Can a 1980 Toyota Corolla take on a modern Porsche GT3 Cup car in a fastest lap timed racing series? The first episode in Hoonigan’s Rally Speedrun Championship series featured Jeff Zwart in a 450 hp Porsche GT3 Cup car.
In Episode 2, however, drift racer Faruk Kugay showed up to challenge Zwart’s fastest lap time and the course with a 1980 Toyota Corolla TE72.
A 1980 Toyota Corolla rally car
This second episode of the Rally Speedrun Championship, streamed on the Hoonigan YouTube channel, struck closer to a theme associated with the Hooligan’s flat track motorcycle racing motto, “Run what ya bring.”
Granted, the Toyota was a rally club car, upfitted with racing gear and stripped of every nonessential item. However, the rear-wheel-drive, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder 130 hp Corolla, with a manual transmission, shouldn’t pose much competition for the Porsche.
To make matters worse, the Toyota’s gear shift lever came loose during a practice run.
The final numbers tell the tale
Kugay’s skill as a drift driver came in handy during his timed runs, but deep sand and loose gravel challenged the Toyota’s drivetrain. From the laughing and hollering in the car and from the track personnel during the race, the success of the run wasn’t measured solely in split times.
As one of the trackside personnel said of the Corolla during an early practice lap, “Toyota power baby, it’s not fast, but it’s probably fun as hell, dude.”
One of the series’ features is measuring driver biometrics, and on that score, Kugay’s 151 beats per minute heart rate topped Zwart’s 134 bpm.
