GR Yaris (Gen 2) GR Yaris Mk2 (MY2024->)

Modern cars like the GR Yaris, Civic Type R, and others are marketed as “track-capable,” but that doesn’t mean they’re built to endure sustained track abuse lap after lap without significant upgrades. The issue arises when manufacturers, like Toyota with the GR86 offering a track day pass, inadvertently reinforce the misconception that these are race cars. The reality is that too many people conflate “tracking” with “racing,” when they’re night and day.

Tracking involves controlled sessions with moderate demands, while racing pushes a car to its absolute limits, exposing every weakness. Most people I know have never actually raced a car — they’ve tracked them but casually call it ‘racing’ (I’m not sure how strongly this is enforced in other parts of the world, but in the US, if you misuse the word “racing” instead of “tracking,” you will absolutely get torched.) This misunderstanding is critical because these cars, in their stock form, are not equipped to handle true racing conditions. In fact, even extended track use will push them beyond their capabilities, leading to overheating brakes, overstressed diffs, and engines hitting their thermal limits.

These are not race cars, nor are they fully-fledged track cars. They are street cars with a performance edge, capable of a few spirited laps in the hands of an experienced driver before reaching their mechanical limits. To track them reliably — let alone race them — significant upgrades and compromises are essential. Manufacturers should be more transparent about the distinction to set the right expectations.

Social media is full of angry posts from people complaining that their GR or Type R overheated during a track event. They thought they were buying more than a street car. They were wrong.
 
6mt said:
Modern cars like the GR Yaris, Civic Type R, and others are marketed as “track-capable,” but that doesn’t mean they’re built to endure sustained track abuse lap after lap without significant upgrades. The issue arises when manufacturers, like Toyota with the GR86 offering a track day pass, inadvertently reinforce the misconception that these are race cars. The reality is that too many people conflate “tracking” with “racing,” when they’re night and day.

Tracking involves controlled sessions with moderate demands, while racing pushes a car to its absolute limits, exposing every weakness. Most people I know have never actually raced a car — they’ve tracked them but casually call it ‘racing’ (I’m not sure how strongly this is enforced in other parts of the world, but in the US, if you misuse the word “racing” instead of “tracking,” you will absolutely get torched.) This misunderstanding is critical because these cars, in their stock form, are not equipped to handle true racing conditions. In fact, even extended track use will push them beyond their capabilities, leading to overheating brakes, overstressed diffs, and engines hitting their thermal limits.

These are not race cars, nor are they fully-fledged track cars. They are street cars with a performance edge, capable of a few spirited laps in the hands of an experienced driver before reaching their mechanical limits. To track them reliably — let alone race them — significant upgrades and compromises are essential. Manufacturers should be more transparent about the distinction to set the right expectations.

Social media is full of angry posts from people complaining that their GR or Type R overheated during a track event. They thought they were buying more than a street car. They were wrong.
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true. I used to race some years ago more (endurance and sprint races) and wifey called that always "driving a rally". point is that general public and normal car marketing directect to this group in general doesn't usually have a clue what racing/rallying/whatever in essence means. Taking this to extremes, one could buy a Ford Puma and then complain why it cannot do WOT Rally Acropolis Stage in its stock form, as car is commonly used in WRC.
 
6mt said:
Modern cars like the GR Yaris, Civic Type R, and others are marketed as “track-capable,” but that doesn’t mean they’re built to endure sustained track abuse lap after lap without significant upgrades. The issue arises when manufacturers, like Toyota with the GR86 offering a track day pass, inadvertently reinforce the misconception that these are race cars. The reality is that too many people conflate “tracking” with “racing,” when they’re night and day.

Tracking involves controlled sessions with moderate demands, while racing pushes a car to its absolute limits, exposing every weakness. Most people I know have never actually raced a car — they’ve tracked them but casually call it ‘racing’ (I’m not sure how strongly this is enforced in other parts of the world, but in the US, if you misuse the word “racing” instead of “tracking,” you will absolutely get torched.) This misunderstanding is critical because these cars, in their stock form, are not equipped to handle true racing conditions. In fact, even extended track use will push them beyond their capabilities, leading to overheating brakes, overstressed diffs, and engines hitting their thermal limits.

These are not race cars, nor are they fully-fledged track cars. They are street cars with a performance edge, capable of a few spirited laps in the hands of an experienced driver before reaching their mechanical limits. To track them reliably — let alone race them — significant upgrades and compromises are essential. Manufacturers should be more transparent about the distinction to set the right expectations.

