Following his victory over the Pharnaces in 47 BC, the legend is that Julius Caesar addressed the Roman Senate and announced “veni, vidi, vici,” - “I came, I saw, I conquered.” A couple of millennia later, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) USA could easily make the same boast in every racing venue it has entered.
One of the most recognized logos in racing.
TRD landed in Costa Mesa, California in 1979 as a Toyota Motor Sales USA subsidiary with the official task of distributing and designing after market performance parts for TRD Japan. Over the next 30 years, the company developed into a complete engine development through assembly operation. TRD’s cutting edge racing technology entered every high-speed arena from dirt to stock and Indy cars chocking up victories and establishing the company as a fearsome competitor. The journey began slowly, then gained speed in the early 2000s. Today, TRD engineers design and build the V-8 Tundra and the V-8 Camry engine for their respective NASCAR series as well as engines for factory-backed entries in Championship Off Road Racing (CORR), National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), the U.S. Auto Club Sprint Car and National Midget Car Racing Series and the grand American Rolex Sports Car Series.
By 1983, TRD joined forces with All American Racers (AAR) rolling out a Celica in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) road racing competition. Within six years, TRD-powered cars moved up to the GTP Class, the elite level of American road racing. Also in ’83, Precision Preparation, Inc. partnered with TRD to build trucks for both real-world off-road and stadium competitions. Toyota trucks developed a taste for the dirt, taking multiple wins in the premier Baja 500 and 1000 events as well as manufacturer’s championship in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, SCORE and CORR series.
Camburg Racing’s 2007 Toyota Tundra raced in the Baja 1000.
In 1996, TRD began its climb up the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) ladder, recording its first win in Indy-car competition at the Milwaukee Mile in June 2000 with Juan Montoya behind the wheel. In 2003, a TRD-powered Indy-car driven by Gil DeFerran won the mother of all American races—the Indianapolis 500.
Once that American milestone was reached, the next logical step was entry in NASCAR with the V-6 Celica Goody’s Dash Program. By 2007, the V-8 Camry made its debut at the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series. The same year, Jason Leffler recorded the first TRD NASCAR win in the Busch Series at O’Reilly Raceway Park ending the series with a third place in points. David Reutimann’s win at the Sam’s Town 250 in Memphis helped land him in second place point finish in the series. Dave Blaney scored the Nextel Cup season best with a third place finish at Talladega
TRD’s success in the NASCAR series wasn’t limited to stock cars. With a 2004 debut in the Craftsman Truck Series, TRD took the manufacturer’s championship two years in a row (2006-07) and Todd Bodine took the driver’s championship in 06.
TRD’s 2007 World Rally Championship Corolla.
In addition to these high profile venues, TRD USA includes victories in the NHRA’s Funny Car series with Jerry Toliver at the Pomona Winternationals; domination of the 2003 IRL Indy-car series with 11 wins out of 16 races; four Daytona Prototype Driver’s Championships since the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series started in 2004; USAC Sprint Car and Midget Car Racing Series wins and a sweep of the 67th Annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale Speedway with Dave Darland taking the Midget event and Bobby Santos the Sprint Car.
TRD means Toyota Racing Development, but it stands for “Top Results and Design.”
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You have got to be kidding me! I just got a bid back from my local tire, brake, suspension specialists for a 6″ lift and 4- 35/1250r-18’s for my 08 crew max. The quote: $4,392.60. This is not pesos we are talking about. My buddy was there with his 2500 Chevy and he had the bill for his from about six months ago from the same dealer chain. His was $1,400 less than mine taking into account he did not pay the 7.9% tax I would have to (different state). They said it was because we had different trucks. That is not enough explaination for me. Why does it seem to cost more for everything that I want to do with my Tundra as compared to Chevy, Ford or Dodge?