It’s maximum attack for Toyota Motorsport and Castrol Team Toyota as it enters its second year under the stewardship of Glyn Hall.
“Last year was a transition year for the organisation as it changed management and moved to a new workshop,” says team principal Glyn Hall. “We faced a number of challenges but kept the Toyota flag flying high with by winning the Rally Manufacturers’ title for Toyota for the 19th time and doubled up with the Off Road Manufacturers’ title as well.
“For the 2011 season we have implemented a series of wide ranging improvements to the Auris S2000 rally car and designed an all new Hilux Double Cab for the ABSA Off-Road Series. We also welcome some fresh faces to the team with two new co-drivers on board.
“During the past year the level of competitiveness in the top class in rallying has increased dramatically, in part due to the arrival of fully imported vehicles. During the course of the last season we did a full competitive analysis of the Auris and realised that we had to make a number of focused improvements to the vehicle.
“Weight will always be an issue in competition vehicles and here the Auris has been at a little bit of a disadvantage compared to its competitors which are in the main derived from smaller class vehicles. A full analysis of the chassis resulted in us finding a number of areas where we could trim weight off. We revisited the FIA S2000 rules to see if we had taken full advantage of these to eliminate unnecessary brackets and other elements that are used in the standard vehicle but have no purpose in the rally vehicle and found a number of areas where we could trim weight. We also worked hard at slimming down components with a focus on weight but without compromising strength and reliability. The result is a much slimmer Auris for 2011 with a very worthwhile weight reduction that brings us close to our competitors.
“The next element that we felt could be improved on was the suspension. A change in the rules by the FIA resulted in the overall width of S2000 rally cars being increased by 20mm. We have been able to take advantage of this to widen the track of the Auris for added stability. At the same time we implemented a number of other changes in the suspension, including the adoption of the latest generation dampers.
“As far as the engine is concerned there is only so much that can be done within the framework of the regulations. Like the weight however, we took a close look at the engine to identify areas that we could improve on and arrived at a number of solutions that will add an edge to the Auris.
A feature of Toyota Motorsport’s enduring success has been the close working relationships developed with sponsors. For the 2011 season all the team’s major relationships have been extended.
The relationship with title sponsor Castrol is a particularly notable one that has proved to be one of the most long lasting and successful in the history of South African motorsport. For 2011 Castrol will once again be the title sponsor with the team entered in both rallies and off-road events under the Castrol Team Toyota banner.
The Innovation Group that joined Toyota as a major sponsor in 2009 and continued to build its relationship with this successful team during 2010 has committed to the 2011 season. The Innovation Group acts as the administrator of a range of aftermarket ToyotaCare products that add value to the Toyota ownership experience.
The Imperial Group came on board with Toyota Motorsport last year as the team’s supplier of logistics support. Imperial provides the Hino truck tractor that hauls the Castrol Team Toyota transporter to both rallies and off road events with total efficiency. Imperial also provides on event transport for the team in the form of a Quantum crew bus and other team member transport.
While not an element of the official works team structure, another enduring Toyota sponsorship relationship that goes back many years in the form of support for privateers is the involvement of Total South Africa. Total is once again on board to provide valuable support for JP Damseaux and Mohammed Moosa in the S2000 class and Craig Trott and Stefanie Hugo in the A6 class, all in Toyota RunX chassis, for the 2011 season.
– Credit: Toyota of South Africa.