Competing in the Kei-car race with HA23 Alto
The “Tohoku 660 Series” is a race contested by new standard NA engine-equipped kei-cars and other vehicles. Many motorsports enthusiasts, from students to seasoned veterans, enjoy these races. In this issue, we will introduce a veteran driver who has been involved in motorsports activities for over 30 years and his favorite car, the Suzuki Alto.
“I want to keep driving my precious partner Alto for a long time”
The “Tohoku 660 Series” is open to students. The price and maintenance costs of the base vehicle are reasonable, and customization costs are also low due to the narrow scope of modifications. However, the benefits of low cost are not limited to young people, but also to the middle generation with families, including those who are making a comeback.
Many entrants continue to drive for as long as they can, sometimes even missing races, to pay for entry fees and tires. One such entrant is Mr. Tadanobu Yamaguchi of HA23, who has been racing on the circuit for 30 years and has been competing since 2017.
He learned about the Tohoku 660 Championship with the new NA standard from a friend who was participating in endurance races in Tohoku. He then had the opportunity to participate in K4-GP with a HA23 Suzuki Alto and a Daihatsu Esse, and after comparing the two cars, he found the Alto to be more fun. He therefore built a machine based on the HA23 and entered it from the opening round of the 2017 season. In 2018, he moved to class 3 and has been racing in that class ever since.
What is noteworthy is that he has continued to compete in the same car for seven years without any major accidents. While some people switch cars because of crashes, engine blowouts, or simply because they want a different car, Mr. Yamaguchi’s partner is an Alto in a color that has become familiar to the participants.
The enjoyment he felt at the beginning has not faded away at all, and as the setup progresses, he feels more and more like he can control the car as if it were his limb. In addition to this, Mr. Yamaguchi says that he is becoming more and more attached to the car and wants to continue to drive it with great care for a long time.
He has been working on the setup and is aiming for the podium for a long time!
One of his favorite parts of the car is the original coilovers by Navic, a store in Kyoto, which I have been using for years. At 10kg/mm in the front and 8kg/mm in the rear, it is easy to handle on the circuit and safe to drive in both dry and wet conditions. Previously, he had custom-made dampers from a certain manufacturer that were given to him by an acquaintance, but he feels that the Navic dampers are much easier to drive.
One more thing is aerodynamics, which he has been working on through trial and error, and the reason for this was the lack of grip he felt in rainy races. However, as long as the car is running on its own with a license plate, it is not possible to use an aero system that exceeds the width of a light car. Therefore, we decided to improve it through repeated trial and error, referring to books on motorsports and tuning, and at Sportsland SUGO, which has two long straights, the aerodynamic improvement would be effective in both wet and dry conditions.
Another future task is to learn how to use tires to take advantage of the dampers, and to remake the air cleaner to increase the intake airflow velocity. In addition, he would like to reduce the weight from the current 618 kg to the 600 kg range. If he accomplishes all of these, he will not only stand on the podium in the three classes but also win the championship cup for the first time since he graduated from the five classes.