- 2023/04/21
JGC Rd.2 Yu Wins in a Daring Comeback in the 2nd Heat!
The second round of the All Japan Gymkhana Championship, “MAZDA SPIRIT RACING CUP IN TAMADA” was held at Sportsland TAMADA in Hiroshima Prefecture on April 15-16, and last year’s JG6 class champion, Yu, won the second heat in an upset. Yu, last year’s JG6 class champion, took a come-from-behind victory in the second heat, his first win of the season in the fiercely competitive PN3 class. In the PN2 class, last year’s JG8 class champion Noritoshi Kobayashi took his first win of the season, with season opener winner Keiichi Ono in 2nd place and local driver Shogo Kashiwa in 3rd.
Last year, the TAMADA Round was held during the last week of Golden Week, the first All-Japan event in three years, and this season, the second consecutive All-Japan event was held on April 15-16.
This season’s All-Japan Gymkhana Championship has undergone major changes from last season, with the reorganization of class divisions, class name changes, the introduction of JAF Speed B vehicles, and changes in tire regulations for P/PN/AE vehicles.
The class names from JG1 to JG11 adopted in 2021 and 2010 will return to the class names based on the vehicle classifications adopted before 2008, and will be newly divided into 9 classes: PE1 class for “P/AE vehicles equipped with electric brakes,” PN1 to 4 classes for PN vehicles, and BC1 to 3 classes for B and SC vehicles. The new classes are PN1 through PN4 classes for PN vehicles and BC1 through BC3 classes for B and SC vehicles, for a total of nine classes. The new classes include the PN1 class for front-wheel-drive PN vehicles under 1500cc, the PN3 class, which is a merger of last year’s JG7 and JG6 classes, the JG4 and JG3 classes, and the BC1 class, which combines front-wheel-drive vehicles from last year’s JG2 class into a single class, For those competing in Mazda cars, there are classes in which they will be competing against competitors in classes they have never competed in before, and a new season of battles awaits them. In the opening round, 125 cars entered in all classes, 30 of which were Mazda vehicles.
Before the event, gymkhana cars will be paraded through Hiroshima City to promote the event, and a party race-spec Roadster and a new MAZDA2 will be on display in the event plaza, where there will be booths selling goods and model cars, a catering corner, and a rock-paper-scissors-scissors tournament. The approximately 3,000 spectators who visited the venue were able to enjoy the spectacular techniques of gymkhana and enjoy motor sports in a more accessible and enjoyable manner.
Although the open practice day on Saturday the 15th was rained out, Sunday the 16th, the day of the final heat, was blessed with fine weather from the morning and the track surface was in dry condition. However, the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms in the afternoon. It will be interesting to see when the rain starts and how it will affect the competition.
Including the Box D class, 125 cars competed in this event. Of these, a total of 30 Mazda cars were entered in each class. The final course is a layout of two technical 360-degree turns combined with a high-speed perimeter section. The outer section includes a daring shortcut section where the cars must drive at full throttle while maintaining high speeds, and the slightest mistake is expected to have a significant impact on the final time.
In the PN1 class, which was newly established this year, Daisuke Fukuda, the only MAZDA2 driver in the class and struggling alone, marked the top time of 1 min 10 sec, the only time in the class, in the first heat. In the second heat, there was no rain during the time period when the PN1 class was running, and the conditions were dry. All cars attacked boldly, but were unable to match the time set by Fukuda in the first heat. In the end, Fukuda was able to keep his time from the first heat and took his first win of the season.
In the PN2 class, where 20 roadsters competed, last year’s JG8 class champion Noritoshi Kobayashi set the best time in the first heat, followed by veteran driver Tadashi Kawakita in second place by 0.015 seconds and season opener winner Keiichi Ono in third place by 0.026 seconds, making for a close battle at the top. In the second heat, Ono improved on Kobayashi’s time from the first heat to take the top position, but Kobayashi soon improved his best time as well. Ono took 2nd place and Shogo Kashiwa, a local driver who had come from 4th in the first heat, took 3rd place.
