What is the racing division of Toyota?
Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) is Toyota's official racing division, responsible for factory motorsport programs and the GR performance road-car lineup.
Gazoo Racing began as Toyota's internal tuning and motorsport initiative and evolved into a dedicated global brand that coordinates Toyota's competition efforts across multiple series, while applying racing technology back into road cars via the GR lineup. The division now oversees factory entries in several global championships and supports Toyota's broader performance strategy.
Origins and branding
TGR traces its roots to Toyota's in-house engineering and motorsport projects, which gradually coalesced into a unified global racing brand. In the mid-2010s, Toyota formalized its competition activities under Gazoo Racing and later expanded the branding to its on-road performance line, GR, to emphasize the link between racing development and street cars.
Global expansion
As part of its evolution, Gazoo Racing established a global footprint that coordinates factory programs around the world, aligning Toyota's motorsport credibility with consumer-performance models. The GR branding is used to market and differentiate high-performance road cars that derive technology from TGR's racing work.
Where Toyota Gazoo Racing competes
These are the main championships where TGR fields factory entries and drives Toyota's presence in global motorsport.
- FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team, using the Yaris WRC
- FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the GR010 Hybrid and related racing programs
- Dakar Rally via Toyota Gazoo Racing SA, competing with the Toyota Hilux in cross-country rally competition
- Japan's Super GT series, fielding GR-branded cars such as the GR Supra GT500 in the national GT division
These programs illustrate the breadth of Toyota's racing commitments, spanning rallying, endurance endurance and cross-country events, as well as Japan's premier GT racing. They also reflect a strategic approach to technology transfer, where insights from competition feed into production performance models.
GR—The road-car performance arm
Beyond competition, Gazoo Racing manages the GR road-car lineup, translating race-developed engineering into street-legal performance models. The GR lineup emphasizes driving dynamics, lightweight construction, and advanced powertrains, linking Toyota's racing expertise with consumer-focused performance.
- GR Supra — high-performance sports coupe derived from Toyota's racing programs
- GR Yaris — homologation-honed hot hatch designed to mirror rally-derived technology
- GR86 — sports coupe developed alongside the racing-inspired ethos of GR
- GR Corolla — performance variant of the Corolla focusing on enhanced dynamics and braking
The GR brand underscores Toyota's strategy of close coupling between racing development and consumer engineering, delivering tangible performance benefits across its product lineup.
Recent developments and capabilities
In recent years, Toyota has continued to strengthen its factory racing operations under Gazoo Racing, expanding the role of GR technology across both competition and production models. The division remains a core part of Toyota's global branding and engineering strategy, signaling a commitment to performance, innovation, and cross-series collaboration.
Summary
Toyota Gazoo Racing is the company's official racing division, coordinating factory competition programs in WRC, WEC (including Le Mans), Dakar, and Super GT, while driving the GR performance line for road cars. The arrangement demonstrates Toyota's integrated approach to motorsport and production performance, with racing serving as a proving ground for technology and a branding engine for consumer models.
