TOYOTA GAZOO Racing confirmed today that it will launch the GR Supra GT4, a race car for customer teams*, in 2020. The announcement comes in response to growing customer expectations worldwide following the unveiling of the GR Supra GT4 Concept at the Geneva International Motor Show in March, and the participation of the GR Supra at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in June. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing intends to strengthen its focus on customer motorsports in order to enable motorsport-lovers around the world to freely participate in races, and to develop ever-better cars using the feedback gained through race participation.
The GR Supra GT4** is based on the GR Supra—TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s first-ever global model released earlier this year—and it is developed and produced by Toyota Motorsport GmbH.
The GT4† category is popular with private race teams around the world due to its low cost and ease of entry. GT4 cars are eligible to participate in a variety of races across the globe, including the Super Taikyu Series in Japan, the GT4 European Series and the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring in Europe, and the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series in the U.S.
The GR Supra already participates in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in North America and, from 2020, is scheduled to compete in the Super GT GT500 Class in Japan. The arrival of the GR Supra GT4 will provide motorsports fans with the joy of watching the GR Supra compete in circuits around the world.
In order to develop the GR Supra GT4, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has joined forces with three technical partners: RAVENOL, Pirelli and Akrapovič. RAVENOL will provide lubricants, while Pirelli will collaborate on tire development and Akrapovič will cooperate on developing motorsport-specific exhaust systems.
Details regarding the specifications of the GR Supra GT4, including its selling price, sales area and release date, are scheduled to be announced later this year.
*Customer teams (also known as private teams) purchase race cars from manufacturers that are modified versions of production vehicles and enter them into races.
**GT4 vehicles are sold to race participants and cannot be driven on public roads.
†GT4 is a category for production race cars based on SRO-regulated Grand Touring cars; it is positioned one rank below GT3.