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Toyota GR Australia 86 Series: Expanded, one-off production portfolio


Toyota’s entry into motorsport in Australia will continue until at least the end of 2026.

The Toyota GR Australia 86 Series will also receive a new series of feed “Scholarships” in 2023, as it expands to allow more drivers to join the currently “oversubscribed” grid.

A new car based on 2023 GR 86 is currently being developed by Neal Bates Motorsport and will launch at the start of the 2024 season. The new GR 86 road car will go on sale in Australia in the second half of 2022.

Despite the new car, category administrator Neil Crompton told the media His focus will remain on nurturing talent in an accessible, affordable environment.

Currently, it costs $1500 per lap to get into a car, and administrators told media it’s possible to compete for under $5000 per race over the weekend.

Neal Bates, race head and boss of the team developing the new GR 86 racer, has described the series as “the cheapest” of its kind in the country.

The kit needed to turn a used 86 into a racer costs around $26,000 at the moment. How much the transition for the new car will cost is unclear, but it’s unlikely it will be more expensive than the old model.

Where the current 86 Series cars are owned by independent mechanics or teams using kits, the 2024 race car will be the turnkey vehicle developed and built by Neal Bates Motorsport and sold to create “absolute parity” across the school.

According to Mr Bates, the upgrades made to the production GR 86 have made the process of converting it into a race car easier.

“Current cars have engine oil coolers, new cars come with heat exchangers. We haven’t tested that yet, but we’re pretty sure we won’t need an oil cooler as it comes with a heat exchanger,” said Mr Bates.

“If you look at the current car, we had to put in a dual fuel injection system because they have increased fuel consumption. In the specs section of the new car, they say they’ve adjusted the fuel tank so hopefully we don’t have to put in a dual fuel injection system.”

The new 86 also has a larger radiator than the first generation, which helps to run cooler in traffic on hot days.

Along with the cost of the car itself, the development team has once again put low long-term operating costs high on its priority list.

Teams are only allowed to use one set of tires per race weekend, and the Dunlop rubber is expected to do this in both wet and dry conditions.

Toyota says it is currently working to secure supplies from the factory to support the entire grid. How much the new GR 86 will cost the public, when it will hit showrooms, and how much will be available are yet to be confirmed.

Sitting below the flagship Toyota GR Australia 86 Series will be a new Scholarship category.

Along with providing a home for the current model that will soon be orphaned, it will act as a source for the flagship GR Series; itself is a feeder into categories like Supercars.

The fastest drivers after the five-race championship will get to do their rounds, behind the wheel of a GR 86 Series car in a race weekend to claim it.

The 86 Series has provided three of the four 888 racers for the Supercar in 2022.

As for why Toyota supports the GR 86 Series? It’s all about building interest in the burgeoning Gazoo Racing brand, which has now been applied to everything from the Yaris city hatchback to the 300 hulking LandCruiser.

“You need to be where the fans are, so this kind of activity,” said Toyota Australia marketing director Vin Naidoo. CarExpert.

“Establishment of a brand takes a lot of effort and it has to be done across many areas. You’ll see us on some areas, and it won’t be one size fits all,” he said.

The Gazoo Racing brand got serious about racing inspired racing GR Yarisand will expand in the second half of the year with the arrival of GR corolla and GR 86.





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