In the PN3 class, which was created by merging last year’s JG7 and JG6 classes, Kento Otawa in the Roadster RF, which won the opening round, is in 2nd position, 0.512 seconds behind the leader. On the other hand, Yu, last year’s JG6 class champion, fell to the lower position at the touch of a pylon. He will be hoping for a comeback in the second heat. In the second heat, while the best time from the first heat remained unchanged, Yu, the last runner in the class, improved his best time by 0.426 seconds. With perfect timing, just as it was about to start raining or not, he was able to pull off a come-from-behind victory, his first win of the season. Otawa, who was 2nd in the first heat, lost time in the first half of the second heat and fell to 6th in class. He will be looking for revenge in the next round.
PN1 Class Winner / Daisuke Fukuda Comment I had the feeling from the open practice that the course suited the MAZDA2 with its wide tires, so I was able to set consistent times in the race. Even when I cut into the steering wheel, the front did not seem to move away from the car. If you can’t win here, where can you win? This is the kind of course where if you can’t win here, where will you win!
PN2 Class Winner / Comments from Noritoshi Kobayashi I am relieved to have won because my car has been finished to the point where I think I can compete on a dry track. In the wet, we still need to work on some things, but we found that the settings we worked on in the wet can be used in the dry as well, which is a big gain.
PN3 Class Winner/Comments from Yu The car was doing well in the outer sections, so we were able to win with the points we earned there. In the turns, I got wobbly both times, and I was off the set-up. I haven’t been satisfied lately, and although I was able to win, I need to work on that more.
This season’s PN3 class is a merger of last year’s JG6 and JG7 classes. A total of 31 cars competed in this class in the opening round, and 27 cars entered in the second round. Yu, who won the JG6 class championship last year and the year before in a Roadster RF, is one of them. Until last year, his rivals were rear-drive cars with the same 2-liter engine as the Roadster RF, but this season, he will be competing against new rivals in addition to his previous rivals, such as cars with 2.4-liter NA engines and 1.4-liter turbo engines.
Yu is confident about the new class, saying, “I am looking forward to seeing how the Roadster RF fares in the new class. He is also confident about the Roadster RF, which he has been racing since 2021, “I think we have been able to refine the settings quite a bit, but I think we may be able to go even deeper by competing against new rivals. I think we will be able to compete well throughout the series, and I am looking forward to this season to test the settings we have been accumulating.
Compared to rivals, Yu says that the advantage of the Roadster RF is its “compact size and high traction performance. On a straight course, a car with more displacement and power may have an advantage, but on a fine course or a course where traction is important at the start of a turn, I think it will be a good match,” said Yu, looking forward to the new season.
Yu finished 3rd in the PN class in the opening round on a wet track, but “I think I was able to drive to the best of my ability. I think there will be many factors involved, such as matching the tires to the track conditions, but the season has only just begun, and I will continue to do my best from Round 2 onward. In the second round, the Roadster RF was able to transmit its traction to the road surface and won the fiercely contested PN3 class. The rewind of the champion driver’s comeback starts from here.
Round 3 of the All Japan Gymkhana Championship will be held from June 3 (Sat) to 4 (Sun) at Meihan Sportsland C Course in Nara Prefecture.
