Confirmed: 86 Race Series

V8 Supercars events are set to see an injection of real-world relatability and import cool following the announcement of a Toyota 86 one-make series that will run exclusively at V8SC events.

Starting in 2016, the series, which is similar to those run in New Zealand, Germany and Japan, will run as a pro-am with up to five professional drivers who will serve both as mentors and competition for the larger field of amateurs trying to qualify for the starting grid.

The 86 race cars will be based on the GT manual version of the incredibly popular sporty coupe with key specifications controlled to keep reliability and cost manageable. As well as the requisite saftey equipment, the vehicles will run a race package comprising modified suspension, brakes, extractors and exhaust system, ECU, oil cooler as well as wheels and tyres.

More than 13,000 86s have been sold since their launch in mid-2012 and the announcement sees Toyota Australia putting their money where their mouth is in their committment to the passionate owners of these vehicles as well as to grassroots motorsport more broadly.

Toyota Australia executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said, “Fundamental to the concept is that it is a grassroots motorsport series that is affordable for anyone who has both the passion and the talent to compete in a national series.”

Toyota 86 chief engineer and Australian Tetsuya Tada said he was honoured to be named patron of the series, especially because the global success of the Toyota 86 owes so much to Australia.

"During each of my visits I asked Toyota in Australia to build on this passion through motorsports. Convincing them was not difficult. So now I'm absolutely delighted [that] they have setup a grassroots motorsport series. It is a great honour to be named patron and you can expect to see me in Australia."