Cologna, Germany,
01
July
2013
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Rain dampens TMG EV P002 record bid

TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG) was denied a realistic chance of improving its electric record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb due to bad weather in Colorado.

The TMG EV P002 race car was part of a close battle in the electric class during the practice sessions but hopes of another record-breaking run were dashed.

Heavy rain delayed the electric class and left the 19.99km (12.42mile) track very slippery, preventing the drivers matching their practice speeds when the action finally got underway.

The TMG EV P002, with Rod Millen at the wheel, battled the tricky conditions using intermediate tyres and completed its run in 10minutes 24.301seconds to finish fourth in the class.

Nobuhiro Tajima won the electric class with a new record of 9mins 46.530secs while second to fourth places in the class were covered by less than three seconds.

The TMG EV P002 finished 16th overall in a field of 143 entrants after another trouble-free run for TMG's electric powertrain, which was upgraded for this year's event to deliver 400kW (536hp) of power and 1200Nm (885lb per foot) of torque.

 

Rod Millen: "There was a chance that if weather had not played a role like it did we would have seen an electric car in the top-three overall results and that would have been really impressive. We were lined up, or certainly one of the electric cars was lined up, to do that. This technology is moving very quickly and for me to be part of all that was a real thrill. To me it was a group of people that were very passionate and enthusiastic working with this new EV technology and I thoroughly enjoyed working with them. This technology is moving very fast and improving very fast and these guys are certainly on the pace."

 

Claudia Brasse, TMG Executive Coordinator Strategic EV Development: "It's frustrating that the rain meant we couldn't see the full potential of the TMG EV P002 at Pikes Peak, but that's motorsport. The practice times were incredibly close so we were expecting an exciting competition, and the TMG EV P002 was looking good to challenge for the title. We were happy with the upgrades we made on the electric powertrain from last year and this contributed to a significant lap time improvement in practice. We were looking forward to showing this also in the race itself, when it was realistic to beat the 10-minute barrier, but unfortunately the weather had different ideas."

 

TMG EV P002 Technical Specifications

Performance 

Top Speed

230 km/h (142mph)

Maximum Torque

1200Nm (885lb per foot)

Maximum Power

400kW (536hp)

Maximum Revs

6000rpm

Powertrain 

Electric Motor

2 axial flux

Inverter

2 x TMG inverters

Gear Ratio

3.13

Transmission

Single-reduction gearing

Battery

Lithium ceramic

Battery Capacity

42 kWh

Charging Technology

Off-board DC charging

Dimensions 

Length

4.10m (13 foot 5 inches)

Height

1.04m (3 foot 5 inches)

Width

1.79m (5 foot 10 inches)

 

About TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH:

TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has been based in Cologne, Germany since 1979 and built its reputation in the World Rally Championship, winning four drivers' and three manufacturers' title during a long participation which ended in 1999. TMG was also the home of TOYOTA's works Le Mans 24 Hours (1998-1999) and Formula 1 (2002-2009) teams, both of whom achieved pole and podium positions, and a tuning and sports conversion subsidiary (established in 1994). Since 2007, TMG has been a pioneering centre of development for motorsport-related electric vehicle technology and for alternative powertrain and infrastructure integration in general. TMG has already concluded several electric vehicle projects for external clients and is the proud record holder for electric vehicles at the Nürburgring Nordschleife and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. www.toyota-motorsport.com.