Rush to Race

Barely finishing the build in time to be put on a transport bound for Australia, the team readied itself for a much-anticipated debut at the 2012 WTAC at Sydney Motorsports Park. But growing pains with the revised AP1 were a challenge to overcome, as class dominance shifted away from Japan to Australia’s Nemo Racing EVO. With Nobuteru Taniguchi behind the wheel, the Top Fuel/Voltex Racing S2000 managed to finish fifth with a best lap time of 1:29.0520. A few months later, at the 2013 HKS Premium Day, Taniguchi lapped Fuji Speedway in 1:46.382. While not the quickest lap at Fuji, it gave the team a point of measure to work from. The team returned to Japan to further refine the setup and make some adjustments.

[pullquote]TOP FUEL GOT BACK UNDER THE HOOD TO EXTRACT MORE POWER FROM THE STROKED F20C[/pullquote]Taniguchi mentioned that the chassis felt very twitchy and a challenge to drive. This warranted a return to the wind tunnel at Mie University to further improve aerodynamics. As Nakajima and his team worked on the exterior of the S2000, Top Fuel got back under the hood to extract more power from the stroked F20C. A GCG/Garrett GTX3582R turbocharger replaced the HKS snail, generating 32 psi boost pressure and increasing output to 765 horsepower. To handle the increased output of the engine, the driveline was upgraded with a Holinger RD6S sequential transmission.

Mounting Frustrations

With refined aerodynamics, more horsepower and seat time, the team returned to Australia to make another run at the Pro Class title. While Taniguchi was able to improve his lap time with a 1:28.8660, it would still land him in a frustrating fifth place for a second year in a row. It is said that after the race, he mentioned in his blog, “Please Japan, give me something to catch these monsters with.” In the months leading up to the 2014 HKS Premium Day, the team feverishly refined the S2000 to give Taniguchi the machine he’d been asking for, and they delivered. [pullquote] “PLEASE JAPAN, GIVE ME SOMETHING TO CATCH THESE MONSTERS WITH.” – Nob Taniguchi [/pullquote] On January 26, he clocked a scorching lap time of 1:40.195, setting the new tuning car record at Fuji Speedway, surpassing the HKS CT230R (1:42.374 on 11/14/08) and the Cyber EVO (1:41.434 on 2/17/09). Planning more sessions on the track in preparation for competition, Taniguchi and the Top Fuel/Voltex Racing S2000 stand poised and prepared to return to Australia to represent Japan once again. This time, it looks like Taniguchi will have a monster of his own.