Toyota’s Motorsport division will return to rallying with its new and affordable Yaris R1A that will make its first public appearance in the ninth round of the WRC at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland from August 24 to 26.
The TMG (Toyota Motorsports GmbH) Yaris R1A will participate as a “Zero Car”, which means that it will run as a course vehicle to confirm road conditions and announce the start of each stage.
The new entry-level Yaris R1A rally car has been developed to comply with FIA R1A regulations that permit only limited performance modifications to production vehicles with engines up to 1.4-liters in displacement.
The upgrade kit from Toyota includes racing exhaust and catalytic converter system, shorter final drive gear, motorsport suspension with adapted springs and adjustable ride height.
Naturally, the Yaris also gains a comprehensive suite of safety features including a bolt-in roll cage, guards for sump, fuel tank and fuel lines, fire extinguishers, rally seats and safety harness plus power cut-off switch.
The Japanese automaker said that it expects the Yaris R1A is to become the first car in the world to be awarded FIA R1A homologation before the end of the year. The homologation will allow drivers of the car to compete regional, national and international competitions all the way up to World Rally Championship events.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, TMG President commented: “It is a great thrill for TMG to return to rallying, a discipline in which we enjoyed a great deal of success in the past. The TMG Yaris R1A is a completely different project compared to our WRC past; it is an affordable but exciting car which makes rallying‟s major events accessible to a whole range of participants. We have already received numerous inquiries about this car so we know there is a huge appetite in the rally world for a new TOYOTA; I hope this is the start of a new rally dynasty at TMG.”
TMG said it is taking orders for the Yaris R1A now, with donor car and upgrade kit (excluding tax and installation) priced at approximately €22,500 or GBP 17,700.
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