GT5 Transcripts/Toyota SUPERAUTOBACS APEX MR-S (JGTC) '00

The second-generation MR2, called in-house as the SW20, wasn't just a popular road car; it made for an impressive race machine as well.
The car performed especially well in the GT300 class of the JGTC (All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship), winning dozens of races, and when its reign ended in 1999 (at the same time production of the road car ended), Toyota appointed the all-new MR2 Spyder (MR-S in Japan) as the SW20's successor.
The new race car was designed by TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and developed by Apex Racing; it surpassed the performance of its predecessor in every way. With a longer wheelbase (by 1.9 inches) and shorter overall length (by 10.8 inches), the MR2 Spyder was more agile and, thanks to newfound lightness, quicker in a straight line. It utilized the same 3S-GTE engine as the SW20, as well as a number of chassis components that included the front and rear strut suspension that featured a modified pushrod setup allowing easier ride height adjustment.
With Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi doing the driving, Toyota entered the 2000 race season with high hopes for the new race machine; however, handling issues and lack of speed on the straights put its championship hopes in jeopardy. Toyota entered a revised version of the MR2 Spyder mid-season, which seemed to cure all the previous car's ailments. The car soon won its first race and, in 2002, the driving team of Nitta and Takagi took the driver's title behind the MR2 Spyder's wheel.
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