Toyota tweaks its Thai motorsport lineup for 2016 10.04.2016: Toyota continues its long-term commitment to Thai motorsport as

Toyota continues its long-term commitment to Thai motorsport as usual this year with a broadly similar programme to 2015 that will entail running six racecars in TSS that are split evenly across three classes.


During the 37th Bangkok International Motor Show Team Manager Khun Suttipong Smittachartch confirmed the 2016 car and driver lineup, which will see one car being switched from Super Car’s Class 2-GTM to Class 3-GTC as well as two brand new drivers for its Super 2000 entries.
 

“Toyota Team Thailand will participate in TSS in 2016 in Super Car Class 2 and Class 3,” Khun Suttipong said. “For Super Car Class 2 it will be Nattavude [Charoensukhawatana] and Nattapong [Horthongkum] in the same car and in Class 3 it will be me and Manat [Kulapalanont].


“In Super 2000 we have a newcomer from the Altis One Make Race, the champion Khun Thanakorn Buttawong will join in one car while the other we are still thinking about the driver,” he continued. “So it will be two cars for each category.”
 

That all makes for a very resilient lineup from a team that knows how to win – and is very used to on track success.


Last year, however, proved tough for Toyota in TSS’s headline category, Super Car Class 2-GTM, as its self developed 86 racecars were handed their stiffest test yet from the ever growing influx of turnkey racing products such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. The factory-run team dug in though and ground out podiums finishes.


Now the Toyota 86, a car that debuted in Super Car back in 2013, is very likely to be heading into its final racing season although Toyota is quietly confident that dynamic improvements made to the machine since the end of last season should put it much closer to the front running pace.


Most notably the new suspension should address key issues while the series’ optimized BoP regulations are likely to help the coupe’s cause further.


In Khun Nattavude and Khun Nattapong the team has two drivers that know exactly how to dig in and fight, squeeze out the max and deliver results.
 

The Team Manager reckons that their main task this year will be to wring just about everything they can out of the 86. “We modify and adjust the suspension, that’s all,” explained Khun Suttipong.


“We have to use the 86 and make it more better and use it for one more year and think what we do then.”


He believes that they have extracted fresh gains from the Class 2-GTM 86 package but at the same time admits that everyone else is also improving, lap times are certain to continue to tumble this year.


“Right now our testing is better than last year [and] the drivers are better compared to last year but many competitive drivers and many competitive cars like the Lamborghini are coming in but we will do our best, we believe in our drivers and the performance of the car better than last year so we have to challenge.”

 
Meanwhile in Class 3-GTC the arrival of Khun Manat to supplement Khun Suttipong could spring a surprise and the newcomer has to be a strong contender for the Drivers’ title.


Khun Manat, last year was promoted from Super 2000 to run a third 86 in Class 2-GTM which means he has a year with the car behind him and it will in fact be the same machine adapted to run in Class 3-GTC so unquestionably the knowledge base is there.


Factor in Khun Suttipong's excellent track record of delivering points scoring finishes in Class 3-GTC and it all means that Toyota has to be a very strong contender for the Teams' title so long as a high level of reliability can be achieved.
 

In Super 2000 Khun Thanakorn, on his debut for the factory team, will race in the ‘entry level’ Class 2 and it will in fact be the third consecutive year that Toyota has handed this seat to one of its One Make Racing champion’s as the top prize.



- Edd Ellison, also photos