TOYOTA Racing and ZF begin Technical Partnership
TOYOTA Racing has begun a technical partnership with ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF) which will enhance its challenge in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The partnership will see TOYOTA Racing implement ZF's high-performance clutch technology in the TS030 HYBRID race car, starting already in 2013.
The two companies will also work together to investigate other potential performance-enhancing technology, utilising ZF's proven track record in endurance racing.
Teams using ZF technology have achieved 13 overall victories in the last 14 years alone at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, TOYOTA Racing Team President: "We are very proud to welcome ZF to TOYOTA Racing as a technical partner. ZF's reputation as a technology supplier in the motorsport world and beyond is second to none so we are delighted to be working together. Endurance racing is very tough on people and equipment so we want to build long-term relationships with other high-technology companies in order to maximise our chances. I know we can rely on ZF to be a trusted partner in our fight to stand on the top step of the podium at Le Mans and to win the FIA World Endurance Championship."
Dr. Stefan Sommer, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG: "Based on our great experience in endurance racing the new partnership with TOYOTA Racing is the next logical step for us. We already have a very successful business relation with TOYOTA in supplying products and technology for TOYOTA series cars. With the partnership in WEC we are able to point out our prominent competencies as a development partner and technology leader in motorsports. The FIA World Endurance Championship with its worldwide rounds and fascinating races is an ideal platform for this. We are looking forward to many future victories together."
The ZF logo will feature on the TS030 HYBRID, above the door, whilst all six TOYOTA Racing drivers will feature ZF branding on their racing overalls.
The complete WEC schedule is: Silverstone, UK (14 April) Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (4 May) Le Mans, France (22 June) Sao Paulo, Brazil (1 September) Austin, United States (22 September) Fuji, Japan (20 October) Shanghai, China (10 November) Bahrain (30 November).
About TOYOTA Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship:
TOYOTA first competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 1983, marking the start of a long period of participation in endurance racing which included several editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours. TOYOTA cars have raced in 14 Le Mans 24 Hours races, with a total of 38 vehicles taking part. For 2012, TOYOTA returned to endurance racing as a full-time entrant with a hybrid LMP1 car, the TS030 HYBRID. This car won for the first time at the Six Hours of Sao Paulo in September, just its third race and went on to win three of the six races it competed. The chassis, modified for 2013, has been designed and built by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG), where the race team is based. TMG is the former home of TOYOTA's World Rally and Formula 1 works teams, and was responsible for design and operation of TOYOTA's TS020 (GT-One) Le Mans car in 1998-99. TMG now combines works motorsport participation with a new direction as a high-performance engineering services provider to third party companies, as well as the TOYOTA family.
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About ZF Friedrichshafen AG:
ZF is a leading worldwide automotive supplier for Driveline and Chassis Technology with 121 production companies in 27 countries. In 2012, the Group achieved a sales figure of about &euro17.4billion with approximately 75,000 employees. In order to continue to be successful with innovative products, ZF annually invests about five percent of its sales (2011: &euro750million) in research and development. ZF is among the top 10 companies on the ranking list of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide. Further press information and photo material is available at www.zf.com