I read a story earlier on Autosport.com about Toyota saying F1 has become too elitist. But what gathered my attention was at the end of the article. It states that members of the Toyota board will be in Monza, Italy to evaluate a future touring car campaign.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83726

 

I read that too. We know Toyota wants to race where its more fan friendly. Sounds good to me.

 

my question is, what car? the Avensis? That'd sound to me the best bet. I wish it would be a RWD vehicle but i doubt they'll enter an IS in it, though they could so it'd go up against the BMW 3 series. Maybe the IS220? Diesel? Or is diesel even allowed in WTCC? Wait, the BMW is diesel isn't it?

 

It's a similar move to what BMW made, but there really are very few manufacturers in the series, one would wonder how much value it'd have for them. I'm looking forward to when DTM and Super GT (and maybe Grand Am) unite their technical regulations.

I guess wtcc is fine meanwhile, I just want to see Toyota racing again.

 

I still wish they were in F1.

 

Did Toyota win any races in F1?

 

No, but the TF109 showed a ton of promise, if they had better drivers a win was entirely possible. Trulli and Glock weren't very good.

 

makes sense to enter the touring class with the new LFA. Its been doing well so far

 

World Touring Cars would befit something like the Lexus IS or a toyota sedan. The LFA is more suited to LeMans series, ALMS, or FIA GT racing.

 

Don't berate the drivers. I'd put both in the top 10 among other guys on the grid from last year. The TF109 should have won at least 2 or 3 races. Bahrain was truly a "WTF?!?!?!!?" moment. It was a variety of factors why it never won, from strategy mess ups, to the drivers not being on boil 100% of the time to not having the right setup to just plain old dumb bad luck.

I do somewhat share your sentiment that I wish they were still in F1. It burns in my gut at the thought that they left without even 1 win

The TF110 screams fast too. I saw the photos in racecar engineering. Man, Toyota never built a "fast looking" car till last year really and the TF110 looks like champagne spraying, trophy hoisting, wreath giving, team saving fast.

I wish stupid Mike Gascoyne wasn't at lotus and that they'd have taken up Toyota on their offer to buy the design. I'd prefer to have Toyota stick around as an engine supplier, and I wish they would have won at least 1 race before they took a walk, because I really doubt they'd ever be back.

Dammit Akio...1 more year was too much to ask?!?! Arrrrrrggggghhhhh

Was any punishment ever handed out over the concorde agreement?

^What TF109 said. The LFA has no place in touring cars.

GT maybe, but seeing that it's an extremely limited run car, it'd make very little sense to put it into mainstream racing. I could see an IS or CT in WTCC or BTCC. The IS needs to go to DTM (ITR can't unite the tech regs with Super GT fast enough).

 

Well according to Gazoo Racing, the LFA isn't done yet. My bet is they mean it'll be at the Nurburgring again. This year or possibly the next 24Hour race. But I don't see why they won't take the LFA racing in any other series. My hope is some gung-ho owner bought a couple of the LFA's with the intention to race them. Well, that or Lexus will have insiders amongst the Toyota group that want the LFA to show it's stuff.