Chasing The Dream: Tsukuba Time Assault In An HKS-Constructed GR86


Tsukuba Circuit is hallowed floor within the time assault world, however for many fanatics exterior Japan, the dream of hitting this iconic monitor in actual life stays simply that – a dream.

For Jacky Tse of JTune, a New Zealand-based tuner and die-hard time assault fan, nonetheless, that dream wasn’t one thing to simply watch from behind a display. It was one thing to be realised.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-11

Jacky considers himself a “regular driver.” Whereas he’s an off-the-cuff monitor teacher, Jacky is just not knowledgeable racer. His objective was easy however formidable: to show that anybody may present as much as Tsukuba for the primary time in a road automobile and depart with a lap time that may appear unachievable for a novice fanatic.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-26

After all, there was one essential piece to this puzzle – the automobile itself.

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Delivery a automobile from Japan to New Zealand is reasonably priced, given the huge variety of used JDM autos exported every week. However sending a automobile in the other way? That’s a special story. I’ve lined the same story the place 4 Australians shipped their drift automobiles to Japan for a month of monitor days, and I’ve saved tabs on their ongoing journey. From Australia or New Zealand to Japan, automobile delivery prices are solely the tip of a really costly iceberg – and that’s earlier than you issue within the return journey.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-140

For Jacky, sending a automobile from New Zealand didn’t make monetary sense. A significantly better concept got here throughout Tokyo Auto Salon 2024.

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A 12 months in the past at Makuhari Messe, HKS unveiled a wide-body GR86 to showcase a recent initiative for the corporate: The HKS. Drawing from over 50 years of tuning expertise, this division has been set as much as create absolutely constructed road automobiles for patrons – from delicate to wild. Realizing HKS already had a profitable time assault GR86 in its R&D fleet, Jacky requested if he may buy the automobile on show, with the intention of taking it to Tsukuba. The reply wasn’t utterly simple.

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Initially, Jacky was instructed he may purchase the prototype ‘The HKS’ GR86, however because it transpired, the automobile had already been bought – to a different Jacky, which can clarify a number of the confusion. It wasn’t all misplaced although. If he was keen to attend, HKS may construct one other automobile – ‘The HKS’ GR86 buyer chassis #1 – after which run it with him at a Tsukuba time assault occasion.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-60

This feature turned out to be even higher. Jacky may spec the automobile precisely how he needed inside the boundaries of what HKS outlined as a ‘road automobile,’ and have time to correctly put together for the driving problem. A couple of months later, a contract was signed, the deposit paid, and in June, ‘The HKS’ division started work on a brand new Toyota GR86 RZ in Crystal White Pearl.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-12

By August, the core of the construct was completed. By December, it was absolutely accomplished – simply in time for the second and ultimate 2024 HKS Tsukuba Hiper Problem. That is after I joined Jacky and over 40 of his family and friends for the event.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-201

Earlier than diving into how the day unfolded, let’s check out the automobile…

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Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-216

At a look, it’s clear that is no peculiar GR86. Road authorized? Sure. Refined? Not even shut. The automobile sports activities a full HKS Kind-R physique equipment, widening the entrance by 55mm and the rear by 65mm (per facet). That is additional enhanced by HKS SPL CRFP (carbon fibre strengthened plastic) canards, vortex turbines, and an under-panel, together with a customized HKS SPL CRFP swan-neck GT wing –all of which had been CFD-tested to enhance high-speed stability.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-207

The GR86 runs two units of 18×11-inch +30 Yokohama wheels – Advan GT Beyonds and Advan Racing TC4s, which had been wrapped in Yokohama Advan A050 295/30R18 semi-slicks for Tsukuba. HKS Hipermax R coilovers improve the automobile’s dealing with whereas Limitless 6-pot entrance and 4-pot rear brakes guarantee it might probably cease.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-63

Inside, the full HKS catalogue has been unleashed.

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There are HKS fiftieth (anniversary) Bride Zeta IV entrance seats, HKS fiftieth TRS 6-point harness belts, and an HKS fiftieth Nardi Sports activities 34S steering wheel. Not forgetting its road automobile credentials, HKS flooring mats and a baggage mat within the trunk full the look. For its day on the monitor, the passenger Bride seat and mats had been eliminated, however all the things else remained.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-86

Lastly, the powerhouse and HKS’s bread and butter of the construct – the engine. From its unique 2.4L naturally aspirated specification, HKS stroked the GR86’s flat-four to 2.5L utilizing their Brief Block Step 2 equipment, which incorporates solid pistons, I-beam connecting rods, and a solid crankshaft with a crank key.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-224

