Toyo Tires and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) announced the creation of the Toyo Tires GT Challenge. This new class features equally prepared Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport and GT4 Clubsport MR race cars competing on 18-inch Toyo Proxes RR DOT competition tires. The inaugural race will take place during the 2017 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance.

The new GT Challenge class is the first spec tire program in the 15-year history of the 25 Hours, the longest endurance race in North America. The Toyo Proxes RR delivers teams impressive performance throughout the life of the tire plus longevity, a combination racers know is difficult to achieve. In addition, the class is supported by a lucrative contingency program where the winning team of this class will receive a $5,000 cash reward from Toyo Tires, the official tire of NASA.

The inaugural running of the new GT Challenge class will pit evenly-matched race-ready Porsches against one-another creating a ‘race within a race.’ The 2017 race will set the stage for the 2018 NASA 25 Hours when NASA plans to expand the class to include many other manufacturers.

“With the growing popularity of manufacturer supported GT racing in the United States, we wanted to work with our great partners at Toyo Tires to create something new in the endurance racing world that those racers could take advantage of,” said Jeremy Croiset, NASA Director of Business Development. “Spec class racing is seeing significant growth and we wanted to provide a competitive home for these fantastic race cars in what has become the country’s preeminent Pro-Am endurance race.”

“We couldn’t be more excited about the Toyo Tires GT Challenge being added for the 2017 running of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill,” said Marc Sanzenbacher, senior manager, motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “The race-proven Proxes RR will provide competitors with fast, consistent laps times throughout this grueling 25 Hours event, while maintaining the even level of competition that only a spec class can enjoy. We look forward to seeing some of the closest racing the event has seen in recent years and eagerly await the future growth and excitement this class will provide.”

To learn more about the Toyo Proxes RR DOT competition tire, go to https://www.toyotires.com/tire/pattern/proxes-rr-dot-competition-tires. To learn more about the NASA 25 Hours, go to https://nasa25hour.com/.

Tagged: GT challenge

Toyo Tires, National Auto Sport Association launches GT Challenge