As the morning sun rose over Tsukuba, and the clock closed in on 9am, the lighthearted paddock conversations gave way to a sound that I’m not even clever enough to describe in words. The first round of drivers, now fully focused on the task at hand, begin to maneuver their finely tuned machines to the pit lane.
The Bria S13 making it’s way to the track on a fresh set of Advan A050’s…
Kiyotaka TFR RX-7 and…
…the famed Glow FD, make their way to the staging area before the first runs. This is the first session that the Glow FD will be running it’s new canard setup. The added side pieces can be attributed to the Voltex/Top Fuel S2000.
I can’t imagine a more diverse line-up at Tsukuba. Keiichi’s blazingly fast EVO 6, Kyushu-Danji NSX, TFR FD3, ATTKD R34.
The ATTKD R34 must have been running a pretty rich tune all day, as each time it did some heavy downshifting, the engine would protest by shooting fire out the exhaust.
NISMO RPS13 shooting around turns 5 and 6.
Keiichi brings the UNLIMITED EVO6 in for some tire checks; air pressure and heat. While meanwhile on circuit…
…the privateer, Shintaro, shunted his S15 going into the final corner. I believe it was on his first hot lap too. Ironic that we saw this car on the expressway on our way to Tsukuba that morning.
Disappointing…
However, he seemed to be in high spirits; knowing all too well that this is all part of the game. You can’t be on top if you don’t take risks.
After a brief clean up, the green flag was waved and open track resumed. The Kyushu NSX out on a fresh set of rubber…and wheels.
I cheated on the order of things a bit, as this is the first wheel/tire setup the Bria S13 went out on. After the first session, it changed to the new setup. The R33’s are a nice touch.
Takanori, in the Seyamax GTR, heads out to track…
DeepGrip FD3S – love the mismatch.
_
Heading around turn 5, we can catch a glimpse of the fourth wheel color of the day on Hannita-san’s NA2. This car definitely takes the award for most fashionable of the day.
Daisuke Aoki and his Doraemon themed RX-7 cruising through the pit lane…
…and taking to the track. There’s much more to come from this Sunday’s Battle Evome; next post we’ll take another look at the other entrants, as well as results from the first session runs. I gotta catch a flight right now, so gotta run, but stay tuned!
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