After making it into Tsukuba’s top 5 fastest drivers with a TC2000 time of 52.454, and competing in Sydney’s WTAC in his JZZ30, Kunihiko Bando had accomplished quite a bit with his unconventional Soarer build. After the 2021 season, he made the difficult decision to scrap his current JZZ30 and begin work on a new build. After 2 long years of rebuilding the machine from an entirely different chassis, he is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
I visited Bando’s workshop in Ibaraki a few weeks ago to see the new car, and document the build towards its completion before we see it fully assembled and on the track for its first shakedown. The following week, I returned to Japan and accompanied the team to Motegi for further testing, and then again the following day at Tsukuba for its debut at TC2000. Check out the two part video and enjoy the gallery.
PART 1 – SHOP VISIT
PART 2 – TESTING AT MOTEGI
