TOYOTA MOTORSPORTS NEWS November 10, 2006 TOYOTA Young Drivers Program Report (Sp.Edition) Public Affairs Division Toyota Motor Corporation TDP Driver Kazuki Nakajima Selected as Test Driver for Williams F1 Team for 2007 Kohei Hirate and Kamui Kobayashi to Participate in Panasonic Toyota Racing F1 Tests Kazuki Nakajima, who competed in the 2006 F3 Euro series, was selected as a test driver for the Williams F1 team, for the 2007 season. He also plans to participate on the DAMS team in the GP2 series, a category below F1. In addition, Kohei Hirate, who also competed in the F3 Euro series this year, plans to race in the GP2 series on the Trident team, starting in 2007. Kamui Kobayashi, winner of the rookie title in the 2006 F3 Euro series, plans to compete in the series for a second year as a part of the ASM Formula 3 team. Both Hirate and Kobayashi will be given opportunities to perform F1 tests for the Panasonic Toyota Racing team. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is conducting the Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP) with the participation of promising young drivers to identify and cultivate new talent and support their continuous improvement. This program is aimed to foster drivers who hope to compete in top racing categories, both in Japan and throughout the world. The program will continue support the activities of participating drivers through a process of selection and improvement in each category in 2007. Reference: History of TDP The TDP was established in 2000 as a part of the Formula Toyota Racing School (FTRS), a hands-on racing school that TMC has been operating for some time in Japan, to discover and cultivate talented young drivers through scholarships. In 2001, TMC then created the Toyota Drivers Academy (TDA) to foster young drivers overseas. The two programs were integrated in 2005 under the name Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP), allowing centralized management of activities. In 2006, the TDP supported participation in Europe in the GP2 series as well as the F3 Euro series, a gateway to F1, and the Formula Renault 2.0 series, an introductory category. In Japan, the TDP supported drivers in the All Japan F3 Championship, which gathers those aiming to participate in the top categories in the future, the ESSO Formula Toyota series, an introductory formula series and Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ), which were created in 2006 to foster young drivers. In total, 15 drivers have developed their abilities through participation. Contact: Katsuhiko Koganei, Public Affairs Div., Toyota Motor Corporation TEL: +81-3-3817-9104 Toyota Motorsports website for the media: http://www.toyota.co.jp/ms/press 1 Comments of drivers and TMC motorsports personnel Kohei Hirate (Manor Motorsport) : I will compete in the GP2 series next year and participate in races here (Europe) for another year. I can also test drive occasionally so I am extremely happy about that. I am very motivated for next season. I have advanced in GP2, which is a step toward F1, and I will do my very best to come even closer to F1. Kazuki Nakajima (Manor Motorsport) : This will be the first time for me to participate in both GP2 and F1. I hope to gain as much experience as possible and achieve good results in GP2. I am still not completely sure how F1 is like, but I will have the opportunity to drive as a test driver and hope to contribute to the team while gaining experience. My ultimate goal is to be an F1 race driver and I hope to make 2007 a year to achieve my goal. Kamui Kobayashi (ASM Formula 3) : I will be able to compete in the F3 Euro series next year with the same champion team as this year. I get along well with other team members and I believe that the team structure makes it possible for me to be series champion next year and I am going to pursue that goal. As a member of the Toyota family, I would like to take the opportunity that has been given to me to be an F1 test driver and I hope I can contribute to creating outstanding racecars and support the team. I hope to gain extensive experience and become an appreciative driver. Yoshiaki Kinoshita, General Manager, TMC Motorsports Division : Hirate, Nakajima, and Kobayashi have been working very hard in Europe compete in F1, which is one of the goals of the TDP. It is a tremendous honor that Nakajima was offered the opportunity to be an F1 test driver for the Williams F1 team. TMC will continue to support these drivers as a member of the TDP. Hiromi Hayashi, Deputy General Manager, TMC Motorsports Division : The Japanese media frequently reported the activities of Hirate, Nakajima, and Kobayashi in Europe this year, and I believe their performance was highly