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Toyota announced Wednesday that at the upcoming Pirelli World Challenge race weekend at the Utah Motorsports Campus, the automaker will field the TMG 86 Cup car in the TCA class. This will be the first time the TMG 86 will have run in professional, competitive series in the United States.
The Toyota GT86, formerly the Scion FR-S in America, and also branded as the Subaru BRZ has been an enthusiast favorite since its release in 2012. Its engine is in front, the rear wheels do the driving, you can get it with a stick in the middle, and it won’t break the bank. It’s quick, nimble, and looks great. Plus, it’s an easy car to modify to look better and go faster. Which is exactly what Toyota has done to it. The TMG 86 Cup Car starts life at a stock GT68, then adds Toyota TRD upgrades like suspension and brakes. TRD also tunes the engine for racing. Altogether, this should make for a great little race car.
After cutting its teeth in the VLN series in Germany, the TMG 86 will final race in the United States on August 11-13 in Utah. The car will be fielded by DC-Spec Racing and driven by Craig Stanton. DC-Spec won the PWC TC class in 2010, so they are prepared for what lies ahead.
“It’s been a while since we won the championship in Pirelli World Challenge, but we’ve been at the track constantly over the last few years, testing, developing and racing in other venues,” said team owner Dan Gardner. “The team is really sharp and Craig is on his game. The Toyota 86 is ready to go and we hope to turn some heads in Utah.”
Keith Dahl, the motorsports general manager for Toyota Motor North America, thinks the team is up for the challenge. “Bringing the TMG 86 Cup Car to Pirelli World Challenge presents an opportunity to test and showcase the ability of our Toyota 86 in a competitive racing series,” said Dahl. “The seasoned DG-Spec team won the PWC title for Scion in 2010 and we’re hopeful they can perform well with the 86. We have a great combination of team and driver with Craig Stanton to showcase the ability of this TMG-built 86, so we’re cautiously optimistic for solid results in the Utah double-header.”
Toyota said that this is the only planned U.S. race for TMG 86. Hopefully, the the car will do well enough to consider entering it for the full 2018 season.
If you aren’t able to drop by the Utah Motorsports Campus, CBS Sports will air the races on August 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
