Comment from Team Founder Akio Toyoda on Rally Portugal

Elfyn and Scott, congratulations and thank you for bringing valuable points to the team. Turning their frustration in Croatia into power, they showed their strength on the difficult roads in Portugal. I would also like to thank our fans for the passionate support throughout the weekend.

Takamoto, congratulations on the best result of your career! When I checked the live results in the middle of the event, he was only 1.5 seconds behind Seb who was in third place. I was very impressed when he set the top times in Croatia but I was even more surprised by his progress this time. I expect he will continue to surprise us in the future.

As Takamoto becomes a top driver, he will be faced with an environment that he has never experienced before and he may feel worried or lost then. But he can believe in me and my team, as our team always put drivers’ growth first and shares the joy of their improvements. We can continue to grow together.

I was at Fuji Speedway this weekend for a 24 hours endurance race. I used a kind of “magic word” to my team at Fuji and I heard Jari-Matti also used the word to the team in Portugal. I always feel that Jari-Matti and I are working together nearby even though we are physically so far apart. I really appreciate the team’s hard work during the weekend. Kiitos！Preparation for Sardinia starts right away, so we will keep working hard together.

Akio Toyoda

Team Founder, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.

ENDS