16/09/2005
NEWS STORY
Toyota Motorsport has today announced that it will build a second 50%-scale windtunnel at its Cologne-based Formula 1 factory. The new tunnel will further bolster the Formula 1 team's aerodynamics department whilst additionally acting as a complementary resource for Toyota's global motorsport activities.
GM Motor Sport Division of Toyota Motor Corporation and Executive Vice-President of Toyota Motorsport Yoshiaki Kinoshita commented: "The decision to build a second windtunnel stems from our desire to become a world championship-winning Formula 1 team, but we will not be the only beneficiaries of this new facility. Toyota has three motorsport poles around the world with Higashifuji in Japan, Toyota Racing Development in the US and Toyota Motorsport in Germany. These three poles actively co-operate and share know-how, technology and expertise. Accordingly, the new windtunnel in Cologne will also double-up as an aerodynamic research centre for other Toyota motorsport activities around the world, highlighting Toyota's "One Team, One Aim" approach to global motor racing."
Construction of the new windtunnel will begin in October with an estimated completion date of August 2006. Toyota expects the new tunnel to be up-and-running by the start of 2007 after the necessary calibration period.
The new tunnel will be a similar construction to the existing 50%-scale facility that has been fully operational since 2001. It will be built adjacent to the existing facility and will be interlinked to the factory through connecting corridors, further enhancing Toyota's philosophy of building its entire Formula 1 car under one roof.
President of Toyota Motorsport John Howett added: "Although on-track performance and success in Formula 1 is the result of the complete package - chassis, engine, team, drivers – the major performance gains on a race-by-race basis come from aerodynamics. Most top teams already own two windtunnels and by having joint access to a second 50%-scale windtunnel with our motorsport colleagues in the US and Japan, we will enable us to efficiently increase our aero output as we look to fight for the F1 championship in the long-term. It is a big endeavour to have the new tunnel running by the end of 2006 but ambition and challenge is what Toyota is about."