This is Omori, the representative of KRM.
"Roadster in Tetsujin Plaza ~2026~" was held on Sunday, May 3, 2026 (a national holiday).
Among the roughly 50 Roadsters lined up at the feet of Tetsujin 28-go, there was one car that stood out from all the rest.
Dressed in Soul Red Crystal Metallic and black, carrying a big "17" on its flanks - an ND Roadster. In this article, let me introduce that car with the care it deserves.
The "17" Is Not a Decorative Sticker.
This gets misunderstood a lot, so let me be clear from the start.
The big "17" on the sides of the body is the entry number the car actually carries in competition. It is not decoration, and it is not a sticker-tune. In other words, this is neither a show car nor a wrapped display car - it is an active competition car that Kobe Mazda campaigns on real circuits.
Its official name is the "Kobe Mazda Racing Team (KMRT)". It is the racing arm of Kobe Mazda Co., Ltd., and it competes in the Mazda Group Challenge Cup (a no-refueling endurance race).
Behind the Wheel: Mechanics from Kobe Mazda Dealerships.
The drivers are the mechanics and staff who look after customers' cars every day at Kobe Mazda dealerships. Normally they are in the workshop, under the lift, carrying out statutory inspections and servicing. With those same hands, they take the wheel on the circuit and work the pits.
I love that combination enormously.
| Driver | Dealership |
|---|---|
| Kohei Harada | Kobe Mazda Itami |
| Kazuma Inada | Kobe Mazda Nishi Inter |
| Yoichiro Funabiki | Kobe Mazda Miki |
| Atsushi Hirai | Kobe Mazda Nishiwaki |
| Yuki Katsuyama | Kobe Mazda Kakogawa |
A young team that runs its races with a five-driver lineup. It was founded in 2024.
In the 2025 season they finished both of their two rounds, at Fuji and Okayama. In endurance racing, simply going the distance is no small feat. It is a solid record, exactly what you would expect from a team made up of servicing professionals.
Kobe's Identity, Written into the Bodywork.
The details of Car #17 are packed with everything that makes Kobe Mazda who they are.
- A two-tone body in Soul Red Crystal Metallic and black
- A Kobe Port Tower graphic on the trunk lid
- The "Minna no Bus" character on the body - a character with deep ties to the city of Kobe
- Stickers from the team's sponsors (Kobe Mazda, Bridgestone, SPK and others)
On top of the functional beauty of a competition car, the identity of the city of Kobe and of Kobe Mazda is distilled into a single Roadster. It is not just fast: one look at the body tells you who it is for and which team it belongs to. I think that is very good design.
"A Car Wearing Stickers" and "A Car That Breaks the Safety Standards" Are Two Different Things.
There is one more thing that seeing KMRT Car #17 brought home to me again.
It is a race car, but it is a genuine competition build that satisfies both the racing regulations and the statutory vehicle safety standards. Of course it does. Race cars sometimes drive themselves to the circuit in road-legal form, and the racing regulations themselves are built on top of the law.
"A car wearing stickers" and "a car that breaks the statutory safety standards" are two completely different things.
This is a point KRM keeps coming back to. Itasha, wraps, colors for the character you love, team stickers - every one of them is part of the personality that gives Roadster culture its color, and we do not reject any of it.
The line we draw is whether or not the car meets the statutory safety standards. That, and only that. Car #17 is loud and proud, and it does it on the right side of that line. To me, that is the coolest thing there is.
A Dealership That Doesn't Stop at the Sale.
That an active competition car found time in the racing calendar to come all the way to Tetsujin Plaza carries a special meaning for KRM.
Kobe Mazda does not treat the Roadster as a car they simply sell and forget. Their own mechanics take the wheel and keep proving it on the circuit.
That attitude, I believe, is the real force that has put down roots for Roadster culture here in Kobe.
To everyone at Kobe Mazda Co., Ltd., thank you so very much for bringing KMRT Car #17 out to Tetsujin Plaza.
All of us at KRM will be cheering you on through the 2026 season as well.