COLOGNE, Germany – Toyota Gazoo Racing officials have confirmed that the organization will sell the Toyota GR Supra GT4 race car to customer teams starting next year.

The car will go on sale in March 2020 for customers in Europe, with sales expanding to include North American in August 2020 and Japan/Asia in October 2020.

The GR Supra GT4 is based on the GR Supra – TOYOTA Gazoo Racing’s first global model released earlier this year – and is developed and produced by Toyota Motorsport GmbH.

A three-litre in-line six cylinder engine with single twin-scroll turbocharger has been tuned to 320kW（430hp）with a 7-speed sports automatic transmission with paddle shift and the mechanical limited slip differential driving the rear wheels. An Akrapovič exhaust system will be fitted and Ravenol will provide first-fill lubricants.

The front splitter and rear wing are made of natural fiber composite, contributing to an overall weight of 1,350kg. Following the specification of the GR Supra road car, the front suspension will be MacPherson strut, and rear suspension will be multilink with KW dampers at the front and rear.

The braking system is enhanced through the use of a dedicated brake calliper for racing, six-piston front and four-piston rear, while running on Pirelli tires.

The GR Supra GT4 will be installed with a high-strength roll cage on the lightweight steel body, and an FIA-standard racing seat with six-point harness. The interior will feature a carbon fiber instrumental panel with a display and steering wheel specifically designed for GT4 competition.

The SG pink ball is set to debut when India and Bangladesh play their maiden day-night Test at Eden Gardens in November. Immediately after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had accepted the BCCI's request on Tuesday to play the second Test of the Bangladesh series under lights, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that the SG pink ball would be used for the match, as the first Test of the series would be played with the SG red ball, in Indore.

"Hopefully SG because the first match will be with SG so the second Test will also have to be with SG," Ganguly told PTI on Tuesday.

Although majority of players from both India and Bangladesh have not played with the pink ball, both boards have said the Eden Test was a positive development, with Ganguly calling it the beginning of "something special" and a "huge step forward" for Indian cricket.

Despite using the SG red ball in first-class cricket, the BCCI stuck to Kookaburra when it came to pink-ball cricket in the domestic circuit in the last few years. The first experiment with the pink ball was tried out by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) when Ganguly was the president. In 2016 the Duleep Trophy was played with Kookaburra pink ball.

Asked why the BCCI did not want to use the Kookaburra pink ball for the Test, Ganguly said two different makes in one series was not permitted. "No, it can't be because the series has to be played with same ball. It can't be two different balls in the same series."

ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI has placed an order for the pink balls with SG to be sent over by November 6, with the Test set to begin on November 22. About six dozen balls will be supplied by SG to BCCI considering both India and Bangladesh would want to start training with the ball.

Paras Anand, marketing director at SG confirmed the BCCI order. "We have to send the balls by November 6," Anand told ESPNcricinfo. "They asked us if we were prepared to supply the pink balls on time. And whether we could get the pink ball as close to the red ball used in Test matches in India."

Anand admitted about being anxious, but he remained confident about the SG pink ball withstanding the weather and ground conditions having tested it in-house extensively. "We have been working on the pink ball for almost three years now. And we have tested the ball for the longer format, if it can last 80 overs," he said. "The ball has been put under a tremendous amount of stress and the results have been pretty good. We tried to simulate the match conditions to check on the colour, the shape, the seam, the core of the ball."

Most of the Indian domestic players had given a thumbs down to the Kookaburra pink, which they said mostly favoured batsmen as the seam softened quickly, with fast bowlers barely managing to impart swing - conventional or reverse.

Even the SG ball drew flak last year during the home series against West Indies, when India captain Virat Kohli said the red ball gets scuffed up too early, barely after five overs. However, Anand said SG has since worked extensively on the ball having received first-hand feedback from Indian players.

ALSO READ: Questions facing the first day-night Test in India

Anand and his team met the likes of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Cheteshwar Pujara to understand the challenges they faced with the ball. "In the last 12 months we have really worked hard on the seam of the ball. The players told us how the SG seam was a lot more prominent in the past. So our focus again for the pink ball has been on the seam. We are trying to ensure the seam is good enough even if it is, say, 75 overs old both spinners and seamers can grip."

