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This Mazda Yajirushi Sidecar Racer is a Symbiosis of Man and Machine

We all know of the current advances with Roborace, and even some of the related concepts sparked by pure imagination. We could consider this in the latter category, an autonomous racing EV that actually has nothing to do with Roborace.
Mazda Yajirushi 14 photos
Photo: Nikita Pavlov
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What we have lain before us is a concept known by the name of Mazda Yajirushi. It’s a machine from the mind of Nikita Pavlov for his desing degree in 2019, so you know it’s bound to show some impressive knowledge. The name Yajirushi apparently means arrow in Japanese, and this gives you all the info you need to know about the concept.

As the name suggests, she’s fast, and she needs to be as the design is meant for the track. If we look closely at the design, we can also get a feel for what kind of racing she’s meant for. Any ideas yet? No? Hmm. Not a problem. We’re here to help.

The design we see is meant for side-car racing. If you don’t know what I'm talking about check out the videos below.. If you’re into adrenaline, it’s the sport for you. Once you’ve had a look, come back to the text.

As we see, side-car racing is a two-man sport. But the Yajirushi is different in that man and machine are now a team. The driver of the vehicle is the AI, while the rider works the turns as on a classic sidecar design.

Mazda Yajirushi
Photo: Nikita Pavlov
Some of the first sketches for this concept included the rider inside the vehicle, but soon, Pavlov realized that his bells weren't ringing, and brought the rider outside the vehicle once again. It would seem that for this type of racing, only this design will do.

Now, let’s not forget that this design and functionality is far into the future, so we’re bound to see a complete restructuring of the basic shapes and lines that revolve around sidecars. And, oh, how we do see.

The design actually comes with two functionalities. Each side of the vehicle offers a different racing style. One side allows you to race in an extreme mode, while the other side allows for a conventional ride mode, similar to that of a car.

Mazda Yajirushi
Photo: Nikita Pavlov
Because she is a racer, we can see her body lines in tune with stream-lined racers like the Nvidia for Roborace. A low and dropped front end is meant to scoop up air and deliver it over the body line as efficiently as possible.

Because of the lifted rear the vehicle should stick better to the track. A curved body over the rear wheels help direct the airflow exactly where it’s needed, even during turns. Two more panels near the center of the rear act as an air-brake surface and activate automatically to assist with braking.

Steering, speeding up, and every other mechanical maneuver is directed by the AI, so all you basically have to do is work on improving your times.

One thing we found promising about this concept is that even if it never makes into a real boy, we could very well see a toy car built like this. This possible future may come even sooner than expected. Already this concept comes with a 3D printed scale model. So who knows where this could go.
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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