Toyota's motor sport plans for 2003
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Toyota Motorsport Corporation decided to meet what they see as "The Year of Challenge" head on.
They will be investing most of their energy into Formula One and Indy Cars, but will also be competing in the All Japan Formula 3 Championship.
The plans for F1 and Indy Cars are as follows:
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Leon Botha
Mikka Salo in 2002's Panasonic Toyota F1 car
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1.FIA Formula One World Championship (F1)
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Competing will continue as a full-constructor team in 2003, dubbed as the “Year of Challenge” for the Panasonic Toyota Racing team.
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Using the wind tunnel that became fully operational last July, the vastly aerodynamically evolved new Toyota TF103 F1 racecar will debut in the season’s opening race. The Toyota TF103 features a new seven-speed gearbox and the advanced RVX-03 engine, which balances reliability with improved performance, thanks to weight reduction, a lower centre of gravity and increased power.
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Behind the wheel will be new drivers Olivier Panis (France) and Cristiano da Matta (Brazil). Together with reserved driver Ricardo Zonta (Brazil), the team is fully prepared on all fronts—racing, testing, and development.
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In accordance with expansion of the project, plans include separation of the roles of “company management” and “team operations”, revision of the structure of its Engineering Group and the establishment of a Race & Test Engineering Department to further TMG’s organisational strength.
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Leon Botha
They look quite boring when they're standing still, don't they? But wait till they get moving...
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2.IRL IndyCar Series
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Engines will be developed and provided through Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc. (TMS) and TRD-USA to five teams for 10 cars participating in the IndyCar Series.
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The Toyota Indy V8, a new 3.5-liter normally aspirated V8 developed mainly by TRD USA, will be supplied to each team.
The teams that will be supplied with engines by Toyota include Target Ship Ganassi Racing, the team for which South Africa’s Thomas Scheckter drives. The others are:
Marlboro Team Penske: Helio Castroneves (Brazil)
Gil de Ferran (Brazil)
Target Chip Ganassi Racing: Scott Dixon (New Zealand)
Thomas Sheckter (South Africa)
Kelly Racing: Al Unser Jr. (United States)
Scott Sharp (United States)
Mo Nunn Racing: Toranosuke Takagi (Japan)
Felippe Giaffone (Brazil)
A.J. Foyt Enterprises: A.J. Foyt IV (United States)
Shigeaki Hattori (Japan)
Toyota has taken up the challenge to be the best in these fields with both hands. It will be interesting to see what they can pull off.
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