The new Toyota GR GT3 will make its competition debut in Japan next month ahead of a wider rollout in 2027.
Rookie Racing, a team owned by Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, will enter the Japanese marque’s next-generation GT3 car at the SUPER GT finale at Motegi on 7-8 November.
The GR GT3 will replace the squad’s regular #32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT3 division and will compete as an ‘open’ entry, making it ineligible for points. Two-time Super Formula champion Hiroaki Ishiura and 19-year-old Tokiya Suzuki have been named as its drivers for the double header.
The car will run on Bridgestone tyres, despite Dunlop being selected as the sole supplier for the GT300 class next year when SUPER GT’s long-running tyre comes to an end.
Toyota has been developing a GT3 contender under its own brand name for several years, having first shown an early preview of the car at the Tokyo Auto Salon back in 2022.
In July 2025, the GR GT3 made its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with Haas Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon driving it up the famous hillclimb. The Japanese manufacturer brought the car back to Goodwood this year, with its World Rally Championship driver Elfyn Evans among those taking it for a spin.
Esteban Ocon, TOYOTA GT Concept
Photo by: James Sutton / LAT Images via Getty Images
Toyota had been mulling over entering the car at selected races in 2026, with the Nurburgring 24 Hours initially viewed as the ideal race for the car’s competition debut. However, that plan did not materialise, but the Japanese marque remained keen on giving its new GT3 racer an outing before the end of the year.
The GR GT3 will be made available to customers starting next year, when it will replace the ageing Lexus RC F GT3. While manufacturers typically limit the availability of new GT3 cars to select teams in the first season, the GR GT3 will certainly race in the World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 division in the hands of the ASP team.
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