TOYOTA ENGINEERS TO DRIVE ONE LAP OF AMERICA ENDURANCE RACE

April 28, 2015 by Toyota

TRD Scion FR-S Project Car Will Carry Them 3,456 Miles in Seven Days Race Started by Brock Yates in 1971 as 'Cannonball Run'

ERLANGER, Ky., April 28, 2015 -- Although you won't see Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, or Farrah Fawcett in the 2015 One Lap of America endurance race, the stars of the 1981 movie, Cannonball Run, would find it eerily familiar to their script. The Car & Driver magazine writer and auto racer Brock Yates, who wrote the screenplay, based it upon his experiences organizing the race four times between 1971 and 1979. Yates' idea evolved into the One Lap of America, gaining legitimacy along the way. It is now run by his son Brock Yates, Jr.

Two Toyota Production Engineers (PE), Anthony Magagnoli and Stephen Byington, will participate in the One Lap of America Race, May 2-9, in a specially built TRD Scion FR-S. They are supported by an additional 10 PE Team Members and Co-Ops all working together to prepare the vehicle for the race.

'A race like the One Lap, is a true test of man and machine, said lead driver and Toyota Instrumentation Engineer Anthony Magagnoli. Not only is the vehicle pushed to its limits covering nearly 4,000 miles in seven days with race events at 10 racetracks along the way, but the driver and co-driver are pushed to the max as well having to endure long hours in transit between events with no support crew to help with repairs or maintenance along the way.'

'Toyota Production Engineering's participation in the One Lap of America is part of the company's unique approach to developing its young engineers, said PE Manager Phillip Ryan. Lessons in teamwork and problem solving learned during this race and others, ultimately makes better engineers which results in better vehicles for our customers. This is an exciting opportunity that Toyota PE presents its Team Members.'

Magagnoli and Byington, who both have extensive professional racing experience, leave South Bend, Ind., on Saturday, May 2, stopping at racetracks in Omaha, Ne.; Denver, Colo.; Pueblo Colo.; Fort Worth, Texas; Plano, Texas; Tulsa, Okla.; Bowling Green, Ky.; and finishing up where they started in South Bend on Saturday, May 9.

Racing footage, in-car video, and photos from each day's activities will be posted on Facebook (facebook.com/toyotapemotorsports) and Twitter (@toyotapermtrsprt) throughout the eight-day event.