Yamaha continue partnership with Toyota Racing through 2014

Yamaha Motor Europe (YME) will continue as an ‘Official Supplier of Toyota Racing’ for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship. As part of the collaboration, YME will stimulate Toyota Racing’s team mobility by providing Yamaha EC-03 electric (2-wheeler) units for the rounds of Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans.

YME began providing Toyota Racing with EC-03 electric vehicles at the start of the team’s participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012. The season resulted in an impressive three wins from six races, Toyota Racing receiving the Team Rookie of the Year Award from the FIA, and ultimately being named as the best new WEC team of 2012. The 2013 season also featured several highlights. Toyota Racing scored multiple podiums and ended the season on a high with a victory at the final round in Bahrain.

The EC-03 is Yamaha’s solution to pollution, noise, and high costs in petrol, making the vehicle ideal for short-distance, urban travel. The pure electric vehicle has zero emissions and can charge from any common wall socket through the use of a cable that can be found underneath the seat. The EC-03 is also equipped with a silent operation feature, but this does not mean it suffers in power: this environmentally friendly vehicle comes with a switch that allows riders to enhance the performance capabilities by changing from the Standard mode to the Power mode all with the press of a button on the digital screen.

Yamaha continues to lead the way in zero emissions two-wheeled vehicles, introducing two dynamic sports focused electric motorcycle concepts at the last Tokyo Motor Show. The PES1 (Street Sport) and PED1 (Dirt Sport) concepts feature all the characteristics unique to electric motors combined with the feelings of passion Yamaha riders find in the current traditional models.

For 2014 Toyota Racing has revealed the technologically-advanced TS040 Hybrid car that will compete in the championship. The four-wheel drive vehicle includes the new Toyota Hybrid System - Racing, specially developed in response to the revised WEC technical regulations that require a 25% reduction in fuel usage compared to 2013, with savings achieved through powertrain, aerodynamics and driving style efficiencies.

Eric de Seynes - Operational Director, Yamaha Motor Europe: “We are delighted to continue working together with Toyota Racing through 2014,” commented Eric de Seynes, Operational Director, Yamaha Motor Europe. “The arrival of the TS040 Hybrid racing car takes another step in establishing hybrid technology on the race track, whilst we continue to pioneer electric vehicles for the street, contributing to a cleaner, low carbon society. The synergy between the two initiatives makes our EC03 electric vehicle a natural choice for Toyota Racing. As two of Japan’s most respected automotive manufacturers with amazing histories and current exploits at the highest levels of international racing we continue to take pleasure in our partnership of today and our eyes on the future together.”

Yoshiaki Kinoshita - Toyota Racing Team President: “We are very much looking forward to continuing our partnership with Yamaha as we enter our third season in the FIA World Endurance Championship. We will fight to achieve our dream of winning Le Mans and the World Championship. As well as challenging new regulations which make endurance racing the most road-relevant discipline in top-level motorsport, we also have a new competitor. We are looking forward to competing with Porsche, as well as our more familiar rivals Audi. As a team we learnt a lot in our first two seasons in WEC and all this know-how has gone into our new TS040 Hybrid, which is the most technologically-advanced Toyota ever to compete on the track. We consider it very important that our racing program contributes to Toyota’s wider activities and I am very proud that data, knowledge and technology pass regularly from our racing program to our R and D colleagues, who are working to make great road cars of the future.”

Yamaha Racing