PLANO, Texas, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota NHRA,
Formula DRIFT and GT4 series drivers will compete under the Toyota
Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA) banner beginning with the 2022
racing season. TGRNA will serve as the North American arm for
Toyota's global motorsports division, Toyota Gazoo Racing
(TGR).
"The opportunity to introduce TGR North America to the NHRA
community in 2022 and continue the support in Formula DRIFT and GT4
competition is a big moment for everyone involved in Toyota's
overall motorsports program," said Paul
Doleshal, group manager, Motorsports and Assets for Toyota
Motor North America. "The ability to showcase the GR family of
vehicles on the race track and ultimately be a part of applying
racing performance to production vehicles is something that we all
strive for through motorsports. Showcasing the capability of our
race enthusiast engineers to our new and existing fan base of
enthusiasts is the overarching goal of the program."
TGR's focus in motorsports allows Toyota's engineering teams the
ability to push vehicles to their limits on the track, ultimately
creating better engineers and ever better vehicles. TGRNA will
focus on providing U.S. customers with performance sports cars,
built by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, and look to deliver
excitement to fans of both cars and motorsports.
For NHRA drivers competing in the Funny Car class, they will
debut the new GR Supra body at the season kickoff event in
Pomona, California. Those drivers
competing in the Top Fuel category will also carry TGRNA colors for
all 22 NHRA national events.
Toyota's Formula DRIFT drivers will compete in the GR Supra
along with the GR86 for the 2022 season while the GT4 drivers in
IMSA and SRO will also field the GR Supra GT4. The GR badge on all
these vehicles represents Toyota's dedication to producing
exciting, race-inspired vehicles. Only the vehicles that survive
the grueling paces of development and track performance have earned
the GR badge.
These racing series are the most ideal locations for TGRNA to
enter North American motorsports as they are home to some of the
most grueling forms of motorsports, coupled with the most
passionate fans and participants.
The NHRA season begins on February
20 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona,
California. Formula DRIFT will kick off their season in
Long Beach, California, on
April 2, and the GT4 will take to the
track for the IMSA schedule at Daytona International Speedway on
January 29 and in SRO competition on
February 25 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the
U.S. and North America for more
than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable,
next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus
brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous
value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design,
engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks
in North America, where we have 15
manufacturing plants, including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ
more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800
North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly
2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in
2019.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts:
Sam
Mahoney
980-900-8573
samuel.mahoney@toyota.com
Lisa Hughes Kennedy, Golin for
Toyota Gazoo Racing, North
America
704-902-6476
lhugheskennedy@golin.com
Cody Poor, Golin for Toyota Gazoo
Racing, North America
323-578-7159
cpoor@golin.com
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SOURCE Toyota Racing