Uchibori + Tec Art's?

Will somebody who speaks Japanese please explain to me by Uchibori is testing their N2 car? I'm really curious, and there's 7AG mentions too. What the hell is going on? Somebody please??

http://www.tecarts.com/event/p10/index.html

*******Just got this translated

Looks like they do just what we do. Takao, the Tec Art's driver and mechanic was driving the car and testing with a backup motor. He anticipated the car to be 1.5 seconds slower than usual, but clocked a fastest lap time 3 seconds slower than usual. He then gave the car to Uchibori, who then proceeded to beat his time by .5 seconds! Its cool to see that they do the same fun stuff we do here in the states.

In addition, looks like Tec-Art's brought a customer/student with them. He runs a 7AG setup with 195/50/15 goodyear tires, and was 7.3 seconds slower than the full N2 Tec-Art's car. They were baisicaly praising the 7AG, and were mentioning that from this point forward, the request for that engine will be high among Tec Art's customers. Who knew?

Back in the saddle again

Ok, so I've been slow to blog lately. I found out I actually have more than 1 person that reads this thing, so that makes me feel pretty good! Anyhow sorry you guys (the two of you!) but I do have some interesting things I'd like to cover.

First, Andy got married. For the third time. I'm sure it sounds funny, but it has to be one of the best weddings I've ever gone to. Partially because there were no "adults" (funny how I still say that and I'm 29) there, so everybody felt like they could be as silly as they wanted to be. See photos above for evidence. What also helped was the open bar. Go team Yen! Congradulations!

It also looks like Scuderia Torro Rosso took Sebastien Bourdais. Booo. I mean I don't dislike him, but I'd surely rather see Takuma Sato at the helm. This comes in wake of some interesting news though, as it looks like there will be a USF1 team being assembled this year, while looking to run their first race in 2010. Rumors have it that Scott Speed and Danica Patrick are being looked at, but Peter Windsor (one of the two men spearheading this project) states that they're looking at "everybody". He even noted that there's a chance that two car team will be helmed by one American driver, and one "veteran" driver, which by nature will be somebody foreign. If they do go with a more "experienced" driver, I think they'd probably pick Jensen Button or Takuma Sato. There's hope yet!

I've also been helping my friend, Alex Pfeiffer with his 2009 Drift season planning. He finally bit the bullet and purchased a new chassis, which is a US spec Lexus SC300. He's currently doing the cage, and starting to gather all the parts he needs to make it into a badass machine! The plans are to do a simple 2JZGTE and have somewhere in the real of 500 horsepower. Keeping things simple keeps them reliable, and keeping this reliable means he's got a better shot at performing well. We are currently looking for sponsors, so if you're interested, don't hesitate to email me or leave me a message! His build thread is here: http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=45392

Last but not least I've also done some interesting stuff. I've also taken that plunge, into what Taka Aono calls the "up to here" in Corolla.

Imagine if you will, that you own a Ferrari. You have a weekend car, let's say something V8 powered. You race it every chance you get and love driving it. Then you get the chance to purchase some parts. The best parts in the world. Formula 1 parts. You have the opportunity to use the same parts that propel Kimi to a world championship. The same parts that sing to astronomical RPM's. The same parts that have been computer and endurance tested.

While I don't have a Ferrari, I do own a 4AG powered vehicle, and I've done the equivalent. Very few people can use these parts, as the majority of AE86 people will never build nor use a full race motor. I certainly will, so I've decied to obtain the absolute best engine parts available from the Formula Atlantic race series. These are, simply put, the best 4AG parts in the world. Nobody makes parts better than the items used in the Formula Atlantic series. A testament to this (besides those open wheeled cars themselves) is the fact that Keiichi Tsuchiya, the AE86 and drift king himself, uses the same parts in his N2 AE86 that was built by Sakurai. TRD and Sakurai know what the best stuff is, and even though they have the entire Japanese TRD parts inventory at their disposal, they still chose all TRD USA Atlantic components. Needless to say, I'm very happy with my "box".

