Dai Yoshihara and Evasive Motorsports Complete Final Trial Test Before 2019 Pikes Peak Attempt

Dai Yoshihara and Evasive Motorsports headed to Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs Raceway last week for the final round of testing on the 2JZ-powered ENEOS / Evasive Motorsports / Turn14 Distribution Toyota 86 they will be using to tackle the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb next month. The team chose the short one-mile course for its tight turns and stop-and-go nature. They felt it better simulated the conditions they will encounter at this year’s hill climb.

Based on the data gathered and Dai’s feedback from the previous tests, the Evasive Motorsports crew had switched to a smaller Garrett GTX3582II turbocharger for this session. On the track, Dai reported that the combination of the more responsive turbo and refined traction control strategy provided better drivability and overall consistency, giving Dai a major boost in confidence for his run up the mountain.

Dai conducted a series of 13-lap sessions to simulate a full pass up the PPIHC course. Each sessions helped the team guage tire degradation as well as run the car’s cooling system and to check on fuel strategy. New differential settings from OS Giken and softer Yokohama Tire compounds completed the additions to the car for this test.

The changes left Dai confident in the ENEOS 86’s capabilities and his chances on the mountain course: “This was a great test. It allowed us to verify all the changes we made after the previous test session. The car feels really strong and we’re in a good place for Pikes Peak,” Dai told us.

Stay tuned for news from Dai’s first visit to Pikes Peak and updates as the team heads to the mountain itself for their final test!