One reason why Anand is confident the pink ball will swing is because the seam on the SG red ball in India's home series against South Africa remained firm, aiding the fast bowlers, especially Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. "You saw how good they were. It had to do with both seam of the ball being good and how good they were at preparing at the ball. We are confident they will be able to extract more swing from SG pink."

The biggest challenge for the ball manufacturers in Indian conditions is the lacquer on the pink ball which is lost swiftly. Jaydev Unadkat, the Saurashtra and India fast bowler, who has played in the Duleep Trophy under lights for two years, said the pink Kookaburra ball lost its sheen quickly and the ball became greyish.

Anand conceded that, in fact, was the challenge, but said the key for the ball to retain its polish is to have favourable ground conditions. By that, he meant a good grass cover - not just the pitch, but the outfield, too. "The processes have changed drastically. Previously the ball would get dark quickly. But now we are confident that the ball will keep its shine for a long time. But we need support from the ground conditions. If the conditions are good the top surface of the ball - the area which has the lacquer - will not be damaged."

Anand said that he would be present at Eden Gardens for the Test and will keep his fingers crossed over the dew factor, which he said remained the biggest challenge for a ball regardless of its colour. Although the match timings for the day-night Test in Kolkata are yet to be announced, it is likely the BCCI will advance it by at least an hour. Generally day-night matches have started in India at 1.30pm, but to counter the dew, the match might start earlier.

Ganguly was confident the dew would be dealt with, while Anand was hopeful it would have the least impact. "We will make sure there's no dew. After all, day-night one-dayers are played here. There's this dew treatment spray and all. Nothing will happen," Ganguly told PTI.

"The colour, the seam, the hardness of the ball as compared to the red ball is pretty much manageable," Anand said. "It is just the dew because it will have an impact on the (pink ball's) performance."

HOUSTON -- Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will not take part in festivities before Game 7 of the World Series in Houston in order to rest his injured eye.

Watson was scheduled to yell "Play ball!" before the matchup between the Astros and Nationals on Wednesday night, but he was kicked in the eye on Sunday during a game against the Oakland Raiders. He threw a touchdown pass on that play and later came back into the game for the final offensive drive.

Watson has been replaced by actor and noted Texan Matthew McConaughey for festivities at Minute Maid Park.

The Texans play the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. Watson will make the trip to London and play, but in the meantime he needs to stay out of the light while his eye heals.

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield got into a testy exchange with a reporter Wednesday before abruptly walking out of his media availability.

Mayfield was being asked if the Browns had lacked urgency on a possession at the end of the first half during Sunday's 27-13 loss at New England.

Mayfield cited a penalty for derailing the drive, which ended on a short third-and-long pass as time expired. He then interjected during a follow-up question.

Baker Mayfield walked out of his media availability after getting into a heated exchange with a reporter.

(via @clevelanddotcom)pic.twitter.com/a0mv9DvYT8

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 30, 2019

"Stop saying 'but.' I just told you the clock was running and we had a penalty," Mayfield said to Tony Grossi, a reporter for 850 WKNR radio, an ESPN affiliate in Cleveland. "You want to give them the ball back? No. You don't play, you don't know it. That's just plain and simple."

Grossi then asked if Mayfield was happy with the way the drive ended.

"Was I happy with the drive? No, we didn't score points," Mayfield answered. "The dumbest question you could ask. What? Jesus, Tony."

Mayfield then walked away from the lectern. A few minutes later, he took to Twitter to air his frustration.

say that I've gotten complacent. My sense of urgency is at an all time high. And if I offend anybody along the way... that's too bad

— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) October 30, 2019

Despite being a trendy pick to win the AFC North Division before the season, the Browns are now 2-5. Mayfield has thrown an interception in every game this season and is tied with Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston for the most picks in the NFL this year.

Cleveland travels to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday.

SALT LAKE CITY -- LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will sit out Wednesday night's game against the Utah Jazz and play Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, coach Doc Rivers said.

It's the first game that Leonard will miss with the Clippers due to load management. Rivers said the franchise will determine when Leonard will rest on a "case-by-case" basis, adding that there is no set plan to always rest the two-time NBA Finals MVP on one end of a back-to-back.

The Clippers are officially listing Leonard as out due to "load management, knee," satisfying the NBA's new requirement to list a specific body part. However, Rivers said Leonard "has never felt better."

