TOYOTA EXTENDS COMMITMENT TO 86 SERIES

The Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series will continue for at least another four years, with Toyota committing to the national development category until 2026.

The current Toyota 86 machine will serve as the platform for the race car until 2024, when the next generation car (due in Australia as a road car later this year) will freshen up the grid.

In addition to the injection of a new car, Toyota will introduce its ‘scholarship series’ from 2023, giving less experienced young drivers access to one-make Toyota 86 races at up to five state-level racing events run by Motorsport Australia in south-east Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

Drivers who show talent in the scholarship program will be invited to an evaluation day where they can compete for the chance to steer the invited drivers GR86 in a round of the main series the following year.

Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer Vin Naidoo expressed his pride in the achievements of the TGRA 86 Series so far and was confident that the newly announced changes would see the category grow into the future.

“As we have seen over the past six years, the TGRA 86 Series has proven immensely popular with aspiring race drivers and those with a passion for motorsport and we have seen many of our alumni go on to drive at the highest levels, such as Broc Feeney and Will Brown, who are both driving for Supercars teams this year,” Naidoo said.

“At the same time, we have grown a legion of fans that delight at the close wheel to wheel action that plays out on some of Australia’s most iconic race circuits.

“With the all-new, more powerful and more agile GR86 set to make its racing debut in the 2024 series, we expect the excitement to be further dialled up, giving drivers and motorsport fans plenty of thrilling racing action for years to come.”

The TGRA 86 Series has supported the Supercars Championship over recent years, giving up and coming racers access to a national audience.

With one round already in the books in 2022, the TGRA 86 Series is set to take on Mount Panorama as part of the support program for the Bathurst 12 Hour from May 13-15.

Following that, the TGRA 86 Series heads to Townsville (QLD), Sandown in Melbourne and then back to Bathurst for the final round of the 2022 season.

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