➜
➜BELOW The toys arrive. And
what toys. You might notice
one very special car that isn't
featured on these pages, but
you'll have to wait for a future
issue of MOTOR to read about itABOVE Having briefed the
boys on what we needed for a
nice, clear tracking shot, they
proceeded to go utterly berserk,
Beau's 86 screaming mere
centimetres from Ellen's lensHISFEATUREseemeddestinednottohappen. The
ideaofcelebratingToyotaAustralia’ssupportof local
motorsport by drivingthe machinesitbacks was
ambitioustobeginwith;no-onewasmoresurprised
thanuswhenToyotaagreedtotheconcept.Weeksofplanning
tolineupa dateamongstcarrebuildsanddeadlinesappeared
invainwhen,attheeleventhhour,theintendedvenuedeclined
ourhirerequestduetonoiseconcernsandeveryother venue
inNSWwasunavailable.
Winton Racewaycame to the rescue and thanks to the
amazinggenerosity of thepeople involved a trio of racing
cars,coveringthedisciplinesofcircuit,rallyanddrifting, sit in
pitlaneidlingimpatiently.Notasimpatiently,it mustbesaid, as
editorDCandmyself,bothofwhomaregiddywithexcitement,
yetincrediblynervousatbeingtrustedwithdrivingunfamiliar
andveryexpensivemachineryhardenoughtoputyou, the
reader,inthedriver’sseat.Yeah,I know,cuetheviolins.
Fewcarcompaniesboasta moreimpressivesportingresume
thanToyota:thediminutiveSports800;thegorgeous2000GT;
thelong-livedCelica,whichmorphedfromrear-drive coupe
toall-wheeldriverallyweapontofront-drivescreamer during
itslifespan;theSupra,ChaserandSoarer,JZ-powereddarlings
oftheJapanesetuningindustry;theMR2,anaffordable exotic;
theAE86,Japan’sanswertotheMkIIEscort,thelistgoes on.
Thenthereareitsmotorsportefforts.Twenty-fiveyears in
worldrally,includingtwoworldtitles,a decadeinF1,a dozen
LeMans campaigns,British TouringCars, IndyCar,off-road
racingandNASCARallappearontheCV.Thisincredible CV
onlymadeToyota’shermitcrab-likepost-GFCwithdrawal from
anythingremotelyexcitingevenmoredisappointing.
ToyotaPresident AkioToyoda provided thespark needed
toreignitetheflame.Promotedtoheadofthecompany in
2009,hegreenlitthe 86 sportscar programandvowed “no
moreboringcars”atthe 2014 DetroitAutoShow,where Toyota
unveiledtheFT-1Conceptwhichwould(eventually)morph
intothenewSupra.Sincethen,theCamryandCorolla have
becomeinterestingtolookatanddecenttodrive,the Yaris
spawneda (sadlyEuro-only)hothatchandToyotare-entered
globalmotorsport,finallysecuringDakarandLeMansvictories
andcreatingitsfront-runningYarisWorldRallyCar.
Closertohome,enthusiasmatToyotaAustraliawas clearly
hibernating,notdead,forinrecentyearsithasbeena strong
supporter of local motorsport. It launched the successful
one-make 86 Racing Series,providingan entry intotin-top
competitionforbuddingyoungracers.Nowinitsfourth year, it
regularlyattractsfieldsof 40 carsormore.
TheToyota 86 racerwasdevelopedbyNealBatesMotorsport,
anamewith alongand successfulassociationwithToyota.
HavingwonfourAustralianRallyChampionshipsasa driver,
NealBatesisnowteamprincipalofGazooRacingAustralia as
Toyotaembarksonitsfirstfactoryrallyeffortina decade, with
a pairofYarisAP4stobedrivenbyNeal’ssons,Harryand Lewis.
Butif anyonehasmoreToyotapassionrunningthrough their
veinsthantheBatesfamily,it’sBeauYates.If youexamined his
bloodundera microscope,hiscellswouldbelittleToyota logos.
In2006,YatesbecameToyotaAustralia’sfirstdriftambassador
drivinghisiconicAE86Sprinter.Followinga hugeaccident in
2013 heswitchedtothenew86,whichhasmorphedover the
yearsintoa screamingcirca-600kWbeastthateatssemi-slicks
liketheCookieMonsterdownsOreos.Tosimplyexperience
thesecarswouldbea hugeprivilege,tobeallowedbehind the
wheelanincrediblehonour.Let’sgofora drive.
92 may 2019 whichcar.com.au/motor