Over in New Zealand, the Toyota TR 86, a racecar
built using the online-only 86 RC model as its basis, was first introduced to
the public at last weekend’s CRC Speedshow in Auckland.
More than just being a show car, the TR 86 is
actually a turn-key competition race car that was designed and developed for
use in a variety of racing competitions, including its on one-make racing
series in New Zealand as granted by MotorSport New Zealand, the country’s
FIA-appointed national sanctioning body.
The car was built with the
idea of using it as a tried-and-true race car. That entailed stripping it of
all its amenities and fitting the full breadth of racing equipment, including:
Sparco competition seats and race harnesses; an FIA-approved roll cage
installed by Neil Allport Motorsports; racing brake rotors and calipers; and a
set of 18-inch Speedline alloy wheels.
It’ll also use Motec’s new C125 color data screen
and logger, a data system that provides access to a wide range of information
about the car’s performance in any given practice, qualifying or race session.
Similarly, work was also done on the car’s engine
using the standard Toyota management system with its proprietary software
package. The racecar’s sump was also strengthened to ensure that no oil spills
occur and it doesn’t surge under high cornering forces.
No specific performance
numbers were given but using the 86 Griffon Concept as a peg, we expect the TR
86 to have close to 300 horsepower under its hood, a number that is more than
enough, considering that the TR 86, even with a full fuel load, only weighs
1,195 kg.
