Business Overview

Motorsports Activities

At Toyota, motorsports activities are a vital part of F1 our efforts to maximize the joy of driving for • 2008 marked Toyota’s seventh year of F1 championship everyone. By striving for the highest level of racing, and saw the introduction of a new TF108 car with human and technological performance, we want to improved aerodynamics, piloted by Jarno Trulli and Timo help people everywhere realize their dreams Glock, the 2007 GP2 Series Champion. As in 2007, we also and share in the boundless excitement that supplied the Williams F1 Team with engines for its cars. motorsports offer. NASCAR • Toyota Camrys participated again this year in the In 2007, Toyota participated in Formula One World NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, and Championship (F1) races around the globe, National Toyota Tundras again contested the NASCAR Craftsman Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) races Truck Series. Enjoying a historic victory in only our second in the United States, and SUPER GT and Formula year of Sprint Cup Series, we won the fourth Sprint Cup Nippon series races in Japan. We also continued to race held in March 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. develop racing-oriented hybrid car technologies, and fostered the development of young drivers through the SUPER GT Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP) and support for • On the domestic racing scene, Toyota Technocraft, Co., entry-level motorsports activities. Ltd. (TRD), supported teams running the Lexus SC430 in the top GT500 class. In addition, we provided support for 2008 Motorsports Activities four teams racing Lexus IS350 and Toyota MR-S cars in the In 2008, Toyota continued to participate in F1, GT300 class. NASCAR, SUPER GT, and Formula Nippon races, and Formula Nippon to promote motorsports through the TDP for emerging • In Formula Nippon, Japan’s premier formula racing young talents. category, we supplied RV8-J V8 3-liter engines for 12 cars driven by seven teams.

Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP) • TDP again continued its work of training young drivers for F1, GP2, and F3 racing. For 2008, the program has placed 14 promising young candidates worldwide.

Kamui Kobayashi of TDP in GP2 (middle)

Formula One World Championship (F1)

Courtesy of Toyota Motorsports

SUPER GT NASCAR Formula Nippon

50 TOYOTA • Annual Report 2008 •