Toyota heading back to WRC?

Japan and the world's biggest carmaker could return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2014 with a Yaris powered by a 1.6-litre turbo engine

Toyota's German-based motorsport division, Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has confirmed it is building engines and cars in preparation for a return to the WRC as early as 2014.

The return could come at the expense of the company's recently reinstated Le Mans race team, however, with the publication of new rules that Toyota claims unfairly favour Audi and diesel-powered entries.

Toyota last won the WRC driver's titles in 1992-1994 and manufacturer's titles in 1993 and 1994. It was spectacular banned from the championship for one year in 1995 (and stripped of all its points in that year's title chase) when the Celica GT-4s it was campaigning were found to have systemic illegalities. Then boss of the FIA, Max Mosley, called the cheat ( a turbo restrictor that could be bypassed): "the most sophisticated device I've ever seen in 30 years of motor sports."

But now TMG President Yoshiaki Kinoshita said the brand's new WRC project could kick off in 18 months time.

"We hope we are ready in 2014, but, of course, we need official approval from TMC [Toyota Motor Company]."

He confirmed that the Yaris would be Toyota's WRC donor car, despite not adhering to current and future regulations.

"We negotiated a lot with FIA because our Yaris three-door was less than 3.9 metres, but regulation was over 3.9 metres, so we need many negotiations with head of FIA and with all the manufacturers already involved with WRC.

"They accept our aims -- that's the reason why our Yaris three-door will get homologation group A. It's a surprise present from all the manufacturers and FIA," said Mr Kinoshita.

TMG is currently working on a new 1.6-litre turbo motorsport engine that will slotted into the Yaris in preparation for another tilt at the WRC. The engine project was initially started in Germany, at the motor sport division's Cologne headquarters, without any budget from Toyota Japan. It can be seen in the Group R1A project (pictured), a vehicle which motoring.com.au drove this week (albeit briefly).

"We already started without any budget from TMC. We started with Yaris Group R1A project -- a small one, it's a purely TMG project," said Kinoshita-san

Custom-built from the ground up, the new motorsport engine will also make its way into touring car racing series, most likely the WTCC.

"We need 1.6 litre turbo [petrol] engines but our production engines are not a good base for that, so a brand new engine we have to make," said Kinoshita-san.

The TMG chief says it's not an expensive project: "It's the same as the Le Mans project. We have engineers, we have computers -- we need just the electricity."

But he said that in his opinion by 2014 Toyota will have to choose between WRC and the World Endurance Championship (which includes the Le Mans 24-Hour race).

"We can do only one project at this moment," stated Kinoshita-san.

Though TMG had previously committed to Le Mans for three years, which would take it to the end of 2014, Mr Kinoshita said that new rules and Audi have made it impossible to compete.

"The future is unknown but we need to prepare the rally project because I don’t know about the year 2014 Le Mans, because I'm very unhappy with the Le Mans 2014 regulations. So I nearly flip over the table in meetings with FIA and Audi so they knew why I am so unhappy with the new regulations."

And what is it that has angered Mr Kinoshita so much that he would threaten to pull out of the world's most famous endurance race? Fuel efficiency issues.

He explained that the current petrol engines have a fuel efficiency rating of around 38 per cent, but will have to reach 41.5 to race in 2014. "Above 40 or above 41.5 per cent for the gasoline engines is a dream, nobody can achieve it. If you categorise the diesels the target is 42.5 per cent and this number they already achieved 22 years before in diesel."

"It looks fair... It looks like it opens windows, but [the] windows are so small you cannot go into [them]," insisted Kinoshita.

"The diesel engines target should be more than 45 or 45 per cent, then it's a very fair target. Our target, I cannot reach. Their [diesel] target is under the table."

Simply put, Murata says he wants the efficiency targets in endurance races like Le Mans.

When asked whether he would commit to Toyota being in the 2014 Le Mans without further negotiations over fuel efficiency, Kinoshita-san was steadfast: "No, I cannot [commit]. What I need is not to benefit for Toyota, but fair technical regulations."

He explained that he wanted the diesel bar raised, not the petrol bar lowered.

So Toyota may have a tough decision ahead. Does it choose World Rally Championship or Le Mans 24-Hour?

Mr Kinoshita opined: "Nobody knows the economic situation in the future. If we have a very good situation maybe we can do both, and if we are in a very bad situations maybe we cannot even do a single project."

But Toyota's dreams of competing in the upper echelons of motorsport with its hybrid technology would not be necessarily dashed if it did choose rallying. Interestingly, Mr Kinoshita has already begun negotiations to enter a hybrid rally car in the WRC.

"There are already several discussions with FIA about hybrid systems for the WRC but every time, same as F1, the problem is that are not many hybrid specialists outside Toyota."

He said that the FIA was "considering hybrid in WRC, but [has] not decided yet."

When motoring.com.au asked Kinoshita if he'd consider entering WRC without a hybrid engine, he replied: "That is not my decision. But what we need is to prepare the engines and homologate the chassis and also build our knowhow again.

"Then we are ready. And then we can wait for the final go from TMC."

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site…