Tsukba Circuit, North of Tokyo, December 2022: The proud 'NHK World Samurai Wheels x Gran Turismo' team fought hard, long and heroically in the Mazda MX-5 Media 4-Hour Endurance Race - to finish in 2nd place (after starting from P2 on the 23-car grid). The star drivers were F1 and Le Mans racing legend/Best Cars of the Year (Best COTY) judge Ukyo Katayama; fellow senior Best COTY judge, Peter Lyon (both pictured together here); plus former Gran Turismo national champion Kazuki Yamada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el0F423nR8E

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Toyota has taken the ho-hum Corolla, dropped it onto a rally-bred platform, injected a 300 hp powertrain and 4WD, and launched the brand-redefining GR Corolla. Packing a tweaked version of the 1.6-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine and 6-speed manual from the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla promises performance and handling that will rival the Subaru WRX STI, Golf R and Mercedes AMG A45, Ford Focus RS and even Mitsubishi’s discontinued Evo. Priced at just under $40,000 in the U.S., the GR Corolla will jump from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds.

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