Akio Toyoda – Toyota’s chairman and more than capable gentleman racer – rolled a GR Yaris rally car earlier this year, in a dramatic example of the development ethos “drive, break, fix”.
A video uploaded to YouTube by Toyota Times detailed the circumstances which led to the crash at the company’s Shimoyama research and development centre, the new base for the Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) performance arm and Lexus.
The rally-prepared Toyota GR Yaris was being driven by Toyoda-san and navigated by multi-time Japanese rally champion Norihiko Katsuta when the executive turned too quickly while trying to go around a mound of gravel.
Physics soon came into action and flipped the GR Yaris on its roof, causing the top of its windscreen to cave in, though it was fortunately stopped from further protruding into the cabin by the roll cage.
Both occupants managed to avoid injury in the crash, with Toyoda-san even happy to show off the damaged rally car at the opening of the new R&D facility.
“The most important thing in car making is about repeatedly driving, breaking, and fixing cars,” Toyoda-san said. “Shimoyama is a place to drive, break, and fix cars repeatedly every day.”
Akio Toyoda
If you’re wondering why the Morizo name is on the rear window rather than Toyoda, Akio has been using the former title as his racing pseudonym, along with the job description of “Master Driver” for Gazoo Racing.
Even though his love of racing is still well known, he continues to race as Morizo in different competitions globally.
