I will introduce Japanese motorsport scene here.February 15, 2006
●Drifting at Mobara Circuit
Took a few snaps of a couple of mates drifting at Mobara circuit this past week-end. After covering D1 for a few seasons it's always such a breath of fresh air to drop by these amateur events. This is what drifting is all about. Now I've got to get one of these RWD cars myself!
Andy & Emily in full drift spec Kazama 180SX
Miguel & Michele with Techno Pro Spirits AE86 Levin. 200PS from a 1.6L !!
February 14, 2006
●Subaru Tecnica International S204
Not even a year has passed since the S203 hit the scene and its replacement is already here. Behold the S204, probably the best Impreza you can get straight out of the box.
Subtle grille badge
The 320 PS are courtesy of the blueprinted and balanced flat four which is fitted with a larger IHI turbine. Power delivery is as smooth as it gets and there is plenty of torque available at low rpm ready to give you a punch of acceleration whenever you need it.
What really surprised me was how well the S204 handled. The hard yet supple STi suspension offer precision and accuracy without sacrificing comfort. This is also down to the tiny Yamaha dampers which have been fitted inside the rear strut bar and front chassis stiffening bar. They might sound like a gimmick but they truly work!
Only 600 will be built and only sold in Japan at 4.8 million Yen
February 07, 2006
●JUN Option Stream Z
Will 2006 be the year Daijiro Inada manages to get a decent result with the Stream Z?? JUN has certainly done an impressive job in preparing this car and there is no doubt it can average an impressive high speed over the 90 miles of the Silver State Classic Challenge. The question is....will Dai not screw it up this time??
Here are some pictures taken in the JUN Auto Mechanic workshop. Many thanks to Koyama-san for having us after-hours!
The Stream Z wears a full Top Secret GT-style wide-body kit, and features a custom low-mounted rear wing
The wheels have been sized up from 18 inch to 19 inch while the blistering-prone Michelins have been binned for some Continental V-Max
All new paint-job and graphics for 2006. Last years car was totaled during a practice run.
Endless braking system (6-pot front & 4-pot rear)
Massive Trust T88-38GK 22cm allows the engine to develop 800 PS @ 6,700 rpm. Notice the custom built intake manifold
The 81.1 kgm are developed only 500 rpm below top power so it's essential to get your gear-changes spot on if you want the engine to pull the next gear ;-)
A massive FIA approved ø 45-t2.5 mm 18 point roll cage keeps the driver safe. It's been thoroughly tested!
Bit tight in there!
February 04, 2006
●Honda Collection Hall
I always love dropping by Twin Ring Motegi. Spent a whole afternoon taking in the history behind one of Japan most accomplished sports car and race car makers. Here is a small selection of shots of road and race cars (didn't bother shooting the bikes....tooo many of the damn things!)
1964 Honda S600 Coupe. Powered by a 606 cc, DOHC 4-cylinder. Power? A close to 100PS/Liter 57 PS at 8,500 rpm. Max speed a pretty impressive 145 km/h. 715 Kg curb weight made it a real blast!
1966 S800. 791 cc for 70 PS at 8,000 rpm. 160 km/h & weight of 710 Kg.
The extremely small 1970 Honda Z. Powered by an equally small 354 cc air-cooler twin. Develops 31 PS at 8,500 rpm which pushes the 510 kg Z to 115 km/h.
1st gen NSX-R, superb car
1.5L twin turbo V6 F1 engine. I'll have to make a wallpaper with this engine:D
Some of the more modern F1 machines
2001 DC-5 Tokachi 24 h race winner, driven by Tsuchiya
1995 NSX-LM. Winner of the GT-2 class with Tsuchiya/Iida/Takahashi at the wheel.
V12 F1 engine from 1991 (McLaren). 3,498 cc, 700 PS at 13,000 rpm
2000 GT-550 NSX. 3,500 cc V6, 480 PS at ????? rpm.
