The team originated in 2007 as Team Gazoo, an in-house effort led by test driver Hiromu Naruse, competing in the 24 Hours Nürburgring race. Akio Toyoda, then a vice president at Toyota, participated as a driver, receiving instruction from Naruse. The name “Gazoo” came from a Toyota-established portal site. Toyoda was nicknamed "Morizo" and Naruse, "Cap" during this period. Due to budget constraints, the team used discontinued Altezzas and BMW E90s.
From 2009 onwards, TGR began focusing on development models like the Lexus LF-A and FT-86, aiming to "train people and cars at the Nürburgring." The team included professional racers such as Takayuki Kinoshita, Akira Iida, and Hiroaki Ishiura, alongside employees serving as mechanics and engineers. In 2014, the team sought to honour Naruse following his death in June 2010.
In 2017, Toyota Gazoo Racing returned to the World Rally Championship with the Yaris WRC, operated by Tommi Mäkinen Racing. The team won the manufacturer's championship in 2018 and again in 2021. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja secured the drivers’ and co-driver championship in 2019, followed by Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in 2020 and 2021. Since 2022, the team has competed with hybrid GR Yaris Rally1 cars, winning a third manufacturer's championship in the car’s debut year, alongside a driver’s championship for Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen.
In the FIA World Endurance Championship, TGR, operating through TGR Europe, won the championship four times, including three victories at Le Mans with the TS050 Hybrid, and twice with the LMH GR010 Hybrid.
In Super GT, TGR Team au TOM'S won the GT500 class championship in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
In October 2024, Toyota announced a technical partnership with Haas F1 Team, providing design, technical, and manufacturing services. This partnership aimed to foster the growth of young Japanese drivers, engineers, and mechanics. In December 2025, the partnership expanded to a title sponsorship, with Haas entering the 2026 season as TGR Haas F1 Team.
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, operating under the global TGR name, has achieved success in rally-raid, winning the Dakar Rally in 2022 and 2023, and the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship in 2022. Benediktas Vanagas and Kuldar Sikk compete internationally under the name Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics.
In the UK, Speedworks Motorsport operates the British Touring Car Championship entries of Toyota Gazoo Racing UK. Toyota Gazoo Racing Argentina also participates in various Argentine Championships.
TGR is involved in the creation of vehicles in three categories: GR models (bespoke vehicles), GR Sport models (sport trims of existing Toyota models), and GR Parts models (sport accessories packs of existing Toyota models). The GRMN series represents the top-of-the-line, limited production conversions. The GR Supra, GR Yaris, GR86, GR Corolla, and GR GT are examples of GR-branded cars. The GR Yaris is produced at the “GR Factory” inside the Motomachi plant, using a manual assembly process. The GR86 is jointly developed with Subaru and produced at Subaru's Gunma assembly plant. The GR Corolla is built primarily for the North American market alongside the GR Yaris.
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