Toyota 86 Gravel Racer 2015 Review

It’s apparently inevitable: you wait weeks for an outdoor event to arrive on the calendar, and it buckets down the night before.

That’s the sentiment going through my mind as I awaken to drenching rain; not ideal when you have a date at the Melbourne 4X4 Training & Proving Ground in Werribee, and a just-finished Toyota 86 GT rally car.

My heart skips a beat when host for the day, Australian rallying star Brendan Reeves, calls to say the regular Sunday http://www.rallyschool.com.au/ customer event had been cancelled due to the quagmire conditions. Then, a chance: “We reckon that the breeze will help dry it out, so there’s a chance for you to run in the afternoon without cutting up the track too much.”

The euphoria I felt when this whole shebang first came together returns, but with it comes a fresh level of nervousness ratcheted still-further when ‘Brendo’ says: “It’s going to be slippy!”

Rear-drive fun for everyone
With the 86, there’s no doubt Toyota has achieved its aims with of building an affordable sports car for the masses. Naturally-aspirated, rear-wheel drive, responsive and revvy, it’s in the mould of a BDA-engined Ford Escort but without the massive purchase price… or on-going maintenance costs.

As a result, the 86 dominated the car industry's ‘Under-$80,000’ sports car sales segment in 2014. It’s also sprouted a one-make racing series that is fast going global, won its category in the 2013 Australian Manufacturers’ Championship and formed the basis of an R3 rally car.

And it’s the latter that the 86 we’re about to sample is most closely related to. The best bit? Through RallySchool, you can sit yourself (or a loved one; gift certificates are available) behind the wheel, and grab some expert tuition to boot.

Despite the suggestive stance, roof vent and Braid 15-inch rally wheels, the RallySchool Toyota 86 isn’t extensively modified, proving once more just how entertaining the little coupe can be.

“We changed the exhaust and disabled the vehicle’s stability control systems, as they don’t lend themselves to big skids,” explains RallySchool founder Mick Ryan. “The roof scoop does a couple of things. One, it aids cockpit ventilation and two it helps create positive pressure inside, keeping more dust out of the interior.”

Safety of course is paramount, with appropriate race seats, harnesses, extinguishers and a full roll cage ensuring students and teachers are appropriately protected if something does go wrong.

Another area to come under extensive modification is the suspension system, which includes specifically-built springs and dampers created by Australian suspension guru MCA Suspension. It should ensure the road-based tyres the 86 is on (good for longevity and, again, ‘skids’, without carving up the track) have constant purchase on the tacky surface.

I decide to slot-in alongside Reeves while he familiarises himself with the lithe 86, dwarfed as it is by assorted – and far more friendly-looking – all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza WRX STIs and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. These sit dormant, awaiting the next array of students.

“With any new car on gravel, the first thing you should familiarise yourself with is the brakes. How sensitive are they, what’s their limit on the given surface,” he explains as we commence a go-stop-go routine that wouldn’t look out of place on a learner driver program.

Except it’s not: Reeves’ innate sensitivity and smoothness demonstrate why he rallies for a living, and I just watch (alone on a Friday night, with my WRC pay-TV subscription).

The 86 itself, with all the sound deadening removed, is loud even through helmeted heads, but it’s hyper-alert to Reeves’ inputs, darty almost; thank the short wheelbase, responsive steering and high-compression naturally-aspirated engine for that.

There remains a couple of muddy corners, and the ‘front straight’ has a nice gloopy section at its mid-point, so caution is the over-arching word, especially as it’s now my turn…

It’s immediately obvious that there’s neither the traction or torque of, say, an STI; instead, the 86 on gravel asks for a level of precision and smoothness far beyond that of a turbocharged all-wheel drive car, which can hide a multitude of driver errors.

My senses are soaked by the constant need to keep on top of the Toyota as it writhes and wriggles on the mud, locking up brakes, especially at the rear, sliding away momentum and generally punishing my lack of ability.

“Look up the road, Davis!” I chastise myself, knowing it’s the key to smoothness and positioning, but constantly failing to follow through.

Even driving in a straight line, when one rear wheel finds a smidge of drier gravel and the other is in mud, the standard Torsen limited-slip differential appears to fight itself, slurring the car side-to-side despite my requests for tracking true.

On top of this, Reeves sits alongside, occasionally uttering words of wisdom that I try to take in. His hand signals are welcome, mimicking upshifts and offering thumbs-up when it goes OK, but being very specific with words when you require work: “Throttle!” “Brakes!” “Vision!”.

One thing that stands out is the way the 86 handles bumps on its MCA suspension; it’s clear the bespoke system is worth the cost. Ruts are smashed into submission, leaving you to concentrate on the instructions and understand just how sensitive you need to be on gravel to manage grip as the engine flares in response to the slightest throttle prod, the chassis to every steering touch.

We pause to collect thoughts. Brendo: “It’s drying up out there, but still pretty muddy. The car’s really good right out of the box, and it rewards smoothness. But really, who wants to punt a rear-wheel drive car without going sideways?".

The next passenger ride is a masterclass in car control, Brendo using less steering and more throttle as familiarity grows. Left-foot braking adds both speed and control, Reeves maximising the car’s inherent agility through small and smooth modulations of middle and right pedals.

There’s also a more regular ‘Scandinavian flick’ into the slower corners, and more elaborate angles emerging from the rear, the faces of both passenger and driver lighting up with laughter.

For my next run, I try to mimic these attributes. Well, those that pertain to braking and smooth inputs...

Who am I kidding? Now the surface is kicking up dust, and there’s a third-gear, off-camber left with a nice amount of run-off ahead. Set the 86 into the left with a nudge more steering than necessary and the rear floats over the camber, accentuating the drift.

Even though I’m now alone in the cockpit, I hear Brendo shout “Throttle!”. The nose darts further to the inside, hitting the apex (huzzah!) before everything smooths out and a down-change into second for the next, tighter left. That hyper-active front-end is there to exploit, but discretion is more prudent with a large rock to the outside.

Down the straight, the engine happily pulling over 7000rpm and still spinning the wheels, then it’s a long, banked left. Use the banking as part of your braking, I turn in and get straight on the power. The 86 sings, drifting through the corner to come out on a balanced exit. It’s at that moment that it all clicks: If there’s a more addictive automotive drug than mastering this 86, I’m yet to find it.

2014 Toyota 86 RallySchool specifications:
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 147kW/205Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Drive: Rear-wheel
Wheels/tyres: 15x6.0-inch, 205/60 R15
Brakes: Vented discs (f); discs (r)

More info at http://www.rallyschool.com.au/