In this exclusive interview, HPI's mascot ACE sits down with President Ryusaku Hitomi to uncover the roots of HPI. From his early days welding exhaust headers in a garage to co-founding TRUST (GReddy) and competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Hitomi’s journey is defined by a relentless passion for driving. Discover why he left the pinnacle of motorsport to launch HPI in 1998, driven by a mission to create high-performance, accessible parts for true driving enthusiasts.

In this special 28th-anniversary interview, HPI’s mascot ACE talks with President Ryusaku Hitomi to uncover HPI's true origins. Hitomi shares his early days as a mechanic, his passion for rotary engines, and the grit of building a privateer race team with a KE10 Corolla. This untold story reveals how his pure love for driving and technical ingenuity built the foundation for HPI’s high-performance legacy in the Japanese motorsport scene.