Toyota entered a Prius, GR86 and a H2-combustion GR Corolla in the Thailand 10-hour Endurance Race.
In its continued attempt to further its green ambitions through the crucible of motorsport, Toyota has recently entered 3 carbon neutral racers into the Idemitsu Super Endurance Southeast Asia Trophy 2023 (Thailand 10-hour Endurance Race) held on December 22 and 23 at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit. And rather impressively, all of these eco-friendly track cars completed the arduous 10-hour endurance race.
Two of Toyota’s entries competed under the ORC ROOKIE Racing banner, which were the ORC ROOKIE GR86 CNF concept, a GR86 running on carbon-neutral fuel, and the ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 concept (a GR Corolla powered by a hydrogen-combustion engine). The third racer fielded by the Japanese manufacturer meanwhile was the CP ROOKIE PRIUS CNF-HEV GR concept, a Prius HEV running on carbon-neutral fuel, which ran with the CP ROOKIE Racing team. The full race results for these three racers are as follows:
| No. | Team | Vehicle/Drivers | Class | Laps | Total Position | Class Position |
| 228 | ORC Rookie Racing | ORC Rookie GR86 CNF concept・Kazuya Oshima, Kenta Yamashita, KeizoKato, Daisuke Toyoda | D2 | 289 | 4 | 4 |
| 264 | CP Rookie Racing | CP Rookie Prius CNF-HEV GR concept・Kachorn Chiaravanont, Morizo, TatsuyaKataoka, Naoya Gamo, Hibiki Taira | D2 | 272 | 11 | 6 |
| 232 | ORC Rookie Racing | ORC Rookie GR Corolla H2 concept・Morizo, Yasuhiro Ogura, Masahiro Sasaki,Hiroaki Ishiura | D2 | 161* | 55 | 8 |
*Planned outage for approximately 2 hours
Toyota used locally produced hydrogen from the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), a partner working to achieve a carbon-neutral society in Thailand, for the Thailand 10-hour Endurance Race. Fan appreciation events were also held prior to the race for the people in Thailand who support Toyota on a daily basis, marking a major step toward achieving carbon neutrality and “Fun to Drive” cars through motorsports.
Prior to the Thailand 10-hour Endurance Race too, Toyota Motor Thailand held the GR FESTIVAL 2023 on December 19 in Bangkok that attracted approximately 2500 fans. At the aforementioned festival, drivers from ROOKIE Racing, Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Thailand, and D1 took part in team performances, time attacks, and a drift show. They also introduced the IMV0 and expressed their gratitude to the people of Thailand.
After the race, chairman Akio Toyoda, also known as Driver Morizo, made the following comments:
The message of participating in this race was to show hydrogen and hybrids as carbon-neutral options. Despite some trouble, we were able to complete the race. In addition to the hydrogen engine, which raced for the second year, I had the impression that the Prius and hybrid cars were well received by the Thai people this year.
We are working together with CP to reduce CO2 emissions in Thailand by leveraging our respective areas of expertise. Mr. Kachorn, who participated as a Prius driver this time, loves driving, and the chairman, Mr. Soopakij, is also an avid driver. It was very meaningful that CP and Toyota were able to participate in the 10-hour Prius race together, and I think it allowed more people to learn about our activities.
It is difficult for a single company to create a carbon-neutral movement and the future of mobility alone.
People who produce, transport, and use energy as well as the people who make cars; I believe that if many people cooperate and take action, the number of like-minded partners will increase, and the landscape of the future will definitely change.
Thai people positively support people who take action. I would like to live in a world where we all create the future together and support those who are working hard toward this aim. Toyota will continue its efforts to balance a multi-pathway approach to achieving carbon neutrality with “Fun to Drive” cars that mass produce the smiles of customers.
