Race car is probably the last thing on anyone’s mind when the Toyota Tamaraw is mentioned. It’s a pickup with utility in mind, not speed or high-performance driving. Besides, just look at it.
But don’t tell that to the folks at Toyota Gazoo Racing Thailand. If anything, don’t tell that to any Thai racing driver.
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Over there, there is a racing series called the Thailand Super Pickup. It’s part of a whole motorsport program called the Thailand Super Series. For Super Pickup, you can see highly modified versions of Southeast Asia’s most popular pickups going wheel to wheel. This season, Toyota is running both the Hilux (through some privateers) and Tamaraw (called the Hilux Champ in Thailand) in the championship.
The Toyota Tamaraw race truck is a factory backed effort by Gazoo Racing Thailand. It’s tuned to the maximum that the sport’s regulation’s allow, meaning that there’s a lot of goodies under the hood and chassis. The Tamaraw used is the long-wheelbase version, likely for stability reasons.
Gazoo Racing Thailand isn’t mentioning all the mods it applied to the Tamaraw/Hilux Champ racer. However, it’s worth pointing out that it uses the 2.4-liter turbodiesel as the starting point of the powertrain. We see a massive intercooler at the front, suggesting a fair boost in power over the standard model.
It’s not the most aerodynamic thing on the planet, but Gazoo Racing Thailand made some effort to at least make it slice through the air easier. The lowered ride height thanks to the bespoke racing suspension is a start. Then there’s the (somewhat) rounded off bumpers and front splitter to give it more downforce at the front. There’s even a sizable wing mounted on the tailgate for good measure.
The Hilux Champ race truck is one of the many entries that Toyota Gazoo Racing Thailand has in its arsenal. They also race the Yaris hatchback and Corolla Altis, as well as the Hilux in the Asia Cross Country Rally. They’ve even gone to the Nurburgring 24 hours to race a Corolla Altis Hybrid, of all things, and it also runs the Supra in the Thailand Super Series’ top class.
Locally, we’re glad Toyota takes the extra effort in keeping motorsports alive here. That said, we’d like a few more championships with a wider variety of cars. How about a Wigo autocross series or a Tamaraw rallycross league? Wishful thinking, yes, but maybe Toyota Motor Philippines can some something about it.
