Toyota Announce Young Drivers Academy Plan

Toyota finalised the team's young drivers' programme for 2003 today, with a new name and three new drivers added to the scheme.

The "Toyota Drivers Academy" - as it will be known - will be run with a total of five young drivers, with Ryan Briscoe and Franck Perera being joined by Katsuyuki Hiranaka, Houhei Hirate and Roberto Streit.

Prema Powerteam has again been selected to run the programme on behalf of Toyota, with 21-year-old Australian Briscoe driving in the new European Formula Three championship, after claiming 16 points from 10 race weekends in German F3 last year.

Frenchman Perera, 18, will continue in the Italian Formula Renault series again this year after a successful season in 2002, and will additionally take part in the Eurocup events.

Up-and-coming Japanese drivers, 21-year-old Hiranaka and 16-year-old Hirate as well as 19-year-old Brazilian Streit will all drive for Prema Powerteam in 2003.

Hirate and Streit will join Franck Perera in Italian Formula Renault and Eurocup, while Hiranaka teams up with Ryan Briscoe in Euro F3 and in the Zandvoort Masters.

Ange Pasquali, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Toyota Drivers Academy, said: "It is a pleasure to welcome Hiranaka, Hirate and Streit to our Toyota Drivers Academy, joining Ryan and Franck.

"I am confident we have some stars of the future in these guys and I am excited about the season ahead. Our academy is much more than just driving.

"We focus on the overall ability of the driver, developing a wide range of driving and social skills. It is our aim with this scheme to produce high level sportsmen and ambassadors for Toyota."