"Our goal is to have him playing and being fresh all year, and we're doing that so far," Rivers said. "I keep saying this: He's not the only guy we're having those conversations with, and every team is doing it. We're just trying to do it, I don't know, I'm trying to say more efficiently than others. But we're learning as we go."

Leonard played in only 60 regular-season games last season before leading the Toronto Raptors to an NBA title. The Raptors were rewarded for their conservative approach with Leonard by his dominant performance in the playoffs, when he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists while playing every game.

The spotlight on Leonard's maintenance plan is especially bright in part because disagreements about his health, specifically regarding a quadriceps injury, led to his departure from the Spurs. After Leonard sat out all but nine games in 2017-18, San Antonio traded Leonard along with Danny Green to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first-round pick.

Rivers said Leonard, who has averaged 27.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists through four games with the Clippers after signing with them in free agency, would have heavy input on which games he rested. The Clippers will take a similar approach with other veterans, including Leonard's co-star Paul George, who has yet to play for LA as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgeries.

"You've just got to go case by case, more by information," Rivers said. "We're trying to do it smarter. The whole key, I guess, is the input the guys give you, the honest input. Paul George, you can trust. Lou [Williams], you can trust. Kawhi, you can trust. Pat [Beverley], I don't know. I would say not on him."

England wing Joe Cokanasiga has been named on a three-man shortlist for World Rugby's award honouring the 'breakthrough' player of 2019.

The 21-year-old has scored seven tries in nine Test appearances since making his debut against Japan last November.

France fly-half Romain Ntamack and South Africa scrum-half Herschel Jantjies are also nominated.

Previous winners include England second row Maro Itoje and New Zealand wings Rieko Ioane and Nehe Milner-Skudder.

Cokanasiga is part of the England squad who have advanced to Saturday's final at the Rugby World Cup but his involvement has been limited to a start in the pool-stage victory over the United States. The Fiji-born back scored two tries in a 45-7 win.

The award will be announced as part of the World Rugby Awards on Sunday, 3 November in Tokyo.

You walk out in a Springbok jersey as a player and you feel history on your back and by your side.

You stand as South Africa's captain in a World Cup final and the weight is greater across your shoulders and the ghosts crowd in all around.

Francois Pienaar hoisting the Webb Ellis Cup at Ellis Park in 1995, Nelson Mandela alongside him in his own green number six jersey, happy like a kid who has just scored his first try. John Smit at the Stade de France in Paris 12 years on, left hand around the old gold pot, right hand linked with Mandela's successor Thabo Mbeki.

Twelve years more have passed. Now it is the turn of Siya Kolisi to walk that path. The first black man to captain the Springboks, a kid from nowhere who hopes to go where none have gone before.

Rugby matters in many places around the world, but only in South Africa can it change the nation around it. Captains and presidents, politics and power, new dreams and old scars.

"It was iconic when Francois lifted the World Cup with Madiba, and it was amazing to be able to do it myself with Thabo," says Smit.

"But if Siya touches that trophy on Saturday... I tell you, it will be a far greater moment than 1995. Far greater. It would change the trajectory of our country."

That Kolisi has made it this far is a story of stoicism and self-belief. Born to teenage parents in the poor township of Zwide, just outside Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape, he was brought up by his grandmother, who cleaned kitchens to make ends meet.

Bed was a pile of cushions on the living-room floor. Rugby was on dirt fields. When he went to his first provincial trials he played in boxer shorts, because he had no other kit.

His father Fezakel was a centre, his grandfather a player of pace too. Aged 12, the young Kolisi was spotted by Andrew Hayidakis, a coach at the exclusive private school Grey, and offered a full scholarship.

When you are from Zwide you step into this other world when the chance comes, but you never leave your old life behind. Kolisi's mother died when he was 15, his grandmother shortly afterwards. When Smit's team was beating England in that World Cup final of 2007, the 16-year-old Kolisi was watching it in a township tavern because there was no television at home.

"His story is unique," Hanyani Shimange, former Springboks prop, told BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"Previous generations of black rugby players were not given the same opportunities, purely because of South Africa's laws. He's living the dream of people who weren't given the same opportunities as him.

"He's grabbed those opportunities. He's a good man, a humble individual.

"He's got a lot of time for people, probably too much time in some instances. But he's the same Siya he was six years ago. He loves rugby, and the team loves him."

