Due to the MR2s mid-engined design and overall sporty nature, the MKI is a great car with which to race in. It is currently raced by many in its everyday stock or slightly modified form all over the US, as many owners will take the car to their local autocross to compete. On the other end of the scale however, the MR2 can be raced in SCCA IT series racing, where in a highly modified sate, it is classed as an ITA car. These ITA MKIs are truly the ultimate form of the MR2, as every aspect of performance is taken to the max. 

When the car was first introduced in 1985, it was an instant race sensation.  One make series were started in both the UK and the US, and the car was also campaigned in the IMSA sanctioned Firehawk showroom stock series.  This was a support series for the full fledged IMSA Sports Car series.  The Mr2 was the car of choice for many of the competitors, and a Mr2 won the series in its first year. 

The MKI will also make a great rally car. It has been, and is still currently used in different Rally series in both the US and in Japan. These too are quite extreme cars, as they are stripped of their interiors, and have heavy duty racing modifications made. If you ask me, it doesn't get much better than a perfect slide around a dirt corner, rear wheels spinning, with the 4A-GE at 7000+ rpms.

The wicked 600HP Group S Mr2

Toyota Team Europe (TTE) also felt this way about the Mr2's potential as a rally winner and as a result created the most fearsome MKI Mr2 ever created.  At the time of the Mr2s introduction, Group B rallying was a huge success in international rallying with many manufactures churning out 600+ HP AWD rally monsters in an all out bid for the FIA championship.  In addition to these cars, a new proposed Group S category was created that was to be inaugurated in 1988.  It was for this class that the Group S Mr2 rally car was built.  A ground up development was started and with 600+Hp and AWD, the car resembled the Mr2 in appearance only.  Nevertheless it was still a great site to behold, and something to be proud of as an Mr2 owner. 

There were three produced, one with the engine mounted transversely with RWD, and two with the engine mounted longitudinally.  One of these was RWD while the other was AWD using a custom gearbox manufactured by Xtrac.  Both were not true Group S cars however, as the Group S rules limited engine capacity to 1.2L.  Instead they were a sort of hybrid Group B / Group S cars.  One was designed for tarmac rallies, while the other was suited to gravel rallies.  Only one of these cars has survived to the present day, as two of them were destroyed in testing.

All three motors were turbocharged, and had a displacement of 2.0 L. While not known for sure, I am guessing that this could have been the either 4T-GT as used in the celica rally car preceding it, or it possibly could have been the famous 503E used in the GTP cars.  Unfortunately this car was never to prove its worth as both the Group B and Group S categories were scrapped due to safety concerns that arose after seeing speeds and fatalities increase to an unprecedented level.  Sigh... What could have been.
 
 

Besides the US, the MR2 is very popular in tarmac and rally racing all over the world from the UK, to NZ, to Japan, and Australia.
 
 

Australia's Peter Power's AW11 Racer with 3S-GE! (yes that is his real name!)