Kick-off of the 2021 Season for the 'Improvement of Superior Automobiles' Through the Finder has commenced

In the face of adversity, ROOKIE Racing continues its pursuit of continuous improvement as Round 2 of the 2021 Super Taikyu Series approaches. The season kicked off in Twin Ring Motegi from March 18 to 21.

The team, which entered the season with two cars - the GR Supra and GR Yaris, found themselves faced with a series of issues during the opening race. The GR Yaris, in particular, encountered problems such as wet air cleaners and ABS abnormalities, issues that had not been encountered during rainy races in Fuji and Sugo last year.

The rain intensified on Sunday, forcing the main race to be stopped at 3:25 p.m. with the red flag coming down. Despite the setbacks, ROOKIE Racing fought hard until the last minute to gain as many laps as possible to improve their cars.

The GR Yaris secured pole position after Saturday's qualifying session, with Morizo's (Akio Toyoda) lap time matching that of professional drivers. However, the GR Yaris encountered engine trouble in the final stages of qualifying, revealing an issue not detected during factory preparations. As a result, the car was forced to replace its engine during the evening of the race, resulting in losing pole position.

The GR Supra, on the other hand, completed 76 laps in the opening round, finishing the race in 17th place overall. It is classified in the ST-Q class for prototype vehicles, offering greater flexibility in regulations.

Photographer Noriaki Mitsuhashi is documenting ROOKIE Racing's development and changes with two new professional drivers. The specific drivers for ROOKIE Racing in the 2021 Super Taikyu Series have not been confirmed as of my last update. Sho Tsuboi is associated with Rookie Racing, but the specific context of the 2021 Super Taikyu Series is not mentioned.

Morizo emphasized ROOKIE Racing's new challenge as creating a professional team and a family. The team demonstrated this spirit during the race, with the drivers returning to the hotel and showing up with evening refreshments to support the mechanics working late into the night. The engine change took place around 10 p.m., with the team working diligently, backed by engineers from the headquarters.

Super Taikyu offers teams a greater opportunity to run through the feedback-response cycle compared to the annual Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. This series provides ROOKIE Racing with a valuable platform to test and improve their vehicles, setting the stage for future success.

Kick-off of the 2021 Season for the 'Improvement of Superior Automobiles' Through the Finder has commenced