Toyota/Rebellion Racing - Le Mans/ILMC/LMS - 2011 (merged)

92scotland · 4 Sep 2009, 22:47 (Ref:2534687)

I have just been reading an article on Autosport about Toyota cutting the costs on its F1 project and there is a very interesting bit in it:

Quote:

It is also believed that any staff needed to be cut from the F1 programme may be shifted onto a sportscar Le Mans project which is being considered for 2011.

Here is the whole article: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78300

**joeb** · 4 Sep 2009, 22:50 (Ref:2534691)

It'd be nice if they would get a program together for 2011, now that the rules are more clear. They have been "considering" a program for a while now.

92scotland · 4 Sep 2009, 22:56 (Ref:2534694)

But that wasn't any definite proof (although this isn't so much either

) but this seems to more promising news

HORNDAWG · 4 Sep 2009, 23:05 (Ref:2534700)

Ya, the Dome Toyota S102-3-4(whatever) Hybrid just keeps bubbling along it seems.

L.P.

**FIRE** · 5 Sep 2009, 11:19 (Ref:2534855)

Félix · 6 Sep 2009, 15:50 (Ref:2535327)

There were already threads for 2010, 2009, 2008. Going to Le Mans is a sensible decision, and to me it has to come with another sensible decision like leaving Farce 1.

**PascaLM** · 6 Sep 2009, 20:12 (Ref:2535473)

Toyota should have never left Sportcars ; now they see the results.
If only they'd come back, it should be a fantastic challenge.

GTfour · 10 Sep 2009, 07:36 (Ref:2537526)

Quote:

Originally Posted by PascaLM

Toyota should have never left Sportcars ; now they see the results.
If only they'd come back, it should be a fantastic challenge.

Right you are Pascal. I'll never forget the sight and sounds of the stunning GT-One's in '98 and '99.
Le Mans has missed a serious japanese sportscar effort for far too long if one asks me. For some reason,the japanese allways know how to make goodlooking liveries on their cars(the late 'Dragon' Panoz LMP1's for instance) that are most allways fast and spectacular to watch.

I for one,as a Toyota fan,would be very enthousiastic about a return of my coveted mark.

GT6 · 10 Sep 2009, 09:40 (Ref:2537592)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTfour

Right you are Pascal. I'll never forget the sight and sounds of the stunning GT-One's in '98 and '99.
Le Mans has missed a serious japanese sportscar effort for far too long if one asks me. For some reason,the japanese allways know how to make goodlooking liveries on their cars(the late 'Dragon' Panoz LMP1's for instance) that are most allways fast and spectacular to watch.

I for one,as a Toyota fan,would be very enthousiastic about a return of my coveted mark.

I would also love to see toyota return and with the continued poor( thats the polite way of saying it) performance of enormously expensive farcical one time it can not be long before thier priorities are changed and they return to the better value for money forms of racing.

DanShenise · 10 Sep 2009, 16:08 (Ref:2537828)

I mentioned this in another thread about why more mfg. aren't in sports car. Toyota and Honda, both ought to be sports car racing and not F1. Both companies stress reliability, quality, and endurance. Ninety minute sprint races do not achieve these goals. Audi realizes this (plus they don't enjoy ****ing money away) so here they are. I think a Toyota program would provide additional motivation for Honda to stay in. Frankly, Honda and Toyota got their brand image wrong by running the wrong brand in the wrong series. It ought to be Honda/Toyota in sports cars and Acura/Lexus in F1.

Petrol Head · 10 Sep 2009, 16:33 (Ref:2537846)

It would be fantastic but I seem to have been talking about this for 4 years straight.

Haven't Toyota recently made noises that they are staying in F1??

DanShenise · 10 Sep 2009, 18:03 (Ref:2537904)

Yes and supposedly they are cutting their budget though by about a third or maybe 2/5ths. So if in theory they were spending ~$420m USD, expect them to spend between, $252 and $277 USD. Supposedly and they really mean it this time, they swear.

So what does it cost to run a credible Le Mans program (ideally ALMS + Le Mans)?

**joeb** · 10 Sep 2009, 19:03 (Ref:2537948)

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanShenise

Yes and supposedly they are cutting their budget though by about a third or maybe 2/5ths. So if in theory they were spending ~$420m USD, expect them to spend between, $252 and $277 USD. Supposedly and they really mean it this time, they swear.

So what does it cost to run a credible Le Mans program (ideally ALMS + Le Mans)?

Less than the difference between $420m and $252m that's for sure!! But if Toyota is interested in saving money in their racing program in F1 would they really be interested in starting a new LMP program? I sure hope so.

Gingers4Justice · 10 Sep 2009, 21:09 (Ref:2538026)

Perhaps Toyota could enter a two-door Prius in GT2. BMW are aloud to race the M3....

Purist · 11 Sep 2009, 05:03 (Ref:2538160)

All the rumblings I've been hearing indicate that a Toyota win this season in F1 is essential to the continuation of that program, and that without said win, the most they'll do is one more season (2010) before pulling the plug on F1. This came up partly because Trulli wanted two more years on his contract, and Toyota would only, in theory, agree to one more year at this stage.