Professional racers typically begin by racing smaller versions of full-size vehicles. There’s a small Supra that can get some kids ready for NHRA futures.
The National Hot Rod Association is the governing arm of Funny Car drag racing and is one of the most intense racing series in the world. Before any racing can get behind the wheel of an 11,000-horsepower funny car, they need to have a lot of experience behind the wheel of other cars. Some of these include smaller versions of the drag racing cars.
What is the little car in question?
No, Toyota didn’t shrink one of its most popular sports cars in the world. The Supra that can fit smaller drivers is specifically meant to allow youngsters to prepare for driving in NHRA races later in life. Although it wears the Supra name, this little car is the result of a collaboration between Toyota, NHRA, Half Scale, and Antron Brown. Brown is the three-time Top Fuel champion and this collaboration is a great way to get a new category of junior racing started. This new category of the Junior Drag Racing League helps kids get used to racing funny cars.
The car is small on purpose
The new small Supra is small enough to fit in the bed of a Toyota Tundra. Considering the collaboration is with Toyota, this size makes perfect sense. The wheelbase and width make this a small car that’s easy for parents to transport it from one race venue to another. If you’re looking for a great way to get your kids involved in racing, this is the way you can make that happen and offer the kids and easy way to have a lot of fun.
This isn’t the first drag racer for youth racing
Many current professional drag racers got their start in the junior class. That said, most entrant vehicles required trailers to bring them to the track. This meant extra equipment for families to haul around and added costs. This new collaboration offers shorter cars that fit in the back of a pickup truck to make transporting these cars much easier than before. These new, smaller junior dragsters also ensure racers have a new vehicle class and size that can be perfect for racing development and much easier transportation from track to track.
The engine is in a different location
The new small Supra has an engine mounted behind the driver, which is distinctly different from the full-size Funny Car. Currently, there isn’t a spec engine for this little car, but Half Scale has several options for racing participants to choose the desired engine and power level. These smaller racers have the hoop above the cockpit for rollover protection and a wheelie bar in the rear. This give them a car that’s similar to the Funny Car, but still a bit different in its overall setup and application.
Why use the Supra name?
The Toyota Supra is one of the most iconic sports cars in the world and it has finally returned as the product of a collaboration between Toyota and BMW. This sports car delivers the performance, speed, power, and driving manners that we love and admire on and off the track. When you think about it, the only other car that would make sense as a name on the new small funny car is the GR86. The Supra name sounds better and has a heritage feel to it, making this car the one that we love to see and admire.
This new small Supra comes to the NHRA competition series for junior racers to get their start. Although this new series isn’t up and running yet, we might find some racers telling us this is how they got their start 15-20 years from now. This new small racing machine could make it more affordable and convenient for more families to enter NHRA racing activities and enjoy the fun and active driving offered by these new racing machines.
Now that Toyota has helped develop this small car that’s idea for young drivers to learn the sport of drag racing, will other automakers join the mix? Could we see the same brands on the NHRA junior funny cars that we see on the NASCAR tracks every week? Once this new racing series is up and running we might see other brands enter the mix with their own truck-bed sized cars.
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