Toyota boss challenges team to win

[Zytek_Fan]

Tsutomu Tomita hopes to see the culmination of his life's work next season, when he has challenged Toyota to win in Formula One.

Tomita, who has worked for the Japanese company since 1969, was the driving force behind their expensive entry into grand prix racing in 2002.

This year the Cologne-based team finally delivered the results to justify Tomita's £1billion-plus investment, with Jarno Trulli claiming their first podium and pole positions.

Now Tomita wants Toyota, who were fourth in the Constructors' Championship last season, to go one step further in 2006 and stand on the top of the podium for the first time.

He said: "To take our first win is my aim. Whether it is realistic or not, we will have to wait and see, but having decided to compete in Formula One we have to challenge at the very front."

"I like to use the image of Mount Fuji to explain where we are now. At the moment, we are standing at the seventh stage of Mount Fuji, which is a good achievement and a pleasing result."

"But now we look up to the remaining stages, which are even tougher, more demanding, but the results when we get there will be even more rewarding."

"We had two targets at the start of this season. The first one was to score points at as many races as possible and once we had satisfied those circumstances, the aim was to get onto the podium."

"We finished 17 out of the 19 races in the points and we scored five podiums. We have also finished the season very close to the defending Champions, so I am more than pleased."

Tomita fears Toyota's massive investment has burdened his team with expectations of instant success, which they have so far failed to match.

The signing of technical guru Mike Gascoyne midway through 2004 began a revival which Tomita believes in time will see Toyota reign supreme.

"The results from 2005 were a direct outcome of our perseverance, determination and will to succeed," he added.

"It is only just over three years since we started the adventure in 2002 and I think we have made very good progress."

"Often people see the name Toyota and expect too much without understanding fully the challenge we have undertaken - to create an entire car from scratch in one factory with a new team of people in just a few years."

"This year we had poles, podiums, lead laps, fastest laps - this is a massive achievement for the whole of Toyota."

[whiteballz]

go toyota!

[Jack_Bauer]

German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported yesterday that Toyota were lining up a potential $120million bid to sign up Kimi Raikkonen for the 2007 season. On current form you'd think Kimi wouldn't touch the offer with a barge pole, but a year can make a lot of difference in F1 and if Toyota carry on improving and Kimi is unsettled by the prospect of teaming up with Alonso at McLaren then who knows. It would certainly firmly cement Toyota as being a genuine contender if they could capture the signature of the hottest prospect in F1. Apparently Ferrari, Renault, BMW and now Toyota are all considering major offers for Raikkonen for 2007, along with McLaren hopefully, so he's certainly not gonna be short of options (or cash! ) in the future!

[Rockefella]

That's good news, we need to see some more competition in F1. Now, Kimi Raikkonen is going to be a bit too rich.