He started motorsports when he was a university student
Every season, a new hero is born in the three classes of the “Tohoku 660 Championship,” a race contested by new standard NA engine kei-cars. To prevent experienced drivers from sitting on the podium endlessly, there is a rule that prevents participation once the number of podium finishes reaches a certain number. We introduce Mr. Tomu Ohori, driver of the HA23 Suzuki “Alto,” who has distinguished himself in these entry-level classes.
Thoroughly focused on weight reduction
It is said that Daihatsu has an advantage in terms of gear ratio at Sportsland SUGO, where the opening round of the Tohoku 660 Championship was held, and that the HA23 Suzuki “Alto” could not compete, especially on the climb from the final corner. Mr. Ohori successfully dispelled this myth and finished in 3rd place, which was a memorable first podium for him.
He was 20 years old when he first raced on a circuit, and it was an event organized by their club. The following year, he made his debut in the Tohoku 660 Endurance Race in a club car, but he took some seasons off to prioritize his studies, and it was not until he entered graduate school that he began competing in earnest in the Tohoku 660 Championship, a sprint race. At that time, he was greatly influenced by Mr. Rikiya Shiono, a senior member of the Automobile Club and a former champion of the Tohoku 660 Championship.
Mr. Ohori’s Alto was rented from Mr. Shiono, who competed in the Tohoku 660 HA36 Cup, and the only work he did himself was overhauling various parts and reducing weight. However, since he had to balance his studies with his part-time job, he did not have much time to work on it, so he had no choice but to spend time and effort rather than budget to improve the car’s performance.
As anyone can imagine, the easiest and most effective way is to reduce weight. With a feeling of “every little bit counts as a mountain,” the weight was steadily reduced, and eventually, it was reduced from 615 kg when Mr. Shiono was riding to 602 kg, more than 10 kg lighter than the previous weight. In the opening round, he was also awarded the “Heart Beat Prize,” which was established in 2024 to encourage him to further improve his performance and become one of the few drivers in the Tohoku 660 series, now in its 14th year, to weigh less than 600 kg.
Heart Beat is a manufacturer that has released many FRP lightweight parts, and many people in the Tohoku 660 series, regardless of category, love their products. The winner will receive one lightweight part of their choice, and Ohori chose the rear gate that he had been eyeing for some time.
Ohori’s goal is to take the checkered flag higher than his qualifying position
Of course, the Tohoku 660 Championship is not so easy to win on lightness alone. Mr. Ohori says that one of the challenges for this season is to make good use of the slipstream, and the other is to take the checkered flag without losing any positions from the qualifying rounds.
The drivers who qualify in the top positions make effective use of the slipstream, including the timing of course entry. Especially at Sportsland SUGO, where there are two long straights, a time improvement of as much as two seconds can be expected depending on how well it works.
Keeping his qualifying position is largely due to his experience, but when he first entered the race, he dropped from 7th in qualifying to 9th in the race, and in 2023 at Ebisu East, he also went from 4th in qualifying to finish in 7th place. Even in the opening round in 2024, where he stood on the podium in 3rd place for the first time, he qualified 2nd, so he must be frustrated.
At the Heart Beat Awards, Mr. Ohori has honed his lightness, his greatest weapon, and gained confidence that he can compete on equal terms with the top competitors. For the sake of his senior driver Shiono, who has graciously loaned him his beloved car, and his rivals who are waiting for him to move up to the 2nd class, he hopes to win the championship this season and graduate from the 3rd class.
