Japanese marque to enter GR Yaris DAT and GR Supra GT4 EVO2 in N24 appearance since 2019…
Toyota has revealed details of its plans for a factory return to the Nürburgring 24 in collaboration with SUPER GT and Super Taikyu squad Rookie Racing.
The new unified operation, known as Toyota Gazoo Rookie Racing (TG-RR), will field a GR Yaris DAT (standing for ‘direct automatic transmission’) and a GR Supra GT4 EVO2 as the Japanese marque makes its first factory N24 outing since 2019.
Toyota showed off the GR Yaris DAT (pictured top), which has made several appearances in Super Taikyu competition in Japan over the past two years, on the opening day of last weekend’s Tokyo Auto Salon in a special TG-RR livery.
That car will be driven by Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda (under his usual ‘Morizo’ pseudonym), his son Daisuke and SUPER GT regulars Hiroaki Ishiura and Kazuya Oshima.
The GR Supra GT4 EVO2 will be piloted by Masahiro Sasaki and a trio of familiar names from SUPER GT’s GT300 class: Tatsuya Kataoka, Takamitsu Matsui and Naoya Gamou.
Overseeing the two-car TG-RR effort as general manager is Toshiyuki Sekiya, who was the chief mechanic for Toyota’s most recent factory participation at the N24 with the LC N24 GT in 2019 and held the same role for Rookie Racing’s title-winning Super Taikyu program with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in 2023-24.
It remains unclear whether the two TG-RR cars represent the full extent of Toyota’s factory participation at the Nürburgring this year.
Mid-Engined GR Yaris to Race in Super Taikyu
In Super Taikyu, TG-RR will maintain a two-car entry in the ST-Q class for vehicles not conforming to any specific rules, continuing its involvement from previous years.
The No. 32 entry will make four appearances across the seven-round season split across two cars: the liquid hydrogen-powered Toyota GR Corolla H2 Concept and a new midship version of the GR Yaris known as the ‘M Concept’.
The first outing for the Corolla H2 Concept will be in the Fuji 24 Hours at the end of May, with a second outing to come at the season finale at Fuji in November.
July’s fifth round of the season at Autopolis will mark the debut for the GR Yaris M Concept, which was also revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon, with a further outing to come in the penultimate round at Okayama in October.
Sharing driving duties in both cars will be ‘Morizo’, Sasaki, Yasuhiro Ogura and Ishiura, who will also serve as general manager for the two-car outfit.
The No. 28 GR86 is set to contest the full season, and will be piloted by Daisuke Toyoda, Eisuke Sasaki, Oshima and SUPER GT champion Sho Tsuboi.
Rookie Racing’s program with Mercedes-AMG machinery in Super Taikyu’s top ST-X class, which yielded back-to-back titles in 2023 and ’24, is unlikely to continue.
