Team 18 have announced Toyota Material Handling Australia and its Toyota Forklifts brand as the major backer on Scott Pye’s #20 Toyota Forklifts Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the third event of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship at the Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.
TMHA has been at the forefront of the Australian material handlings market and a pioneer in making forklifts more productive, safer and cost-effective for over 50 years.
2023 sees Toyota Material Handling Australia and Team 18 enter their tenth year in partnership, as President and CEO of TMHA Steve Takacs expressed their pride in partnering with the team over the journey.
“We at Toyota Material Handling Australia are excited to announce our title sponsorship of Team 18 and Scott Pye for the third round of the Supercars in Perth,” said Takacs.
“As a leading provider of forklift solutions, we see Team 18 as a perfect fit with their dedication to performance, teamwork and innovation and we are proud to continue our partnership for the tenth year in succession.
“We are proud to support driver Scott Pye as he takes on the competition with his unwavering determination and speed. We have great memories from our last title sponsorship with a brilliant front row start in Adelaide last year and he, Charlie [Schwerkolt] and the team are fantastic ambassadors of our values.
“We look forward to a thrilling race weekend and wish Scott and the entire team the best of luck for a successful event in Perth.”
The deal will see Toyota Forklifts increase their branding on the doors as well as the bonnet, alongside branding for TMHA’s Huski Construction Equipment brand on the rear quarter panel.
This is the second time that Toyota Forklifts have backed Pye’s car, after joining up for the final round at the Adelaide 500 in 2022, where Pye scored a sensational front row start for Race 33 in front of his hometown crowd.
Pye, a seasoned driver with a proven track record in the championship, expressed his excitement about the partnership with Toyota Forklifts.
“I’m very excited to have Toyota back onboard for our next round in Perth and proud to represent a very iconic brand as well,” said Pye.
“I think Adelaide 500 was a weekend where we showed a massive amount of speed and unfortunately we didn’t get the results we wanted, but to have them back on the car now, it’s a great opportunity to hopefully roll out with speed similar to what we had in Adelaide and, and get that result that went begging.”
Pye sits 15th after the first two rounds in Newcastle and Albert Park, and has fond memories from the last event he represented Toyota Forklifts at the season finale in Adelaide.
“We are thrilled to welcome Toyota Forklifts as our naming rights partner for the Perth SuperSprint in the tenth year of their partnership with Team 18,” said Team 18 Owner Charlie Schwerkolt.
“We are proud to be associated with a global leader in Toyota Forklifts and look forward to delivering a strong result for them in Perth this weekend.
The Perth SuperSprint is set to take place on 28-30 April at Wanneroo Raceway. Pye will hit the track in the #20 Toyota Forklifts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for practice on Friday.