Last week I got you up close and personal with the 2024 Toyota GR Supra 45th Anniversary Edition, 2024 Toyota GR86 TRUENO Edition, and 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition. This week, I drove them on track and want to tell you all about how it went.
The Location
Toyota Gazoo Racing invited me out to Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The weekend was the same weekend that Formula Drift’s NJ round was taking place on the drift course of the track property. My track drives were going to take place on the road course.
The Cars
After meeting up with the Toyota Gazoo Racing crew, I immediately hopped behind the wheel to get a feel for the vehicles in a performance setting.
Of the trio, I started behind the wheel of the 2024 Toyota GR Supra 45th Anniversary Edition. I have had plenty of time behind the wheel of the new Mark V GR Supra since it came back in 2020. All of my prior experience with the Mark V Supra was in automatic cars, so this was going to be a new animal to tame as it was the manual transmission variant. In fact, all three were manual transmission vehicles, but the GR Supra and GR86 do come with automatic transmission options.
Getting behind the wheel of the GR Supra was like it all came back to me. Throwing the Supra around the track I couldn’t help, but try to sling the rear end out around some of the hairpins the Toyota Gazoo Racing crew made on the track.
I am not going to pretend I felt any difference with that big wing sitting on the rear. I was probably hitting 70-90 miles per hour on the straightest bit of our course and it felt like a normal Supra to me, as if that is a bad thing. The thing does look badass on the rear nonetheless and is adjustable so maybe a more aggressive angle will make a more noticeable change.
After the GR Supra, I hopped into the 2024 Toyota GR86 TRUENO Edition.
While much of the TRUENO Edition is an appearance package homage to the past it did feature the new Performance Package, which is standard on the TRUENO Edition. That package gives it SACHS dampers and a Brembo brake package.
While taking it out on track, I think the dampers were helping eat up the rather rough decaying track rather well. I took a regular GR86 out for a sight lap before hopping in the Supra and while I am still pondering just how much different the Performance Package feels. There is a difference and you will only feel it going from one without to another with the package.
The GR Supra and GR86 were completely new trim levels and while the 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition was the same trim from last year it did get some extra love for 2024 and it was my first time behind the wheel.
Behind the wheel of the GR Corolla, the level of grip is instantly apparent considering the other two GR machines send their power exclusively to the rear wheels and in the Corolla, it gets sprinkled to the front and rear via Torsen limit-slip differentials.
While the Corolla wasn’t my favorite to drive on the track, hat tip to the Supra, I just love how serious it takes being a performance vehicle. The forged carbon-fiber roof, and functional hood vents, all help it look much angrier than the other two.
If I had to recommend which one of these would get my money? It would have to be the Supra. However, after driving the trio, my day was not over…
Ride Along in the 2024 Toyota GR Supra 45th Anniversary Edition
While playing with the 2024 Toyota GR fleet is fun, a highlight was having mult-time Formula Drift champion Fredric Aasbo take me on a ride along while he drifted the 2024 Toyota GR Supra 45th Anniversary Edition around the track for a few laps. Fun fact, Aasbo taught me how to drift last year in a GR86 over on the Englishtown drift track during a media event.
Sure, I had fun during my laps, but having a PRO drifter take you to the edge of the vehicle’s oversteer performance makes it all just that much better.
For more of his automotive exploits, you can follow Danny on Instagram @DKorecki and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