evaluated. The three often appeared on the podium in the highly competitive F3 Euro series, displaying that they can match or even surpass the top European drivers. Next year, each driver will have his own issues to address. I hope that when they move up to the GP2 series, Nakajima and Hirate will polish their skills in the more competitive environment, and that Kobayashi will become a champion of the F3 Euro series in his second year. All three plan to race in F1 test programs and I look forward to them making the most of these opportunities and taking on the challenge of becoming F1 drivers. Other TDP drivers in Europe and Japan also hone their skills in their respective categories. I am very pleased that our activities are being praised in Europe and Japan. 2 TDP Drivers 2006 Season Results category Driver（Team） Series Standing Notes GP2 Franck Perera(DAMS) 17th (8 Points) 1 Podium Kohei Hirate (Manor Motorsport) 3rd (61 Points) 4 Podiums, 1 Win Formula 3 Euro Series Kazuki Nakajima (Manor Motorsport) 7th (36 Points) 3 Podiums, 1 Win Kamui Kobayashi (ASM Formule 3) 8th (34 Points) 3 Podiums Henkie Waldshmidt 15th (19 Points) Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Martin Plowman 23rd (7 Points) Formula Nippon Tatsuya Kataoka (Team Le Mans) 8th (9 Points) 2 Podiums Kazuya Oshima (TOM's) 2nd (185 Points) 5 Podiums, 3 Wins Hiroaki Ishiura (Now Motorsports) 9th (69 Points) 1 Win All Japan F3 Hideto Yasuoka (TOM's) 12th (15 Points) Hiroyuki Matsumura (TOM's) 15th (5 Points) Takuto Iguchi (TOM's Spirit) 6th (48 Points) 1 Podium Keisuke Kunimoto (TOM's Spirit) 7th (45 Points) ESSO Formula TOYOTA (FT) Yoshifumi Kubota (TOM's Spirit) 12th (11 Points) Sadaomi Masuda (TOM's Spirit) 10th (22 Points) Takuto Iguchi 8th (34 Points) 1 Podium Keisuke Kunimoto 10th (22 Points) Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ) Yoshifumi Kubota 12th (18 Points) Sadaomi Masuda 17th (11 Points) Note:All Japan F3 Results are provisionaly. Result is to Round 8 in Formula Nippon, Formula Challange Japan, to Round 9 in Formula Toyota. Hideto Yasuoka entered the race to Round 12, Hiroyuki Matsumura entered after Round 13. 3 TDP History Year Support Driver Category 2000 FTRS(Formula TOYOTA Racing School) Started Young Drivers' Development Program 2001 TMG Started Young Drivers' Development Ryan Briscoe Formula Renault 2.0 (Italy Championship) Program Franck Perera Formula Renault 2.0 FTRS Young Drivers' Development Program Norihiko Tasaki All Japan F3 Takashi Kogure Tatsuya Kataoka ESSO Formula TOYOTA Katsuyuki Hiranaka 2002 TMG Young Drivers' Development Program Ryan Briscoe German F3 Franck Perera Formula Renault 2.0 Alex Storckenfeldt FTRS Young Drivers' Development Program Tatsuya Kataoka All Japan F3 Hiroki Yoshimoto Katsuyuki Hiranaka Naoki Yokomizo Taku Banba ESSO Formula TOYOTA Kohei Hirate Kamui Kobayashi ESSO Formula TOYOTA (Only Last Round) 2003 Name changed into TDA (TOYOTA Drivers Ryan Briscoe Formula 3 Euro Series Academy) Katsuyuki Hiranaka Franck Perera Formula Renault 2.0 Kohei Hirate Roberto Streit FTRS Young Drivers' Development Program Tatsuya Kataoka All Japan F3 Hiroki Yoshimoto Wataru Kobayakawa Taku Banba Naoki Yokomizo Kamui Kobayashi ESSO Formula TOYOTA Kazuki Nakajima 2004 ＴＤＡ Katsuyuki Hiranaka Formula 3 Euro Series Franck Perera Roberto Streit Kohei Hirate Formula Renault 2.0 Kamui Kobayashi Ben Clucas FTRS Young Drivers' Development Program Tatsuya Kataoka Formula Nippon Kazuki Nakajima All Japan F3 Daisuke Ikeda Wataru Kobayakawa Taku Banba Naoki Yokomizo Kazuya Oshima ESSO Formula TOYOTA Yuhi Sekiguchi 2005 FTRS and TDA, integration and unification Ryan Briscoe Indy Racing League and name changed into TDP (TOYOTA Young Franck Perera Formula 3 Euro Series Drivers Program) Kohei Hirate Kamui Kobayashi Formula Renault 2.0 (Euro Series & Italy Championship) Tatsuya Kataoka Formula Nippon Katsuyuki Hiranaka Kazuki Nakajima All Japan F3 Taku Banba Daisuke Ikeda Hideto Yasuoka Oshima Kazuya ESSO Formula TOYOTA Yuhi Sekiguchi 山内英輝 Keisuke Kunimoto 2006 Franck Perera GP2 Kohei Hirate Formula 3 Euro Series Kazuki Nakajima Kamui Kobayashi Henkie Waldshmidt Formula Renault 2.0 Martin Plowman Tatsuya Kataoka Formula Nippon Kazuya Oshima All Japan F3 Hiroaki Ishiura Hideto Yasuoka Hiroyuki Matsumura Keisuke Kunimoto ESSO Formula TOYOTA Yoshifumi Kubota Formula Challenge Japan Takuto Iguchi Sadaomi Masuda 2007 The driver which Next Season activity has Kazuki Nakajima GP2（DAMS） determined at present Williams F1 Team Test Driver Kohei Hirate GP2（Trident） Takes part in a test for Panasonic TOYOTA Racing Kamui Kobayashi Fomula 3 Euro Series (ASM Formula 3) Takes part in a test for Panasonic TOYOTA Racing Henkie Waldshmidt Formula Renault 2.0 Martin Plowman 4.