Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda occasionally takes the driver's seat in car races to understand firsthand the quality of his company's cars and how to produce better ones.
In May, the 57-year-old took part in the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race in western Germany, with his team finishing second in the 10-car SP8 class.
It is rare for the head of a major automaker to compete in a car race of that size, but Toyoda said he does it simply to "make better cars."