For Akio Toyoda, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), the best way to develop better cars is through competition. For this reason, Toyota Caetano Portugal, Toyota Spain and Motor & Sport Institute (MSi) joined forces and transformed the Toyota GR Yaris in a “mini-WRC”.
The objective was to prepare the desired Japanese hot hatch in a rally machine able to star in its own single-brand trophy, the “Toyota Gazoo Racing Iberian Cup”.
This new competition already has its first three seasons confirmed (2022, 2023 and 2024) and marks the official return of Toyota to the world of trophies and promotional rallies as an official brand.
With over 250,000 euros in prizes up for grabs, the first season of this new competition will feature a total of eight competitions — four in Portugal and four in Spain. As for registration, these are already open and you can apply via email.
What has changed at GR Yaris?
Although little changed compared to the Toyota GR Yaris on sale at dealers, the GR Yaris that will star in this trophy did not stop receiving some news.
The preparation of specimens carried out by MSi technicians focused mainly on safety. In this way, the cars that will race in the “Toyota Gazoo Racing Iberian Cup” started with safety bars, fire extinguishers and lost most of the “luxuries” inside.
Inside, the "diet" to which the GR Yaris was subjected is notorious.
Added to this is a Technoshock suspension, self-locking differentials manufactured by Cusco, rally tyres, an air intake on the roof, carbon parts and even a specific exhaust lifting system.
For the rest, we still have a 1.6 l three-cylinder turbo (which, taking into account that no mechanical changes were mentioned, offers 261 hp) and the GR-FOUR all-wheel drive system. For now, the cost of participating in this trophy has not yet been announced.