Toyota announces info deal with EMC.

Toyota Motorsport [TMG]'s vision of building an entire Formula One organisation around the most progressive information infrastructure in the sport's history came to fruition today [Monday] with the announcement of a strategic relationship with global information storage leader EMC.

As a result, EMC has been named as TMG's exclusive 'official information infrastructure provider', as the two companies join forces to revolutionise the way an F1 organisation utilises information to gain competitive advantage over rival teams.

"Information is the engine for any F1 team," commented TMG president Ove Andersson, "It enables friction-free decision making and support far beyond the track. By teaming with EMC, Toyota Motorsport has deployed an EMC proven information infrastructure of a scope and magnitude not seen before in F1. EMC, with its information storage and management solutions, has brought our information to life by placing it at the centre of our organisation.

"We have the full financial and technical backing of our parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation. With such resources at its fingertips, TMG has had the uncommon luxury of being able to pick and choose sponsors, like EMC, that can offer our F1 team an edge."

EMC and TMG have entered a three-year sponsorship agreement, which will see the EMC logo placed prominently on Toyota's F1 car and provide admission to TMG test sessions and grand prix races for the company. EMC will also bring customers to visit the TMG production and research facility and participate in the 'TMG Driving School', where they will have the opportunity to drive Toyota road cars in a series of controlled driving technique and skid-control activities.

"EMC's decision to sponsor TMG was based both on the strength of Toyota's reputation and the technology-driven nature of Formula One competition," explained the company's executive chairman Mike Ruettgers, "Like EMC, Toyota has earned a worldwide reputation for innovation, product reliability and customer satisfaction. As EMC helped TMG realise its vision of placing information at the centre of its affairs, we immediately recognised TMG's commitment to building the most technologically advanced F1 team on the circuit."

At the Toyota Motorsport production and research facility in Cologne, EMC and TMG engineers have already converged to develop a highly-specialised EMC-proven information infrastructure, and the role of information in TMG's continued success will accelerate when TMG unveils its first F1 car on 23 March and then launches an intensive testing regime throughout the 2001 season.

Data collected during testing is seen as the key to Toyota's success in the highly competitive F1 arena, and TMG plans to have two cars, driven by F1 veteran Mika Salo and American Le Mans champion Allan McNish, testing simultaneously throughout 2001. The team will then begin racing with EMC in 2002.

"Testing is crucial to our team's success," commented Salo, "Each test car will be equipped with over a hundred sensors with the mission of gathering information on every aspect of both the car and driver's performance. This will make it impossible for a driver like myself to hide. If I do something correct, everyone will see it and learn from it. If I do something wrong, it can be quickly identified and corrected..."