To convey the facility, an HKS GTIII-RS turbo equipment was added, full with the turbocharger, exhaust manifold, 113mm catted downpipe, intercooler, and a Tremendous Energy Move air filter. Supporting the upgrades are quite a lot of HKS elements, together with a grommet-type head gasket, Fantastic Tune V-belt, Hello-Energy SPEC-L II exhaust system, and an S-Kind oil cooler equipment. Gown-up elements, just like the HKS dry carbon fibre engine cowl (eliminated in these images) and fuse field cowl, and the HKS oil filler cap, full the engine bay.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-228

The GR86’s manufacturing facility ECU stays, but it surely now has an HKS F-CON sub-ECU, HKS EVC 7 enhance controller, HKS ATK A/F Knock Amp, and an HKS VAC II (velocity limiter removing) operating alongside it. The ability output? With 0.7bar (10.3psi) of enhance dialled up, a conservative 350hp.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-23

This was the complete HKS catalogue construct, with no lower corners. Nonetheless, Jacky had an additional request above and past the scope of the driveline improve, which initially simply added an HKS LA (Gentle Motion) clutch: Becoming a race-spec limited-slip differential, and a Quaife 69G 6-speed sequential transmission from Momentum Motorsport in the UK, certainly one of Jacky’s long-standing companions.

At first, HKS wasn’t absolutely on board with this deviation. However when Jacky confirmed up on the Fuji HQ mid-build with a Cusco RS 1.5-way LSD in his carry-on baggage and the information that the Quaife gearbox was en route, the staff got here round. In any case, even HKS had encountered points with inventory GR86 transmissions failing beneath enhance on monitor, and a damaged field was the very last thing Jacky needed to have prematurely lower brief his day at Tsukuba.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-59

Initially, Jacky was imagined to get some check laps earlier than the Hiper Problem, however as usually occurs with these tasks, the construct went right down to the wire. His first time behind the wheel could be on the occasion itself. And with solely three brief 15-minute periods to work with, laying down a decent lap time – Jacky’s objective being sub-1-minute – was going to be something however straightforward.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-5

The day began with excessive spirits, however issues took a fast flip. Jacky hadn’t even made it out of the pit lane when the engine stalled and couldn’t be restarted. After the automobile was pushed again to the HKS pit, the difficulty was traced to a unfastened crank angle sensor. Session one: carried out.

To correctly resolve the sensor challenge, the transmission would wish to come back out of the automobile to offer full entry to it. There was no time for that, so a side-of-the-road repair was employed, permitting Jacky to go out for session two.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-7

Jacky had been getting ready for this present day for six months, operating lots of, if not 1000’s of laps on his simulator. However Tsukuba’s real-world elevation adjustments, nook camber, and monitor narrowness had been all issues he needed to shortly adapt to. In the course of the second session, he was understandably cautious, understanding that crank angle sensor failure at velocity may finish in catastrophe. Moreover, the automobile was understeering, and the brakes weren’t performing as they need to, principally as a result of the pads hadn’t been bedded in and the suspension settings wanted tweaking. The large aero was hampering its straight-line velocity too. Nonetheless, Jacky lapped at 1:03, a strong begin.

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After some tweaks and with confidence that the crank angle sensor challenge wouldn’t resurface, Jacky equipped for the third and ultimate session. He had a technique: heat up on lap one, then push for a time on lap two, and lap three if essential.

Alec Pender  - Speedhunters HKS-9

There was fast enchancment with a 1:01 first lap. However on lap two, the engine started to overheat, initially inflicting energy loss after which a misfire. Jacky returned to the pits for a calm down, however on his return to the monitor the misfire endured. Not eager to danger the engine, the session was known as.

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Though the teething points didn’t permit Jacky to hit his lap time objective, the GR86’s efficiency was spectacular for a primary shakedown.

Hit play above to trip together with Jacky for a number of laps round Tsukuba.

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On the finish of the day, Jacky famous, “This undertaking wasn’t nearly a construct or a lap time. It was about fulfilling a lifelong dream with my family and friends, and celebrating automobile tradition at Tsukuba, the world’s most iconic time assault monitor.”

Whereas this was imagined to be a one-hit Tsukuba deal, with HKS returning the GR86 to its HQ after the occasion and instantly prepping it for export to New Zealand, there’s an opportunity Jacky will get a second shot at that 59-second lap earlier than Japan’s 2024/2025 time assault season is over. HKS has mounted the crank angle sensor challenge and is at the moment fine-tuning the setup, so we’ll see.

Within the meantime, it’s best to positively take a look at Jacky’s YouTube channel, Seat Time, the place his ‘Highway to Tsukuba’ has been documented intimately.

Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco

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