SUPER Taikyu is an automobile racing series in Japan that is open to professional and amateur race car drivers. It has gained both notoriety and a reputation as a venue where technologies are pushed at the same time with the drivers because in order to pit unfunded amateurs will moneyed professionals requires thinking out of the box.
Toyota president Akio Toyoda, the same man who announced Toyota Motor Co.’s hybrid and vehicle electrification strategies last December happens to also race in Super Taikyu. This makes for a perfect mix to put into action Toyota’s plans for 12 new and electrified vehicles and learn first-hand, handling, performance, and even fuel economy. Its sole purpose in participating is to promote its own agile technology development through motorsports.
This year, Toyota will again race in the Super Taikyu Series, but this time not only petrol-powered cars but introduced three vehicles equipped with powertrains that use different fuels.
Super Taikyu Series 2022 Team Setup
| Vehicle | Hydrogen engine-equipped Corolla | GR86 (carbon-neutral fuel) | GR86 (gasoline) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle name | ORC ROOKIE Corolla H2 Concept | ORC ROOKIE GR86 CNF Concept | TOM’S SPIRIT GR86 |
| Team | ROOKIE Racing | ROOKIE Racing | TOM’S SPIRIT |
| Class | ST-Q | ST-Q | ST-4 |
| Rounds Entered | All 7 | All 7 | 6, excluding the first |
Reference: Super Taikyu Series 2022 schedule
“We aim to achieve a carbon-neutral society while promoting the making of ever-better motorsports-bred cars by refining vehicles and solving issues in an agile manner in the field of motorsports. In collaboration with other industries, we will also continue to promote the generation of new partners in producing, transporting, and using hydrogen and carbon-neutral fuel,” Toyoda said in a press statement.
“In addition, we aim to contribute not only to motorsports but also to social development and future life through cooperation with the Super Taikyu Organization and Super Taikyu Series 2022 main sponsor ENEOS Corporation, as well as other Super Taikyu sponsoring and operating companies and related organizations,” he added.
The first car is a hydrogen engine-equipped Corolla. This car already competed in a total of four rounds in last year’s Super Taikyu Series, including several races with Toyoda driving. Under Toyoda’s control, the H-powered car ran approximately six months between the first round in May of last year and the final round in November.
It was noted that engine performance was improved to levels comparable to gasoline engines, with a 24 percent increase in power output and 33 percent increase in torque, along with successful control over abnormal combustion. However, improved cruising range and reduced hydrogen filling time for practical use are major issues that will be addressed throughout the year.
Starting this year, a new GR86-based vehicle that uses carbon-neutral fuel will be raced in an attempt to test the technologies that expand internal combustion engine fuel options. The vehicle will be powered by a 1.4-liter turbo engine developed from the GR Yaris engine and the hydrogen engine-equipped Corolla, and development will be promoted using technology on hand.
Carbon-neutral fuel has been attracting attention as a means of achieving carbon neutrality, while carbon dioxide is emitted during combustion, the fuel itself uses carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere which results in plus/minus zero emissions, as well as the fact that it can use existing infrastructure and vehicle technology.
Though competing throughout this year with Subaru Corporation, another ST-Q class competitor, and by training in the field of motorsports, the competition will also discover issues, make improvements, and explore the possibility of future practical applications. In addition, the knowledge gained through refining the vehicle during races will be applied to the evolution of the Subaru BRZ and GR86.
Running again this year is the GR86 from Round 2, of the FUJI SUPER TEC 24-Hour Race under the banner of TOM’S SPIRIT. Closer to a production car than the GR86 race car mentioned earlier that competes in the ST-Q class, this older GR86 will be refined through races, and findings in each race will be used to develop production models and parts, promoting the making of ever-better motorsports-bred cars.
Hydrogen for the hydrogen engine-equipped Corolla will be transported to the Suzuka Circuit in the bio-fuel trailers of Toyota Transportation Co., Ltd, and the electric fuel cell trucks of Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies. Metal tanks were previously used in hydrogen transportation, but for this year lightweight resin liners developed from the FCEV (Fuel Cell EV) MIRAI, were used and enabling high pressure hydrogen transport.
By changing the current tank to those with resin liners, tank pressure can be increased from 20 MPa to 45 MPa, and the amount of hydrogen that can be transported has increased by approximately four times compared to the previous race. In addition, we will continue to make improvements to meet the demands of those who need hydrogen in various fields, such as by raising the tank pressure to 70 MPa, and take on the challenge of transporting hydrogen even more efficiently.
Toyota engineers said that racing has taught them to control abnormal combustion by precisely controlling fuel injection and using hydrogen in the tank more efficiently. It has also learned how to shorten hydrogen filling time to just under two minutes–one of the problems seen in commercial applications of hydrogen.
In the ST-Q class, in addition to the hydrogen engine-equipped Corolla and GR86 (carbon-neutral fuel), Mazda Motor Corporation’s “Mazda Spirit Racing Bio” concept Demio and Subaru’s Team SDA Engineering BRZ CNF Concept will also participate in the rounds using carbon-neutral fuel.
The three companies will exchange information in areas of cooperation while still competing against each other during the race, increasing technological research speed and striving to achieve a carbon-neutral society.
