Dynojet's entry in the 2011 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is set to be an all-Toyota package, the team confirming that their two cars will be powered by NGTC engines two litre turbocharged engines derived from the road-going Avensis.
Development of the 3ZR engine is currently being funded by Toyota and is in progress at Northamptonshire firm X CTech R. The ambition is that the turbocharger, and other racing adaptation, will increase the power output from the 140hp the engine produces in the road car to over 300hp.
“The decision to fund the development of a new Toyota BTCC engine is a direct response to requests we received from privateer teams and drivers wanting to race the NGTC Avensis,” says Scott Brownlee, chief of Toyota GB's PR. “We are delighted to be supporting the Dynojet Racing Team in this way and hope very much that even though theirs is not a 'works' entry, it will help return the Toyota name to the forefront of the BTCC.”
“The Avensis has been designed to the 'Next Generation Touring Car' rules, which means we could have opted for the stock TOCA engine,” says Dynojet team chief Frank Wrathall Sr. “However we were enormously impressed by the plans put forward by X CTech R and felt that this was the right way for us to go, not least because it means our Avensis will be 100 per cent Toyota.”
“The Toyota 3ZR engine is a lightweight, compact package which we have optimised to ensure delivery of the required performance and durability,” explains X CTech R technical director Mark Faulkner. “This is an exciting programme and will allow us to showcase our experience with turbocharged touring car engines.”
The team also unveiled the latest image of how the car, which will be driven by Frank Wrathall Jr., will look when it appears on the series' grid.
The 24-year-old says “All the elements are in place for it to be very competitive indeed and I'm excited to go behind the wheel for the first time and get a feel for the Avensis, which will be the first front-drive car I have raced.”
The first round of the 2011 season is at Brands Hatch on April 3.
