Toyota vs. Honda... Giants fought.. one won

[E46Fanatic]

As a result, the competition withdrew... not good for motorsport..-----IRL IndyCar - Toyota make withdrawal officialNASCAR the target for Toyota in the USA In a move that has been universally expected for several months Toyota has officially announced that 2005 was their final season in the IndyCar Series. Toyota was originally scheduled to leave after the 2006 season, but the manufacturer stated, “…that decision was expedited one year to allow the IRL to move to a common engine for the upcoming season.”Curiously, the IndyCar move to a common engine was mostly predicated by Chevrolet's planned withdrawal after 2005 and the rapid departure of the Penske and Ganassi Racing teams from the Toyota camp.That left Toyota without a front-line team using their already horsepower disadvantaged engines. The proverbial writing was on the wall showing the effort necessary to win races in 2006 would not be worth Toyota continuing to invest in their IndyCar Series program.“We appreciate the time we've spent in the IndyCar Series,” said Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports. “In winning the 2003 Indianapolis 500, Toyota earned its greatest motorsports accomplishment and we'll forever cherish that victory. Our gratitude goes out to Tony George and the Indy Racing League for providing us the opportunity to compete in, and win, the greatest spectacle in racing.” Toyota entered the IndyCar Series in 2003 after building up a successful program in the rival CART series. The manufacturer won the IndyCar Series championship in 2003 with Scott Dixon of Ganassi Racing, and also won the Indianapolis 500 with Gil de Ferran and Penske Racing. Their fortunes would take a dramatic turn for the worse in 2004 when Honda Racing decided to vigorously fight back with an expensive manufacturer battle. Honda's on track dominance eventually drove both Toyota and Chevrolet from IndyCar racing as the cost of winning began to greatly exceed the value of competing in the sport. Toyota would still win races on some handling tracks where raw power was not as important, but the loss of engineering powerhouses like Penske and Ganassi meant repeating such successes in 2006 would not be possible.Scott Dixon scored Toyota's final IndyCar Series victory on the historic road course in Watkins Glen, New York late in the 2005 season.“We truly appreciate Toyota's participation and service in the IndyCar Series,” said Brian Barnhart, president and chief operating officer for the Indy Racing Leagues. “They have been great partners to the series both on and off the race track.”