Hydrogen-Powered Corolla Withdraws From Super Taikyu Suzuka Opener
The hydrogen-powered Toyota GR Corolla H2 Concept has withdrawn from the upcoming Eneos Super Taikyu Series powered by Hankook season opener at Suzuka Circuit on Sunday.
It has delayed what would have been the car’s first race since their landmark change to liquid hydrogen fuel, which has been testing since November.
A statement from Toyota Gazoo Racing reads: “During a private test run at Fuji International Speedway on March 8, a vehicle fire occurred due to a hydrogen leak from a gaseous hydrogen pipe in the engine compartment. Consequently, we could not recover the vehicle in time and were forced to abandon the race.”
“Instead, we plan to participate with the ORC ROOKIE GR Yaris (gasoline engine). We apologize for the concern this may cause the many people looking forward to seeing the hydrogen-powered Corolla on the track.”
The change of vehicles for ROOKIE Racing’s #32 entry will keep the grid at 54 cars. It’s not yet been determined what class the GR Yaris will compete in, though in all likelihood it will be the ST-2 class. There is also no confirmation on if there will be any change to the announced line-up of drivers Akio “Morizo” Toyoda, Masahiro Sasaki, Hiroaki Ishiura, and Yasuhiro Ogura.
As their statement continues, Toyota Gazoo Racing gave assurances that the fire was not caused by the adoption of liquid hydrogen.
“The hydrogen-powered Corolla in the March 8 test run used liquid hydrogen. However, the vehicle fire was not directly caused by the fuel change from gaseous hydrogen to liquid hydrogen. The cause is seen to be the loosening of a piping joint from vehicle vibration, resulting in a hydrogen leak. As the piping joint is located near the engine, the leaked hydrogen ignited when heated.”
“It was found that the hydrogen leak sensor fail-safe functioned properly so that the hydrogen supply was shut off, avoiding a significant spread of the fire. As a result, the cabin was protected, and the safety measures for the occupants were confirmed.”
“We will review the piping design that caused the hydrogen leak this time to continue developing safer vehicles.”
The “Hydrogen Corolla” made its debut in 2021 at the Fuji Super TEC 24 Hours, powered initially by gaseous hydrogen. The last two seasons have seen the car make great strides in performance and driving range since its introduction.
Feature image © STO
The post Hydrogen-Powered Corolla Withdraws From Super Taikyu Suzuka Opener first appeared on dailysportscar.com.