Kolisi began at school as a small but mobile flanker, good with the ball in hand, learning to be smarter than the stronger kids around him. When a growth spurt kicked in and he got big there was power to go with the finesse.

As a loose forward he is a significant asset to a Springbok team that at this World Cup has battled through to the final rather than dazzled. Saturday will bring his 50th cap, and his 20th as captain. His impact is far greater than simply what he does on the pitch because of all that has come before.

"I do not care how the Springboks team does. It is not a reflection of the nation. It is not our team. I support the All Blacks instead. We don't support the national team, because it is a white South African team. It is not a true South African team."

That was Zola Ntlokoma, secretary of Soweto Rugby Club, talking to me before England played South Africa at Twickenham five years ago. It was not an uncommon view, because for all the iconography and sweet symmetry of 1995, its wider effect quickly leached away.

Integration of black players crawled along rather than accelerated. The World Cup win gave the impression that little more needed doing, and so little was.

When the Springboks triumphed in Johannesburg 24 years ago there was just one black player, Chester Williams, in the starting XV. By the time of their second World Cup win in 2007, there were still only two.

In some corners of South African life, the story of 1995 feels old and frayed. When Williams wrote his autobiography he accused fellow winger James Small of using racially abusive language towards him in a domestic cup match after that World Cup win. Small, who said he had "no independent recollection of the incident", in turn felt an outsider even in victory because his native tongue was English rather than Afrikaans.

Small - often angry at the world, brilliant at his best, the man who helped keep Jonah Lomu tryless in that final - died of a heart attack aged 50 in June this year. Williams went the same way last month aged 49, the fourth player from that storied team - after flanker Ruben Kruger and virtuoso scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen - to go at an untimely age.

Kolisi stands as a critical link between the past and future. He was born on 16 June 1991, one day before the repeal of apartheid - brutal laws that enforced discrimination against black people in every aspect of their lives. Separate land. Separate public transport. Separate schools.

Kolisi was there at Small's funeral. Williams' image was on the shirts his team wore for their World Cup opener against the All Blacks. In Kolisi's team, the legacy of that old generation is tangible.

In the starting XV that beat Wales in Sunday's semi-final there were six black players: wingers S'busiso Nkosi and Makazole Mapimpi, centre Lukhanyo Am, prop Tendai Mtawarira, hooker Bongi Mbonambi, and Kolisi. Of Rassie Erasmus's squad of 31, 11 are black.

The lesson of 1995 was that transformation is more complicated than a single iconic image. The challenge that lies for the next group of players and administrators will be to create a wider pathway from undernourished grassroots to the elite.

Picking up occasional gems has worked. Kolisi made the jump. Mapimpi is also from the Eastern Cape, and did not go through the private school system. He still made it. There are other black kids, those who don't get the scholarships or find the eyes of a roving talent scout, who are still slipping through the net.

"If Mapimpi hadn't been in an area where rugby is strong and he was given the chance to play and be signed by other teams, the chances are we would never have seen him," says Shimange.

"It would have taken someone to go and scout him and spot the talent in him and then give him the chance to perform at the highest level.

"But we had generations of people who couldn't play for the Springboks, who weren't allowed to watch the Springboks, and now you have Siya running out there with his 15 men.

"Even the thought is incredible. It's why the most important person for the country for those 80 minutes on Saturday is going to be Siya Kolisi."

Back in Zwide, preparations are ongoing for a weekend of World Cup parties. The tavern where the teenage Kolisi watched his first final will be open once again. The skipper is only 28, but already he is changing his old home forever.

"During the apartheid time, we could never look forward to a moment like this, because of our colour," says Freddie Makoki, president of Zwide United rugby club, who played with Kolisi's father and grandfather and watched the young Siya grow.

"We had so many players who could have captained the Springboks, but because of their colour they couldn't.

"Sport can bring people together in this country. There are places you can't walk at night, because of criminals. Sport is the only vehicle that can change that. If you take those boys and put them in sport it can change them and it can change our society.

"Siya has been an incredible role model for children here. Whenever he comes to visit you'll see the youngsters coming out to see him. Everyone in the townships wants to be closer to him.

"He is a son of our soil. If you could have seen how full the taverns were for the semi-final you would not believe it. All of these people are now supporting the Springboks.

