GT5 Transcripts/Honda Gathers Drider CIVIC Race Car '98

International A-class professional motorcycle rider Satoshi Tsujimoto began racing motorcars and labeled himself as a "Drider", a word he created by combining "driver" and "rider". Tsujimoto entered Japan's Super Taikyu endurance-race series with a custom-built Civic. He was paired with co-driver Yasukichi Yamamoto.
The base car was a EK9 Civic Type R released in August 1997. The Type R itself was based on the EK4 model, aka SiR. The car was equipped with the more powerful 182 HP B16 engine. In addition to the engine upgrade, the Type R also received a significant amount of body reinforcement. However, this EK9 was quite heavy in race trim, and it was unable to produce the desired results on the track. In frustration, Honda ordered a special light body made especially for the Super Taikyu race, enabling the EK9 to demonstrate its full potential. In the 1998 Super Taikyu Racing Series, the car grabbed three class wins and two runner-up finishes in its first five races.
In the season finale at Fuji Speedway, they drove cautiously on a faulty driveshaft, and limped to a 5th-place finish after their main rivals had dropped out. As a result, Tsujimoto and Yamamoto put a 9-point lead on the 2nd place team to seal their series title.
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