Hermann Gassner Jr defends TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy title

• German rally ace Hermann Gassner Jr wins the trophy for the second year running.
• Prize giving ceremony for top three in Jarama including test of the new GR Supra GT4.
• GR Supra GT4 to be integrated into the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy in 2020.

With a last-minute charge, Hermann Gassner Jr, in his GT86 CS-R3, successfully defended his TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy title, overhauling GT86 CS-Cup racers Olivier Muytjens and Jacques Derenne from Team Pitlane in the final days of the 2019 season.

At the end of October, the Belgian pair were leading the overall standings ahead of Hermann, but the reigning champion had only scored nine out of 10 possible results and could therefore increase his points total. The 30-year-old used this final chance and at the Rally Waldviertel in Austria, secured another class victory and completed a perfect season winning his class in all rallies he entered. With a total of 346 points, Hermann won the 2019 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy ahead of Olivier (317 points) and Jacques (313 points). Fellow Belgian and Pitlane team-mate “Brody” (259 points) and Ortwin Herterich from Sweden (216 points) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The top three drivers were invited to the Jarama circuit near Madrid for a special reason; an exclusive opportunity to test the new GR Supra GT4 car which will compete for the first time, in the hands of private customers, next year. The car, which features a 430hp three-litre six-cylinder engine and was developed by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH in Cologne, will be eligible to participate in the 2020 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy.

In addition to the exclusive test drive, Hermann Gassner Jr also received EUR 30,000 of prize money. Olivier Muytjens earned a cheque for EUR 20,000 for his second place while Jacques Derenne took home EUR 15,000 for third. “Brody” received a prize money of EUR 10,000 for his fourth place while GT86 CS-Cup driver Ortwin got EUR 5,000. In addition, TOYOTA Deutschland rewarded the best Trophy teams participating in Germany with additional prize money for their achievements in events such as the 24h Nürburgring, WRC Rally Deutschland, all VLN, RCN and German Rally Championship rounds.

Rob Leupen, Managing Director of TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH: “Big congratulations to defending champion Hermann Gassner Jr who had a great second year in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy. We are very happy to see that the number of entrants has grown and the Trophy became more international. The Trophy will continue to grow in 2020 with the introduction of the new GR Supra GT4 as an additional car. We are looking forward to even more participants and even stronger competition in 2020.”

The increased number of participants shows how the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy was well received within the GT86 motorsport family, and this was also thanks to support from partners RAVENOL, PFC and IKmedia. While the motorsport experts from RAVENOL took care of the first fill of all TMG-built GT86 cars, PFC Brakes offered discounts on its products to all Trophy participants.

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Trophy 2019 allowed all drivers of TMG-built GT86 CS-Cup and CS-V3 racers or CS-R3 rally cars to compete in any event across Europe and fight for a total prize money of €80,000. Participants submitted results from all events they entered during the assessment period, from 1 March until 25 November with the points available on individual events varied according to the length and number of competitors entered.

Copyright-free, high-resolution images of the TMG’s motorsport activities are available from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s global media website www.tgr-dam.com.

About TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH:

TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has been based in Cologne, Germany since 1979 and built its reputation in motorsport, beginning with two decades of FIA World Rally Championship success. TMG’s facilities and capabilities expanded significantly during its time in Formula 1 (2002-2009). Since the end of that era, TMG has combined works motorsport participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship with research and development support for TOYOTA Motor Corporation and a thriving business as a supplier of high-performance services to the automotive and motorsport sectors. Additionally, TMG has built a growing customer motorsport business covering activities in rally and circuit racing, with all activities inspired by TMG’s vision of Creating Excitement Through Team Spirit and Advanced Technology. www.racingbytmg.com