Piston.my

Toyota GR Supra

The Funny Car is probably unique to the USA where drag racing is popular and a class called the Funny Car class was created for a certain type of drag-racing car. The cars appeared in the mid-1960s and because of their heavily modified bodies which made them look odd, they came to be called ‘Funny Cars’.

The class has continued to this day in events organised by the US National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and among the contenders is Toyota. The brand has been competing in Funny Car competition since 2012. Up till this 2021 season, Toyota has used a Camry and prior to that model, the Celica and Solara were run.

180 wins in 20 seasons
The 2021 season thus marks the 20th anniversary of Toyota’s official involvement with the NHRA and competitors in both Top Fuel and Funny Car classes. Over the 20 seasons. Drivers using Toyota cars have won 137 Top Fuel and 43 Funny Car races along with 6 Top Fuel and 3 Funny Car championships. For the 2022 NHRA season, Toyota will use a new racing car and will, for the first time, campaign the latest GR Supra.

This year, Toyota has been using a Camry-based racer which will be replaced for the 2022 NHRA season by a new racing car based on the GR Supra.

Support from TRD
Toyota has always chosen to enter racing cars that closely resemble production models and this GR Supra-based Funny Car is no exception. The new body for the GR Supra Funny Car marks the most significant styling characteristics of any previous Funny Car.

“After 10 years of fielding the Camry in NHRA Funny Car competition, it’s really exciting for us to be moving to the GR Supra and ultimately the next generation of Funny Cars for NHRA,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager of Motorsports for Toyota Motor North America.

“Our team at TRD (Toyota Racing Development), along with the design team at Calty (Toyota’s advanced studio in Los Angeles), worked hard to incorporate as many features as possible from the production GR Supra into the Funny Car that J.R. Todd and Alexis DeJoria will drive in 2022.”

Safety enhancements
In addition to the augmented styling characteristics of the new GR Supra Funny Car, safety enhancements have also been made during the development of the new car. TRD worked closely with Toyota Champion Funny Car driver, J.R. Todd, on many of the safety enhancements during the nearly two-year development process.

These include giving the driver more visibility while sitting behind the wheel and adding more room around their helmets along with additional safety foam in the cockpit.

“It’s been a really unique experience getting to work with the engineers at TRD on the new GR Supra Funny Car,” said Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car driver J.R. Todd. “We all worked together on some of the issues we’ve faced for some time including visibility.”

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to reproduce selected parts for AE86 sportscar of the 1980s

BHPetrol RON95 Euro4M

As the first global model to be developed by Toyota GAZOO Racing, the Toyota GR Supra has made an impact wherever it has been launched, including Malaysia. Besides drawing on Toyota’s sportscar heritage, the fifth generation in the legendary nameplate also has  advanced powertrain, chassis and safety technologies.

In the spirit of Kaizen (Japanese for ‘constant improvement’), the latest GR Supra has received upgrades which further extend its capabilities. Specifically, the 3-litre engine has additional output which should deliver better performance numbers.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

The upgrades centre around the turbocharged inline-six engine which now delivers 388 ps of power at between 5800 and 6500 rpm, an increase of 14% compared to the output when the model was originally launched.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

Maximum torque remains at 500 Nm, but peaks through a slightly wider range of 1800 rpm – 5000 rpm instead of 1600 rpm to 4500 rpm.

The engineers increased the power output not just by tuning but also added a new dual-branch exhaust manifold with 6 ports (instead of two), which improves heat management. A new piston design also reduces the engine’s compression ratio from 11:1 to 10.2:1.

The improved engine with the torque band raised retains the eagerness to rev to the redline. With the standard 8-speed ZF automatic transmission, the acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h is said to be 2/10ths of a second quicker, or a claimed 4.1 seconds from 4.3 seconds.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

Complementing the extra power are some chassis improvements aimed at increasing roll resistance and enhanced cornering stability. Taking note of feedback from owner in the time that the car has been in the market, the latest GR Supra has received chassis retuning with a new Performance Rod added to increase lateral rigidity.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

Apart from the fitment of red-coloured brake calipers with the Supra logo at the front, other technical specifications and features remain the same. Standard with the GR Supra are the Adaptive Variable Suspension and Electronically-Controlled Limited-Slip Differential.

