ON THE ROAD – IAN LYNAS REPORTS ON A REVISED TOYOTA #GT4 COMPETITION CAR

Should thoughts of going motor racing be on your mind; there is a new GR Supra GT4 competition car for the 2023 season which delivers enhanced braking, handling and engine performance from Toyota Gazoo Racing.

The new model has been extensively utilised via customer and driver feedback for improvements; a car which is already a winner in three regions, Japan, the United States and Europe, with more than 100 podium finishes. Since its first full racing season in 2020, more than 50 GR Supra GT4 cars have participated in races around the world, and customers have earned victories in eleven national and international GT4 championships and in August this year it celebrated its 50th class win in a major championship.

Competition within the popular GT4 category is intense and development of the GR Supra GT4 has continued with an EVO update for the coming season, to ensure customers can continue to achieve top results in the future. At events around the world since the car’s launch, engineers have provided track support to customer teams and drivers, who delivered valuable insights which are only possible via the pressure of on-track competition. User feedback and requests have flowed directly into the development of the GR Supra GT4 EVO, which follows Toyota’s commitment to continuous improvement and building better motor sport bred cars.

From customer feedback and the results of detailed evaluations, Toyota Gazoo Racing development engineers focused their efforts on three key areas: brakes, handling and engine. Thanks to an improved brake system design, new ABS settings, latest KW damper technology and updated anti-roll bar specification, the GR Supra GT4 EVO will deliver improved handling and higher cornering speeds. Drivers will be able to push for faster lap times due to increased power and an optimised torque curve of the three litre, six-cylinder, turbocharged engine, which benefits from more effective cooling. Therefore the new car will be easier to drive for ambitious amateur drivers whilst it also provides the precise performance demanded by professional racers.

The contact companies in each region for GT4 vehicle sales and customer support, including sales of spare parts and engineering support, are Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, TRD U.S.A., Inc. for North America, and Toyota Customizing and Development Co Ltd, for Japan and Asia. The GR Supra GT4 EVO will make its competitive debut next January at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the first round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Orders for the GR Supra GT4 EVO are currently being taken and an upgrade kit will be available to existing GR Supra GT4 customers.

What cost for a ready-to-race GR Supra GT4 EVO ?-€186,000 and what came as something of a surprise, amongst the list of options, a rear view camera. I am often asked the meaning of Toyota Gazoo Racing; it began in 2007 when an in-house team consisted of student test drivers and mechanics led by Hiromu Naruse, who was a test driver for Toyota, who competed in the 24 Hours Nürburgring race. The then the vice president of Toyota, who received driving instruction directly from Naruse, also participated as a driver and that time, he was not allowed to call the team “Works Toyota Racing”. Therefore, the name Team Gazoo was used instead. “Gazoo” which is the name of a portal site that Toyota was involved in establishing.

Ian Lynas