With this, Toyota expands its options to achieve a carbon-neutral society
Toyota announced that it will be participating in the Idemitsu Super Endurance Southeast Asia Trophy 2023 (Thailand 10-hour Endurance Race) to be held on 22 and 23 December 2023 at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit and this time around it has a surprise in store as well.
It will compete with a three-vehicle setup for Rookie Racing featuring the ORC Rookie GR86 CNF concept, a GR86 running on carbon-neutral fuel, the ORC Rookie GR Corolla H2 concept, a hydrogen-powered Corolla and the CP Rookie Prius CNF-HEV GR concept, a newly added Prius HEV running on carbon-neutral fuel.
Moreover, the new Prius competing in this year’s race has been developed based on a production vehicle, marking the first time that the brand has competed with a production Prius HEV thus giving the brand more carbon-neutral options on the track.
What’s more, three of Toyota Gazoo Racing team Thailand’s vehicles, the Corolla, GR86 and Yaris will also run on carbon-neutral fuel. Toyota will continue to take on the challenge of expanding motorsports-bred options for carbon neutrality together with its partners in Asia. The team setups are as listed below:-
| Team | Vehicle Name |
| ORC Rookie Racing | ORC Rookie GR86 CNF concept |
| ORC Rookie GR Corolla H2 concept | |
| ORC Rookie Racing | CP Rookie Prius CNF-HEV GR concept |
Competing drivers also include Morizo, Yasuhiro Ogura, Kachorn Chiaravanont, Masahiro Sasaki, Tatsuya Kataoka, Hiroaki Ishiura, Kazuya Oshima, Naoya Gamo, Kenta Yamashita, Hibiki Taira, Keizo Kato, Daisuke Toyoda. Drivers may be added or changed at the company’s sole discretion.
On top of that, Toyota is accelerating its multi-pathway approach to achieving a carbon-neutral society by entering the hydrogen-powered Corolla and the GR86 running on carbon-neutral fuel in the Super Taikyu series.
These two vehicles also competed in the 2022 Thailand 25H Endurance Race, where Toyota took on the challenge of refining the vehicles in a different environment than Japan. This time, the Japanese brand is adding a HEV, which is one of the most effective options for achieving carbon neutrality in Asia. It will also run on carbon-neutral fuel.
Toyota is continuing to take on the challenge of expanding options for achieving a carbon-neutral society with the hydrogen-powered Corolla. The number of partners who have come together through motorsports has increased to 51, both in Japan and abroad.
In the Thailand 10-hour Endurance Race, biogas generated from CP’s poultry farm chicken manure and food waste from Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing Co., a Toyota site, will be used as part of the fuel for the hydrogen-powered Corolla.
