Toyota 2005 Annual Report Download - page 133

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131
131
Motorsports
MOTORSPORTS
By taking part in motorsports,
Toyota aims to share with people
around the world the fun, inspira-
tion, and limitless possibilities that
cars offer. Today, our participation in
motorsports mainly focuses on the
Formula One World Championship,
the IRL Indy Car Series, the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series, and the
Super GT World Challenge. Also, we
continue to contribute to the
foundations of motorsports by
nurturing elite drivers, sponsoring
one-make formula races, and
renovating Fuji Speedway.
While not achieving the F1
podium placing we had hoped for in
2004, we equaled our high-water
mark by placing fifth in the U.S.
Grand Prix, the ninth race of the
season. In response to new technical
regulations, we are facing the 2005
season, our fourth year in F1, with a
brand new car. The Toyota TF105 is
designed to offer outstanding
aerodynamic performance and
reliability. And, Jarno Trulli and Ralf
Schumacher have joined our team’s
drivers. Those changes rapidly bore
fruit; in only the second event of the
2005 season, Toyota claimed its
long-awaited first podium when
Trulli crossed the line in second
place at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
And, as of the 10th race Toyota
ranked fourth in the Constructors’
Championship.
In the 2004 IRL Indy Car Series,
although unable to defend the
previous year’s triumph at the
storied Indy 500 race, we rounded
off the season in style with a victory
in the final race of the season in
Texas. In 2005, Toyota engines are
powering 10 cars used by six teams.
In addition, the Toyota Driver
Development Program grooms
drivers for high-level competition by
identifying talented individuals and
helping them to steadily move up the
ranks of international motorsports.
Fuji Speedway
In April 2005, we took the wraps off a reju-
venated Fuji Speedway, which is now a leading-
edge circuit ready to host a wide spectrum of
motorsports and other events. Toyota holds a
93.4% stake in Fuji International Speedway Co.,
Ltd., which implemented a major renovation of
the circuit from September 2002. Those efforts
paid off. The Federation Internationale de
l’Automobile awarded Fuji Speedway the
highest evaluation a circuit can obtain—grade
1—which makes the holding of F1 races in the
future possible. At Fuji Speedway, we set out to
realize the most advanced and exciting circuit
ever by building the world’s longest main
straight, at 1,475 meters, and by creating a
smooth, flat pave-
ment surface to a
degree of precision
that exceeds grade
1 requirements.
* For additional information, please refer to the following web sites:
(Toyota’s motorsports activities) http://www.toyota.co.jp/ms/ (Japanese only)
(F1) http://www.toyota-f1.com/