Toyota Creating GR Cup Single-Make Racing Series for GR86 Sports Car

Toyota and its Gazoo Racing (GR) performance sub-brand will launch a single-make racing series for its MX-5 Miata fighter, the GR86. This new U.S.-only series is called the GR Cup, and, after initially announcing the Cup without any details about the race cars themselves, Toyota has since unveiled more about the race cars themselves.

The GR Cup

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Single make racing isn't a new concept, even here in the U.S. and why we brought up the MX-5 Miata earlier. At both a national and regional level, Spec Miata and the MX-5 Cup are the poster children of single make racing that's easier on the wallet. Well, easier is a relative term here, as MX-5 Global cars have a starting cost of about $60,000 and can reach to just over $80,000 when fully optioned out. Yes, even OEM-ish race cars have options and before you talk about just how cheap your NA Spec Miata is, we're talking about the "Global" car that races in the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup, not your local SCCA or NASA Spec Miata series. What we're basically saying is don't be surprised if the GR Cup GR86 comes in at about that same price range.

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The good news is that, as far as the drivetrain, engine, and weight of these cars are usually regulated to such parity that it's truly a driver's race. The cars will be homologated from Toyota and built to an exact spec. The options usually come down to spare parts and other trackside necessities, maybe a driver cooling system, but nothing like adding a turbo, better tires, or lightweight body parts that others might not be able to afford off the bat.

The Toyota GR Cup Car

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Turns out, the final GR Cup racer is pretty similar to the 2017 GT 86 Cup Car shown years ago at SEMA. The GR Cup car will start life as a 2023 Toyota GR86 and have a roll cage, tall wing, and other safety and basic aerodynamic features built in. The 2.4-liter flat-four engine will run on Bosch engine management with a custom Borla exhaust system and come backed by a SADEV six-speed sequential manual transmission. Figure on decent range from the 22-gallon fuel cell onboard, even at racing speeds (the stock GR86 has a 13.2-gallon tank).

The racing GR86 also will feature a set of Alcon brakes with JRI adjustable shocks in the rear and Toyota Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA)-built front MacPherson struts. The carbon fiber wing joins a TGRNA-designed splitter and Stratasys custom bodywork. Inside the cockpit will be OMP safety equipment including the seat and seat belts while a roll cage will be welded in to protect the single occupant from crashes.

All GR Cups GR86s will be built at Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in Mooresville, North Carolina, in the heart of NASCAR country. It's safe to say (no pun intended) that the GR Cup car will be in good hands when it's manufactured there, considering that the Camping World Truck Series Tundras and Xfinity Series GR Supras of NASCAR also are born in that shop.

Why Do A One Make Series?

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While Toyota claims in its press release that these races will apply "learnings on the track to make ever better vehicles for the road," the reality is that this is a promotional series. It's one giant commercial for the GR86 as a race car built from a street-going sports car. Same idea for the MX-5 Cup. Also, trust us, we're not saying this is a bad thing. If you're using motorsports to advertise your sports cars, there is nothing wrong with that and we approve.

We're not totally ruling out that there won't be some things learned from racing the GR86 in a single make series. You're putting the same car through the wringer with many different drivers who have varied driving styles and tastes. Those Toyota and Gazoo engineers are going to learn something, even if it's a trivial thing.

The Schedule And SRO America

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For the moment, the full schedule for the 2023 GR Cup is still being finalized with a timeframe of "this summer" being the only hint on when we'll hear about it. TGRNA did specify that they will run with SRO Motorsports Group's SRO America, which is the same organization running the GT World Challenge America series, GT America, GT4 America, the TC America Series, and eSports motorsport series like the FIA Motorsport Games and SRO E-Sport GT Series. They are also involved with the 24 Hours of Spa, the Bathurst 12 Hour, the Suzuka 10 Hour, and the Indianapolis 8 Hour races. Knowing this, the GR Cup will most likely be a support series for the GT World Challenge America series, potentially giving it the same schedule as the TC America series, the GT America series, or its unique mix of both. Again, just as we were in the earlier version of this article, we're in speculation mode. For now, all we know is that you couldn't make a better car for a one-make series than you could with the GR86.

This story originally published April 4, 2022, and has since been updated to reflect new details about the GR Cup series.