Social media is full of angry posts from people complaining that their GR or Type R overheated during a track event. They thought they were buying more than a street car. They were wrong.
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Good post. The distinction is difficult it seems. How much is a few laps and how hard is hard? Expectations are indeed very different to reality.

Even a Porsche GT RS car isn't a racecar and gets track upgrades from those that actually track them, yet at the same time they are very capable if respecting the relative small limitations they have.

Supercars - wow what a subject and what a disappointment if somebody understands some of them are barely track capable.... WTF are they for then ;)

Most performance ICE cars can barely do one Nordschleife lap full tilt. But those that are not in the know would redicule my trackable EV (5 N) that it "only" can do two laps full tilt, as if the ICE car of choice is some endurance race car that can go on forever. Don't think so.... Even tuned cars very often show big issues when they think it's a good idea to give them to youtubers like Misha or Dale for a ring lap. Tyres, brakes, suspension and cooling often are woefully insufficient for even one proper lap even when the owner thought they had upgraded them....

No road car is an actual track car, maybe latest factory GT3 RS MR and a few British kit cars excepted? Can't really think of any Supercar or Hypercar that actually qualifies as fully endurance track capable either.

So in practice, most performance cars you basically push keeping the limit of cooling and tyres in mind for, indeed, a few laps. Or one TF lap on the ring. Have fun, smile, and realise fully track capable production cars are exceedingly rare and pretty compromised road cars most of the time.
 
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Mk2 features in the ECOTY which is out today online and in shops.
6TH TOYOTA GR YARIS

Gallagher and I gave the Gen 2 Yaris its highest scores, placing it joint second and third on our respective scorecards. 'Still brilliant. Still addictive. Still the car that demonstrates rival OEMs aren't being totally honest with you when they say they can't build superminis/hot hatches, said Gallagher. I enjoyed the Yaris's great ride quality, which combined with compact dimensions, terrific agility and a gigglesome amount of shove from the triple made it a riot. It shone in the wet too. Catchpole was also a fan: 'The punchy little engine, wonderfully mechanical gearshift and small, four-square feel of the car underneath you means it has this terrier-like enthusiasm, snapping at apexes and scrabbling so hard on the way through corners that you feel like you'll go through a set of tyres on every journey?

The other two judges were less enamoured. I love so much about the Yaris, said Meaden, 'but I never gelled with it here. I didn't enjoy the engine much and it didn't come alive on the busier, twistier mountain roads' Taylor struggled to find the magic too, complaining of understeer unless you drove it like a rally car. 'It is brilliant, a step on from its predecessor, but I enjoyed driving other cars more?
 
Onehp said:
Good post. The distinction is difficult it seems. How much is a few laps and how hard is hard? Expectations are indeed very different to reality.

Even a Porsche GT RS car isn't a racecar and gets track upgrades but those that actually track them, yet at the same time they are very capable if respecting the relative small limitations they have.

Supercars - wow what a subject and what a disappointment if somebody understands some of them are barely track capable.... WTF are they for then ;)

Most performance ICE cars can barely do one Nordschleife lap full tilt. But those that are not in the know would redicule my trackable EV (5 N) that it "only" can do two laps full tilt, as if the ICE car of choice is some endurance race car that can go on forever. Don't think so.... Even tuned cars very often show big issues when they think it's a good idea to give them to youtubers like Misha or Dale for a ring lap. Tyres, brakes, suspension and cooling often are woefully insufficient for even one proper lap even when the owner though they had upgraded them....

No road car is an actual track car, maybe latest factory GT3 RS MR and a few British kit cars excepted? Can't really think of any Supercar or Hypercar that actually qualifies as fully endurance track capable either.

