The Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge Program (TGR-DC), formerly known as the Toyota Drivers Academy and Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP), is a driver development programme by Toyota Gazoo Racing. It is meant to promote talent in different racing series by helping them with funds, hoping to find drivers who will race for the team in the future. Notable graduates of the scheme are Kazuki Nakajima, Kamui Kobayashi; who made their F1 debuts for Williams and Toyota, respectively.

The program was launched in 2001 when Toyota entered Formula 1, and wants to promote young drivers from Japan, and other countries that are able to reach F1.

Current drivers TGR-DC drivers Driver Titles as TGR-DC driver Ritomo Miyata 2017–2021,2025–Formula 2 Championship F4 Japanese Championship (2017)Super Formula Lights (2020) Miki Koyama 2022–Super GT – GT300 Formula Regional Japanese Championship (2022) Rikuto Kobayashi 2024–Super Formula ChampionshipSuper GT – GT500 None Jin Nakamura 2024–Formula Regional Oceania TrophyFIA Formula 3 ChampionshipGB3 Championship None Yuki Sano 2025–Formula Regional Middle East TrophyFormula Regional European Championship None Tokiya Suzuki 2025–Super Formula LightsSuper GT – GT300Formula Regional Japanese Championship F4 Japanese Championship (2025) Kiyoshi Umegaki 2025–Super Formula LightsSuper GT – GT300Formula Regional Japanese Championship (2025) Yuzuki Miura 2026–Formula Regional Japanese ChampionshipSuper Formula LightsF4 Japanese Championship None Masana Muto 2026–Formula Regional Japanese ChampionshipF4 Japanese Championship None Kalle Rovanperä 2026–Formula Regional Oceania Trophy None Charlie Wurz 2026–Super Formula ChampionshipSuper GT – GT300 None Oscar Wurz 2026–Super Formula Lights None Championship titles highlighted in bold.