Sneak peek:

Needless to say, I'm a happy boy!

CBY does it better

Vising automotive web forums can be quite amusing when you take into account that about 75% of the people posting have no idea what they're talking about. To make matters worse, they end up influencing the people who know even less than they do, leading to what I believe will be the downfall of America. If you've seen Idiocracy, you know what I mean (don't bother me, I'm 'batin). Lately, I've been reading some posts on some of the builds that people have going on, and reading the responses. Some of these people really do believe they have the be all end all of builds, but in reality what they've done is barely scratch the surface of what can be done to their vehicle. The build is probably radical to them, but in the large scope of things its usually pretty mild.

This is a clip from CARBOY magazine, which features some of the innovations that Crystal Body Yokohama in Japan is using to improve their N2 AE86 machine. In a class where 200+ naturally aspirated AE86's battle for supremacy, any modification that can give you the slightest competitive edge (whether it be for reliability or improved lap times) can determine who finishes first, and who doesn't finish at all.

Here, we have a transmission bell housing that mates an Altezza 6-speed manual to a 4AG. Crystal Body Yokohama's kit (which is now for sale, and can even be found on Yahoo auctions) includes almost everything you need to run the Altezza transmission including the bell housing, transmission mount and bracket, and other misc. odds and ends. Earn small car show points or get that extra mpg with that 6th gear for most you thinking this will work well on your street car (you are also lame).

Here, we see some good 'ol boy engineering, in the form of making the solid rear axle have negative camber. In order to improve rear end traction, CBY cut and re-welded the rear axle to add negative camber, 1.6 degrees to be exact. Since the solid rear axle design of the AE86 can be adjusted, this small amount of negative camber could potentially shave a decent amount of time off their laps, and greatly improve handling. We'll just have to see if it helps in the '09 N2 Challenge!

Option Flashback

If you're an Option Video fan like myself, you've probably noticed that over the past few years, Option Video is almost now exclusively covering D1. While I am a D1 fan, I certain miss what Option Video used to cover in the past. Many people ask me which ones to buy, or which volumes contain what because I have quite a large collection of old, new and rare Japanese DVD's. To satiate the demand of the masses, I will now try to do reviews of exciting or especially important Option DVD's, Drift Tengoku's and other videos which are well worth a watch, or even a purchase. To start, we will review Option Video vol. 89.

This volume of Option video covers lots of ground, as many of the old ones do. It pretty much has something for everybody, especially AE86 and S13 fans. If you've watched some old volumes, you may recognize the guy above. I'll have to get the translation of his name, but he's been seen in multiple volumes and is a simple grassroots AE86 fanatic. He is usually touted as the grumpy, cynical co-hort of Orido and Akira Iida's Mitto Natto crew, but in this episode we get to visit him more in dept.

Here, we can see that AE86 fanatics all over the world have garages that all pretty much look the same. We see that he's just a regular guy, with a normal day job and a wife and kid to boot. Yet he still finds time....

To build this thing. I'd be lying if I said this thing wasn't one of the visual influences I had in mind when I started to build my car.

Like any REAL AE86 fanatic, he also drives the car. This is from him hitting up his local togue, but in other volumes he does one make races and many open track days.

Old Option isn't complete without some Orido hijinks. Here, we see him actually participating in a Super Taiku race in this livery. Talk about an interesting race series. In addition, they go relatively in depth by showing the suspensions, engines, and various chassis setups that his Altezza runs, as well as a few other cars.

Most importantly, they also show Orido in the heat of battle. He may look silly in the photos, but he's all business when its game time. In the opening lap before the 3rd corner, he passes about 4 people.

When I say there's something for everyone, I really mean it. Here's a bit about Keiichi searching for the next D1 Grand Prix girls. Keiichi at his comedic finest.

