It was always a given that a racetrack version of the Toyota 86 would be developed – the only real surprise is how quickly it has happened.

It was only back in August last year that the little rear-driven two-door sportscar, with its 147 kW horizontally-opposed engine and perfect 50:50 weight balance, was launched in New Zealand.

At that launch event the motoring media spent a day driving around the Waikato countryside, followed by some hot laps at Hampton Downs with Aussie motorsport ace Neal Bates behind the wheel.

We all went away hugely impressed, and I think we all agreed that the 86 would make a magnificent race car.

I, for one, wrote: “This is a car for enthusiasts, and I can see it not being long before the 86 appears on the country’s racetracks, providing those behind the wheel with loads of fun.”

Well, now the fun is about to happen.

Toyota Racing, the motorsport offshoot of Toyota New Zealand, has created what is officially known as the Toyota Finance 86 Series which has been given full championship status by Motorsport New Zealand, and it will debut next month with the opening round at Highlands Park in Cromwell.

Already 20 of the TR 86 cars have been built at Toyota Racing’s workshop in Auckland, and most have been sold to enthusiasts and race teams happy to hand over the $89,700 asking price for the race-ready coupes.

What Toyota Racing is doing is taking the entry-level 86 RC (Race Competition) model that can be purchased over the internet for $33,986, and giving it the motorsport works.

The car is being fitted with an FIA-approved six-point rollcage, a different dash with a MoTec colour display and data logger, Sparco touring car race seat, and a race steering wheel.

It also gets a specially-tuned adjustable suspension, performance exhaust system, a custom racing brake package, and two sets of 18-inch Speedline motorsport wheels fitted with Michelin slick tyres.

Last Thursday was a big day for the new one-make series, when representatives of some of the race teams involved were formally presented with their race cars and given track time on the Manfeild circuit in Manawatu.

Also at the event were members of the 86 BRZ Owners Club, an enthusiasts’ club formed by owners of the Toyota 86 and its Subaru equivalent, the BRZ.

This club obviously isn’t very old, but already it boasts a membership of almost 100 – which is pretty good, considering that 350 of the Toyotas have been sold so far. At Manfeild, the club members were the ones with the broadest smiles, not only because they were so enthusiastic about their own cars, but also because they were offered hot laps in a TR 86.

Members such as Wellingtonian Paul Pettit and Peter Sullivan of Palmerston North, who between them own the first and fourth TRD 86 models built in this country – Peter is such an enthusiast he’s purchased a second 86, so he can have one for the track and the other for the road.

Paul Pettit, whose previous car was a Nissan 200SX, is a big fan of the 86.

“It’s fantastic. Not only do I drive it to and from work, but it is so reliable I can drive it to track days at places such as Manfeild, tear around the circuit, and then drive it home again.”

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In fact he’s so enthusiastic that he’s taken to leaving cards on the windscreens of every Toyota 86 he sees, inviting their owners to join the 86 BRZ Owners Club.

As the Manfeild attendees munched their lunch, Toyota NZ executive Neeraj Lala said his company is thrilled the TR 86 Series is happening so soon, because it underlines the fact that the 86 has brought fun back into motoring.

“The car has re-ignited the old tradition of rear-wheel drive action – that’s why enthusiasts have already set up their own club, and why we are now about to have a one-make race series,” he said.

“But it was only a matter of time before a full-blown race car was developed. This race series is going to be all about everyday passionate Kiwis enjoying themselves.”

And then it was my time to do some enjoying.

First assignment was to do a few laps in an 86 RC as an entree prior to the main course of the TR 86 race car.

This is an interesting model in itself, because it is an 86 with six- speed manual that has been stripped right back to its essentials so buyers can then customise to their hearts’ content. I belted round the Manfeild circuit in the media car, thoroughly enjoying once again the experience of punting a lightweight rear-wheel drive car with 50:50 weight balance.

But it didn’t compare with the TR 86.

After clambering through the rollcage, settling into the race seat, adjusting the race helmet, assembling and tightening the five-point racing harness, then fitting the steering wheel, it was time to start up and head away.

First thing I noticed – almost immediately, to the extent I almost spun out – was how slippery the slicks were while the tyres were cold. But once they warmed up they offered massive amounts of grip, and they combined with the car’s big brakes to provide great cornering performance.

The few laps were sheer fun. Rowing through the gears to get the revs up to 7500 rpm which was when lights started flashing to warn of potential over-revving, standing on the brakes prior to cornering, changing down the gears and then accelerating out the exit lines.

It’s not as if the TR 86 is a particularly fast car, but it is exhilarating to drive and will quite obviously be very enjoyable to race – at Manfeild last week you could tell that the racers can’t wait, because during their track time they were already beginning to get competitive.

And, as enthusiast Paul Pettit said, the race cars vividly illustrated just what any of the Toyota 86 cars can be capable of. They’re fairly fast, furious, and loads of fun.