Toyota Helps Cricket Legends Vaughan & McGrath #SettleTheScore

One of the great rivalries in international sport has been rekindled on the race track with Toyota giving cricket legends Michael Vaughan and Glenn McGrath the chance to #settlethescore at the wheel of a GT86 coupe.

The ex-England skipper and former Australian star bowler went head-to-head in a one-off driving challenge to determine who could get one up on the old enemy, but at the wheel instead of at the wicket.

True to its brand promise of Always a Better Way, Toyota – an official partner to both the England and Wales and the Australian Cricket Boards came up with a contest on a specially designed course at a world-famous UK race circuit. Setting aside bats and balls, each man was given a Toyota GT86 in which to demonstrate his superiority in speed, handling and tactics. For the winner, there was the honour of claiming not the Ashes, but a new trophy – the Dust.

Michael Vaughan said: “Glenn and I had a number of hard battles on the pitch over the years and I’ve missed those since I retired from the game. This challenge has given us both a great opportunity to re-ignite that competitive spirit and I can assure you that both of us left everything out on that race track.”

Glenn McGrath added: “This was a new kind of challenge for us, but as sportsmen it brought back those competitive instincts. The fact we were able to do this by driving great cars on a world-famous track made the occasion all the more exciting and the will to win even greater.”

Created by Saatchi & Saatchi London, the film launches today and will be supported with #settlethescore across the ECB and Toyota social channels and in the grounds at the remaining Ashes test matches.

Andy Jex, ECD at Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “Everyone knows the only way to settle an old feud is an automotive tear up - just look at Grease, Ben Hur and Days of Thunder.”

Mat Thomas, Brand & Digital Marketing Manager said: “We are delighted to have helped Michael and Glenn discover there's always a better way to settle the score.”

Toyota launched its sponsorship of the England and Wales Cricket Board this summer. Like Toyota, the ECB brings together long-standing tradition with dynamic innovation and technology to help improve performance and increase enjoyment.