2012 Auto Expo – Toyota unveils their Etios and Liva racing concepts
Toyota unveiled their Etios and Liva racing concepts for the upcoming Etios Motor Racing (EMR) trophy at the Auto Expo 2012. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) will be supporting the EMR. Toyota's venture into the Indian motorsport scene comes at a time just after India hosted its first ever F1 race last year.
The EMR series will be held in the latter half of 2013 and will be part of a one-make racing championship, with five to six individual races. Initially, for the first season, only the Etios petrol will be used. Toyota is also looking at working with motorsport experts such as Red Rooster Racing (International) Pvt Ltd.
Toyota plans to take the TRD-readied Etios cars in exhibition races and also road shows. The EMR concept cars will be touring 13 cities and 22 Toyota dealerships across India. The driver selection for the series will be done online at www.toyotaetios.in/emr starting from January 15. The online applications close on February 15, 2012. The final list of shortlisted drivers will emerge after tests like simulator evaluations and go-karting selections conducted by instructors from Toyota.
Sandeep Singh, DMD-marketing for Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, "We are very excited to introduce Etios Motor Racing in India and make it accessible to all the Toyota customers and fans here. With support from experts in Toyota Racing Development and capitalizing on Toyota's global motorsport heritage, we see it as an ideal grass-roots category for young drivers to learn and make their way up the motorsport ladder. Through our racing initiatives, we will ensure that motorsports is more accessible to both spectators and participants."