Toyota to join the WTCC?

[Allyc85]

Taken from autosport.com

Former Toyota team principal Tadashi Yamashina reckons the Japanese manufacturer will not return to Formula 1 in the current era because the sport has become too "elitist".

Yamashina, who remains a senior managing director at Toyota, believes F1 no longer offers the manufacturer a significant link to its customers and says it is better served competing in other areas of motorsport.
"There is a big gap between Formula 1 and Toyota's actual car users," Yamashina told Automotive News. "F1 remains the pinnacle of auto racing, but its image grew too elitist.

"At races such as Nurburgring [24 Hours], fans can get right into [the] pitlane, mingle with the teams and touch the cars. They can soak up the atmosphere and feel part of the event. By contrast, average fans have no hope of strolling the paddock at an F1 race. For the fortunate few who can afford to do that, it's fine.

"I think the best kind of races are those in which people can get in close to the race."

Members of Toyota's board will attend this weekend's World Touring Car Championship event at Monza to evaluate a future touring car programme.

Fingers crossed they do as the championship could really do with a new, top manufactuer.

[RMLCruzeing82]

WOW!!! i hope it happens i agree WTCC needs better works teams. Toyota would be a welcome edition to the WTCC grid ive watched 2 rounds of the 2010 reason and im bored with it already

What car would they use you think with the rule changes for next reason?

Id think the Avrius would be the most likely

[Allyc85]

Yea I cant get into the WTCC at all at the moment, so boring!

I think they would use the Avensis, which is actually a dead ringer for the Chevvy Cruze!

[Rollo]

Id think the Auris would be the most likely

Especially considering that there are already a fully developed set of parts for the car (sort of):


http://www.nealbates.com.au/News.aspx?newsID=15
he is eagerly awaiting the chance to pit his locally developed Toyota Corolla S2000 against the world’s best teams

The car pictured and labeled as a Corolla here, is the same E150 labeled as an Auris in Europe. Heck, half the cars sold in Australia come out of the plant at Burnaston in Derbyshire (the rest come from Kanegasaki).

The point is that the bits for the car are reasonably accessible, if someone wants to go racing; I hope that they do. I imagine that it would probably the same group based in Cologne that ran the F1 team.

[RMLCruzeing82]

Especially considering that there are already a fully developed set of parts for the car (sort of):

True

[thetrooper_uk]

They are only looking to support a team rather than enter as a manufacturer.

[Allyc85]

Bloody hell I hope not, touring cars really needs to go back to saloons IMO.

Was meant to ask, has there been any discussion about the future WTCC regs?

[Rollo]

The Corolla E150 as used in the JGTC looks totally bonkers...


And there's one in the Argentine Touring Car Championship as well, that doesn't look as bonkers.