Text & Photo by CINQ LLC
Archive
2023
04/21
JGC Rd.2 Yu Wins in a Daring Comeback in the 2nd Heat!04/21
JRC Rd.3 Karatsu Takuya Kawamoto/Naohiro Nagabuchi (MAZDA2) Finish 6th in JN-5 Class03/22
Newly-formed Car #88 Roadster Grabs Pole-to-Win in Opening Round of S-Tai Series!03/21
MAZDA SPIRIT RACING Finishes S-Tai Race at Suzuka!02/26
Super Taikyu First Official Test of 2023 Held at Fuji Speedway
2022
03/21
#72 takes its long-awaited first win with a lights-to-flag in S-Tai opening round02/19
Mazda Announces 2022 Super Taikyu Series Entry
2021
12/06
JEGT Rd.3 “EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda” takes victory11/16
#456 Roadster Wins ST-5 Class in Final Round of S-Tai. #66 Takes Series Championship09/22
#66 Roadster Moves One Step Closer to ST5 Title With Victory at Suzuka 5-Hour08/13
Sakata takes 2nd consecutive All Japan Dirt Trial Championship win with Mazdaspeed Axela08/03
LOVE DRIVE Roadster takes its first victory at S-Tai Autopolis 5 Hours07/28
Mazda Jinba Ittai Academy’s Terakawa wins his first overall IPS race06/08
IPS win slips out of Terakawa’s grasp due to overzealousness05/25
OVER DRIVE finishes 1-2 in Fuji 24 Hour Race03/24
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2020
11/04
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2019
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RE Amemiya RX-7 Matsui Grabs 4th at FIA Drift Tsukuba11/26
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2018
11/07
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Team 221 Roadster Takes Second Season Victory at S-Tai 5-Hours of Autopolis07/24
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Murakami Motors Roadster takes ST-5 class victory in S-Tai 24-Hours of Fuji05/25
Okada Demio Misses 3rd Place Podium by milliseconds05/01
NOPRO Axela SKY-D Grabs ST-2 Class 2nd at S-Tai SUGO04/10
Okada Demio 15MB Grabs JN3 Class 3rd in Debut Rally04/03
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2017
10/31
Team Jinba Ittai’s Masahiro Sato Takes 2nd Place10/20
#37 NOPRO Demio SKY-D Rounds off Season with Consecutive ST-5 Class Victories10/02
Mad Mike Overwhelms the Competition to Take Victory at FD Okuibuki09/21
Team “Jinba Ittai’s” Kenta Yamashita Takes Dramatic Victory in IPS Pro Class09/08
NOPRO Demio Grabs Season First Victory08/24
Matsui’s RE Amemiya RX-7 Takes D1 Rd. 6 Tanso Victory07/27
Matsui’s RE Amemiya RX-7 Grabs 2nd Place at D1 Maishima07/18
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Sayaka Kato Takes Overall Victory in Fiercely Fought All-Female Fuji L106/28
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Second Consecutive Lights-to-Flag Victory for Murakami Roadster05/02
Murakami Motors Roadster Grabs Season First Win at S-Tai SUGO04/04
Murakami Roadster Takes ST-5 class 3rd in S-Tai Opening Round03/09
NOPRO To Take On Super Taikyu with Axela SKY-D02/07
Karakama Demio Takes JN-3 Class 2nd at JRC Tsumagoi Opening Round
2016
11/25
Umeda in ND, Tsuji in NC Take Perfect 4 Race Victories. Okazawa Grabs V2 in NB11/25
NOPRO Demio SKY-D Finishes 2nd, Ends S-Tai Series at ST-5 Class 3rd11/11
Shimada Demio Takes JN-3 Class 2nd in JRC Shinshiro Rally11/10
48 Mazda Machines Converge for the “Fuji-Chan” Final Round10/24
TCR Roadster Achieves Hard Fought First ST4 Win09/07
MX-5 & Mazda 2 Fight Hard in S-Tai Longest Round, 9 Hours of Fuji08/11
RE Amemiya’s Matsui Battles it Out in Tsuiso & Tanso in D1GP Ebisu Round08/10
ND Roadster Takes Second All Japan Gymkhana Championship Victory!07/12
Terakawa Demio Grabs JN3 Class 2nd at JRC Rally Toya06/28
