{"id":460393,"date":"2026-06-04T09:42:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T09:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/460393\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T09:42:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T09:42:25","slug":"supercars-news-how-toyota-supras-fast-start-stacks-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/460393\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercars news: How Toyota Supra’s fast start stacks up"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"How
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNissan, Toyota and Volvo Supercars. Images: Supplied, InSyde Media and Ross Gibb.<\/p>\n

So how does the Supra\u2019s scoreboard compare to those of the new players that came and went during the Car of the Future era? And what has made the difference?<\/p>\n

Toyota has ticked off key on-track milestones in rapid fire, taking just five races to score its first podium and nine to clinch a pole position and race win.<\/p>\n

All three were achieved by Walkinshaw TWG Racing and its young Kiwi star Ryan Wood, who has largely led the way for the marque.<\/p>\n

Of the Nissan Altima (Kelly Racing), Mercedes-AMG E63 (Erebus Motorsport) and Volvo S60 (Garry Rogers Motorsport) entries under COTF, only the latter\u2019s statistics come close.<\/p>\n

Another emerging Kiwi star, Scott McLaughlin, put the Swedish brand on the podium just two races into its debut 2014 season, doing so with his infamous \u201cgive it some jandal\u201d effort in Adelaide.<\/p>\n

It took McLaughlin nine races to score Volvo\u2019s first pole and 14 to chalk up a championship race win (or seven races if you include a non-championship triumph at Albert Park).<\/p>\n

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The Toyota and Volvo numbers are in huge contrast to that of 2013 debutants Nissan and Mercedes, which faced far longer waits for their breakthroughs.<\/p>\n

For both, a first victory was also their first podium \u2013 Nissan in its 25th race through James Moffat and Mercedes with Lee Holdsworth in the E63\u2019s 44th race.<\/p>\n

It took Nissan 61 attempts to score pole for a championship race, while Mercedes put its only pole on the board ahead of start 72.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nissan\u2019s first win was also a 1-2. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n

The most startling statistic, though, is the fact Toyota rocketed to three race wins in just 15 starts. It took Volvo 33 races to achieve that feat and Nissan a whopping 178.<\/p>\n

Nissan\u2019s third win (achieved in 2018, just days after news the program was to end) was also the last of its seven-year stint, while Mercedes didn\u2019t get beyond two wins.<\/p>\n

Those numbers are the most telling of the COTF manufacturer story.<\/p>\n

The Kelly Nissan and Erebus Mercedes hit the track behind the eight-ball at the start of a new ruleset and never became consistent winners.<\/p>\n

Arriving a year later, the GRM Volvo leapt out of the blocks and then faced stricter Supercars processes designed to pull it back.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to today and the landscape Toyota has faced is very different.<\/p>\n

Supercars\u2019 parity efforts continue to be criticised but are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were at the start of the Gen3 era in 2023, let alone 2013.<\/p>\n

The fact that the Gen3 platform\u2019s control components have left the engine and bodywork as the only mechanical differences between cars is meanwhile a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s greatly reduced the performance gaps between teams but also placed a much bigger spotlight on any minute parity discrepancies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lee Holdsworth at Winton in 2014. Image: Ross Gibb \/ Speedcafe Archive<\/p>\n

Worth noting too is that Toyota broke the mould by entering with two teams, including a homologation team in Walkinshaw which won the drivers\u2019 championship last season.<\/p>\n

Kelly Racing and Erebus (then Stone Brothers) had not won a race in the year before introducing Nissan and Mercedes, while GRM won just twice in its final pre-Volvo season.<\/p>\n

Whether the lack of Nissan and Mercedes success was down to Supercars not ensuring technical parity or to the sporting performance of the teams remains up for debate.<\/p>\n

Regardless, Supercars\u2019 motorsport boss Tim Edwards said various factors add up to why the Toyota has been instantly competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say \u2018new manufacturers came in the past and they were off the pace\u2019, but we\u2019re not in that era now,\u201d Edwards told Speedcafe at Symmons Plains.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we\u2019ve been to the Windshear wind tunnel and all that sort of stuff, you\u2019ve given them similar downforce and drag, you\u2019ve given them a similar output of the engine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey already understood the suspension. That\u2019s what they had in their car last year. So why wouldn\u2019t they be performing much like they did last year?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Scott McLaughlin scored Volvo\u2019s first podium in its second start. Image: Ross Gibb \/ Speedcafe Archive<\/p>\n

Toyota project architect Neil Crompton admits to being more than a bit relieved as to the Supra\u2019s early success and is among those spruiking it as a triumph for the category.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt confirms the system works,\u201d Crompton told Fox Sports at Symmons Plains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s designed to provide an opportunity to succeed. You can\u2019t guarantee success but you can provide the opportunity for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cToyota has built an engine and a shape that fits inside those guidelines, so in all logic you should be able to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naturally, Toyota\u2019s early success is also drawing concern from rival manufacturers and teams.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s in part due to the results coming amid an acknowledged \u201chole\u201d in the power delivery of the Toyota engine<\/a> that cannot be fixed with mapping tweaks.<\/p>\n

Symmons Plains is essentially a power circuit and perhaps a surprising location for the marque to chalk up a pair of poles and wins.<\/p>\n

The close nature of the category was underlined by the fact Toyota\u2019s performance relative to the field took a sharp U-turn from Saturday to Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe known hole that they\u2019ve got, which everybody\u2019s aware of, is actually not in an area that really hurts you too much at this track,\u201d cautioned Edwards in Tasmania.<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent tracks, you\u2019re in different RPM ranges, so it can help or hurt you. This one, it\u2019s obviously not an area where they\u2019re in that particular range very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Toyota is in the thick of the V8 battle. Image: InSyde Media<\/p>\n

Toyota and Walkinshaw have said that addressing the power deficit is on the back burner while they work on a reliability fix following multiple failures early in the campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not performance,\u201d insisted Crompton of the development path.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re going to bolt on 50 horsepower and do wheel stands on the back straight. That\u2019s not going to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we need to make sure is that the engine is reliable and that we get the fuel efficiency right with the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very, very early days at the moment. I don\u2019t expect an easy road ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crompton said the focus for both Walkinshaw and Brad Jones Racing is on attention to detail, noting that success in the modern era of Supercars is \u201cthe sum of 10,000 parts\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happened in the last five, 10, 15 years is that the window has continued to narrow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can no longer out-widget everybody. You can no longer build front upright \u2018Mk 27\u2019 and go and disappear down the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you have to do is focus on the really small detail and try and add the sum together. That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n


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