Since its beginning in 2013, the TMG GT86 Cup has become an integral element in the VLN endurance championship Nürburgring. The single-brand cup from Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) provides the teams and the drivers with the cost-effective possibility of competing in the worldwide greatest grassroots racing series. The most important news for the new season include a facelift of the Cup racer, reduced registration fees and smaller amendments in the Sporting Regulations.
“We have seen a significant increase in interest”, informs Nico Ehlert, Principal Engineer Customer Motorsport. “New teams will join us in 2017 and we are working hard to attract further new entries. We are sure that it will be a fantastic season, as always filled with a lot of action and tension.”
Attractive conditions for the participants
Like in the past seasons, all the participants in the TMG GT86 Cup will be able to benefit from a comprehensive customer support in 2017 again. A spare part service and a specialised technical support will be available for all the teams on-site at the race tracks. In addition to some new sponsors, all the previous partners of the TMG GT86 Cup will also be on board again. Pirelli this will continue to be the tyre partner in the TMG GT86 Cup.
The TMG GT86 Cup will become even more attractive in 2017 due to the reduced registration fees. Up to the 31st of January, the teams have to pay just 1,000 Euro per car, rising up to 1,800 Euro thereafter. At the end of the season, the winner in the overall classification will be awarded a prize money of 20,000 Euro and the second placed 12,000 Euro. The third-placed team will receive 8,000 Euros and the fourth-placed still 5,000 Euro. The total value of the prize money and in-kind prizes awarded at the end of the year comes up to over 50,000 Euro.
A facelift for the GT86 CS-Cup
Another highlight for next season will be the GT86 CS-Cup facelift. The GT86 CS-Cup with more power, a better torque and a reduced weight has already been used in 2016 in the single-brand cup as an update of the CS-V3. In parallel to the series production model, the GT86 CS-Cup will now be provided with a facelift for the season 2017; the main focus hereby lies on the further development of durability of the components. The subsidised price of the race car is available for all registered participants for 45,900 Euro (VAT to be added) and can be financed on favourable terms due to the offers provided by the Toyota-Kreditbank.
A main factor in introducing the GT86 CS-Cup facelift is to align the competition models on the race track with the updated design of the GT86 road car. TMG’s major concern hereby is to further improve the comprehensive package. This includes the enhancement of the parts subject to wear and tear in order to keep the running costs low and also an upgrade of performance-relevant components, in co-operation with their partners. The teams are always in the focus of TMG who also attaches a great importance on providing equal chances in the competition. This is also why the Cup participants are provided with performance-relevant components almost free of charge.
Updated regulations
Smaller modification have been applied in the TMG GT86 Cup Regulations for the coming season. First of all, the team gaining pole-position will be allocated two additional points. Secondly, only the eight best scores out of the nine races will be taken into consideration for the final classification.
