Toyota ready to write its name in Fuji's history books
Photo: Jeff Carter - MacLean Photographic
All eyes will be on Toyota Racing this weekend for the 6 Hours of Fuji at their home track, the spectacular Fuji Speedway. Following the team’s first FIA World Endurance Championship victory in Brazil, the team is fully confident of more wins and everyone within the team would like nothing more than to seize the top step of the podium in Japan. A strong performance in the early hours of the 6 Hours of Bahrain was thwarted by first a technical issue and then an accident which brought about the car's retirement.
Kazuki Nakajima returns to the driver line-up for the No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid to support Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre. After helping the team to its first podium finish at Silverstone, Kazuki took time out from FIA WEC duties to concentrate on his Super GT programme in Japan.
The 2012 Toyota TS030 Hybrid follows in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors in racing at Fuji Speedway; the TS010 won an All Japan Sportscar Championship race there in 1992 while the TS020 finished second in the 1999 Le Mans Fuji 1,000km. A blank page in the history books is waiting to be completed.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “Our home race is a very special occasion for TOYOTA Racing and the team is extremely motivated to deliver a good result, especially after the big disappointment of Bahrain. We are a hybrid team in many respects and, even though our team base is at TMG in Cologne, our TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing was developed very close to Fuji Speedway, at Higashi-Fuji Technical Center. So this is a homecoming for our hybrid powertrain and many of our engineers. As always, we face a very tough competitor so every team member needs to focus on doing the very best job possible in order to succeed. To stand on the top step of the podium in Japan is a big dream for us, so everyone is fired up for this weekend.”
Alex Wurz: “It feels very cool to go to Japan as a TOYOTA driver. It puts a bit of extra pressure on as well and that is good for us. Fuji Speedway is an iconic track in sportscar history and it also a difficult one. You have an extremely long straight, some fast corners in the middle then the last sector is very technical and tricky. It is actually one of the most difficult tracks in my opinion to get the set-up right. I am looking forward to racing in Japan again; the Japanese fans are very special and very enthusiastic. I hope they still remember the great days of sportscar racing and come back to see these extremely good, sexy-looking race cars because the show will definitely be very good.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “I’ve only been to Japan once before, to race at Okoyama in 2009, so I am looking forward to this week. I have never driven at Fuji Speedway before but I visited Cologne last week and drove the track on the TMG simulator, and I have also watched a lot of onboard camera footage. It seems a very technical track with a massive straight so it will be interesting to see how our car reacts there. It’s a great feeling and a real privilege to go to the Six Hours of Mount Fuji as a TOYOTA Racing driver. Of course this is also an extra pressure because we really want to do well at our home race, but this is a positive pressure.”
Kazuki Nakajima: “I am really excited to be driving the TS030 HYBRID again; it seems like a long time since our podium at Silverstone! It’s been great to see the progress made by the team since then, particularly with the win in Sao Paulo. I would love to have been there for such a special moment so I am really motivated to create another great result this weekend. Fuji Speedway is one of my favourite tracks and I know it really well. Actually I raced there already twice this season in Super GT, although it will be a different challenge in an LMP1 car. I can’t wait to drive this car at Fuji Speedway in front of TOYOTA’s home fans.”
Fiona Miller (quotes from Toyota Racing press release)
PHOTO: FUJI INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (FUJI, JAPAN), 6 HOURS OF FUJI, WEDNESDAY, 10TH OCTOBER 2012, TESTING. The No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid is enjoying a homecoming at Fuji.