Finally, we have the centerpiece of this issue, which is a history of Koguchi. If you guys don't know who Yoshinori Koguchi is, you better ask somebody. Or, I can tell you. Anyhow Yoshinori Koguchi is probably one of the most celebrated drifters in the community. Anybody who followed D1 from its inception will recognize this guy and most find him to be quite captivating. To most of us, he captures the true essence of drifting. His style and vehicle construction truly reflect what it means to be a drifter. I'm not even an S13 guy but sweet jesus do I find him entertaining to watch and I do love his builds.


Does anyone even remember when his car looked like this?

The story covers Koguchi from the first time Option Video filmed him during an Ikaten competition while he was in his nearly stock S13, and covers ground all the way to the timeframe of when his S13 had the green and white Falken livery. Truly an interesting piece.

This issue is just a small sample of how exciting some of the older volumes of Option really are. Its become quite difficult to get some of the older volumes, but they are out there. I happened to pick this one up used at a Japanese book store for $3! Anyhow good luck and stay tuned for more review of exciting videos!

Takuma or Sebastien?

You know, whats funny is that this was supposed to be an article comparing the two drivers because they are both up for the last position on the Scuderia Torro Rosso team. However in my attempts to find highlight videos for each driver, I couldn't find one for Bourdais except the one below. I think that says a little something.

Wishy Washy.

Every day I think about throwing my turbo setup in early. I think about how nice it would be to finally hang in the straights with EVO's and STi's, how I could finally put to rest those jackasses that can only keep up on straights, and how glorious it would be to hear the turbo spool, blow off, and do it all over again. However, right as soon as I convince myself that big power is the way to go, I think about my throttle bodies. I think about the sound. I think about the response. I think about the excitement that's generated from a simple, under 200hp engine. I really have never driven anything like it before in my life. Sure I've driven EVO's, S2000's, and even Corvettes. Still, nothing compares to the feeling of an N/A 4AG with individual throttle bodies at wide open throttle.

I think I'll keep the setup a little longer.

TURN THE VOLUME WAAAAAY UP!

Car show scene is dangerous, man

Full details have yet to be released, but according to the OC Register (photos courtesy of them too) Benjamin Nolasco was arrested for robbing a bank in broad daylight. He escaped, but not before an undercover officer intercepted a transmission for officers to be on the lookout for a "white sports car with the bumper missing". Turns out Benjamin was using a JZA80 Supra Turbo as his escape vehicle. Shortly afterwards, authorities stopped him in Irvine but before they could get to him, he tried to slit his own throat using a box cutter.


Another reason why this is interesting, is because apparently Benjamin was part of the ever so popular "Team Hybrid" car show crew, as exemplified by the lanyard below. Now I'm not sure if they give those things out to every idiot at car shows, and its just a coincidence that he has one, or if he indeed is/was part of the crew. One can only speculate that the passion to pay someone to mold bodykits to your car and spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to install parts to impress onlookers forced him to rob a bank so he could beat somebody else at a car show.

This is an EPIC FAIL for several reasons:

1) When you're going to rob a bank, perhaps you should use an inconspicuous car, or something that blends in and will be difficult to pick out. NOT A WHITE SUPRA, WITH A FRONT MOUNT INTERCOOLER, AND MISSING BUMPER.

2) If you must use a white Supra Turbo with a front mount intercooler and no front bumper, MAKE SURE ITS NOT A SHOW CAR, REALLY DOES HAVE 800HP AND CAN REALLY SMOKE COPS. The cops aren't going to let you go because you won "Best JDM" at China town showoff in '99.

3) If you decide that after getting caught after robbing a bank, in broad daylight, driving a white Supra Turbo with no front bumper and front mount intercooler, that its time to end your life, don't fail to kill yourself. Since he did indeed fail at ending his own life, he has the rest of his life to look forward to as the idiot who tried to rob a bank in Brian Earl Spilner's car.

Friends don't let friends join show crews.