Newman/Hass Toyota-Lola Champ Car

2002 was a landmark year for Toyota in American motor sport, the year in which it claimed both the drivers’ (with Cristiano da Matta) and manufacturers’ titles in the CART championship.

The double success came 20 years after it entered professional motor sport in the USA, a period during which it claimed victories in such diverse competitions as the Daytona 24 Hours, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the Baja 500 and Baja 1000.

Toyota’s motor sport involvement moved on to a higher level in 1996 when the manufacturer entered open-wheel racing in the CART Series. It was a steep learning curve, but determination paid off and Toyota powered its first winning car in 2000 with Juan-Pablo Montoya claiming victory in The Milwaukee Mile for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. The team went on to win five races that season and followed it up with six more victories in 2001.

Toyota’s CART campaign reaped the ultimate reward in 2002. The manufacturer dominated the series with Toyota drivers finishing one-two in the championship (Cristiano da Matta and Bruno Junqueira) and Toyota leading the series in every major category. Overall, Toyota-powered Champ Cars won a series-record 21 races in three successive seasons of competition.

Cristiano da Matta won seven races and seven pole positions for the Newman/Haas team on his way to the CART driver’s title and his selection as American auto racing’s “Driver of the Year.”

Cristiano is reunited with his championship-winning Newman/Haas Toyota-Lola at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, providing spectators with a rare opportunity to see a thoroughbred, methanol-fuelled Champ Car put through its paces.

Da Matta’s CART glory provided the perfect springboard for his graduation to Formula 1, making his debut with the Panasonic Toyota Racing team in 2003 and retaining his seat for the 2004 season.

Toyota, meanwhile, moved on from its CART success to enter the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. It made an immediate impact, powering Scott Dixon and the Target Chip Ganassi team to a hard-fought victory, determined only at the last race of the season..

Powering all of Toyota’s American racing programs is Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A., in Costa Mesa, California. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, TRD serves in a dual capacity as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyota’s factory racing engines. It is also the source of high-performance aftermarket products for Toyota vehicles, for both street performance and grassroots racing. From the racetrack to the aftermarket product segment, TRD plays a key role in providing Toyota with an enhanced performance image.

TOYOTA-LOLA B2/200 CHAMP CAR TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

ENDS