Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has announced a series of revisions ahead of the 2016 TMG GT86 Cup. Continuing to operate under the VLN endurance championship framework, the series will now field upgraded versions of the tried-and-tested GT86 CS-V3; the GT86 CS-Cup.
TMG is currently giving its all and further developing the GT86 CS-V3 launched in 2013, focusing on a considerable weight reduction and an upgrade of the engine and specific components. CS-V3 models launched in 2015 can also be upgraded with a special kit to attain 2016 status. 2015 models with no upgrade kit remain eligible, though.
The championship’s generous reward scheme remains in place, as does TMG’s focus on providing cost-effective motorsport to amateur drivers. The German-based Toyota subsiduary has already announced that the 2016 Cup’s prizes amount to €60,000 in both money and prizes in-kind. As an added incentive, TMG has reduced championship registration fees under an ‘early-bird bonus’ scheme. Registrations received by 29 February will cost €1,800, before rising to €2,300 until 19 March, and €2,700 thereafter.
“I’m convinced that the CS-V3 is one of the best close-to-production customer sports cars in the market,” explained Nico Ehlert, principal engineer, customer motorsports. “But we don’t want to rest on these laurels but take the GT86’s performance to a new level. This project will benefit from all our know-how and three years of cup experience. Needless to say that we also took account of our customers and drivers’ requests and experiences over the past few years. Their expertise was the most important gauge, as it were. And the experiences gained during the development of our R3 rally car have also been used, incl. some components. We expect all these developments to allow for a much better performance, which will also find expression in faster lap times.”
TMG will announce further details on the TMG GT86 Cup 2016 and the new cup racer’s specifications in the coming weeks.
