Message from Hiroki Nakajima (Executive Vice President) after the Le Mans 24 Hours victory

Message from Hiroki "Giano" Nakajima (Executive Vice President)

On the Victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours

To all the fans who fought with us at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

To the ACO, FIA, marshals, and officials who supported the race.

And to all our competitors who fought so hard for 24 hours.

Thank you very much.

First, to the drivers of car number 7 and to everyone in the team.

Congratulations on this victory and thank you so much.

This year's Le Mans was not an easy race.

In qualifying our cars were 14th and 15th.

It was not an ideal starting position.

From there, our team members pooled their knowledge, made courageous decisions, and moved forward step by step.

There were difficult moments.

There were times when we lost momentum.

There were times when things didn't go as planned.

But even so, no one gave up.

The engineers continued to rack their brains.

The mechanics continued to believe in the car until the very end.

The drivers continued to push themselves beyond their limits.

And the entire team supported each other, fighting through the 24 hours.

Today's victory wasn't achieved solely through speed.

It was a victory achieved through human effort.

And while car number 7 won today, it wasn't just one car that won.

Cars 7 and 8.

And all the team members who supported both TR010 HYBRIDs.

Drivers.

Engineers.

Mechanics.

All team members.

Without each and every one of them, this result wouldn't have been possible.

I believe this victory was achieved by everyone at TOYOTA RACING.

And to our competitors, including Cadillac, BMW, and Ferrari who fought so hard until the very end.

This victory is valuable because of all of you.

Thank you so much.

And there's one more thing I'd like to talk about today.

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, I shared this story:

At Toyota, there are people who want to build cars together with Morizo.

And there are also people who want to take on challenges in their own way.

I work with both types of colleagues.

That's why this year's Le Mans was a particularly meaningful challenge for us at TOYOTA RACING.

If GAZOO Racing continues to pursue "making ever-better cars", we at TOYOTA RACING want to create even better technology.

We want to create even better powertrains.

Faster.

Stronger.

More efficient.

We want to aim beyond the limits.

Le Mans is a race.

But for us, it's more than that—the forefront of technological development.

Engines.

Hybrids.

Fuel.

Software.

Control.

Aerodynamics.

And human development.

All of it is competition.

All of it is a challenge.

Therefore, we at TOYOTA RACING have adopted the following new philosophy:

"For the Engineering Race".

We develop our technology for the sake of racing.

We race for the sake of technology.

We compete not just for victory, but as a stage where engineers can aim to be the best in the world.

This is TOYOTA RACING.

The teammates who achieved the victory here today fought believing in that challenge.

I am incredibly proud of that.

And finally,

Morizo-san.

The three-round fight we promised at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Today, as promised, TOYOTA RACING has won Le Mans 24 Hours.

Unfortunately, the trophy is still in France.

So, we can't show it off on your desk today.

But we will definitely bring it back to Japan.

Be prepared.

However, what we really want you to see isn't the trophy.

The team you developed has become a team that thinks for themselves,

makes their own decisions,

takes on their own challenges,

and can win on their own.

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, I said,

"There are people who don't want to build cars with Morizo."

Today, I believe you can see the determination and capabilities of those team members.

But this isn't a story of rebellion against you.

It's a story of a new challenge born from the seed Morizo nurtured.

We are climbing the same mountain.

We are aiming for the same summit.

We have simply chosen different routes.

GR has its own challenge.

TOYOTA RACING has its own challenge.

And today, the TR010 HYBRIDs have proven that this challenge was not in vain.

What we are bringing back to Japan is not just the trophy.

It's the determination of the engineers who poured their hearts into the TR010 HYBRIDs.

It's the challenge of the team members who sweated it out on the front lines. And then there's the potential of the new team, TOYOTA RACING.

I'll bring all of that to you and report it to you.

Please accept it.

Thank you.