Hoppy Team Tsuchiya GR Supra Out For Rest Of 2023

Hoppy Team Tsuchiya’s custom-built Toyota GR Supra will not return for the remainder of the 2023 Autobacs SUPER GT Series after it caught fire during last weekend’s race at Fuji Speedway.

The #25 Hoppy Schatz GR Supra – affectionately nicknamed “Hopiko” by the team – caught fire in the third sector when the exhaust end fell off of the car, and the ensuing heat ruptured the fuel line.

Second-year driver Seita Nonaka rapidly pulled the burning car off at turn 13, where the flames of the burning Hoppy Supra spread all the way to the adjacent tyre barriers. The race was red-flagged after 67 laps to control and extinguish the fire – a stoppage that was prolonged due to heavy rainfall.

Nonaka was able to get away from the fire and escape injury. But Takeshi Tsuchiya, the owner of Hoppy Team Tsuchiya’s parent company Tsuchiya Engineering, confirmed the worst outlook for the car today.

“Unfortunately, Hopiko has been damaged beyond repair and will not be able to compete in the remaining races this year,” Tsuchiya said in a post to his social media accounts. “I am truly sorry for not being able to meet the expectations of all of you who support us.”

Tsuchiya emphatically expressed his team’s desire to return to the series as soon as possible, but as a privateer GT300 team and constructor building its own GTA-GT300 spec cars, he admitted that he does not know when that time will come.

“In order to return to the SUPER GT stage again, we have to clear many hurdles, such as building a car and raising funds for its production.”

“But we are determined to move forward, even if only by one millimetre at a time, and we will definitely come back. I am also deeply touched by the voices of so many fans.”

The team has in its garage a Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) that raced from 2020-21, and a Dome MC86 with which Tsuchiya and Takamitsu Matsui won the 2016 GT300 Championship. Tsuchiya has currently ruled out using either car as a spare to finish the season.

But, even if Hoppy Team Tsuchiya’s return to action takes ‘years’ as Tsuchiya said to Jamie Klein of Motorsport Network, the second-generation driver and car constructor is determined to continue racing on his terms. He has the full support of a staff of young engineers working alongside him, as well as a supporter’s club of fans who regularly make financial pledges to the team.

“I strongly believe that I cannot quit, and feel that there is no way I can quit,” Tsuchiya added.

“Tsuchiya Engineering celebrates its 52nd anniversary this year. The current members are still young, and I believe they will grow even more through this ordeal. We will be back next time with another upgraded version, so we would be happy if you could wait a little longer.”

The same exhaust failure which caused the Hoppy Supra’s failure also occurred earlier in the race to Max Racing’s #244 Hachi-Ichi GR Supra, which is prepared by Tsuchiya Engineering at their shop in Fujisawa (though the car was constructed by Saitama Toyopet Motorsports).

Kimiya Sato was able to escape without injuries, and the fire was much less severe than the one which struck down Hopiko.

Tetsuya Tanaka, the team director of Max Racing, could not yet confirm if the car can be repaired in time for the team to race at Suzuka Circuit on 27 August.

To close his statement on social media, Tsuchiya said confidently: “Well then, privateers work hard! If you don’t work, you shouldn’t race. I will work without whining!”

Images © GTA