So in practice, mlst performance cars you basically push keeping the limit of cooling and tyres in mind for, indeed, a few laps. Or one TF lap on the ring. Have fun, smile, and realise fully track capable production cars are exceedingly rare and pretty compromised road cars most of the time.
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supercars are those you should go on track days as you have plenty of eye candy in pits and empty track for your own driving ;)
 
Onehp said:
Supercars - wow what a subject and what a disappointment if somebody understands some of them are barely track capable.... WTF are they for then ;)
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Most of the supercars are actually track capable. Except for some Aston Martins and the "low-end" Ferrari (California/Portofino) I struggle to find supercars that wouldn't be good on a trackday.
 
sandervdw said:
Most of the supercars are actually track capable. Except for some Aston Martins and the "low-end" Ferrari (California/Portofino) I struggle to find supercars that wouldn't be good on a trackday.
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Well most of the time they are more capable then their owners, yes. But extracting 100% of performance for an extended time, it's still similar to other performance cars, track capable but not actual track cars that go around 'with two fingers in their nose' ;)

But you're right, I shouldn't make fun of supercars, which I was. Because I find them mostly silly in the way they are typically used. Object car entusiasts, but not very often driving entusiasts (with the actual car). But exceptions definitely exist, kudos to them, it's a free world, I enjoy seeing them too, the whole phenomenon is fascinating, just not something I aspire to own. Something like that.
 
Onehp said:
Well most of the time they are more capable then their owners, yes. But extracting 100% of performance for an extended time, it's still similar to other performance cars, track capable but not actual track cars that go around 'with two fingers in their nose' ;)

But you're right, I shouldn't make fun of supercars, which I was. Because I find them mostly silly in the way they are typically used. Object car entusiasts, but not very often driving entusiasts (with the actual car). But exceptions definitely exist, kudos to them, it's a free world, I enjoy seeing them too, the whole phenomenon is fascinating, just not something I aspire to own. Something like that.
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I agree that they are almost never used for what they are built for, which is a shame. But they are good if owners would just use them...
But then the same van be said of SUV's :D

The only car i've driven that felt like it would be able to drive all day on track, is a lotus. But that's hardly a Road car anymore.
 
Ecsrobin said:
Mk2 features in the ECOTY which is out today online and in shops.
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A car that show its magic only once you drive it like a rally car?
To me it's the best compliment for a car, and I would expect the same by a Evo reviewer!
What's happening to the Evo magazine I appreciated from the past?

Another "spoiler" about which car won, please?
I'm doing an easy guess... same brand of the 99.9% of past Ecotys?
 
markku said:
A car that show its magic only once you drive it like a rally car?
To me it's the best compliment for a car, and I would expect the same by a Evo reviewer!
What's happening to the Evo magazine I appreciated from the past?

Another "spoiler" about which car won, please?
I'm doing an easy guess... same brand of the 99.9% of past Ecotys?
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Really, great compliment, what does one expect! Also they dismissed the 5N saying nobody would want to drive one for the sake of it. Very wrong, 'redlining' and exceeding grip circle on daily basis and loving it! If it's good to drive it's good, why the driveline bias?

Oh, Guessing CS or the S/T. Probably second and first. And they are good cars too tbh. Would pick the S/T next to a GRY garage, main issue with these, you have to be filthy rich to truly freely enjoy them by driving them as intended, a lot, so for the real cost of devalueating it, the GRY is so much more value for driving tool.

Ok now need to check who won....

Edit: I was right, and I was wrong.
The number two is a surprise and has been a real world favourite for me as in my experience it's the most fun legal speed useable car, and apparently it now has the handling depth it was missing to actually want to own one. I've actually thought of co-owning one with friends, impractical as it is. Maybe we should. And Evo does rise in ranks for picking it as second and moral first. And from the comments, the winner which I predicted right was a harder sell then expected. To own myself, I'd pick the GRY again, suits my roads best...
 
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Anyone know the part number or cost of a new grill hopefully a bit cheaper now it’s 4 piece.

IMG_5046.webp
 
zunsport said:
Sorry if we're jumping on this thread in the middle of a discussion but we are currently looking for a U.K GEN 2 for grille development. If we use your vehicle, you will receive the grilles for FREE! Reply here or email [email protected] for more info!

You can see the grilles we developed for the GEN1 here - https://www.zunsport.com/search.php?search_query_adv=yaris&_bc_fsnf=1&category[]=67&category[]=137
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Ecsrobin said:
Anyone know the part number or cost of a new grill hopefully a bit cheaper now it’s 4 piece.

View attachment 32916
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Ouch. But have you seen the post right on top of yours? Win-win😉
 
Norbi said:
Ouch. But have you seen the post right on top of yours? Win-win😉
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Not really zunsport make metal grills and the mk2 is metal and the only bit that wasn’t damaged is the metal bit. Appreciate it’s a finer mesh so would stop stone chips but not a fan. Plus they’re the other end of the country from me so cheaper to buy a new one.
 
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