HKS to enter All Japan Rally Championship in 2027

Automotive tuning parts manufacturer HKS has announced its intention to enter the All Japan Rally Championship in full starting from the 2027 season. The company will compete in the JN3 class using a Toyota GR Yaris-based vehicle named the ‘HKS GR Yaris’.

As a preliminary step to test vehicle performance, durability, and team operations, HKS will participate in a spot entry for the final round of the 2026 season, ‘MONTRE 2026’, held in Gunma Prefecture in November 2026.

The team will be led by driver Katsuhiko Taguchi, a three-time consecutive champion in the All Japan Dirt Trial Championship, and co-driver Sae Kitagawa, a four-time class champion in the All Japan Rally Championship.

HKS aims to use this motorsport involvement as a platform for technical development and human resource training. The ‘HKS Rally Team’ will consist primarily of young staff from the company’s product development department, with the goal of feeding data and driver feedback back into the development of future HKS products.