SARD
Encyclopedia
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Toyota, Aichi
is a city located in the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of Nagoya.Toyota's main plant, the Tsutsumi plant, is located here. The longstanding ties between the Toyota Motor Corporation and the town of Toyota-shi, formerly known as Koromo, gave the town its current...
, mainly competing in the Super GT
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
series and specialising in Toyota tuning parts.
History
The company was formed in 1972 as Sigma Automotive Co., Ltd by Shin Kato to develop and produce motorsport related parts and accessories as well as operating their own racing team. Sigma began its racing career in the Fuji Grand Champion SeriesFuji Grand Champion Series
The ran from 1971 to 1989. It was a drivers' championship in Japan and was originally for 2 litre Group B6 cars. The series was started in 1973, and all races were held at the Fuji Speedway circuit.- History :...
and for the following year participated for the first time in the 24 hour of Le Mans
1973 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 41st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 9 and 10 1973. It was the eighth round of the World Championship of Makes.-Pre-race:...
with their Sigma MC73, powered by a Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
Wankel engine
Wankel engine
The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating pistons. Its four-stroke cycle takes place in a space between the inside of an oval-like epitrochoid-shaped housing and a rotor that...
, becoming the first Japanese car to qualify for Le Mans, before retiring early in the race with electrical problems. The team returned for the following year
1974 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 42nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 1974. It was the fifth round of the World Championship of Makes.-Pre-race:...
with a Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
backed MC74, finishing but not making enough laps to be classified. In 1975
1975 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 43rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1975.-Pre-race:In the wake of the oil crisis, Le Mans introduced rules in 1975 regarding fuel consumption. In response, the CSI excluded the 24 Hours from the World Championship for Makes...
the team switched to a Toyota powerplant in the MC75, only to suffer from another early retirement.
Sigma Automotive would continue to compete in numerous domestic series. In 1985, the racing division of Sigma Automotive became an independent company, Kato established a company called Sigma Advanced Racing Development (SARD) specialising in motorsport as well as producing aftermarket parts for Toyota automobiles.
SARD returned to international motorsports in 1989, debuting as a Toyota backed team named Toyota Team SARD in the first round of World Sports Prototype Championship held in Suzuka
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...
, using a Toyota 89C-V, also competing in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
The , abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japanese Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier years...
. With the demise of Group C
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
in 1993, SARD switched to the newly formed JGTC
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
series and also return to Le Mans with a V8 powered MR2
Toyota MR2
The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car produced by Central Motors, a part of Toyota, from 1984 until July 2007 when production stopped in Japan...
known as the MC8-R, having the same spell of misfortune as they had during the 1970s, competing in 1995
1996 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 64th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 1996.-Race:The 1996 race was won by a car that was considered by Porsche to not be a factory-backed entry, instead run by Joest Racing...
and 1996
1996 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 64th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 1996.-Race:The 1996 race was won by a car that was considered by Porsche to not be a factory-backed entry, instead run by Joest Racing...
, only to fail to pre-qualify in the face of the newer generations of GT1 cars in the following year
1997 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 65th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1997.-Pre-race:The Dunlop chicane was modified slightly in order to slow speeds again but also accommodate larger gravel traps as runoff area for the protection of motorcycle riders using the Bugatti...
. SARD continued to compete in the JGTC with a works Supra
Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
. The team now races with a Lexus SC430
Lexus SC
The Lexus SC is a personal luxury coupé that was retailed by Lexus, and built from 1991 through 2010. It features a front engine, rear-wheel drive design and seating for up to four passengers. The first generation SC debuted as the V8-powered SC 400 in 1991, and the I6-powered SC 300 was added in...
, with Sato's son Shinji working as a Chief Engineer.. In 2006, SARD has also competed at the 24 Hours of Tokachi, a Super Taikyu race, with a hybrid powered Lexus GS450h
Lexus GS
The Lexus GS is a series of mid-size luxury sports sedans / executive cars sold by Lexus since 1993. Designed to fill the gap between the ES and LS, and to provide Lexus with a performance sedan to compete in the mid-luxury class, three generations of the GS have been produced to date...
finishing 4th in class and 17th overall.
Hybrid Synergy Drive
Hybrid Synergy Drive is a set of hybrid car technologies developed by Toyota and used in the company's Auris, Prius, Highlander Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, Estima, Alphard, Lexus CT, Lexus RX 400h/RX 450h, Lexus GS 450h, Lexus LS 600h/LS 600hL, and Lexus HS 250h automobiles. Toyota also licenses its HSD...
of its Super GT 3UZ-FE engine, giving out 480 bhp and 376 lbft of torque. The Supra, rechristened as Denso SARD Supra HV-R and driven by series regulars André Couto
André Couto
André Couto is a Portuguese motor racing driver who races with a Macau licence.-Early years:André Couto started his career in Karting in Macau influenced by the popular Macau Grand Prix and friends who competed in the local Karting championship...
, Akira Iida
Akira Iida
is a Japanese racing driver in the Super GT series, since 2002 affiliated with Toyota and Lexus. First driving in the series since 1994, Iida has won five races altogether and took one driver's title in 2002....
, Katsuyuki Hiranaka
Katsuyuki Hiranaka
is a Japanese race car driver.-Career:Katsuyuki began karting in 1995 when he was 14, and in 2002 moved to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship, as a member of the TOM'S team. In 2002, he achieved one fastest lap and came fifth in one race. Between 2003 and 2004 Katsuyuki raced for Prema...
and Tatsuya Kataoka started on pole and dominated the race effortlessly throughout to the end which it finished 19 more laps over the runner up, completing 616 laps. It became the first hybrid-powered car to win a race.
In addition, SARD develop and manufacture tuning parts mainly for Toyota cars, namely turbocharger
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
s, redesigned fuel system
Fuel system
An aircraft fuel system allows the crew to store, manage, and deliver fuel to the propulsion system of an aircraft. Fuel systems differ greatly due to different performance of the aircraft in which they are installed...
s and cooling system
Intercooler
An intercooler , or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through nearly isobaric cooling, which removes...
s, suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
parts and aerodynamic kits
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
. The company is not restricted to Toyotas as they are well known within the aftermarket tuning
Car tuning
Car tuning is both an industry and a hobby, in which an automobile is modified in order to improve its performance, handling and appearance. As most vehicles leave the factory set up for average driver expectations and average conditions, tuning has become a way to personalize the characteristics...
market for their fuelling components used by numerous tuning companies. Also, under as SARD Marine Project, a separate project to its car works, it builds and sell its Toyota powered motorboat
Motorboat
A motorboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a...
s.