Latest news with #ToyotaGRSupra
The Star
28-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Alesi, Sasahara steer Toyota to dominant Super GT victory
SEPANG: Deloitte Tom's Toyota GR Supra duo Ukyo Sasahara and Giuliano Alesi executed a flawless race strategy to claim victory in the GT500 class at the Autobacs Super GT Championship, which returned to Sepang after a 12-year hiatus. Alesi sealed the win with a best lap time of 1:54.601s after 55 laps, finishing 19 seconds ahead of the Arta Mugen Civic Type R-GT pair Tomoki Nojiri and Nobuharu Matsushita.
New Straits Times
28-06-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Sasahara and Alesi power to Autobacs Super GT title
SEPANG: TGR Team Deloitte TOM'S duo Ukyo Sasahara and Giuliano Alesi are hoping to build on their victory in Round 3 of the Autobacs Super GT Championship at the Sepang International Circuit today. The duo claimed the chequered flag with a comfortable 1:56.750 win over the ARTA Honda Civic Type R-GT shared by Tomoki Nojiri and Nobuharu Matsushita who timed 1:59.420. Completing the podium was the Impul Nissan Z NISMO of Bertrand Baguette and Kazuki Hiramine who clocked 1:59.003, after a penalty for the Team Kunimitsu Honda who crossed the line third. Sasahara said the result boosts their overall title hopes, but noted the competition will intensify over the remaining six rounds. "Our target is to win the championship for both drivers. Super GT is very important to be consistent, to get consistent points, and as you can see the leader also finished a decent race, so that's how it should be," said Sasahara in the post-race press conference. "But the next round is a two-phase format, so I'm really looking forward to facing the Fuji Speedway, because I think we're going to have a good chance to race, I mean, with no heavy weight. "I think the next round should be very, very important for us and the championship, so, yeah, keep it active, keep on going. Hope to hang on." Sasahara's fast stint with the No. 37 Toyota GR Supra and quick pit work helped Alesi rejoin just ahead of Nojiri, who challenged him through Turn 14, but Alesi held on and pulled away to clinch their third GT500 win together. Defending champions Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita recovered from a first-lap spin to finish seventh in the No. 1 TOM'S Toyota, retaining their lead in the standings with 39 points. Sasahara and Alesi are now second with 30. In GT300, Team UpGarage's Takashi Kobayashi and Yuto Nomura took victory in their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo after a close fight with the Saitama Green Brave Toyota GR Supra GT. Kobayashi held off Hiroki Yoshida by just 0.933 seconds, having lost most of an earlier eight-second lead late in the race. The Saitama car had led early through Seita Nonaka, but a slow stop handed the lead back to UpGarage. Goodsmile Racing's Yuhki Nakayama and Shunji Okumoto completed the podium. Points leaders Naoya Gamou and Togo Suganami were eighth in the LEON Racing Mercedes-AMG, maintaining a 12-point lead over Inging Toyota's Yuui Tsutsumi and Hibiki Taira, who finished sixth. EBM wildcards struggled, with Adrian D'Silva and Dorian Boccolacci 17th in their Porsche 911 GT3 R, while Jazeman Jaafar and Kerong Li came home 19th in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. All 19 cars finished the race.
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Next Toyota Supra And Lexus Twin Might Ditch BMW For Mazda Inline-Six
Production of the current Toyota GR Supra is set to come to an end next year, but we already know Toyota is working on a successor to this brilliant sports car. Now, rumors have surfaced regarding a Lexus sports car twin for the next GR Supra. Up until this point, the two performance coupes from Lexus - the RC and LC - have not had anything in common with the Supra. But this next generation of Toyota/Lexus sports cars will be different, with the two sports cars expected to share a powertrain - and not one from BMW. According to Best Car Web from Japan, the Lexus version of the next Supra will be known as the LC+RC Integrated Sports, although this is obviously not expected to be the official name. What we can tell from this name is that the new Lexus sports car could replace both the RC and LC, which have been around for some time. The next Supra is expected to get a 2.0-liter turbocharged hybrid powertrain, with power still going to the rear wheels and either an eight- or 10-speed automatic. No mention was made of a manual gearbox option. The Japanese outlet also said that Toyota is investigating whether it can use Mazda's smooth inline-six engine for the Supra, which the Lexus version would logically use, too. In the Mazda CX-90, this engine makes up to 340 horsepower, but we'd expect a more powerful version in these sports cars. Mazda and Toyota already share powertrains, with the CX-50 Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid using the same four-cylinder hybrid. Even if their powertrains are the same, one key difference will be the seating layout. Whereas the next Supra is expected to remain a dedicated two-seater model, the Lexus version will be a 2+2. A convertible is also possible. As we saw with the BMW Z4 and Toyota GR Supra relationship, two cars with the same underpinnings can still look and feel completely unique, with their own driving characteristics. For this reason, we don't expect the new Supra to become an overly sanitized softie, simply because it will have a Lexus sibling. The Supra will likely be sharper and more engaging, whereas the Lexus version will probably be more of a classic grand tourer. The two cars will definitely be uniquely styled, and the Lexus should have better amenities and higher-quality finishes to justify a higher price tag. For now, further details are unknown, but the next-gen Supra is expected to be shown in 2026. If the rumors prove to be true, the Lexus version will show its face around the same time. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Miami Herald
