Historical Precedent
Toyota's Gazoo Racing (GR) as a brand is now more recognized than ever. With several exciting road cars bearing the GR badge, the brand isn't just the motorsport or racing side of Toyota. In reality, though, Gazoo Racing was actually born out of true passion and even secrecy by Chairman Akio Toyoda.
Back in 2007, Akio wanted to finally indulge his passion for motorsport by entering the 24 hours of Nürburgring. The problem was his participation, and his team wasn't officially sanctioned by the Toyota Motor Corporation, which paved the way for the birth of Gazoo Racing, along with Akio's now-famous alias "Morizo" monicker. Akio even recalls that their first forays into racing were "humiliating," and has used it as fuel to make the brand and the cars better ever since.
Just "Gazoo Racing"
In a bid to revitalize and strengthen its capabilities, Toyota has decided to return to its roots by dropping "Toyota" and going back to just "Gazoo Racing". This move, according to the company's official press release, was done to "strengthen its motorsports-bred making of ever-better cars and the fostering of talent."
To reach this goal, Akio and the GR Team will continue to use a Japanese ritual known as "Shikinen Sengu". This idea was adapted from the Ise Shrine in Japan's Mie Prefecture, where every 20 years, all the structures must be fully rebuilt. It was this very ritual that drove them to build and sell the Lexus LFA, and we all know how that turned out.
Using that same principle has enabled Gazoo Racing to become a major player in performance, with cars like the 86, Yaris, Corolla, and Supra. These are now followed up by the recently launched GR-branded production models in the form of the GR GT and the Lexus LFA concept. Not to mention Gazoo Racing's continued push in motorsport, with a heavy presence (and success) in WRC, NASCAR, and WEC, and a renewed interest in Formula 1 through the Haas Team partnership.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe Rebranded as Toyota Racing
While Gazoo Racing takes center stage in branding, other arms of Toyota's motorsport division are also rebranding. Most of the WRC and WEC development is done in Europe through the Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe group, which is now being rebranded to just "Toyota Racing."
The only racing entity to stay in place will be the Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing team. This is where Morizo shines, using this team as a platform to test new technologies through motorsports. As such, its name will remain the same and serve as a bridge between Gazoo Racing and Toyota Racing.
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