Anyone in the crowd for the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) National Championships at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex on September 7-10 will have the pleasure of seeing a 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition lead the pack before every race.
That’s because the car has been chosen as the event’s official pace car for the second year in a row. Held at Laguna Seca in California in 2022, it will take place at the Wampum, Pennsylvania racetrack this year.
“At Toyota we have a passion for motorsports so it’s an honor to support racing enthusiasts by pacing all NASA Championship races,” said Mike Tripp, vice president Toyota Vehicle Marketing and Communications. “For three years running we’ve put a Toyota Gazoo Racing model in the pace car spot and we’re thrilled to keep playing our part in the race to find the next group of NASA champions.”
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The Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition follows in the footsteps of the GR Supra, which paced for NASA in 2019. Like that car, buyers who purchase the high-performance package also get one free year of membership to NASA, as well as one free track day at a NASA High Performance Driving Event.
The GR Corolla is powered by a turbocharged, three-cylinder engine that makes 300 hp (224 kW/304 PS) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque. However, the Morizo edition package bumps that torque figure up to an even more impressive 295 lb-ft (400 Nm).
For its duties as pace car, the car will feature special roof-mounted lights, and a red, white, and black livery that is inspired by Toyota’s endurance racing livery. Over the course of the weekend, the Corolla is expected to lead more than 350 racecars competing in 25 classes on the 2.78-mile (4.47 km), 19-turn circuit.
“The relationship between Toyota Gazoo Racing and the NASA Owner Benefit Program has been an amazing way to introduce sports car owners to the world of performance driving,” said Jeremy Croiset, CEO of NASA. “We’re excited to once again have the GR Corolla as the official NASA Championships pace car, and we’re expecting to see a lot of very exciting competition at the Pitt Race.”