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Why This BMW Stick-Shift Won't Disappear Just Yet
In an increasingly rare piece of good news for fans of manual sports cars, BMW is set to extend production of a key enthusiast model beyond the expected timeline. We're referring to the Z4 M40i with the brand's classic six-cylinder engine and stick-shift transmission, which was expected to go out of production in October this year. However, a reliable source over at Bimmer Post has revealed an extended production run that stretches all the way to May 2026. One can only assume that strong sales have led to the decision to keep the Z4 M40i around a little longer. For the 2025 model year, BMW introduced the Handschalter package for the M40i variant, which includes a six-speed manual in addition to the version with the eight-speed automatic. According to BMW's latest sales figures for Q1 2025, Z4 sales were up by 29% year-on-year in the United States, reaching 503 units. Yes, that's not a lot of cars in BMW world, but the Z4 is a low-volume sports car, not a family-friendly SUV. Considering that only the M40i is getting an extended production run until May 2026, we can presume that the increase in sales is due to the success of the M40i, not the base four-cylinder variant. Intriguingly, it looks like the Toyota GR Supra, with which the Z4 shares engines and other components, will also stick around until May 2026. The current Z4 starts at $54,050 for the 255-horsepower sDrive30i model with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine. To upgrade to the 382-hp M40i, you must spend at least $66,450. From there, a further $3,500 is required for the Handschalter package, which adds the six-speed manual along with extras like extended Shadowline trim, black mirror caps, M Sport brakes with red calipers, and black high gloss trim. It's not the cheapest new BMW, but fans have clearly being willing to pay for it. Besides the Z4 M40i manual, the German manufacturer has several other manuals available in its lineup, including the M2 coupe, M3 sedan, and M4 coupe. All have variations of the brand's sporty and powerful six-cylinder turbo engine. After eliminating dual-clutch automatics from its lineup recently - a more engaging alternative to traditional automatics - there was a fear that BMW manuals weren't long for this world, either. However, a BMW Blog report from March 2025 indicates that BMW isn't ready to ditch manuals entirely, even though the take rate for a stick-shift is low. For now, we have a six-cylinder manual Z4 to savor for a while longer, and that's a good thing. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Motor Trend
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
5 Things You Missed at Formula D's Tire-Smoking 2025 Long Beach Event
The opening round of the 2025 Formula Drift season was, as you would expect, an all-out street fight in downtown Long Beach, California. The street-circuit racetrack that's well known for hosting the NTT IndyCar Series pitted new kids on the block against OG drivers and returning champions. Now in its 22nd season, Formula Drift has gone through a lot of changes. Read on to see five intriguing things you missed at Formula D Long Beach in 2025. 0:00 / 0:00 Fredric Aasbo Wins Fredric Aasbø took the win in the final battle against James Deane's Ford Mustang in his Toyota GR Supra machine. Aasbø, now riding on Kenda Tires after years on Nittos, battled his way through Connor O'Sullivan, Ken Gushi, Ryan Tuerck, and Branden Sorensen before facing Deane, the reigning champion. The King Has Returned Daigo Saito is back! After a 10-year hiatus, the legendary drifter from Japan is back in a BAPE-liveried Toyota GR86 powered by a VR38DETT engine. Unfortunately, he did run into some issues with his car and suffered a gnarly wall tap during his seeding battle. The former 2008 and 2016 D1GP champion, 2012 Formula Drift Asia, and 2012 Formula Drift U.S. champion remains a fan favorite. Seeding Bracket Formula D made a number of changes during its off-season, including a seeding bracket reconfiguration. To ensure the Top 32 competition heats have a driver to battle, the highest-finishing 12 drivers from the seeding bracket now duel it out. Unfortunately, the lowest-ranked drivers who lose the Top 16 seeding bracket heat are eliminated. At the Long Beach event, Federico Sceriffo and his Ferrari 599 GTB bowed out when he lost his heat. The New Drivers on the Block Aside from Saito's return, we saw a few more fresh faces hit the grid this year including Tommy Lemaire, O'Sullivan, Austin Matta, and Jack Shanahan. These drivers were thrown straight into the seeding bracket since they didn't have a 2024 ranking. What do you think was going through Shanahan's mind when he found he was going up against Saito? Same City, New Track Layout With the former California venue Irwindale Speedway's closure, Formula D needed a spot for its annual season-ending event. In Long Beach, the series revealed it will return to the city later this year with a vastly different course and a new event name, The Shoreline Showdown. It's scheduled for October 17–18.
