, Toyota used the Corolla model as a WRC rally car and narrowly missed out on both the drivers and constructors championships at the end of the 1990's.

I think going back to the WRC would be a good move, they could reduce their spending to under a tenth of their F1 budget and put some pressure on both Ford and Citroen.

SpeedBuzz

558 posts

210 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Well where will F1 go from here!
It looks like from 2010 it will be Mercedes engines vs Ferrari engines
Red Bull don't want Renault, are Renault committed to stay in F1?
So that i guess leaves Cosworth as the only other engine supplier!

Marf

22,907 posts

240 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
havard01 said:
, Toyota used the Corolla model as a WRC rally car and narrowly missed out on both the drivers and constructors championships at the end of the 1990's.
That was heartbreaking to watch.


SpyderPig

56 posts

199 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
"unfinishied business at Le Mans" ..... how about unfinished business in F1???

CK_N4S

468 posts

181 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
UncappedTag said:
I'm not supprised. The Prius is outselling anything else in their range so PR on a F1 car is kinda wasted don't you think?

It's still a shame.
Plenty of PR in that though. Prius is running an energy recovery system which is the daily equivalent of the F1 KERS. Biggest PR letdown of that side is how Toyota did not manage to integrate the KERS effectively in their F1 car.


CK

BelperJim

2,500 posts

182 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Marf said:
Very clever, I remember it being explaining to me a few years ago.

It would definitely be nice to see more manufacturers in WRC.

dublet

283 posts

210 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
frown

Last season wasn't actually too bad. They had some quick cars, but couldn't make it stick for some reason. I hope they spend their marketing money now left on some form of motorsport I'd actually watch.

PS: Please bring back the Celica and kick ass in rallying. Thanks.

castex

4,935 posts

272 months

Wednesday 4th November 2009
quotequote all
Dr G said:
Having always rather enjoyed the reliability of Toyota's mishaps, I now feel absolutely terrible about the whole thing.