Toyota Motorsport Founder Dies in Rally Crash

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Hadn't spied this story posted, so thought I would put it up. Sad news really...seems to be a lot of deaths in motorsport, both 4 and 2 wheels, lately...

Toyota Motorsport founder Ove Andersson, who led the manfacturer into Formula One, has been killed while competing in a car rally in South Africa.

The 70-year-old was contesting the Milligan Vintage Trial when the classic car he was driving suffered a frontal collision around a blind corner.

Toyota Motorsport chairman Tadashi Yamashina said: "Everyone at Toyota is extremely shocked and truly saddened at this terrible news.

"Ove was an inspiration to our team and to many in motorsport. His passion for motorsport was legendary and he is a great loss to our sport."

Andersson was instrumental in the founding of Toyota Team Europe, which grew out of his own Andersson Motorsport squad.

Toyota Team Europe later relocated to Cologne, and became Toyota Motorsport in 1993.

Under his leadership, Toyota successfully competed in the World Rally Championship, winning four drivers' and three manufacturers' titles, and also took second place at the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Andersson acted as team principal when Toyota entered Formula One in 2002 before stepping back the following year to work as a consultant.
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SkySports
 
Ove Anderson was quite the skilled rally driver in the days before the WRC; although I didn't know he was still personally competing in rallies on any level.

R.I.P., Ove.
 
R.I.P. Ove, I always had a lot of respect of him. It was one of the first drivers I can remember, driving a Toyota Celica in the portuguese rally when I was a kid (early 70's, I'm an old guy).

I'll try to find a picture of him in that car.

EDIT: not a BMW, it was a Celica (the BMW was driven by Achim Warmbold)


http://bp3.blogger.com/_6YURwNMjhXc...TD-8/s1600-h/S43+toyota+celica+k137+cópia.jpg

RE-EDIT: the link doesn't let the image to be shown, so I just leave the web adress ...
 
Very sad news. As if Toyota's F1 team hasn't had their struggles, this just aggravates things a bit more. Rally racing- the most thrilling motorsport. Rally racing- the most dangerous motorsport. I send my deepest thoughts and prayers to Ove Andersson. The Celica in the WRC was a bad ass car. I still wished Toyota would win Le Mans 1999. It just wasn't meant to be thanks to a tire problem in the late stages of the race. This is absolutely shocking. Rest in peace, Ove Andersson.
 
R.I.P. Ove Andersson. He did so much for Toyota and race cars in general.

I mean, where would Japanese race cars and Toyota in general be without him? The TS020 had a strong influence on GTP/LMP design, and the titles in rally racing certainly boosted the stock of the company. His presence was felt nationally after other companies took his lead. The Nissan Group C cars will always be around, but no Japanese maker had ventured so boldly into the current racing field as Toyota did, under the man's management.

With that, I thank you, Mr. Andersson, for everything you did with your life.
 
At that age, it's even kind of... Beautiful to die where he's always been, doing what he's always done: Competing in a rally car, rather than living his last years away from them.

R.I.P.
 
R.I.P. Ove.

Always a shame to hear of things like that, and if there's any consolation it's that he died doing something he enjoyed and his life had been dedicated to, which is more than most 70 year olds can probably say.
 
darkfinal
At that age, it's even kind of... Beautiful to die where he's always been, doing what he's always done: Competing in a rally car, rather than living his last years away from them.

R.I.P.
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Amen.

I think it’s a good thing that he was living his life the way he wanted to right until the end.
 
I am genuinely sorry to hear of his passing. He has done alot for Toyota and I'm sure they'll miss him even though he was working with them from a distance. As darkfinal said, it is fitting that he ended his life doing something that he loved so dearly.

Farewell Ove.
 

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