Interview with President Toda
We spoke with President and Representative Director Toda Kengo about Toda Racing’s past and future.
What circumstances led to the relocation of the new headquarters from Tamashima, its founding location, to Yakage Town?
Toda (surname only)
In the 2000s, our headquarters factory in Tamashima began to feel cramped, so plans emerged to build a new factory.
Initially, we hoped to build a new factory within Kurashiki City, where the company was founded. However, given the social climate and local circumstances at the time, building a factory within Kurashiki City itself was extremely difficult.
As we considered possible relocation sites, Yakage Town’s very warm welcome for the factory construction became a major factor in our decision to move.
Yakage Town is also close to Tamashima, our original base, and in 2007 we were able to relocate the factory to its current site. Since then, our Yakage facility has served as our base.
Could you tell us about your aftermarket business?
Toda
For many years, our company has manufactured competition parts for sports cars (parts for motorsports such as circuit driving).
For cars that have been out of production for some time, original manufacturer parts are no longer available, and in recent years, demand for replacement parts has also grown.
A range of aftermarket parts, including pistons, connecting rods, and flywheels, manufactured using high-performance machine tools, form the foundation of our manufacturing business.
These parts are highly regarded not only in Japan but also overseas, and are widely distributed through dealers. Some customers have even sent their engines to us from the United States and asked us to install parts.
I understand that in recent years you have also been working on electric vehicle (EV) development.
Toda
We have participated since its establishment in 2011 in the Okayama Next-Generation Vehicle Technology Research and Development Center (abbreviated as OVEC), led by the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation.
This was an EV development project involving Okayama Prefecture and automotive-related companies in the prefecture. The companies worked together to develop in-wheel motors and inverters. They were installed in a test vehicle, and the project went as far as demonstrating the vehicle in motion.
In-wheel motor
A motor built into a wheel.
Inverter
A control device that drives a motor. In everyday life, inverters are also used in air conditioners.
The six-year project ended and OVEC was dissolved, but since then our company has continued to improve and develop thinner, more compact in-wheel motors.
We also draw on our track record in aftermarket parts sales to serve as a sales channel for the EV parts we have developed.
Could you tell us about the current state of your motorsports activities?
Toda
Our motorsports activities, which have continued from our founding in 1971 to the present day, are at the core of the company’s identity.
For many years, we competed in F3—the proving ground for young drivers, now known as Super Formula Lights (SFL)—with our own engines, building up a strong track record.
In addition to our current participation in SFL, from 2026 we will also take on Super Formula, Japan’s premier racing series. To use a soccer analogy, this is a major step up, like being promoted from J2 to J1.
We are also combining the carbon molding technology used to build race cars with motor technology gained through the EV development mentioned earlier to develop “flying cars” and carbon-fiber propellers for drones.
Through our racing activities, we also help support Japan’s motorsports culture by training drivers who aspire to become professionals and sending them on to manufacturers and other teams.
Finally, do you have a message for our readers?
Toda
We are well known among car enthusiasts, but we would first like people who have not yet heard of Toda Racing to know that “there is a manufacturing company like this in Okayama.”
Recently in particular, we have seen more children who became interested in cars through their car-loving fathers visit us and say, “I want to work at Toda Racing.”
We would also be very encouraged if introducing ourselves to younger generations could lead to meeting people who will help shape the future.
We are proud to be “taking on challenges from Okayama for the world,” and will continue moving forward with passion. We hope this article conveys our passion for manufacturing to as many people as possible.
From the Writer
Listening to President Toda, I got the impression that rather than deliberately expanding the scope of its business, a variety of products and services emerged from its core racing activities.
For Toda Racing, motorsports is the “ultimate testing ground”—a place to push the limits of technology and apply the know-how gained there to products and testing equipment, as well as next-generation technologies such as EVs and flying cars.
Today, the automotive industry is at a turning point, shifting from engines to electric power. We hope that, drawing on the technology it has built up over the years as a long-established company, it will overcome the waves of change and continue racing around the circuit of challenges.
Toda Racing Co., Ltd. Information
| Organization | Toda Racing Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Research and development, manufacture, and sales of racing engines and parts Research and development, manufacture, and sales of automotive parts Research and development, manufacture, and sales of prototype vehicles Research and development of engine combustion efficiency, fuel economy, and low emissions Manufacture and sales of various test stands Research and development, manufacture, and sales of in-wheel motors / onboard motors / e-Axles Manufacture of aircraft parts / manufacture of industrial machinery |
| Representative | Toda Kengo |
| Established | 1971 |
| Address | 640-1 Naka, Yakage Town, Oda District, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0866-83-1202 |
| Website | Toda Racing |
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