Former drivers TGR-DC drivers DriverYears Takashi Kogure2001Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2001) Norihiko Tasaki2001Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2001) Ryan Briscoe2001–2005Formula Renault 2000 Italy (2001)Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2001)German Formula 3 Championship (2002)International Formula 3000 (2002)Formula 3 Euro Series (2003)IndyCar Series (2005) Katsuyuki Hiranaka2001–2005Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2002)Formula 3 Euro Series (2003–2004)Formula Nippon (2005)Super GT – GT300 (2005) Tatsuya Kataoka2001–2006Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2002–2003)Formula Nippon (2004–2006)All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship – GT300 (2003, 2009–2010)Super GT – GT500 (2005–2006, 2011) Franck Perera2001–2006Formula Renault 2000 Italia (2002–2003)Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2002)Formula 3 Euro Series (2004–2005)GP2 Series (2006) Alexander Storckenfeldt2002Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2002) Hiroki Yoshimoto2002–2003Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2002–2003) Naoki Yokomizo2002–2004Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2002–2004) Taku Bamba2002–2005Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2003–2005) Wataru Kobayakawa2002–2004Formula Toyota (2002)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2003–2004) Kohei Hirate2002–2011Formula Renault 2000 Italia (2003)Formula Renault 2000 Masters (2003)Formula 3 Euro Series (2004–2006)GP2 Series (2007)Formula Nippon (2008–2011)Super GT – GT300 (2008)Super GT – GT500 (2009–2011) Roberto Streit2003–2004Formula Renault 2000 Italia (2003)Formula 3 Euro Series (2004) Kamui Kobayashi2003–2011Formula Renault 2000 Italia (2004)Formula Renault Eurocup (2005)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2005)F3 Euro Series (2006–2007)GP2 Asia Series (2008, 2008–09)GP2 Series (2008–2009)Formula One (–) Kazuki Nakajima2003–2011Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2004)JGTC – GT300 (2004)F3 Euro Series (2005–2006)GP2 Series (2007)Formula One (–)Formula Nippon (2010–2011) Ben Clucas2004Formula Renault 2000 Italia (2004) Daisuke Ikeda2004–2005Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2004–2005) Yuhi Sekiguchi2004–2005,2007Formula Toyota (2004–2005)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2007) Kazuya Oshima2004–2011Formula Toyota (2005)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2006–2007)Super GT – GT300 (2007)Formula 3 Euro Series (2008)Formula Nippon (2009–2011)Super GT – GT500 (2009–2011) Hideto Yasuoka2005–2006Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2005-2006) Hideki Yamauchi2005, 2008Formula Toyota (2005)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2008) Tsubasa Abe2006Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2006) Yoshifumi Kubota2006Formula Challenge Japan (2006) Sadaomi Masuda2006Formula Challenge Japan (2006) Martin Plowman2006–2007Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2006–2007)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2006–2007) Henkie Waldschmidt2006–2008Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2006–2007)Formula Renault 2.0 Italia (2006–2007)Formula 3 Euro Series (2008) Keisuke Kunimoto2006–2009Formula Toyota (2006–2007)Formula Challenge Japan (2006–2007)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2008–2009)Super GT – GT300 (2008)Macau Grand Prix (2008)Formula Nippon (2009) Takuto Iguchi2006–2011Formula Toyota (2006–2007)Formula Challenge Japan (2006–2007)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2008–2009)Super GT – GT300 (2008–2010)Super GT – GT350 (2011) Takamitsu Matsui2007Formula Toyota (2007)Formula Challenge Japan (2007) Andrea Caldarelli2007–2008Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2007–2008)Formula Renault 2.0 WEC (2008)Formula 3 Euro Series (2008) Hiroaki Ishiura2007–2011Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2007–2009)Super GT – GT300 (2007)Super GT – GT500 (2008–2011)Formula Nippon (2009–2011) Kei Cozzolino2008Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2008) Yuji Kunimoto2008–2013Formula Challenge Japan (2008)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2009–2010)Super GT – GT300 (2009–2011)Formula Nippon (2011–2012)Super GT – GT500 (2012–2013)Super Formula Championship (2013) Naoya Gamou2008,2010–2011Formula Challenge Japan (2008)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2010–2011) Yuichi Nakayama2008,2011–2016Formula Challenge Japan (2008)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2011–2013)Super GT – GT300 (2013–2016)Super Formula Championship (2014–2016) Takamoto Katsuta2012–2014Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2012–2014) Ryo Hirakawa2013–2017Super Formula Championship (2013–2015)Super GT – GT500 (2014–2017)European Le Mans Series - LMP2 (2016–2017) Kenta Yamashita2014–2020Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2014–2016)Super GT – GT300 (2015–2017)Super GT – GT500 (2018–2019)Super Formula Championship (2017–2020)FIA World Endurance Championship (2019–20) Sho Tsuboi2016–2020Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2016–2018)Super GT – GT300 (2017–2018)Super GT – GT500 (2019–2020)Super Formula Championship (2019–2020) Ritomo Miyata2017–2021,2025–F4 Japanese Championship (2017)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2017–2019)Super GT GT300 (2018–2019)Super GT GT500 (2020–2021)Super Formula Lights (2020)Super Formula Championship (2020–2021)Formula 2 Championship (2025) Kazuto Kotaka2019–2025Toyota Racing Series (2019)Japanese Formula 3 Championship (2019)Super GT – GT300 (2019–2024)Super Formula Lights (2020, 2022)Super Formula Championship (2021, 2023–2025)GT World Challenge Asia (2025)GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup (2025)Super GT – GT500 (2025) Hibiki Taira 2021–2025Super Formula Lights (2021–2023)Super GT – GT300 (2021–2025)Super Formula Championship (2021, 2024–2025)Super GT – GT300 Seita Nonaka 2022–2025Super Formula Lights (2022–2025)Super GT – GT300 (2022–2025)GT World Challenge Asia (2023)SRO Japan Cup – GT4 (2024–2025) Esteban Masson 2025Super Formula Lights (2025)European Le Mans Series – LMP2 (2025)FIA World Endurance Championship – LMGT3 (2025) Championship titles highlighted in bold.

TGR-DC Racing School drivers The TGR-DC Racing School is a team for young Toyota drivers who compete in F4 Japanese Championship.

DriverYears in F4 Japan Hibiki Taira 2020 Seita Nonaka 2020–2021 Jiei Okuzumi 2020–2021 Eijiro Shimizu 2020–2021 Rin Arakawa 2021–2022 Rikuto Kobayashi 2022–2023 Jin Nakamura 2022–2023 Ryoma Henzan 2022 Shunji Okumoto 2023 Yuki Sano 2023–2024 Kazuhisa Urabe 2024 Tokiya Suzuki 2024–2025 Kiyoshi Umegaki 2024–2025 Yuzuki Miura 2025–2026 Masana Muto 2025–2026 Takahiro Kikuchi 2025 Megumu Suzuki 2025 Masaki Hamabe 2026 Buntaro Igarashi 2026 Ryo Sakai 2026 Tomoki Terashima 2026

Championship title highlighted in bold. Promoted to TGR-DC drivers highlighted in italic.

See also

Toyota Gazoo Racing WEC

References