January 2026

The Beginning – Wynn’s Safari 1988 

In 1987, I was working for a Honda-affiliated automotive company in Japan as a support mechanic for Honda Civic circuit racing.

In early 1988, I received unexpected news that a Japanese private team was preparing to compete in the Wynn’s Safari Rally in Australia and was looking for a support mechanic. The team consisted of a husband and wife along with the wife’s sister. The couple had previously travelled across Australia by motorcycle and were determined to challenge one of the toughest rallies in the world.

The vehicle they selected was an Isuzu Bighorn 2.8L turbo diesel.
At the time, the idea of racing a diesel vehicle was difficult to imagine.

I joined the rally car build at a workshop in Saitama, Japan, participating from the fabrication stage through testing before departure to Australia. Travel expenses were covered, but there was no salary — only the opportunity to experience the rally.

We arrived in Sydney in July 1988. While preparing for desert conditions, we searched for improved filtration solutions and were introduced to an Australian supplier connected to a turbo center featured on Safari promotional material. There I met Steve, who remains an important friend to this day.

From Sydney, we drove the rally vehicle across Australia to Alice Springs, the rally starting point. It was my first experience of long-distance driving through the dry Australian outback.

Many of the modifications we believed were effective in Japan proved unsuitable under real desert conditions. Mechanical problems appeared repeatedly, and although we managed to reach Uluru, the vehicle nearly stopped completely before the rally began.

Despite numerous challenges, Car No.217 successfully started the event. Mechanics travelled between camps using buses organized by the rally officials.

However, after the start, the vehicle failed to arrive at subsequent camps. Later we learned that serious damage occurred near Halls Creek in Western Australia. Welding repairs were required, but equipment in the remote community could only be used when a weekly service crew arrived.

Determined to complete the rally, the team ultimately made the difficult decision to leave the vehicle in Australia and return to Japan.

This experience became the true beginning of my long relationship with endurance rally engineering — and the foundation of what would later become Isuzu Motorsports.

The journey had only just begun. 

February 2026

After the Desert — The Road Back to Australia

After experiencing the true reality of the Australian desert, I returned to Japan.The company I had worked for told me, “You can come back anytime.” But just returning, I was suddenly dismissed. At that moment, I made a decision — I would go back to Australia. For six months I worked part-time jobs, saving everything I could. Then I left again, travelling slowly across Tokyo, Hong Kong, Brunei, Darwin, Alice Springs, and finally Sydney. Arriving late at night at Steve’s house, in the surprisingly cool Australian winter air, I apparently said, “Hello… surprise, one year.” Steve still reminds me of that moment today.

Rebuilding the Bighorn

The next morning I returned to Benson’s Turbo Centre, where the Isuzu Bighorn we had left behind the previous year was waiting. While working there, the rebuild of the rally car began. At that time, I had neither the knowledge nor the experience to build a proper rally vehicle. Steve introduced me to Bruce — a former Mitsubishi Ralliart mechanic and driver who had already completed multiple Australian Safaris. With only three months before the rally, we stripped the vehicle completely: Body, Chassis, Suspension, Every mechanical component.The chassis was reinforced with welded strengthening at critical points. Springs and shock absorbers were redesigned following the philosophy used in Ralliart Pajero rally cars.The engine was also transformed:Large airbox installation, Additional intercooler, Upgraded turbocharger, Reinforced clutch system. Those three months felt like learning everything about the Bighorn from the ground up.

The 1989 Rally — Car No. 217

The Japanese team arrived, and this time I joined inside the car — driving while also serving as mechanic.The rally began from Sydney toward Darwin.Car number: 217, the same as the year before.Day One — Sydney to Parkes (355 km) With almost no proper testing completed, problems appeared immediately. Nights were spent repairing the car under harsh conditions.From Day Two onward, the vehicle finally began to run reliably. The smell of the finish line slowly became real. Crisis in the Outback Day Seven — Dajarra to Camooweal (729 km) With only 200 km remaining, disaster struck. A rear wheel suddenly detached — all six wheel studs had sheared off. We found two spare studs onboard. Not enough. So we removed one stud from each remaining hub, creating a temporary solution — five studs per wheel. After nearly one hour in the desert, the car was running again.

The Finish

Regardless of results, we reached Darwin and crossed the finish line after 6,500 km. At that moment, a fellow competitor handed me a beer. One sip — it was the best beer I had ever tasted. After a short rest day, the team returned to Japan. I went back to Sydney, believing my journey with the Bighorn had come to an end.

I did not yet know that this experience would shape everything that followed.

Those early lessons would later become the foundation of Isuzu Motorsports.