…albeit as a factory-backed, 2.0-litre turbocharged engine-swapped Suzuki Baleno rally car.
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa – a subsidiary owned by the Japanese automotive conglomerate Toyota – has revealed details of its 2022 Toyota GR Starlet rally car.
If it looks familiar, that’s because it is – the South African-market Toyota Starlet is simply a badge-engineered version of the 2022 Suzuki Baleno we receive in Australia.
Locally-developed and built in South Africa, the 2022 Toyota GR Starlet rally car ditches its 1.5-litre engine, front-wheel drive layout and automatic transmission for a fire-breathing 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that drives all four wheels via a sequential-shifting motorsport transmission.
The locally-brewed Toyota GR Starlet also uses high-tech MoTec electronics, Reiger dampers and Alcon brakes – all meeting international FIA standards for the ‘NRC1’ worldwide rally class.
Driving the car in competition is former multiple South African National Rally champion Guy Botterill and co-driver, Simon Vacy-Lyle.
On its recent motorsport debut – the Cape Overberg Rally – the 2022 Toyota GR Starlet failed to score points due to a broken lower suspension arm, amongst other issues.
Alongside the new Toyota GR Starlet rally car, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA also fields Toyota GR Corolla in the Global Touring Cars (GTC) championship – based on the Corolla sedan, and not to be confused with the road-going hot hatch – and a Toyota GR HiLux in the grueling Dakar rally.
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