Rookie Racing, Toyota field vehicles with clean energies in Thai endurance race

MANILA: The Idemitsu 1500 Super Endurance 2022 (Thailand 25H Endurance Race) will take place at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand on December 17 and 18, 2022 — and Rookie Racing and Toyota Motor Corporation have announced their participation.

They will compete in races using the hydrogen-powered Orc Rookie Toyota GR Corolla H2 concept and the carbon-neutral Orc Rookie Toyota ORC GR86 CNF concept.

Participation will only take place during the first and last few hours of the race, not for the full 25 hours. Both cars will be racing for the first time outside of Japan at this event.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Thailand will also use a vehicle that runs on carbon-neutral fuels. Rookie Racing and Toyota will work tirelessly to increase and speed up the development of carbon-neutral technologies in Asia through racing, beginning with their participation in the Thailand 25H Endurance Race.

Midway through the 2021 season, Rookie Racing and Toyota entered a hydrogen-powered Toyota GR Corolla in the Super Taikyu series in Japan and stepped up their efforts to produce, transport, and use hydrogen. The goal was to assist in achieving a real carbon neutral society with like-minded partners both inside and outside the business.

In addition to the Toyota GR Corolla with a hydrogen engine, Rookie Racing and Toyota will begin racing the Toyota GR86 with synthetic fuel in the 2022 season as they continue to take on the challenge of extending clean energy alternatives through the usage of internal combustion engines.

Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, is also the founder and team owner of Rookie Racing and participates under the driver name “Morizo”.

Recently, Rookie Racing and Toyota staged a demonstration of the Toyota GR Yaris H2 hydrogen engine car that is now in test development during the ninth round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in Ypres in August and the 13th round of the WRC in Japan in November.

This was done to show that hydrogen has the potential to be a workable choice for reaching carbon neutrality in the harsh rally circumstances. To demonstrate the car's performance and safety, Morizo also gave it a test drive.

Asia is now the location of the demonstration. The Thailand MotoGP, the most prestigious motorcycle racing series in the world, is held at the Chang International Circuit, a significant international circuit in Thailand.

Toyota Motor Thailand has been using the circuit since it opened in 2014. It has served as the primary sponsor hosted one-make races there, aiding in the growth of motorsports in Thailand. The 10-hour Idemitsu 600 Super Endurance 2019 was won by Rookie Racing, the team's debut participation in a competition at the circuit.

To speed up efforts to broaden technology options toward establishing a carbon-neutral society all across the world, this year will be Rookie Racing and Toyota's first participation in the race in three years.

Toyota is committed to global carbon neutrality by 2050 in a practical and sustainable manner while also delivering Mobility for All, and Toyota in Asia, is fully aligned with these efforts.

Toyota is developing and bringing a full line-up of electrified vehicles to Asian markets to expand carbon neutral and carbon reducing options for the customer, including hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, battery electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

These options provide choices to meet the diverse economic realities of customers, the available energy sources, charging infrastructure readiness, industrial policies and varied customer mobility needs in each country.

This approach will help achieve accessible electrification at scale and speed, supporting each country’s prioritized national objectives, including carbon neutrality, air quality improvement, oil import reduction, industrial development and sustainable employment while providing realistic mobility solutions.

In this regard Toyota aims to work towards carbon neutrality, based on the fundamental principles of “Mobility for All” wherein there is a goal to "Leave No One Behind".

Photos from Toyota

Also read: Toyota unleashes GR Corolla Rally Concept, '10-Second' GR Supra at 2022 SEMA