Iwai Takes First Tanso Victory in RE Roadster06/18
Karakama and Okada Demios Take 2nd and 3rd at All Japan JRC Fukushima Rally06/16
NOPRO Demio SKY-D Grabs First Victory at S-Tai Suzuka06/14
Okada Demio Takes JN3 Class 2nd in All Japan Wakasa Rally05/19
Murakami Motors ND Roadster Achieves Superb Lights-to-Flag Victory05/10
Nakanishi RX-8 Takes 2nd in JRC Rd. 2 Kumakogen Rally, Okada Demio Retires04/26
RE Amemiya’s Matsui Advances to First D1 Tsuiso Since Move04/14
Champion Okada Demio Finishes 2nd at JRC Karatsu Rally04/12
RD Roadster Makes Fuji Champion Race Debut!04/05
NOPRO Demio SKY-D Takes Class 2nd in S-Tai Opener03/28
RE Roadster Tears Through First Qualification
2015
11/28
20-year old Tsutsumi Becomes Party Race II’s Last Champion11/25
Tadashi Kawakita Grabs Class Championship in RX-7 – 2015 All Japan Gymkhana Review11/10
Joining the Okada Demio, the Mazda RX-8 also Grabs JRC Class Championship11/06
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NOPRO Demio SKY-D Takes 3rd Step on Podium at S-Tai Suzuka10/27
RE Amemiya GruppeM-RX7 Enthralls Crowd in Tsuiso10/22
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Okada Demio Takes JN3 Class Victory at JRC Rd. 7 to Secure the Title!09/09
Murakami Motors NC Roadster Grabs First S-Tai Points at Rain Soaked Okayama09/09
Kawashima Demio SKY-D Grabs 3rd in All Japan Dirt Trial Rd 709/08
Okada Demio Takes Third Class Victory in JRC Rd 6, “Montre in Tsumagoi”09/08
RE Amemiya GruppeM-RX7 is Superb in Tsuisō09/08
Mazda WIM Selection Team Complete Roadster 4-Hour in 14th09/02
Aya Machida Takes FCR Rd 4 Victory in Demio SKY-D08/07
NOPRO Demio SKY-D Grabs 4th and TCR Roadster Takes 5th in Scorching S-Tai Kyushu.08/05
R MAGIC RX-7 Takes 4th in D1 Ebisu07/31
Terakawa Demio Grabs Consecutive JN3 Victories in JRC Fukushima07/11
Terakawa Demio Takes JN3 Class Victory in All Japan Rally Toyako07/06
Two MWIM Drivers Successfully Complete S-Tai 8 Hours07/04
Suenaga’s Team RE Amemiya GruppeM RX-7 Grabs 3rd07/01
Rina Ito Grabs First Podium at JRC Wakasa Rally06/25
Rain Causes High Drama in Fuji Championship Race Round 305/26
NOPRO Demio SKY-D Grabs 4th in Chaotic S-Tai Round 205/21
Matsui Advances to D1 “tsuiso” Tournament But Retires With Machine Trouble05/17
Two New Stars Again Dominate Roadster Party Race Ⅱ Round 2 at Tsukuba05/12
Okada Demio Grabs JN3 Class Winning Streak at All Japan Rally Kumakogen04/25
Demio SKYACTIV-D makes its Fuji Champion Race Debut.04/25
RX-7s Eliminated Early Despite Strong Performance04/19
After Fierce Battle Between 2 New Stars Tsutsumi Comes Out on Top04/14
Mazda Demio Takes JN3 Class Victory in All Japan Rally Karatsu03/30
DJ Demio SKYACTIV-D Completes S-Tai Opening Round03/26
SKYACTIV-D Demio’s Potential on Display at Dirt Trial03/18
Team TERRAMOS’s Umeda Takes A Lights-to-Flag Victory in Race Debut01/17
Huge crowd intoxicated by double performance of RX-8 and RX-7 D1GP Kickoff Drift
2014
12/02
Kawakita RX-7 Places 2nd In All Japan Gymkhana SA2 Class With 2 Season Wins. 2014 All Japan Gymkhana Review11/17
NOPRO Demio finishes 4th in close battle to take series 3rd11/08
Demio and RX-8 take double win at final round of All Japan Rally, Shinshiro Rally 2014 (Aichi Prefecture)10/30
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Suenaga’s RE Amemiya RX-7 wins to become “tanso” champion D1 GP Round 7 Odaiba10/21
Mazda machines take 2 class victories at All Japan Rally’s MCSC Highland Masters09/11
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S-Tai series highlights, NOPRO Demio grabs 2nd at 7 Hours of Fuji07/30
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