Tag Archives: Tsukuba

TRD 86 Griffon Concept

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Toyota Racing Development of Japan released this update on their progress with their Griffon concept based off of the GT-86. Originally debuted at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon, the idea was to build a car capable of lapping Tsukuba Circuit in under a minute with the stock unibody and engine. All of the modifications have been done in the areas of suspension, lighter components and improved aerodynamics. These modifications make sense when you consider the Toyota GT-86 is the spiritual successor of the AE86. Both cars were designed to be lightweight handling machines with modest power so they could be used to train drivers.


Source: TRD Headquarters on YouTube

Tanaguchi Tests the Yokohama AD08R

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Japanese D1 pro drifter and JGTC pro driver Nobuteru Tanaguchi recently took his HKS tuned 500+ horsepower Toyota GT-86 to Tsukuba Circuit to test the new Yokohama AD08R tire with a time attack session. The car was driven in its D1GP specifications which is more of an all-around balanced setup. HKS decided to tune the stock FA20 engine with one of their GT superchargers instead of retrofitting a Subaru EJ25 like Ken Gushi’s Formula D and Tetsuya Hibino’s D1GP cars. The AD08R’s ended up being 2 seconds a lap faster than the Yokohama AD08’s. I believe Tanaguchi now holds the FT-86 record at Tsukuba for street and semi-slick tires with this car.


Tanaguchi also had to see how the tires did while drifting:


Source: Maiham Media on YouTube

2013 AE86 Matsuri

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Hoon TV brings us coverage from the AE86 Matsuri held at Tsukuba Circuit. They get a really good look at some of the cars in the revived N2 series including those from SS Works and Crystal Body Yokohama. Toyota is planning a one-make series for the GT-86, but I’d be curious to see how feasible it would be to race the new cars alongside the N2 AE86’s. The event took place alongside the Initial D festival that celebrated release of the fifth stage of that anime.


Source: Hoon TV on YouTube

Under Suzuki Gets His Record

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We posted a story a couple of weeks ago about privateer Under Suzuki setting a 53.6 second lap time around Tsukuba Circuit in Japan in his 800 horsepower S15 Nissan Silvia. It was big news in the time attack world because he was only a tenth of a second off from the long standing record set by Nobuteru Tanaguchi in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution based HKS CT2032R. It turns out that Suzuki knew the car was capable of putting down a faster lap time and he decided to rent the track out to prove it. With only a 30 minute window to work with, he set a new lap record for a tuner car on street tires around Tsukuba at 52.649 seconds. Speedhunters posted a written account of the day and Luke Huxham of Maiham Media just released the on-board video of the record setting lap:


Yokohama Tyres // 52 : The chase for a record… from Maiham-Media.com on Vimeo.