Le Mans Classic – Nakajima in his father’s Toyota: “An opportunity I couldn’t refuse”

The 40th anniversary of Group C is being celebrated in a very beautiful way at Le Mans Classic 2022. Dans un plateau riche de 38 prototypes, ne figure qu’une seule Toyota 85C, mais pas n’importe laquelle : elle est en effet pilotée par Kazuki Nakajima, the Vice-President of Toyota Gazoo Racing.

The 37-year-old Japanese even shares the wheel with Masanori Sekiya, already on board in 1985 in Sarthe and who played a big role in his career. “ He was like my teacher during my training years in single-seaters, explains the man at the 36 Grands Prix of Formula 1. He was in charge of the young driver program at Toyota. He was my mentor from the start of my career. It’s really special and endearing to share this car with him here. I always listen with great attention to all this advice! »

Kazuki Nakajima finds himself driving a Group C for the first time in his life at the express request of the car's owner. “He had this deep desire to bring it back to Le Mans, in association with Sakiya-san and his teammate, who is today the boss of the Tom’s team (Kaoru Hoshino). The initial idea was that my father (Satoru Nakajima) the driver at Le Mans Classic, but for various reasons this was not possible. Finally, the owner offered me the steering wheel, it was an opportunity I couldn't refuse. It’s also a great way to show Toyota’s history in motorsport. »

© Joris Clerc / DPPI

With its small turbocharged in-line 4-cylinder engine, the 85C is not a lightning bolt on the Mulsanne Straight, but that is its only fault. “Due to the deficit in top speed, I got dropped off by the Peugeot or the Jaguars, continues the three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2018, 18, 20). My car is equipped with a camera as a rear-view mirror, and fortunately because historical mirrors aren't really useful... Sometimes it's quite stressful! You have to be realistic, I am in the middle of other even more legendary cars of theEndurance, and it’s already great to be in this position! Being at Le Mans Classic is above all about having fun. »

Kazuki Nakajima also takes the opportunity to assess the relevance of the History sector for his company. In Japan, the three major brands (Toyota, Nissan, Honda) organize festivals on circuits to retrace the manufacturer's competitive history. Other initiatives around the world cannot be ruled out if we are to believe the desire the new retiree told us about.

“In the near future, Classic is an area we should focus more on. Toyota can boast of a rich racing history, our fan base is large and would be delighted to see legendary cars again. The GT-One from the late 1990s was particularly impressive. It was beautiful, so why not use them as they were during their time on the racetrack? » Is a specific gathering planned for the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023? “That would be a good opportunity.”, finally blurted out Kazuki Nakajima.

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