Toyota's 1993-1994 BTCC team

[Jimmy Magnusson]

In my quest to improve the Wikipedia articles on BTCC (1991 and 1992 are done) I have now come across some info I feel I need to verify. I know ARE ran the Toyota team in 1991 and 1992, but switched to Ford in 1993. Their replacement is supposedly TOM's or TOM's (GB), depending on the source. I now wonder:

Why did Rouse go from Toyota to Ford? Better deal, or did Toyota want someone else?

What team did actually run the Toyota team after Rouse? A British offshoot of TOM's (TOM's (GB))? Because I can't imagine a Japanese team crossing half the globe every other week to race at glamorous locations such Snetterton or Thruxton. What's this team's story, before and after?

Was Toyota's "Junior team" (Park Lane Racing) entered as a manufacteror or did they score independent points?

Was the construction and running of the cars done by the same or different companies?

Hope you have any answers for these questions!

Cheers

[KA]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

In my quest to improve the Wikipedia articles on BTCC (1991 and 1992 are done) I have now come across some info I feel I need to verify. I know ARE ran the Toyota team in 1991 and 1992, but switched to Ford in 1993. Their replacement is supposedly TOM's or TOM's (GB), depending on the source. I now wonder:

Why did Rouse go from Toyota to Ford? Better deal, or did Toyota want someone else?

What team did actually run the Toyota team after Rouse? A British offshoot of TOM's (TOM's (GB))? Because I can't imagine a Japanese team crossing half the globe every other week to race at glamorous locations such Snetterton or Thruxton. What's this team's story, before and after?

Was Toyota's "Junior team" (Park Lane Racing) entered as a manufacteror or did they score independent points?

Was the construction and running of the cars done by the same or different companies?

Hope you have any answers for these questions!

Cheers

It was TOM'S GB, based in Norfolk- it was set up in 1987 as the European arm of the TOM'S operation and were active at various times in F3, touring cars and sportscars. They'd been involved in the BTCC before- in 1988/9 with a Group A Corolla GT, and also ran the European end of Toyota's Group C sportscar campaigns in the late 80's/early 90's

http://www.tomsracing.co.jp/e/history/index.html

I don't think Park Lane were regarded as an Independent in '93- they'd won the TOCA Cup for independents in 1992 with James Kaye, but in '93 it was won by Matt Neal- he finished equal 20th in the overall championship table, tied on 3 points with Kaye and behind Kaye's Park Lane team-mate Bobby Verdon-Roe.

From this, I'm guessing Park Lane weren't eligible for TOCA Cup points in 93- the points table in the 1993 edition of Touring Car Year doesn't include details for the Independents award, but the page discussing Neal's success talks about Ian Khan as his closest rival, not the Park Lane duo

[KA]

More info, according to the Touring Car Year annual-

Park Lane prepared their own cars with access to TOM'S data and parts, although they went their own way in some areas; they started the year on Pirellis, rather than the Yokohamas favoured by TOM'S, although they did switch to Yokos by mid-season, and ran different engine management- a cheaper and less advanced Zytek package.

This apparently gave them some problems, and they actually switched to Rouse-prepared engines by late season!

According to the book, the switch from Rouse to TOM'S was officially due to the end of Rouse's 2-year contract (1991/2) coinciding with capacity becoming available to run the project at TOM'S.

It certainly seems a logical change for Toyota to make given their traditional links with the TOM'S outfit, but I do wonder if relations with Rouse had been affected by the failure to win the championship in 1992?