Toyota has crafted its fastest machines on the Nürburgring for decades. Chairman Akio Toyota was back this year, following the lights once shone by Master Driver Hiromu Naruse
Photography by Toyota
Words by David Evans, DirtFish Head of Media
It’s darkest just before dawn.
Just ask Morizo-san.
Akio Toyoda is one of the most influential and important people in the automotive industry. He’s the grandson of Toyota Motor Corporation founder Kiichiro Toyoda and a man for whom making ever-better cars has become a driving force in his life.
Last weekend, he took that mission a step further by competing – not for the first time – in the Nürburgring 24-hour race. His Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing GR Yaris finished and finished well, 52nd of the 88 cars crossing the line after a day of racing.
Few understand how those 12.9 miles, those 73 corners through the Eifel mountains have helped shape Toyotas for the last 50 years. More pertinently, few understand the relationship Morizo enjoyed with the man who took Toyota there in the first place. And left him with his racing name.
Drivers down the years have all talked of the pre-dawn struggle. The last dregs of last night’s darkness are exhausting, but with the break of the new day comes a resurgence in strength. It’s a conscious and subconscious thing. Certainly, it’s something the crew of car #109 understood from Sunday morning.
Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing was in the SP2T class at the Nordschleife, so it saw many taillights of more powerful cars during the race. But Morizo-san was following a different set of lights throughout the race
Then there’s the metaphor. Anybody who saw Morizo-san holding a photograph as the team took post-race pictures would begin to understand the importance of a man called Hiromu Naruse.
Naruse started working in the Vehicle Inspection Department at Toyota on a temporary contract in 1963. He wasn’t there long. Engineering Division #7 was beckoning. Motorsport had found its man. Ten years on and Naruse made his first visit to the Nordshleife for a six-hour race, working with a Swiss team running a Toyota Corolla 1600GT.
The place had an immediate effect on him and his ability as a test driver. He returned to Japan talking of a road which would make better Toyotas. In the coming months, years and decades few people would lap the Nürburgring more than him. Toyota’s MR2 and Supra were both crafted among those 73 corners. It was around this time that Naruse-san was elevated to the deeply honoured position of Master Driver at Toyota.
Naruse knew how to make cars better and even-better cars. He was, however, frustrated at times when those in the positions of real power within this carmaking giant didn’t see things his way.
Grandson of Toyota founder or not, he vetned some of those frustrations on Akio Toyoda.
“Somebody in your position,” Naruse told Toyoda, “who doesn’t know the first thing about driving, shouldn’t make passing comments about cars. The least you can do is learn how to drive.
“If you feel like it, even if just once a month, I’ll teach you how to drive.”
Akio took him on and became an ever-better driver.
“We called it training,” said Toyoda, “but I just followed Naruse as he drove his car. It wasn’t like he taught me anything specific. The only two things he said were: “Hit the brakes where you see my brake lights,” and “If the distance between our cars is growing, it means you’re not hitting the gas enough.”
“All I did was do my best to chase after those taillights.”
With Toyoda getting closer and closer to those taillights, Naruse felt his work was almost done. The time had come for competition. But what? And how? Surely a Toyota could be found for the grandson of the firm’s founder… Actually, quite the opposite. Toyota’s hierarchy worked firmly against one of their top-level executives going racing. There was no support.
Naruse recalled: “At first, he struggled with the decision, due to his position, but then after a while he said: “I’d like to do it, so yes, please, let’s make it happen.”
Two names were introduced to racing at the 2007 Nürburgring 24-hour race. ‘Morizo’ was Toyoda’s ‘secret’ race name and Gazoo.com was the name of the used car website he was running – where the standard road cars had been found to turn into competition cars.
They entered the race – one of the wettest in history – it was stopped for 10 hours due to the rain.
Morizo remembered: “I just focused on sticking to Naruse’s tail, driving while keeping a constant eye on my rearview mirror.”
That was the start of an affinity for competition, one which Morizo has rarely shied away from. But going back to the Nürburgring was tough last weekend.
Naruse lost his life in a road traffic accident in Nürburg 14 years ago this month.
Every time he visits, he says a prayer at the two cherry trees planted in memory and in honour of his friend and the man who made him and ever-better race driver.
After 113 laps around the fabled racetrack, Morizo brought the GR Yaris home in one piece – which is more than can be said for dozens of rival cars
Looking back at last weekend, Morizo smiled: “I’m glad I completed my goal. There were quite a lot of crashes, but I was able to come through with peace of mind. The practice and following Naruse-san’s taillight has helped.
“The eight-speed [automatic transmission in the Yaris] is awesome – I don’t think I would have been able to run 15 laps without it. Thanks to Toyota and thanks to everybody for this great ride with the GR Yaris.
“While I was holding the steering wheel, I realized I made a lot of friends to build a better car that wasn’t alone.”
It’s a new dawn, a new day and Morizo’s feeling good.
Tags: Akio Toyoda, Morizo, Nurburgring, Toyota
Publish Date June 24, 2025 DirtFish
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