The morning in Shimoyama, Toyota, the "village at the foot of the mountain," was as tranquil as its name suggested. Winding up a path that evokes Jungmisan-gil in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, a wide-open space appears on a ridge about 300 meters above sea level.
Modern buildings stretch along, bathed in the soft early morning sunlight. They sat calmly, neither trying to dominate the surrounding mountains nor wanting to be overwhelmed by them.
This is the cradle of Toyota's "high-performance technology," the Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama.
The peace of the village at the foot of the mountain lasted only until midmorning. The roar that relentlessly pounded the 5.3km track wrapped around the mountain area. At this technical center, which has 12 test courses including three driving test courses, the sound came from the car the reporter rode in as it raced around the 5.3km test course called "country road."
The "country road" was reportedly designed by benchmarking the Nürburgring in Germany, the world's most difficult course. Its most notable feature is the elevation change. Inje Speedium in Korea, which has a relatively large elevation change, is 40 meters, while the elevation change of the "country road" reaches 75 meters. Considering the track's total length and elevation change, the country road is a structure that reduces the Nürburgring to about one-quarter of its size.
The country road also has a "jumping course," and when passing this section at high speed, a dropping shock assaults you like riding a roller coaster at an amusement park.
I drove this kind of course in Toyota Group's high-performance models, the GR Corolla and GR Yaris. Because the circuit combined high-speed sections exceeding 200 km/h and sharply winding corners that resembled drifting, professional drivers belonging to the Shimoyama Technical Center drove while reporters sat in the passenger seats.
Both the cars and the drivers hovered beyond the realm of impediment-free mastery. The cars that endured limits were astonishing, but I was once again surprised at the drivers who pushed the cars to such limit points.
The GR Corolla, released in 2022, is a car infused with Akio Toyoda's strong desire to "bring back a Corolla that wins customers' hearts."
It is a five-seat hatchback 4,410 mm long equipped with the GR-FOUR 4WD system. The driving force that allows the rear wheels to make drifting friction noises while completing cornering precisely comes from the GR-FOUR 4WD system.
The engine uses a 1.6-liter inline three-cylinder turbocharger with an intercooler, but power is raised to a maximum of 304 horsepower (6,500 rpm). Maximum torque is 40.8 kg·m at 3,250–4,600 rpm.
The GR Yaris, which shocked the global motorsports world, is even more remarkable.
Launched in September 2020, the GR Yaris is a model that embodies Toyota Gazoo Racing's car development philosophy.
Toyota Gazoo Racing has continuously refined the GR Yaris by thoroughly tracing the root causes of problems through analysis of driving data obtained on motorsports stages, checking steering feel, and examining damaged parts, resulting in the latest incarnation of a monster-like being.
The GR Yaris combines a 1.6-liter inline three-cylinder turbo engine and a four-wheel-drive system with an eight-speed Gazoo Racing direct automatic transmission (GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission, DAT) to maximize enjoyment. This choice made the GR Yaris much freer, allowing various drivers to enjoy sporty driving and motorsports.
The powertrain is the same as the GR Corolla's, but as a four-seat two-door with a curb weight of only 1,280 kg (the GR Corolla is 1,500 kg), it produces movements optimized for motorsports.
There is no doubt that the GR Corolla and GR Yaris are outstanding steeds. But a champion horse is not born a champion. A superb trainer is needed to turn a wild horse into a champion. At the Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, there were trainers more fearsome than wild horses.
(To be continued)
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