Racing the Mortal Minivan.Toyota's Sienna on the One Lap America Circuit

Sienna R-Tuned (rear) and Sienna SE+ front at Summit Point

Toyota and Racing: Toyota vehicles racing is nothing new, from enthusiast’s auto crossing Scion’s to Camry’s chasing round the NASCAR oval; Toyota Trucks going at it in the dessert in an off-road rally; Lexus IS F-Sport in a street race. Toyota has a racing brand, TRD, that you see proudly on street vehicles, pretty much everywhere you go. But the common family hauler, the Sienna minivan, that is not what is thought of when the topic of competitive racing is discussed.

Toyota Sienna One Lap America Poster

This April, Toyota took two of their Sienna vans and put them on a week-long – multi-state racing event, One Lap America. And this was not just for show, though they did invite the press out, but more to compete one-on-one with other race cars, and to expand their own knowledge of how well these minivans were able to compete. Each day when the event was finished, they were loaded up with gear (not loaded onto a transport) and driven, often 700 miles or more, well into the night, to the next stop, and then competed again the next morning, only to repeat the process of picking up and driving to another venue that next night, for eight days! This was not just Toyota, more than seventy other race cars joined in this event to raise funds for Brock Yates Tribute Fund, Alzheimer’s Association, and Tire Rack’s Street Survival program.

Rutledge Wood and Craig Stanton
sign autographs for fans in the pit.

The minivan long the admission, that one has achieved stable adulthood and needs to transport their kids, friends of the kids, the dog, and a variety of belongings, around suburbia. It is no wonder automotive marketers are wanting to appeal to that “younger Dad”, and make him think of motorsports and minivan in the same sentence. With this experience, Toyota is not only showing that the family haulers can be the equivalent to racecars, as these two Sienna minivans indeed hauled it down the racetrack with the best of them.

TRD Logoed Oil Filler Cap

Using original Manufacturer built vehicles, not customized racecars, Toyota USA’s Engineering and Marketing departments got together and campaigned two Sienna vans: Sienna R-Tuned, that they modified, and the Sienna SE+ that was more like one that rolled off a neighborhood dealership lot, the day before. They brought on Top Gear America’s bearded hipster host Rutledge Wood, as well as Grand-Am Rolex GT Champion race driver Craig Stanton, to drive these vans, and a crew to support them as they raced the week away, everyone working together, like a seasoned race team.

Inside the Sienna R-Tuned  Rollcage, but
little else but the metal body.

A Toyota Sienna R-Tuned Concept vehicle, interior stripped out, caged with a custom suspension, and many modifications the Sienna SE+ was tricked out with TRD Badging, on the shifter and oil cap, dark tinted lights and Pirelli P Zero tires, and the fluids replaced those that perform better under racing conditions. Inside, sans roll cage, the seats were slipped in for passengers, or removed when out on the racetrack in competition. While they labeled both vans “Concept”, each appeared to be using off the shelf parts and products that any amateur racer could get.

Toyota’s purpose was both a promotional, but also a engineering one. Showing off that both Toyotas could compete heartily with serious racecars, but also this as an opportunity for the engineering team to tweak the van for better overall drivability in everyday situations and longevity.

Our brief visit with the SiennaOneLapofAmerica.com team was on its third day, a stop at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, we then followed the team online, as it completed the event in first place with 160 points, 65 more than its Acura MDX Competitor, the other entrant in the Truck/SUV Class.

Based on time, the Sienna was competing with Corvettes, Vipers
and other fast cars with more powerful engines.

One Lap America is the ultimate road trip, stopping at 12 different tracks over 8 days, in 7 different states. One Lap America is a race series for the enthusiasts sponsored by Grassroots Motorsports Magazine and Tire Rack. Starting in 1984 this is the 32^nd year running. A legendary race, made even more so by the movie Cannonball Run.

More information on the Sienna One Lap program and the Toyota Engineering Motorsports team can be found at SiennaOneLapofAmerica.com as well as on  

toyotaengineeringmotorsports.com. In addition, fans can follow along via Toyota’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels.

Information on the One Lap of America event can be found at OneLapofAmerica.com.

As they say while out racing, "Keep the Shinny Side UP!"

Text and Photos by: William West Hopper