2

http://toyotagazooracing.com/wec

M E D I A I N F O R M A T I O N

2. Team Management

Hisatake Murata

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WEC Team President

Hisatake Murata has worked at TOYOTA Motor Corporation since 1987, fulfilling

a number of key roles during his 30-year career, which has encompassed

various motorsport activities. He started out as a Race Engine Engineer,

working on the Le Mans project from 1987-1993. He also worked in Champ Car

from 1995-2002. At the conclusion of the company’s involvement in Champ Car,

after taking the title in 2002, he moved to road car development as Production

Engine Engineer, a role he held for three years. In 2006, he took on the position

of Racing Hybrid Project General Manager as TOYOTA’s focus on utilizing

hybrid technology in racing increased. The first fruits of the project came in 2007

when the Supra HV-R won the Tokachi 24 Hours and became the world’s first

hybrid winner in an international motorsport race. As part of his pivotal role in

the development of hybrid technology for motorsport, he became Hybrid Project

Leader for Toyota’s WEC project in 2012. In January 2017 Motorsport Unit

Development Department, where he works as a General Manager, changed its

name to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Development Department but he remained

in the same position until moving to TMG as its President in August 2017. As a

Field General Manager of Technical side of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Company

since January 2019 in addition to his function as the president of TMG, he leads

various projects alongside the WEC program.

Masaya Kaji

General manager, GR Powertrain Development Div.

Kaji joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 2002 and was responsible for

developing the power control unit of the second generation Prius in Electric

Hybrid Vehicle Technology Engineering Div. Since 2005, he was in charge of

developing the motor and inverter control module of all the THS II for Lexus

GS450h, RX450h, Camry Hybrid, the third generation Prius, Aqua and so forth.

After working on the automotive electronic system planning and radio wave

authentication for Lexus IS-F, RC-F, eQ and the fourth generation Prius in 2012,

he was in charge of developing the advance development of Hybrid system in

Hybrid Vehicle Advanced Technology Engineering Division since 2013 and also

supported on developing TS030 Hybrid. In 2015, he moved to Motorsport Unit

Developing Division and worked on the THS-R, the hybrid system especially

Hisatake Murata

Masaya Kaji

3

http://toyotagazooracing.com/wec

M E D I A I N F O R M A T I O N

for the motor sport. He contributed in the very first victory in Le Mans 24-hour

race by developing high power Lithium ion batteries and SiC inverter so that

dramatically improving the performance of the hybrid system for motor sports.

As General manager of GR Powertrain Development Division, that has changed

its Division name in January 2019, he leads the development of the powertrain

and aerodynamics for GR Super Sport and TS050 Hybrid.

Pascal Vasselon

Technical Director

Frenchman Pascal Vasselon has a career steeped in motorsport at the highest

level and brings huge experience to the team in his role as Technical Director.

A graduate in aeronautics from L’Ecole Nationale Superieure de l’Aeronautique

et de l’Espace, Pascal’s entry into motorsport began in 1985 when he joined

Renault Sport working on vehicle model making and suspension development.

Towards the end of the 1980s, he moved to tyre manufacturer Michelin where

he evolved his career for 16 years. Starting out in the company’s vehicle

dynamics division, Pascal joined Michelin Competition in 1991, initially in

Advanced Research, then as Head of Circuit Activities and ultimately to a role

as F1 Director, leading Michelin’s involvement in Formula 1. He moved to TMG

in 2005 and led an upsurge in TOYOTA’s F1 performance, culminating in a

podium-filled 2009 season, ultimately the company’s last in that discipline. In

2010, Pascal became Technical Director of TMG, responsible for all technical

matters in Cologne, including the WEC project when it began in 2012.

Rob Leupen

Team Director

Dutchman Rob Leupen joined TMG in 1995. In his role as General Manager

Human Resources, Rob was responsible for establishing the company’s

personnel infrastructure over a 14-year period. Rob was actively involved in

the latter stages of TMG’s involvement in the World Rally Championship and

Le Mans in the late 1990s before the company turned its attention to Formula 1

throughout the 2000s. Rob became General Manager General Administration

in 2010 before moving up to the role of Director Business Operations one year

later, managing all commercial aspects of TMG. More recently, he has held the

role of Managing Director at TMG, responsible for all aspects of the company’s

business and operations.

Pascal Vasselon

Rob Leupen

4

http://toyotagazooracing.com/wec

M E D I A I N F O R M A T I O N

John Litjens

Chassis Project Leader

John Litjens first joined TOYOTA in 1997 to work on the team’s new Le Mans

project, which delivered the legendary TS020. As Race Engineer for TOYOTA’s

Le Mans programme in 1998 and 1999, John was at the sharp end of a

thrilling challenge for victory which redefined the boundaries of Le Mans car

development. As the Le Mans programme drew to a close and the company

shifted its attention to Formula 1, John initially became Senior Engineer

Integration before assuming the role of Group Leader Chassis Integration.

In 2004, John took on the title of Project Leader (Chief Designer) and for the

concluding years of the team’s F1 engagement he was Chief Project Leader,

with responsibility for new car development. As TMG began the challenge

of developing an LMP1 car for the WEC, John was given responsibility for

overseeing the design of the chassis, giving him a crucial role in the team’s

fortunes.

John Steeghs

Team Manager

John Steeghs has spent his career in motorsport, initially in DTM before his first

taste of Le Mans with the Porsche GT1 project in 1997. As TOYOTA geared up

its own Le Mans challenge with the TS020, John moved to Cologne, bringing

his expertise in parts planning and logistics. That knowledge was transferred

to TOYOTA’s new Formula 1 programme, on which John was responsible for

parts planning, lifing and car build coordination. With a detailed overview of

every aspect of motorsport logistics, John was the natural choice to become

Team Manager for the new WEC project in 2012 and he has led the team on

site at every race since then. His role covers all aspects of team operations at

the track, ensuring the right environment to succeed for every team member, as

well as being a vital interface to race stewards and scrutineers.

John Litjens

John Steeghs