Five carmakers are enjoying the challenge of the Super Taikyu Series ST-Q class. During a press conference at the Round 2 Fuji 24 Hours Race, representatives from each company shared their commitment to ensuring a future for both engines and motorsports.
Waigaya working as one
At the press conference, a reporter asked about the benefits of these five companies collaborating in Super Taikyu, prompting the following responses:
HRC General Manager Kuwata
I think that having the five companies work together in motorsports has given us an opportunity to consider how to develop the auto industry and the racing industry moving forward.
Each company is taking an entirely different approach. As part of the group, we’ve been able to hear about strategies and perspectives that we couldn’t have grasped just by looking in from the outside.
I believe the true benefit of joining the Super Taikyu Waigaya Club is the chance to explore various directions for the future and sustainability of motorsports.
SUBARU CTO Fujinuki
In the past, there were no opportunities for auto industry members to get together and have candid conversations. Each company was secretive about what they were doing.
But the hurdles we have to clear now are formidably high.
When it comes to ensuring a future for various engines, I don’t believe that simply working together is the solution.
Engineers are competitive by nature, so getting engineers from five different companies together and saying, “Let’s build an engine,” is going to end in squabbling (laughs).
However, when you’re unsure whether you can really reach a solution on your own, talking to other companies can help you see that they are also dealing with the same issues or have already solved them.
Even if they don’t reveal their solutions, just showing us that there is light at the end of the tunnel gives tremendous courage.
Developing technology is a lonely endeavor. At times you wonder whether that technology even has a viable path, and that’s when it helps to have others competing alongside you. It’s very heartening to know you’re not alone.
President Takahashi
The ST-Q class started as a very small affair but has since grown into a laboratory where five companies build cars.
I think the world is starting to see that these manufacturers are developing something new in Super Taikyu
In the duel between Subaru’s BRZ and our GR86, for example, the engineers on both sides are fiercely competitive.
The cycle of winning and losing really speeds up our work, and I think having a strong determination to win also helps to foster our personnel.
Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota are all developing cars with the same CN fuel. I think being able to refine this fuel is another great advantage of this arrangement.
Mazda Spirit Racing Team Principal Maeda
When thinking about the future of motorsports, sometimes it’s hard to see anything bright ahead.
In this context, it is encouraging to have our five companies moving in the same direction, driven by a shared ambition to pioneer new technologies.
I believe we can ensure that these fun cars and these entertaining sports are still around for some time to come. I feel excitement, alongside a tremendous sense of responsibility.
If our five companies can work together to convey this excitement from our different perspectives, I think that will be extremely powerful.
NISMO CVP Ishikawa
At every race, the Super Taikyu Waigaya Club members spend an hour or more discussing all sorts of things.
Although we normally chat when we run into each other at events like Super GT, when the race starts, it’s back to being rivals. But unlike other races, in Super Taikyu we can make connections, which is a real asset.
As the world moves on to hybrid cars (HEVs) and battery EVs (BEVs), I’m constantly thinking about how we can create a platform where customers can enjoy racing or circuit driving with the cars they buy.
That is another area we can discuss and debate among our five companies.