"It makes me so proud to see him in the Springbok jersey, to see the crowds at the game, calling out 'Siya! Siya!'

"You can see it in the faces of the people of this country how much it meant to have Siya as captain. He is a true hero of modern South Africa."

Kolisi's father is flying out to Japan to watch the biggest game of his son's life. It is his first trip overseas.

So too is the country's president. Cyril Ramaphosa called Kolisi on FaceTime after the win over Wales. Now he is coming in person. Captains and presidents, politics and power.

"Siya has more responsibility than I did or Francois did because he represents more people," says Smit, who will also be in the Yokohama stadium, this time for SuperSport TV.

"Thanks to Madiba, Springbok rugby has been used almost in the opposite way to how it was used in the apartheid era. It's a team that has been able to bring people together. It's grown the country through its ability to win.

"That's the hard thing to explain to people outside South Africa - what a Springbok win in a World Cup has done in the past for unification, and us continuing on this road to democracy and a new pathway.

"That's how important this is. Siya's story about where he's come from shows how far the country has come."

And so Kolisi carries that weight on his shoulders. Dreams and messy pasts, old heroes and deep-rooted struggles.

Only a game, but so much more too. Ghosts all around him, a new future ahead.

"I will be wearing my Springbok jersey," says 68-year-old Makoki, whose own career in the game was stunted by apartheid, who watched local heroes rise and fall short, who continues to nurse the sport in Zwide township.

"I'll be thinking about going to OR Tambo airport when they come back with that trophy. If I can be one of those people there to welcome them back I will be truly happy.

"When the Springboks won that World Cup in 1995, it brought South Africa together. But this would be more, because we have a lot of players who are knocking at the Springbok door. We'd have a lot more black players playing rugby again.

"I'm telling you! It will be more, it will be more.

"A black president and black captain, from a small town on the Eastern Cape. I'm telling you - that can save our country."

PATASKALA, Ohio – Mario Farnbacher and Matthew McMurry will share the No. 86 Acura NSX GT3 EVO next year during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season for Meyer Shank Racing.

The championship winning squad will look to continue its strong record of success with Acura, Acura Motorsports and Honda Performance Development as the team focuses on earning podium winning results in the Acura NSX GT3 EVO.

Reigning IMSA WeatherTech GT Daytona champion Farnbacher will rejoin the Ohio-based team for the third straight season. Farnbacher’s first year at MSR (2018) saw him take on endurance duties in the No. 93 Acura NSX GT3. The German ace was also recruited to make two starts in the team’s sister No. 86 Acura NSX GT3 at Detroit and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca which saw him and Katherine Legge respectively take a victory and third place finish.

Farnbacher’s role expanded this year with a full season drive alongside Trent Hindman. The pair won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of Watkins Glen and claimed four additional podium finishes on the way to clinching the IMSA GTD Team and Driver Championships at the season finale Motul Petit Le Mans. The Championship was the first full season professional championship victory for Meyer Shank Racing and Farnbacher.

A familiar face will return to MSR alongside Farnbacher as McMurry steps into the No. 86 Acura NSX GT3 EVO. The youngest driver to start and finish the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans at 16 years old, McMurry had two Prototype starts with MSR in 2015 at Daytona and the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

McMurry’s talent expands across the sports car racing field, competing in everything from Prototypes, to Prototype Challenge machines, to GT cars. The 2019 season saw McMurry claim six wins in IMSA LPM2 competition on the way to winning the LMP2 championship. In addition to competing stateside, McMurry drove an Acura NSX GT3 EVO in the European Blancpain Endurance series in 2019 with race outings at Circuit de Barcelona, 24 Hours of Spa, Circuit Paul Ricard, Silverstone and Monza.

McMurry’s work with HPD extends beyond the competition on track, having just completed a successful 10 week engineering internship with HPD.

“I’m really happy with the lineup that we have in the 86 Acura for next year and am looking forward to building on what we accomplished this season,” said team co-owner Michael Shank. “Mario has done a stellar job and he has been a big asset to this team and getting the championship. Having Matthew come back onboard is also very exciting. He’s had plenty of seat time in the NSX over in Europe this year and he should be able to find his feet quickly over here. As always its an honor to continue our work with Acura Motorsports and HPD. It’s going on four years now and they have been great to work with and we hope that we can continue to deliver results for them next year.”