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Panasonic Toyota Racing: Toyota Motorsport Open Doors raises 145,000 for Tsunami appeal
Toyota Motorsport Open Doors raises 145,000 for Tsunami appeal
Working together with the German Red Cross, Toyota's initiative has raised in excess of €145,000, which will be directly used to aid relief efforts in the affected countries. Over 5,500 people attended the unique event, which offered members of the public an unprecedented view behind the scenes of the Toyota F1 team and a chance to get closer to the F1 action.
The team's race drivers Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher were both present at the factory to support today's event.
Jarno Trulli said of the event: "Today's event was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come and see inside a Formula 1 factory. Toyota as a manufacturer has already done a lot to support the catastrophe in south-east Asia and the Open Doors event was our chance to offer something special. From what I know, this is the first time that an F1 factory has been opened to the public and it is a good way to give something unique to the public, whilst raising money to those who have been affected by the tsunami."
Ralf Schumacher added: "The Toyota Motorsport Open Doors event was a really excellent idea to raise money for the victims of the Asian tsunami. At the same time, we have been able to offer the public a rare glimpse into the workings of the Toyota F1 team to see first-hand how the entire race car is built under one roof. I was impressed by the number of people who turned up at the factory to show their support to this worthwhile cause."
Toyota Motorsport would like to thank all the companies who supported this event, as well as the local Cologne authorities and the German Red Cross for making the Open Doors day the huge success that it was.
High-resolution images of the Toyota Open Doors event will be uploaded to the Toyota media website, www.toyota-f1-media.com shortly.
Additionally, the www.toyota-f1-opendoors.com website will also offer post-event information from Monday 24 January.
For more information on the German Red Cross, please visit www.DRK.de.