The Toyota Yaris is
well-known as a value-driven sub-compact car with proven reliability
and excellent fuel efficiency. It has also proven in past SEMA shows
to be very versatile when it comes to customization. The little
sub-compact returns to the 2010 SEMA Show, this time proving it can
also be converted into a very capable race car.
To make the Yaris racecar a reality Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
asked SportsCar magazine to convert a 2006 Yaris five-door liftback.
The Yaris selected for the project was a veteran of the 2007 SEMA
Show, formerly known as the Yaris Club project. Toyota renamed the
car the GT-S Club Racer as an homage to the popular GT-S grade
Celica’s of the 1980’s and 90’s. SportsCar magazine accepted the
challenge and began remaking the Yaris into a Sports Car Club of
America (SCCA) sanctioned racecar.
SportsCar magazine began the project by shedding nearly 400 pounds
off the vehicle’s curb weight by removing several creature comforts
like the air conditioning and audio system to tip the scale at less
than the 1,900 pound class minimum.
The exterior of the Yaris GT-S Club Racer features a Molly Designs
inspired graphics that pays homage to Dan Gurney’s All American
Racers-built IMSA GTP Toyota Eagle Racers of the 1990’s. Additional
exterior features include a Seibon carbon fiber hood and hatchback,
AeroCatch hood pins, Racing Lifestyle fender flares, I/O Port Racing
Supplies tow hooks, and Lexan side and rear windows. The Yaris rides
on three-piece JRW330 13 x 7 Jongbloed Racing wheels wrapped with
Goodyear Eagle Sports Car Special 20.0 x 9.5-13 racing slicks.
Underneath the hood is a Toyota 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with
VVT-i. SportsCar magazine made several modifications to increase the
horsepower from the stock 106 to 145 @ 7252 RPM. Modifications
included several bolt-on performance parts including a K&N air
intake, a DC Sports header, and Rebello Racing Engines camshafts and
cylinder head work to name a few. A Mishimoto radiator and Coast
Fabrication Ultra Lightweight racing muffler were also added. The
engine is mated to a SPEC aluminum flywheel and three-puck clutch, a
Kaaz limited slip differential and a 4.312 final drive gear set
swapped in from a Scion xB.
To help slow the car Carbotech XP-8 brake pads and Goodridge
stainless steel brake lines were added.
Modifications on the inside included an AiM Sports MXL race data
acquisition dash system paired with an AEM Performance Electronics
EMS Series 2 ECU, for complete control of the engine and data
accumulation. Safety was addressed with a Sparco Evo 2 FIA race seat
and race pedals while Autopower supplied a Pro-Cam six-point harness
and window net. Additional safety features include an NRG
Innovations steering wheel with a quick release hub, a Braille
No-Weight battery, Longacre kill switch and mirrors, and an
Emergency Suppressions Systems fire system.
Once completed, it was time to race. The Yaris GT-S Club Racer won
its very first race, topping the competition at Willow Springs
Raceway in Southern California. Driven by SportsCar magazine
associate editor Jason Isley, the little racecar went on to win the
Southern Pacific H Production Division Championship. Capturing its
division qualified the Yaris for the 47th SCCA National Championship
Runoffs at the historic Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake,
Wisconsin where it competed in late September. At the championships,
it qualified 13th and finished a very respectable 8th out of a field
of 26. Competing against older classics, it was the newest car in
the field by 19 years!
After the SEMA Show, Toyota and Sony Computer Entertainment America
LLC, will host the producers of Gran Turismo® 5 at a race track
where they will compare their "virtual” racing skills versus their
"actual” racing skills by driving the GT-S Club Racer in a time
trial format.
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All American
Racers-built IMSA GTP Toyota Eagle Racers of the 1990’s. Additional
exterior features include a Seibon carbon fiber hood and hatchback,
AeroCatch hood pins, Racing Lifestyle fender flares, I/O Port Racing
Supplies tow hooks, and Lexan side and rear windows. The Yaris rides
on three-piece JRW330 13 x 7 Jongbloed Racing wheels wrapped with
Goodyear Eagle Sports Car Special 20.0 x 9.5-13 racing slicks.
