TOYOTA

The new Toyota Corolla Cross was presented and will compete in the Stock Car Pro Series championship next year in Brazil

This week, the new Toyota Corolla Cross that will compete in the Stock Car Pro Series championship next year was revealed with its final body. Built on the Audace SNG01 platform, the SUV was shown to the engineering teams and executives of Toyota GAZOO Racing at Audacetech, the technology arm of the Veloci Group, which controls Vicar, the company that promotes Stock Car. The model will accelerate in the category in 2025, inaugurating a new era in the competition.

The history of Toyota GAZOO Racing in Stock Car began in 2020, when the current Toyota Corolla debuted on the category's grid. The history of Toyota GAZOO Racing in Stock Car began in 2020, when the current Toyota Corolla debuted on the category's grid. And since then, it has been writing a history of achievements over the first five years of competition, with 106 races, 49 victories, 27 pole positions, 37 fastest laps and 141 podiums.

“With this approval, the Corolla Cross Stock Car is now ready to inaugurate a new era in the category. It is a moment of evolution in Stock Car, which has developed a project equipped with a lot of technology geared towards competition. We are very happy to be part of this new chapter in Brazilian motorsports”, says Daniel Grespan, leader of the Toyota GAZOO Racing project in Brazil.

Manufactured by Magna Compósitos, the composite bodywork includes carbon fiber, aramid, fiberglass and kevlar. The new Corolla Cross Stock Car is lighter, more agile, stable and technological than previous cars in the category, ending the era of sedans.

The aggressive profile of the racing version of Toyota's SUV is striking, whose sporty appearance was greatly accentuated by the presence of the extractor and the large adjustable wing at the rear. New air intakes for the brakes and engine, including on the hood, reinforce the look of this project designed for the track and the result of an intense testing program at several racetracks in Brazil.

The engine is now turbocharged and has a 2.1-liter capacity with approximately 500 hp of power, using Podium gasoline. The British XTrac racing transmission is sequential and semi-automatic, with 6 speeds, and is one of the highlights, alongside the connectivity provided by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G system, with sensors for several of the car's functions.

With adjustable shock absorbers imported from Penske Racing, the suspension is independent on all four wheels, equipped with overlapping triangles ('double A') and a pushrod system. The set of wheels developed in Brazil by Mangels hides the HipperFreios ventilated discs, Cobreq pads (both designed specifically for Stock Car) and racing calipers from the British AP Racing, operated by six pistons at the front and four at the rear.

The cockpit has a monitor and dashboard equipped with dozens of new functions, in addition to a new 360-degree internal camera that will soon be used during broadcasts of Stock Car Pro Series races, and also by an exclusive app that will be launched by the category.

“The Corolla Cross is very interesting for those who enjoy motorsports. It is a great addition to the grid”, says Fernando Julianelli, CEO of Vicar. “From our point of view, the great challenge in this new era is to maintain, or even improve, the competitiveness level of Stock Car. Few categories in the world can get practically the entire grid to the finish line in less than a second. On some occasions, we do it in less than half a second. It is an ambitious goal, but I am sure that we will exceed expectations”, adds Julianelli.

“We are now presenting the Toyota Corolla Cross Stock Car with the philosophy of giving drivers and teams an extremely competitive, very agile, safe and aggressive car”, observes Enzo Bortoleto, CEO of Audacetech. “It is the result of the use of cutting-edge technology created by companies that are leaders in their segments. We are proud of the results our engineers are achieving”, highlights Bortoleto.

Autonews