Toyota Australia celebrated the seventh successful season of its one-make TGRA 86 Series with a dinner for the drivers and their teams after the Bathurst 1000, where it also unveiled the new GR86 for 2024, a sign of its ongoing motorsport commitment.
Based on the GR86, the new racing car has been developed by Neal Bates Motorsport and is now available for competitors to order with a turnkey package priced at $89,9901.
Lachlan Gibbons took the title in the 2022 TGRA 86 Series. He finished the season with a total of 1275 points with Zach Bates close behind in second place with 1232 points, and Jobe Stewart in third on 940 points.
Toyota Australia chief marketing officer Vin Naidoo says he was excited to unveil the new GR86 racing car and congratulated Gibbons and all the other award winners.
“For seven years, the TGRA 86 Series has proven to be the development ground for aspiring professional race drivers and those who just love racing,” Naidoo says.
“I’d like to congratulate Lachlan Gibbons on his hard fought win for the title after an epic battle all season with Zach Bates. And our congratulations also go to Zach, in second place after winning all three races in the final round at Bathurst, Jobe in third, and all the other award winners.
“Toyota is committed to supporting all the teams and drivers in the TGRA 86 Series and earlier this year, we announced that we would extend that support through to the end of 2026.
“And I’m very excited to be unveiling the new GR86 racing car that will make its debut in the 2024 season.
“Neal Bates and his team have worked hard to make this an affordable car that I’m sure will continue to make the TGRA 86 Series one of the most hotly contested on the Australian motorsport calendar,” he says.
The new GR86 racing car will be fully built by Neal Bates Motorsport and features a full roll cage, race seat and six-point harness, motorsport spec steering wheel, ECU and instruments, control wheels and tyres, and upgraded suspension, brakes, exhaust, oil cooler and clutch.
Maximum engine power and torque will be approximately 10% greater than the standard GR86 road car’s outputs of 174kW/250Nm and the racing car is approximately 70kg lighter than the GR86.
Approximately 35 cars will be available for competitors to order for the 2024 TGRA 86 Series season and other performance specifications will be confirmed once final testing and validation is completed later this year.
In addition to announcing the top three podium places that each received prize money of $50,000, $30,000 and $15,000 for first, second and third respectively, Toyota also presented a number of other awards.
The Kaizen Award for continuous improvement went to Brisbane-based 17-year-old Jarrod Hughes who received a trip to the US to attend the iconic Daytona 500 in 2023 and go behind the scenes and meet the people that run Toyota’s championship-winning NASCAR campaign.
Townsville based Madison Dunston proved to be as active on social and digital media as she is on the racetrack and took home a $1000 gift card from Hino for the Publicity Star award.
Third generation race driver Clay Richards – son of Steven and grandson of Jim – proved talent runs in the genes winning The Toyota Way award and a $2000 parts voucher from Toyota’s National Parts and Accessories Division for exemplifying The Toyota Way principles including continuous improvement and respect for people.
2022 TGRA 86 Series Award Winners
| 1st | Lachlan Gibbons |
| 2nd | Zach Bates |
| 3rd | Jobe Stewart |
| 4th | Bailey Sweeny |
| 5th | Harrison Gray |
| 6th | Campbell Logan |
| 7th | Jarrod Hughes |
| 8th | Ryan Casha |
| Kaizen Award | Jarrod Hughes |
| Publicity Star | Madison Dunston |
| Best Livery | Hayden Jackson |
| Best First Year Driver | Campbell Logan |
| Unbreakable Race Performance | James Holdsworth |
| Best Team Manager | Team Gibbons (Simon Gibbons & Bryan Hunt) |
| Toyota Way Values | Clay Richards |
