Toyota Motor : Why Toyota Takes on 24-hour Endurance Races (Part 2)

Morizo (post-race comments)

To begin with, let me say thank you to everyone involved. Today is the anniversary of Naruse's death.

I drove my third stint from 10 o'clock, but it was initially planned to be from 9 o'clock. I realized that it happened to be around the same time that Naruse suddenly passed away.

Gripping the steering wheel at the time Naruse died… I was extremely nervous. Many things came to mind when I was driving this third stint-entering the 13th year of competing in this race with this car, the Supra-and to be honest, I was in no real state to drive.

I'd like to think Naruse is listening to us as we discuss all this now.

At the time of his funeral, I resolved to stay on this path alongside a handful of passionate people who wanted to continue doing this with me. This was how our GR activities began. Now, the GR project has the support of so many people and is at the very center of our efforts to make ever-better cars, and to improve our people.

Truly, I want to thank everyone who has supported these efforts so far. When speaking about Naruse, I can't hold back my tears. The reason is disappointment.

Thirteen years ago, we could not even use the Toyota name; our team comprised basically two people-Naruse and myself-and we participated in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a homegrown team with fewer members than most privateer teams.

Back then, I was overcome by various disappointments-the disappointment of not receiving any support; the disappointment of not being taken seriously, no matter what we did; the disappointment of being belittled, no matter what we did; and the disappointment of having to run a Supra model that was no longer in production.

I was appointed president on June 23, 2009, and ever since Naruse passed away, exactly one year later on June 23, 2010, all these disappointments have remained with me continually.

These disappointments are why all I do is repeat the mantra "let us make ever-better cars."

Even today, I still feel regret and shed tears. These disappointments have been a source of our strength, pushing us to create like-minded companions sharing the same goal, and to make ever-better cars. These thoughts were on my mind when I started by thanking you all today.

I drove four stints, including the start and finish, but I think Yabuki (who has been in charge of the GR Supra development) was the one who should have driven the car today. If today were not such a special day, I would have asked Yabuki to drive the Supra.

However, due to the three key elements of June 23, the Supra, and the Nürburgring, I felt as if Naruse was telling me, "No, you should drive. We can drive together!"

I'm certain that Naruse is listening to us today, and I believe he may have brought us this nice weather. As a driver, no doubt I proved a hindrance to my teammates, but the other three professional drivers covered for me exceptionally well. Thank you!