Oh what a feeling! Toyota to join V8 ranks next year?
20/6/2001 20:26 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
Toyota will break the Ford-Holden duopoly in V8 Supercar racing as early as next season, it was reported today.
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reports that a veiled 18-month, $5 million project by Toyota Australia could culminate in inclusion to the V8 Supercar ranks.
Unnamed “industry sources” claim purpose-built Toyota Avalon Supercars could compete with traditional rivals Ford and Holden in next year’s Shell Championship Series.
The reported project is a join initiative between Toyota Australia and Toyota America, with a racing engine supposedly already in fabrication.
The rumours of Toyota’s imminent entry into the sport are not new, though governing body AVESCO, who originally stated their willingness to allow Toyota into the sport, has since cooled on the idea of a third player.
AVESCO must rubber-stamp any proposal put forward by Toyota.
Latest figures show Toyota as the second-most successful car manufacturer in Australia, between Holden and Ford.
It is understood Toyota is looking to lift the profile of its Avalon sedans, and are keen to test the long-held theory that racing success translates to the showroom.
Other sources in the report were quoted as saying Toyota’s entry into the wildly-successful V8 Supercar category was long overdue, and had only been delayed by the company’s commitments elsewhere.
Toyota will launch a Formula One assault next year, though commitments to rallying have ceased.
The Telegraph lists Australian rally ace Neal Bates as a likely pilot, though it is believed Toyota will also shop for a high-profile driver from another V8 Supercar team.
Ford and Holden have battled exclusively on the V8 Supercar circuit since 1993.
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