The somewhat unusual revelation was made as part of the official unveiling of the Supra in Sydney tonight.
Crompton has close ties to both Toyota and its new homologation team Walkinshaw Andretti United and was instrumental in bringing the brand to Supercars.
As such he was given the honour of turning the first laps in the full-blown Supra race car at Toyota’s proving grounds in Altona.
“Neil’s been a close friend of the team for a long time, and he was instrumental in making this entire program come to life,” said WAU co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw.
“So we felt it was fitting that he was the first person to steer the car.”
For Crompton it was a special experience, even if he didn’t push the limits of the car.
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“I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as driving,” joked Crompton to Speedcafe. “I occupied the position between the steering wheel and the seat.
“No, it was lovely. It was ceremonial, obviously, and it was because the project started out of a casual conversation in February 2023. Eighteen-odd months of commercial and political torture later we ended up with a car announced.
“So Toyota and WAU offered me the opportunity to have a drive and I grabbed it with both hands. It was fun. It was quite special. Its sounds and feels and behaves like a Supercar.”
Proper track testing with the WAU-built prototype is expected to kick off soon, initially with Warren Luff at the wheel.
It’s still not entirely clear when Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood will be able to drive the car given their links with Ford that run until the end of this season.
“We’ll do some more announcements around that in the future,” added Walkinshaw.
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