Yuichi Kanai's First Car

Ever wonder if it is the car or the driver? Is a great driver born, or made, or both? This car is the only one I have ever seen, and it has so many odd ball features combined in one car that I doubt there is anything really quite like it anywhere. It is a Supitaru Industries Safari Buggy and in an interview with Yauchi, he mentioned this car as being his first RC car. It is the only reference to it on the entire web, I researched it for quite a while and the only reason I know what it is when I bought it, it came with the build manual, in Japanese of course. When I got it, the engine was frozen and the tires had flat spots from sitting for so long. It also was the most hideous shade of green with yellow tape stripes I had ever seen. Needless to say, there was something intriguing about it anyway. I bought it for pretty cheap, but it had some difficult to overcome problems as is the case with a lot of the older restorations. As luck would have it I found a chassis with a good set of tires and not much else in Australia where it was imported as the Kangaroo Car GX. It still had it's rubber bumper which is an impressive piece on it's own. I found a NIB old mark O.S. .20 engine exactly like the one that was in it and installed it. The clutch is ball bearings and a forward or push type which is quite normal today but way ahead of it's time then. It is supported as can be seen in one of the pictures by a bearing in the chassis, which is stamped sheet metal and has the same finish as a blued gun. This car has seen little to no use, not a scratch on it anywhere and all 3 of the belts are perfect. It has a belt to start it and a belt in each final drive. The gear on the clutch bell drives a gear on a jack shaft that drives each final drive, 2 cogged pulley's and a cogged belt on each side totally enclosed in a sheet metal housing. These are sprung with a torsion spring and have an upper rebound spring. The front is aluminum in a sheet metal housing with a spring to dampen the bounce and a tab and screw to change the tension and the stance, primitive but it works. The throttle is connected by a cable in a cable like a bicycle control and loops around from the pan to the throttle. I have taken pictures trying to capture the unusual drive system and the belt housings; it really is not the ordinary type of car. The exhaust is routed through a tube into an expansion chamber and out a pair of really cool exhaust dual pipes. The body is metallic red and the steering wheel was already installed to drive on the wrong side of the road. It is in my opinion one of the more unique cars I have and I haven't seen so much as another reference to one since I bought the parts chassis. I did not run this one as is my custom so as not to even put the first scratch on the bottom. After this is the interview with Kanai, enjoy! Konichi wa Kanai san, first of all congratulations from all TWF8 page readers for becoming the new World Champion, and our sincere gratitude for sharing your ideas & feelings with all of us. Q: How does it feel to be the world champ? The pictures on TWF8 say enough but how does it really feel? A: I didn't understand what happened, at the end of the race. But, as time passed I was convinced that I was The World Champ. Anyhow, I felt very happy. Q: In the main final at what moment did you realize that you had a real chance of wining the title? A: When the announcer Barry-Baker said 'congratulations'! Q: What where your feelings during the last minute? A: I was crying in my heart and hoping that my car did not break down!!. Q: Is this a boyhood dream coming true in the end? A: Of course, it was my dream since I was kid. Q: In Europe and the USA we do not know too much about you (( ! Would you like to answer some general questions for TWF8? A: No problem! Q: OK when did you start with model cars or modeling at all? A: I got my first radio control car when I was 14 years old. Q: What was your first car? A: My first radio control car was (SAFARI BUGGY) produced by SUPITARU INDUSTRY. Q: When did you get involved with racing model cars? A: I think when I was 15 years old. Q: What is your exact relationship with Kyosho? Your company designs the cars for Kyosho? A: My company (AUTO MODEL) is an associated company of KYOSHO, and designs and produces only for KYOSHO. Q: We only know you design cars for Kyosho. Which have you designed in all those years? A: TURBO BURNS, INFERNO, TURBO INFERNO, MP-5, MP-6, MP-7.5, SUPER-8, USA-1,INFERNO-DX, MP-6 SPORT Q: How does it feel that the car you designed and drove by yourself is the world champ. A: Because MP-7.5 was born less than a half year ago, I took the trouble to set up my car in short days. I went to the circuit almost every day. If there was some trouble in the MP-7.5, I redesigned the MP-7.5 as soon as possible, and drove the MP-7.5 again and again. I was so busy until World Championship. My effort has been rewarded; there was almost no-trouble with my car. I am surprised by the fact I have won the World Championship. Actually, I am very happy to win The World Championship with a car designed by me. Q: Are you totally free to design the car or are there limits? A: I am totally free to design 1/8 Buggy’s. Q: I saw some supporters walking around after the race with your name all over their arms. Family or dedicated fans? A: They were my dedicated fans. Q: Are you working for Kyosho itself full-time? A: Yes! Q: What have you done for study before you worked for Kyosho? A: I studied nothing before I worked for KYOSHO. Q: Do you have a mechanic or are you wrenching on the cars yourself. A: I have great mechanic ICHIHARA SEIJI, but I maintain my car almost by myself. Q: I saw you have been numerous times Japanese champion. Are there no other good Japanese drivers? )) A: Of course, there are many fast drivers in Japan. But, they don't grow to play an active part in THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Q: In the past you always ran OS Max engines and OS seems to be the engine brand always connected to Kyosho. What made you decide to switch to R&B? A: Because I thought R&B was a more suitable engine for 1/8 Buggy. Q: Did you really run a production car or did it has special parts like differentials? A: The only special parts on my car were the differentials. Of course, I used the KYOSHO special aftermarket option parts on the market. Q: What is new about the NEW KYOSHO differentials? A: The special differential system is 4-bevel gear differential system basically. But, there are guides around little bevel gears and little bevel gears in the special differential system, and the little gears are floated. If the little gears get traction force, they are slanted and rubbed against the guides, the special differential system gives a limited force. The special differentials were 4-bevel gear basically. A guide around a little floated bevel gears pushes bevel gears, and gets a limited force. Q: Can we compare them with other differentials and what are the benefits? A: With the special differentials, we can get easy drive, a good traction, and high performance at a gap. I think we can’t get these performances with thorsen differentials. Q: The qualification result of the Japanese team was incredible, it seems a recovering for the result of the early 90's (Usingen 92 & so) what is in your opinion the reason for that recovering? A: I don't know. Q: Who is the most promising young driver of the scene in Japan? A: I think that is HURUTA YUNI. I expect him, because he is very fast driver for he is junior high school student. Q: Your symbol, the winning thumb is well know, is there any possibility to see you racing in Europe the next year? A: My symbol is not thumb, my symbol is forefinger. You might see my forefinger Q: You where assisting Kyosho drivers on the Eurochamp at Portugal, how did you see the European drivers level? A: I think they have high driving level, and they are real professionals. Q: Is 1/8 off road the biggest modelcar category in racing at Japan? A: To our regret, there are many articles about touring car, and few article about 1/8 Buggy in Japanese radio control magazines. I think the public radio control fans can't understand the fun of 1/8 Buggy. Q: As you already know, there is a theoretically 'pole man curse' that means that the pole man who qualifies direct to the final never wins the title, this has happened this year to Mark Pavidis. In your personal opinion, do you think it will be better to change the system or keep on top qualifier going direct to the final without racing a semifinal? A: That doesn't worry me. Domo arigato, Kanai san Thanks you for having this interview, keep smiling (remember the 'DIRT GIRLS') and racing, Paco Raap, Carlos Gomez for the questions and Hideki Hayashi for doing the interview and the picture with Yuichi Kanai in Japan and the translation for TWF8. http://www.twf8.ws/new/other/interview/interv0101.html