A History of Toyota in the BTCC
Following the news that Toyota is returning to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as a works team in 2019, ITV Motorsport takes a look at the marque's history in the championship.
Toyotas has been on the BTCC grid since the mid-1970s. In 1975 Win Percy, driving a Toyota Celica, finished the season level on points with Andy Rouse, missing out on the title only by having fewer race wins: 10 compared to 12.
Seven years later, Percy was to take his third BTCC drivers' championship behind the wheel of a Hodgetts Motorsport Toyota Corolla.
Chris Hodgetts would take back to back titles in Toyota's prepared by his eponymous team in 1987 and 1988 - the Japanese brand's last championship success.
Toyota's return in 1991 would net them three wins with Andy Rouse. The following year he was joined by reigning champion Will Hoy, and the winning continued.
However as competition and budgets increased during the nineties, Toyota started to wane. After the end of 1992 the team would only win one more race, and they withdrew at the end of 1995.