Driving Forward with Akio Toyoda: The Master Driver’s Determination: Why Toyota Motor’s Chairman Takes on the Race

By Tadashi Isozumi / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

16:02 JST, January 29, 2026

For the first time in six years, Akio Toyoda, 69-year-old chairman of Toyota Motor Corp., successfully competed in the Nurburgring 24 Hours (Nur 24H), an international automobile race held June 19-22 in western Germany. The reason behind his participation was his strong conviction.

‘I will definitely be there’

The final race took place on June 21-22. Akio drove 15 laps (approximately 380 kilometers), accounting for about 13% of the team’s total 113 laps. On the second day, he originally planned to drive five laps but ended up driving nine.

He praised the top-notch quality of the GR Yaris he drove in the race, saying he felt confident behind the wheel. He also expressed growing confidence in his own driving skills. Akio is the “master driver” at Toyota Motor and competes under the name Morizo.

“Morizo is different from six years ago. I was able to drive faster and more safely. I was able to utilize the experience I gained in the Super Taikyu (a Japanese endurance race for modified production cars).”

He expressed strong enthusiasm for participating in future races. When asked about his plans for the 2026 race, he said, “I will definitely be there. I will think about what kind of car and what kind of team I will have later.”

He said: “Even if Morizo and the master driver no longer exist, will Toyota continue to produce excellent products? I want to have more confidence (to say yes),” effectively announcing his intention to continue.

Master driver

In fact, there was a time when his participation was in doubt. In late May, he shared the following with me.

“At the beginning of 2025, I could barely walk. The doctor told me, ‘Don’t brake hard and don’t do jumps with the car.’”

He said his hip joint was in poor condition. Although through treatment he was recovering, it was unreasonable to expect him to participate in Nur 24H.

The circuit where the race takes place, the Nurburgring, is a technical course in the forest (approximately 25 kilometers per lap). The narrow road is so undulating that there are jumping spots. Due to the heavy strain on cars, it is also known as a final testing ground for new models by automakers from around the world.

The drivers race on this grueling course for 24 hours straight. Even though four drivers (Akio, Daisuke Toyoda, Hiroaki Ishiura and Kazuya Oshima) were to take turns driving, it is easy to imagine the physical strain on their bodies. Since it is a race, there is also the possibility of colliding with other vehicles.

Nevertheless, Akio insisted on participating. Why? Because he calls himself a master driver.

The role of a master driver at Toyota Motor is akin to that of an editor-in-chief at a newspaper. They set the overall direction of the brand and make the final decisions on when and how to release products that will benefit society and people.

Each car and each article are created on-site. While they do not intervene too much, they voice their opinions if they feel something is amiss. They are hard to replace.

Meeting the ‘driving mentor’

Toyota Motor’s master driver is at the pinnacle of approximately 300 test drivers. Their primary task is to drive and evaluate vehicles developed by Toyota under various conditions and provide feedback to the development team. Akio says, “If I can no longer drive on the Nurburgring, I must step down as a master driver.”

His predecessor was Hiromu Naruse, who was Akio’s “driving mentor” — Naruse died in a traffic accident on a public road near the Nurburgring in 2010 at the age of 67. They met about 25 years ago. Akio, who came from the founding family and was already considered a future president at the time, was reportedly told by Naruse, “I don’t want someone like you, who doesn’t know anything about driving, telling me about cars.”

There is more to the story. Naruse offered to teach Akio, saying, “Even just once a month, I’ll teach you how to drive if you are interested.” Akio asked to become his apprentice. This is how their master-apprentice relationship began.

Practice was mainly held on weekends. At first, they repeated exercises such as accelerating to top speed and then slamming on the brakes. As they became more comfortable, they moved on to high-speed driving. Eventually, they began circuit training, with Naruse leading the way in his car, followed by Akio.

Seeing Akio’s progress, Naruse invited him to participate in Nur 24H, leading to his debut in 2007. This marked the birth of Akio’s persona, Morizo.

Hidden identity

At the time, there was a critical atmosphere within Toyota Motor regarding Akio’s motorsports activities. Opinions such as “It’s the founder family’s hobby” and “It’s too dangerous” were common, and Akio recalls, “Their eyes were truly cold.”

When Akio made his debut, he couldn’t use “Toyota” as the team name, so they participated as “Team Gazoo.” He also didn’t use his real name, instead using the pseudonym Morizo.

Eighteen years have passed. Morizo has grown into ashn indispensable character in the world of motorsports. If he had never met Naruse, Morizo would never have been born, and Toyota Motor without Morizo might have become a completely different company — one that prioritized profitability and sales over the joy of driving.

Unlike his grandfather Kiichiro and his father Shoichiro, Akio is not an engineer. Yet he commands immense trust from the vehicle manufacturing team as result of his intensive training with Naruse, which enabled him to interact with vehicles.

Words for Watanabe

Before this year’s race, I felt that this might be Akio’s last time participating in Nur 24H. He had concerns about his health. More than anything, he will turn 70 next year. However, Akio’s determination and sense of responsibility far exceeded my imagination.

I mentioned earlier that there are similarities between master drivers and editors-in-chief. Last December, when Tsuneo Watanabe, who had served as editor-in-chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun for many years, passed away, Akio released the following statement.

“When I became president, I remember clearly how he (Watanabe) spent a long time talking to me one-on-one about what it means to be a person before being a manager. He taught me the importance of working to make Japan and the future better.

The figure of Mr. Watanabe, who continued to write with his own pen, was the very embodiment of a journalist’s way of life. I myself will continue to stand on the front lines and hold the steering wheel, striving to create cars and people that would make Mr. Watanabe want to pick up his pen” (excerpt).

I realized while at Nurburgring that this passage encapsulated Akio’s strong feelings. The answer was right there in front of me.

This article was originally distributed by DOW JONES YOMIURI SHIMBUN Pro on July 16, 2025.