For those of you who live in Australia, Toyota launches 86’s Racing Series. It is ready to participate to national motorsport track competition and it costs less than $70,000.
It’s developed especially for the young talents which don’t afford to spend much money on expensive models. Neal Bates, four times Australian Rally Champion had two tasks to comply: first, to develop a top-performance, durable racing car. Meanwhile, he had to keep the costs at a low level because, in the end, it reflects on the car’s price. He worked with a range of specialists and came up with a proper race package. It was approved then by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS), which means that it’s ready to race. The whole homologated package it’s available at Neal Bates Motorsport (NBM).
The kit consists of many modified parts: four coil-over fully-adjustable damping system, which had been built by MCA, a company owned by Murray Coote. Also, four large rotors brakes (330 mm /316 mm) and AP Racing calipers, with 4 and 2 pistons respectively, are properly sized to resist the fading effect and efficiently stop the racing car. 18” OZ Asfalto alloy rims and a custom made exhaust system (which was built from scratch) are also fitted. An engine oil cooler made by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) was added and a new Motec M150 ECU ensures proper function of the engine.
However, this kit only covers the performance side. In order to participate at national competitions, the car must be equipped with roll-cage, race seat and multi-point harness, which costs about $12-15,000. The entry fee is $1,500 for each round.