There are seven colour choices customers can select from, but the Deep Blue Metallic exterior finish is no longer available. The available colours are Prominence Red, Lightning Yellow, White Metallic, Silver Metallic, Ice Grey Metallic, Black Metallic and Matte Storm Grey Metallic.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

To enable its drivers to take the car to its limits safely, advanced technologies are used. These technologies include a variety of active systems which work together to assist the driver when necessary. Additionally, there are features like a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, Intelligent Parking Sensor with Emergency Braking Function and Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

The standard interior features of the GR Supra include a head-Up Display, memory function for the power seat and JBL audio system with 12 speakers situated around the cabin.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

Priced from RM589,987 (with sales tax exemption and without insurance) and RM611,880 (without sales tax exemption and without insurance), the new GR Supra is now available for booking from selected authorised Toyota GR Garage showrooms nationwide.

Visit toyota.com.my for more information or to locate a GR Garage showroom in Malaysia.

GR Heritage Parts project to reproduce Toyota Supra parts for sale

PISTON.MY

Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) has announced their plans to start sales on the pumped-up Toyota GR Supra GT4, a race machine for interested customer teams beginning March 2020 in Europe. This 430hp A90 Supra is will also go up for sale in Japan and other Asian countries next October for the ultimate racing nirvana. (more…)

BHPetrol

If you’re knee-deep in the world of vehicle modifications (or just a Need for Speed or Gran Turismo enthusiast), the name MagnaFlow might be familiar. The performance exhaust manufacturer recently launched their latest xMOD premium performance exhaust series and their first model is made specifically for the 2019 Toyota GR Supra. (more…)

Last year, UMW Toyota Motor was the first Malaysian car company to be associated with the fast-growing Esports racing when it ran the inaugural TOYOTA GAZOO RACING (TGR) VELOCITY ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP. With the extremely strong response, the company has decided to run a second season this year which will take place between August 31 and September 15.

“We are very delighted with the overwhelming response from the public towards our very first TOYOTA GAZOO RACING Velocity Esports Championship last year, which was one of the largest Esports event in the country. We are confident that it will be more challenging this year, as more talented drivers would want to compete in the competition,” said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor.

“Esports is a rapidly rising industry in Malaysia, as well as regionally and globally. It provides thrills and excitement of racing experience for the younger generation and Toyota’s involvement in this activity complements the dynamic and sporty side of the brand through the Toyota GAZOO Racing banner,” he added.

The high-performance activities of Toyota include the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival (TGR Festival) which takes place 4 times a year at various locations around the country and enters its third season in 2019. Besides the TGR Festival and the Esports Championship, UMWT’s effort to establish a stronger presence in Malaysian motorsports will include the introduction of the GR Supra and GR Garage.

2018 Toyota GR Velocity Esports
Scenes from last year’s inaugural event

Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship

Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship

Two phases in championship
The TOYOTA GAZOO RACING (TGR) VELOCITY ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP is open to all Malaysians aged 18 and above. All participants will first go through a time-trial phase at Cove Esports in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor on August 31/September 1 and September 14/15. The top 40 racers with the fastest lap times will then be eligible to enter the Grand Final event.

The Grand Final will be held at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (Centre Court) on September 21/22 from 10 am to 9 pm. From the top 40 qualifiers who will challenge each other in the final round of races, one will be crowned as the Champion for 2019. This year, winners will share a bigger pool of prize money which totals RM70,000.

Toyota GR Supra
For those who don’t buy the real car which will be launched in Malaysia later this year. participating in this event will let them experience Toyota’s flagship sportscar.

The car: 2019 Toyota GR Supra
All participants will use the latest 2019 Toyota GR Supra, Toyota’s flagship sportscar developed not only for real motorsports but also for Gran Turismo Esport. This year, they will be racing around the Fuji Speedway in Japan, the famous 1.475-km long circuit with one of the longest straights in the world. The top 10 finalists will be competing head to head in a 10-lap race on a best-of-three tracks which are the Kyoto Driving Park, Suzuka Circuit as well as the Fuji Speedway.

Thrustmaster will supply its T-GT ultimate racing simulators. The racers will benefit from unique new technologies which allow them to experience the superior driving dynamics of the GR Supra and drive to the limits.

For information on the TOYOTA GAZOO RACING VELOCITY ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP and registration for participation, members of the public can visit ToyotaVelocity.com .

Click here for other news and articles about Toyota on  PISTON.MY.

PISTON.MY

Mereka yang meminati dunia sukan permotoran ‘drifting’ semestinya akan mengenali sebuah lagenda dari Jepun iaitu Daigo Saito. Terkenal dengan aksi hebat dan juga beberapa jentera gila kegunaan drift seperti Lamborghini Murciélago, beliau kini tampil dengan satu lagi kereta drift baharu iaitu Toyota GR Supra model 2020. (more…)

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube