My Favorite Foreign AE86 Drifters, pt 2

5) Kensaku Komoro

One of the things that most of these drivers have in common (other than their vehicles) is the fact that at some point, they have "wow'ed" me in person. Kensaku Komoro did just that. As a follower of Tec-Art's AE86 N2 challenge car, I already had quite the admiration for their style and car building ability. I didn't know however that they were also campaigning an AE86 in D1. That is until the first D1 Las Vegas. That was when I saw the car below smoke the crap out of Vaughn Gitten Jr. and force him into a spin. According to Vaughn, he thought he'd have to give the AE86 some room as he normally does (against US AE86's) so that later he can pull on them. However, after he allowed Kensaku's 86 to pull away from him, he couldn't catch up. He pushed too hard and initiated too late, and spun. I must say that as much as I admire JR's driving, it was quite shocking to see the Kensaku defeat the 600hp Falken Mustang, and in dramatic fashion. Kensaku went on that day to make it to the final 4, where Yoshioka eventually won. Komoro however made much more of an impression on me since I (or apparely nobody else for that matter) had ever seen this guy drive before. Absolutely amazing. Most of you know him driving the car pictured above, but for the Vegas round he drove one of Tec-Art's customer's cars below (which is now turbo, but during that round was ITB'ed and N02'ed.)

4) Ryota Yuasa

Most of you guys out there won't remember this guy, because he competed in D1 in an AE86 only during its first few years. He later on moved to a Cefiro or Laurel, but to me, he's one of the craziest and ballsiest (is that a word?) AE86 drivers from Japan. Yuasa was promenant early on, competing against the likes of Ueo, Taniguchi, and Kumakubo in the early years driving the beauty you see above. He was the driver of the Bride/BN sports AE86 Levin, powered by one of the first D1 spec SR20det swaps into the AE86 chassis. The car was special for several reasons: A) the shift pattern on the transmission was flipped so that normally first gear was occupied by 5th, second was occupied by third, third by fourth, and so on and B) the car was equipped with my favorite aggressive body kit company, BN sports. The car was aggressive as hell, and it had the pilot to match. I'm told Yuasa had a nickname in Japanese that was the equivalent of "destroyer" or "crasher" or something like that, because he regularly broke, tore apart, and destroyed those BN sports kits. Just like his FC counterpart Haruguchi, at every D1 event that car seemed to go through about 3-4 front bumpers and about 2-3 other misc aero pieces.

Yuasa's style is what I appreciate most about him. While he didn't place too well all the time, he drove the shit out of the car. He went so big, that he either won or failed miserably, often times while destroying the aero, wheels, or wing on the car. When he did suceed however, it was one of the most glorious things I've ever seen in my life. Huge angle, big smoke and full throttle application. This man exemplifies the "go big or go home" attitude that so many pro drivers seem to lack these days, with sponsorships and vehicle preservation being high on their priorities. This is why I love Yuasa so much, because I'm sure if you asked him if he wanted to "save the car", he'd give you the middle finger.

3) Ken Maeda

Ken Maeda is perhaps spiritually Ueo's brother. Both drivers are small in stature, but humungous in ability. He's one of the drivers I had the privledge of viewing live several times, and absolutely made my jaw drop to the floor.

Maeda also was another old school guy who had been driving the AE86 for quite some time, but when I found out about him he was already turbo powered, which made him unique in a field of N/A screamers. It was only after the yellow paint job and complete Up-Garage help did he start really putting foot to ass.

Two of his performances stand out in particular to me. The first was a Bihoku Highland (or was it Sugo?) round where he met Ueo in the finals. It almost appeared as a dream sequence to me as two of my favorite AE86 drivers met each other in the finals, driving vehicles that were very different from each other. In the end, Maeda won, displaying an amount of skill that was wickedly insane (think about how much it takes to beat Ueo, and in another AE86 nevertheless). The second was during the first D1 USA vs Japan match at California Speedway. I'd like to remind many of you that I've seen lots of drifting, all the way from the Ikaten match in the parking lot all the way through the last FD round, and in all those years I have NEVER seen anybody achieve as much angle and high speed velocity entering into a a turn (which happened to be a 90 degree bend BTW) as Ken Maeda did that day. It was the absolute most insane thing I have ever seen in drifting. I even discussed this with Taka Aono, who was there as a course marshall, and Taka remembered the day just as vividly as I did. He said that he was sitting in the pace car on-track with Moto, and after they saw his initiation they simply looked at each other with wide-eyes, and didn't say a word. They both knew what they saw, and simply were speechless.

Maeda didn't go on to win that day (I think he got super shafter by Keiichi) but he surely won the hearts of fans around the globe. The Option video that covers that even doesnt even come close to doing his driving justice.

2)Tetsuya Hibino

Hibino was around during the early years of D1 but he really didn't start to shine until the later Ebisu rounds. He competed early on using a Levin coupe, but on all the videos the power of this machine was rated at 150ps. I don't know how true that was, considering how much foot to ass he put in that car, but even if it was only 150hp he did quite an admirable job.

Like I mentioned before, he really shined at Ebisu and that's where I became a huge fan. He became known for his crazy, "jump" drift style which proved to be disasterous for Ryuji Miki later on. While I don't necessarily like to see people crash, its always exciting to see somebody get pushed so far to the limit by an AE86 that they end up making a mistake. Hibino was driving his privateer N/A AE86 while Ryuji Miki was driving the 700hp Top Secret S15, yet could still not match his full throttle speed. Such was a fine example of "AE86 magic".

You could argue that Hibino was perhaps one of the new rising stars that was being held back by his underpowered machine, but later dimissed that belief when he stepped into the real of the SR20 powered 86's. His first one was a hatchback which he did use in the USA once, and while he didn't have a super impressive showing during tandem, he did manage to scrape the big wing all along the top of the Irwindale bank, which I thought was one of the biggest showings of testicular fortutude ever. The only other person I've ever seen to take that crazy line was Orido in his Supra, which he eventually crashed taking that line. To this day, Hibino is still the only one to ride that lightening. Hibino eventually did destroy that vehicle, but now is using a Levin coupe which has proven to be quite the machine. Tanner Foust was once asked to comment about Yoshioka's nitrous powered AE86 , and he replied "...its super lightweight, and has tons of power. Its pretty much the ultimate weapon". The same could be said for Hibino's new missle, as combining the lightweight AE86 chassis with 350 turbocharged horsepower makes Hibino a force to be reconed with, and currently is the only truly competative AE86 driver competing in D1 next to Kensaku Komoro.

1)Katsuhiro Ueo

Really though, you knew this was coming. He is, in most people's eyes, simply the most talented AE86 drifter in the world. The giant killer, rider of the killer bee, and overall badass assasin. Katsuhiro Ueo is perhaps the most influential AE86 drifter in the world, and his victory in the innagural D1 exhibition in the USA was the best introduction for the AE86 and drifting to the United States.

Ueo embodies quite an obscure and dazzling style. From his introduction in early Drift Tengoku videos, it was easy to see that he was quite the madman while driving. After seeing his feature in DoriTen, I remember thinking that while driving, he looked like he was having a seizure. His double, tripple clutch kics and insane steering wheel tossing style won myself and thousands of fans instantly, and remains to be one of the most posted videos of AE86 driving talent. Later, after he began competing in D1, he became the giant killer. Ueo would regulary hack down vehicles with double and tripple the horsepower of his vehicle, and would normally do so in spectacular fashion. He particularly had a good rivalry going on with Nob Taniguchi, as the HKS driver seemed to have only one Kryptonite, which was a certain off white N/A AE86. On multiple occasions, Taniguchi was defeated by the 180hp machine (while Taniguchi's machine which was a factory backed S15 with somewhere around 450hp) and on more than one occasion crashed as a result of pushing too hard to catch him. This perhaps was the biggest showing of that magic we all know and love.

Ueo's influence goes so far that the majority of AE86 around the world take some sort of styling cues from his machines as well. The white and off-white livery with black bumpers can be seen on AE86's in every country, while the Jblood widebody flare kit remains a popular upgrade to those wanting the look of his 2003 championship vehicle. In addition, the TE37 wheel also became equivalent to pornography for most AE86 drift fans, as well as those who just want a wheel that is timeless.

Ueo did have several bad seasons following his championship in 2003 and seemed never to recover. He did eventually come back in an AE86 and win the Odaiba Tokyo round later, and shockingly enough it was over Nob Taniguchi in a new HKS backed Altezza. He did eventually put down the AE86 (at least for now) while he drives Kazama's old S15, which now is sponsored by "Move" Japan. While he has enjoyed some moderate sucess recently with the newer, more technologically advanced and more powerful vehicle, we all yearn for the day when he returns in a strung out, angry 4AG powered AE86 and lays the smackdown on all of those factory run high-powered machines.

Takuma Sato may be back?

Ok, so while its only a test run, its good news to us that are Taku fans. I must say that after I read this, I was quite pleased for two reasons: 1)I'm glad he has a chance to come back, and 2)I'm glad its with a team that shows promise.

He's testing for the position that will be left open because Sebastien Vettel is leaving for Red Bull Racing, but while Vettel was at Toro Rosso, they proved to be a team that was making strides forward. Vettel's showing especially within the last few GP's indicate the team is moving forward, though not quite at the speed as say BMW has been.

I think F1 drivers are generally pretty cool guys, with the exception of a few. I particularly like Sato though because he's only 1 of 2 Asian drivers who compete(d) in F1 currently, and also because I think Alonso is kind of a douche, and Sato passed that foo. In a Honda. From the outside. Especially since Alonso was in a McLaren Mercedes, I think that's pretty much the equivalent of physically rubbing poo in someone's face.

Let's hope he makes the team and continues his career in F1!

Build it "A" Style

Well here's a topic that I've been meaning to cover for quite some time now. You'll often times hear me refer to "levels of enthusiasm" in regards to love for automotive tuning, building, preparation and lifestyle. Essentially I believe that once you reach a very high level of automotive enthusiasm, things become less about what country built the car or which manufacturer assembled the parts, engine, or the like. What it comes down to is the time, effort, ingenuity and care that was taken to ensure that the end product is what you see in front of you. Baisically you can appreciate things that are outside of your realm. I'm a perfect example. I used to be very into Japanese and American cars, until I started learning more and more about European vehicles and their racing heritage. Then I learned a little about hot rods and their culture, low riders and their culture; you get the picture. I'm at the point now where I really can go to just about any automotive cultural phenomenon gathering and have a good time, and at least be somewhat familiar with what is being presented. I've opened myself to new things. Sure I still have my tastes in things, but learning about other styles of enthusiasm can help you with what you do to your car. This brings me to the main focus of this post.

I've met and interacted with tons of Japanese car enthusiasts that have very closed minds when it comes to part selection and shop discrimination. Specifically I'm talking about only using Japanese manufactured parts or using a Japanese shop to do building, tuning and assembly. I'll be the first to say that I do admire lots of Japanese part manufacturers, but I've also learned that they are definatly not the highest quality when it comes to certain parts. Ignorant people however will only buy parts that are from specific manufacturers and won't give others a thought, only because of their country's origin. This mainly applies to people who build street machines/show car guys from what I can see anyhow, because I guess the rarity of the parts is more important than their functionality.

My point is this: other countries build "import" cars with their own domestic parts, so why shouldnt' you? You'll notice I placed the Red Hot BMW CSL M3 at the top of my post because A)I absolutely love this car, and B) it totally embodies the subject matter that i want to tackle. Here's another shot, because the car is phenomenal:

This car exemplifies what I'm talking about because its a foreign vehicle to the Japanese market (being German) yet they use their domestic highly sought after race manufacturers to build it. Sure, they could have used the standard German fare, but instead they used what has been proven to them in their home country on their domestic vehicles. Take notice of the Volk racing wheels (I believe in track guise they even use TE-37's! How hot is that?). Since Rays Engineering has been a staple of Japanese motor sports of so long, its only natural to use them. Also the car uses a set of Project Mu brake pads, an OS Giken twin plate clutch and Super-Lock LSD, Japanese made Dixis coilovers and exhaust header. The car also uses Defi gauges as well as Dixis brand aero components.

All of these components come together to build a car that has unique flavor and really does stand out in the sea of clones. This particular formula has proven itself to work well, as they placed at the top of their class at the Super Street Super Lap Battle a few years ago, and was the only European vehicle to really bring the thunder.

Here's another vehicle that exemplifies my point:

Thanks to Speedhunters for getting me started on this by posted up their article on this European built AE86 that competed in the SPA 24 hour race. Notice first off the definitive European race car look livery.....its simple and to the point. Definately a far cry from the heavily graphic influenced Japanese style or the home product sponsor American style. The wheels are also a dead giveaway that this isn't a Japanese built race car, as the offset is fairly unaggressive, and its got those crazy turbine style inducers!

"The car has adjustable camber plates (I wonder what brand they are???) which don't look like they were Japanese-made, and it also has a Cusco OS-style strut bar, but I doubt it was made by Cusco because I don't think Cusco parts were readily available in Europe at the time this car was racing."

Again, the author notes the products used that probably aren't Japanese. As a matter of fact, there's maybe even a good chance some of the stuff was custom one-offed parts since at the time, Japanese parts probably weren't readily available in Europe. Looking even closer, you notice this:

The author notes a "Formuling France" steering wheel. How euro does that sound? Also the car is equipped with perhaps Europe's most famous gauge company (VDO) and also a staple in their safety field, OMP who supplied the fiberglass race bucket.

My last example, is perhaps the one most of you can identify with since its a Japanese car totally utilizing American parts: the Skunk2 TA Civic SI

This was THE original car that really got me thinking about this train of thought. This vehicle was built years ago to compete in an SI tuner challenge for some magazines. Even though it wasn't the most powerful vehicle, it to me was simply the most stunning, and was closest to what I'd envision how I'd like to have the vehicle built. The car uses what is essentially the entire Skunk2 catalog, including all of their engine internal components (which I believed when assembled, was somewhere around the 250hp mark, which was pretty exemplary back in those days) remote reservoir road race shocks with Skunk's own springs and perches, and their exhaust and related components. It proved to be a beast of a car, but failed due to misc reasons which go in question as some people say it was purely driver error, others say a weak gearbox. Anyhow the vehicle to me embodies the soul of what can be accomplished with this train of thought. If other foreign builders are using domestic parts on their cars, why shouldn't we? We can build it "American", or "A" style.

Many of you that know me already understand that I practice what I preach. On my personal AE86, I tend to use race proven American parts where ever I can. Some things are unavoidable, so I of course use the best of what Japan has to offer, but most of the time I'll opt for the American parts. Such is the reason I chose Crower for my valvetrain, and Arias for my pistons. Such is the reason I only use Battle Version suspension products because I know that they are simply the strongest best developed domestically made parts for the AE86 chassis. Sometimes you have to reach a little further, but in the end its well worth it. In my case I found that Porterfield offers Raybestos, yes, THAT Raybestos brand brake pads that are full race compounds. Apparently they have been offering race pads for quite a while, but only sold them to race teams. Recently, they began selling them to the public. I've tried Project Mu, TRD, and a few other brands, but nothing comes close to these pads. The Porterfield specialist actually recommended these pads to me (Compound 43) as he uses them personally and tested them at the 25 hours of Thunderhill race. When a guy like that recommends something like that to you, you listen.

I'm not telling you to hate on Japanese parts, I'm not telling you to build a crazy USA only machine, but I'm just advising that sometimes its useful and beneficial to use domestically tested and produced parts. In the race world, you use what you know and what works best, so take some of that and apply it to your street cars!

"When lives didn't matter"

One of the insanely cool things I picked up while at the Monterey Historics was this DVD titled "Can-Am: The Speed Odyssey". It chronicles the entire Canadian-American race cup from its inception all the way through its demise in the early 70's. I watched a brief trailer for it here
(http://www.canamfilm.com/) and was instantly intriuged since I wasn't totally familiar with that race series, but certainly had heard of it and witnessed many of the vehicles at the 'Historics.

Let me preface the DVD by saying first that I have incredible respect for guys that raced in the days of yore, not only because they were driving machines that were freakishly powerful (which I'll get to) but also because of limited tire technology, and limited safety. Combine the above things and they equate to some of the most spectacular and tragic crashes in history. That being said, I finished this DVD with even more respect for those guys.

As a friend put it, Can-Am racing days "were during a time when it seemed like lives didn't matter". What he was implying, was that people were just crazy. Deaths in racing were abundant during that time (which was also the 60's-70's Formula 1 era) due to limited safety development and insane power. These Can-Am cars in the early years were 450 hp 1400 pound vehicles. That power to weight ratio already equates to an insanely fast car. As technology progressed and different manufacturers began entering the fray (eventually McLaren, Porsche, Ferarri to name a few) the fastest Can-Am car was 1400 pounds with 1100 horsepower. Suddenly, thinking about driving my 150hp Corolla makes me feel like a little girl.

Anyways I don't want to spoil too much of it for you, since the DVD is as much an educational feature as it is for entertainment. With insightful commentary by Jim Hall and interviews with Bruce McLaren, its sure to fulfill anybody's need for a walk down memory lane with one of America's greatest race series.

FYI, for you rally fans, its like Group B rally for circuit racing!

My Favorite Foreign AE86 Drifters, pt 1

I love lists, and I love hearing about people's opinions on things. That is unless, of course, I totally disagree with them. Anyhow I'll try posting up at least one cool list a week to refelct how I feel about a certain topic that week, because lord knows my tastes constantly change. This week will be my favorite foreign AE86 drifters since I am an AE86 fanatic.

10) Djan Ley

Oddly enough, my #10 driver comes from Malaysia. Tengu Djan Ley was virtually unknown until a few years ago when he came over to compete in the D1 international round at Irwindale. I must say, he was shockingly good. The thing that inspires me about him, is that hardware wise his vehicle is very simple. I spoke to him a bit about his setup and really, he has a car that really isn't any more built than most fully fitted AE86 race machines including my own. The difference is, he can harness every single ounce of function out of those parts and deliver a stunningly good show. What he also showed me is that regardless of continent, some things stay constant among AE86 drivers, and one of those things is tanacity and fearlessness (or complete insanity, but call it what you will). Take for instance his battle against JR Gitten at the world battle a year ago. They went against each other in tandem, and Djan more than held his own. As a matter of fact I believe he even passed JR on one occasion, and on a reverse battle held his line to secure his place. He had the "I'm coming, and you'd better move out of the way" attitude that baisically gives the middle finger to 700 horsepower. Can't really argue with that.

9) Hisashi Kamimoto

He's one of the first pro drifters in D1 to consecutively place well. Back in the days of tight circuits and attainable power goals, Kamimoto used his supercharged Levin coupe to run with the big boys. He later moved onto a Trueno hatchback with an HKS stroked 20v engine, which in my mind was his best machine. He later moved onto using the Veilside S15 with huge horsepower, but never attained the success he had in his AE86. He now acts as D1 staff.

8) Toshiki Yoshioka

Some of us remember him way back when he was using a side-draft carbed 16v powered orange Levin. Those days are long gone, but his driving style still continues to impress. He is perhaps one of the only guys to carry on the purists AE86 mantile (until recently with his switch to the new Lexus chassis) but in our hearts and minds (and probably his) he's an AE86 guy. He's proven that in the United States, it is still possible to win in an AE86. He's proven that with the right setup, you can take down just about anybody. Just look at his Vegas FD performance! He took out 2 previous FD champions, and not just champions but factory backed champions. He also drove 2 of them to crash. With the momentum he's got right now, he's bound to make believers out of even more people.

7) Gen Terasaki

Gen is one of the most O.G. AE86 drifters out there. I remember one of the first Option videos I watched featured him and his jet black AE86 Levin. He was one of the few who would consistantly make best 16 and posed a real threat to all of his competitors. He's an engineer by trade, and also had a relatively simple and orthodox setup. If I remember correctly, he used an AE101 injected 16v with high lift 304-304 cams. The setup was good for roughly 200fwhp, which was enough back in those days to put the hurt on those S chassis guys. He drove with a very clean style which wasn't too flashy, but his steady nature put him in the top most of the time. After he switched to the AP chassis Honda, things just haven't been the same.

6) Yoichi Imamura

Really though, who doesn't love this guy. He's one of the very few AE86 guys that were able to jump into another chassis and be just as sucessful if not more so. Most of us however love him most as the driver of the doo doo brown AE86 Trueno. He had one of the most fully built and nice looking AE86's back in the day with good power to boot. He had the traditionalist setup and even only ran an aftermarket front bumper. His style is what defines most common street AE86's these days with the mesh wheels, aggressive offset, and minimalist aero. Then you get to his driving. Oh boy, his driving. This guy could really run with the best of them and he had a relatively unique and flambouyant style. While appearing wild, he always seemed to reel it back in and made it look like he intended to grind the underside of his car on a burm and run with two wheels off the ground. Really though, if this guy is #6, I know I'd think "this guy better have a good explanation for those guys that rank higher". Guess you'll have to wait for the next post to find out!

Monterey Historics '08

There are certain things you must do as an automotive enthusiast, and one of them is to visit the Monterey Historical Races. If you're a car nut and especially a race car fanatic, then this is definately the place for you. I must admit that its only been over the past few years that I've become enamored with vintage race machines (partially because some may consider my car "vintage") but the Monterey Historics welcome anybody at any enthusiasm level.

There are thousands of people who come to this event, and often times they travel from all around the globe. This even is pretty much the closest thing we have to the "Goodwood Festival of Speed" and it actually has a flavor all its own. We saw multiple celebrities, including Kazunor Yamauchi, the creator of the Gran Turismo racing series, Mario Andretti, and Timo Glock. Vic Edelbrock was even there racing his vintage Corvette in the Trans Am group, and to see an owner of a performance parts company enjoying himself and racing truely does bring warmth to my heart. Considering how many passionless buisnessmen there are in the industry, its refreshing to see that some people are in it because they love it.

Aside from some of the celebrities at the race, it was perhaps most exciting for me to see vintage Formula 1 cars. I'm not sure you can really consider yourself to be a race fan if you don't in some way shape or form drool at the sight of the Tyrell 6-wheeler or perhaps cry in glorious ecstacy at the sound of a 1960's Ferrari V-12.

Ever since I became friends with Alex Pfeiffer, I became interested in Porsches. That guy has so many race stories and a lot of them revolve around Porsches. In addition, since Steve McQueen's Le Mans is easily one of my favorite films of all time, it only followed that Porsches started to peak my interest. The Historics were full of vintage race Porches. Some were mildly prepared, and some were fire breathing weapons of mass destruction.

I also have a fetish for race car interiors. Something about spartan-esque, stripped down interiors, mechanical instrumentation, and medevil metal adorning the cockpit of vehicles that excites me. Is it a wonder then that I enjoy leather clad women and bondage?

Its cars like this that inspired the color scheme of my car.

I really can't express enough how much of a blast this was. Please check out the rest of the gallery and let me know what you think!

The rest of the gallery can be found here

No Haruguchi?

Speedhunters recently posted a list of their top 10 drift cars of all time. I realize its all for fun, but in my elitist opinion you really aren't a hardcore fan of drifting unless this guy's car is AT LEAST somewhere in the top ten. I'm not sure I have total faith in their staff anymore.

A wise man once told me that to make it in Formula D, you need three things:
1)Big Wheels.
2)Big Wing.
3)Big Aero.

Take a look at this car and you'll get it.