Tom Nook And The Economy – April 17, 2020 Kristian and I go over questions and comments related to adjusting to ‘the new norm’ and we talk to Duane about how business has changed for […]
Author: Sean
Auto, photography, and Japan enthusiast
Editorial: To The End, Do Your Best
Given our current global state of affairs, the website has been slow as of late. A lot of the plans we had have been postponed, naturally, and some were cancelled indefinitely. A small price to pay in the big picture, and one we’d gladly do again to mitigate the damage we’ve seen worldwide.
Encounter: A Lesson In Minimalism – Wacky Mate RX7
It’s always exciting to see new builds get unveiled each year. It shows progression of the sport; both in the growth of drivers and the need to increase the performance of their cars. In the case of Kengo ‘Lock’ Suzuki, it was an interesting combination of both that led to what you see here.
The Narita Exchange: Episode 24 – General Tso’s Coffee Grinder
General Tso’s Coffee Grinder – March 26, 2020 Socially distanced inside the Unit B office, Christopher Wong and I discuss the financial savings of grocery shopping, why conical burr coffee grinders are essential to a […]
Encounter: Dressed To The Nines – TCS Usui NA8C
Some of the most seemingly small modifications we can do to cars, often have the largest impacts; especially when you’re talking about visuals. The exterior of cars that we build have a direct reflection of our personalities, and are one of the main ways we express ourselves through cars.
Gallery: HKS Demo Cars – Super Lap Battle
Back in November I had attended Super Lap Battle at Buttonwillow, not to cover the event, but more or less just to hang out with friends and chat about racing. It’s nice to reserve my local events for spectating and socializing rather than work, however there were a few cars in attendance I wanted to grab a couple photos of.
Feature: Phoenix Rising – The RWB 993 of Takayuki Matsumoto
It’s always enjoyable when we get to see a variety of car makes at race events across Japan. And while it’s true that domestic built cars dominate the circuits of the island, every once in awhile we’re treated with some love from Europe. Among them, it could be argued that none are more iconic than the cars from RWB.
The Narita Exchange: Episode 23 – Two Very Big Words
Two Very Big Words – March 19, 2020 The day is March 19th, and at Midnight Pacific Standard Time, California will be on lock-down in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19; a respiratory […]
Event: Energy In Motion – Tsukuba Attack Championship 2020
The energy that the time attack community in Japan has for this motor sport is unmatched by any other country, and I can say this with the utmost confidence. It’s a source of propulsion for the entire attack community and something that I feel has a positive impact not just in Japan, but throughout the world.
Video: 80R Volume 3 Promo – Koyo KBC Evo 5
Attack Tsukuba marked the return of Oya G, ‘The Prince’, back to the circuit in his newly rebuilt EVO 5. Backed by Koyo KBC, the car is back better than ever with a brand new engine to power it around the track.
Video: Attack Tsukuba 2020 – Event and Track-side Coverage
Attack Tsukuba is one of the most anticipated time attack events of the year in Japan. NDF was on hand to to provide a walk through of the paddock area, an overview of drivers and cars, as well as on track action during super lap at the famed TC2000 course at Tsukuba.
Video: Zummy Racing Family – Event Coverage and Highlights
The day before the Attack Tsukuba Championship event at TC2000 (February 21, 2020), the organizer Zummy holds an event that allows competitors the ability to practice and get their cars set up properly for Attack. A lot of times the event is just as exciting as Attack and this year was no exception.
Encounter: Mitsuyoshi At Suzuka – S-Complete 320 Onevia
I ran into Mitsuyoshi at Suzuka Circuit late January during the Attack event after not having seen him or his car for some time. Having a background in drifting has given him a strong grasp of car control, and now with a car that’s becoming finely tuned, his lap times have been getting very quick.
Event: Frontrunners In Kansai – Attack Suzuka V.2
The end of January saw my return to Suzuka Circuit after a 3 year absence from the international racing course. After 2017, the timing of events in Suzuka were just always out of reach for my current schedule; needless to say, I was excited for my return in 2020.
Event: Open Circuit Testing – Attack Suzuka V.1
The day before the Attack event at Suzuka took place, the circuit held an open test day that many of the main participants took advantage of. I happened to time my arrival to the course with just enough time left in the day to grab a few shots before heading to the track hotel.
Encounter: Shizuoka Residence – Advance NSX
It’s been a busy couple weeks for me between work, traveling (Google tells me I’ve been to 3 countries, 19 cities and 53 places in January alone), and preparing for next week’s pre-order shipments (yay!). It hasn’t left me with much time to process photos from the first Attack event of the year at Suzuka Circuit.
Video: Attack Suzuka 2020 – Paddock Walk and Highlights
Take a walk through the paddock of Suzuka Circuit the day before, and the day of Attack Suzuka last weekend. There was an intimate amount of cars for this half day event, which ensured the heavy hitters had plenty of track time.
Event: Super GT Display – Tokyo Auto Salon 2020 V.2
With the Super GT Championships kicking off each year around April, Tokyo Auto Salon is scheduled at the perfect time off-season for competitors to showcase their 2019 season winning cars, as well as their new 2020 builds. One of the main reasons I attended the Salon this year was to get a closer look.
Event: 26 Hours In Japan – Tokyo Auto Salon 2020 V.1
Let me preface this post by saying that the amount of travel to spend a single day in Japan is surprisingly achievable. It’s not like I would recommend it, there are definitely more efficient ways to go about it, but to say it wasn’t a fun experience wouldn’t be wholly true; at the very least it’s a conversation starter.
Editorial: Turning Motor Sport Into Life
This time of year is best spent on reflection (because if not now, when right?). So much is happening during the year, and we’re so busy just living, that we rarely take the time to pause and take stock of what’s been accomplished, remember what we’re working towards, or how we’re handling it all mentally. So, when things start to slow down during this last week of December, I think as a society we traditionally use the time to reflect.
Event: Beyond The Emotion – Attack Sugo 2019
On the last weekend of October, Sugo Sportsland played host to the 2019 Attack event, officially kicking off time attack season in Japan. The event, which typically has a smaller turnout due to location, was paired with the Goodluck Challenge; a local motor sport event at Sugo.
Video: Attack Sugo 2019 – Paddock And Pit Walk
A walk through the paddock at Sugo Sportsland during the recent Attack event. Sugo usually hosts a smaller group of drivers due to it’s distance from Tokyo, but the ones that do attend are very serious. Check out our behind the scenes video of the action…and the downtime.
Gallery: Tajima Build Update – The N-One Racing 380RS
Every so often I like to check in on cars and drivers that we’ve spotlighted in the past to see how the development of their build is going. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to talk to Tajima Hirotsugu about his Nismo 380RS, but that was months ago and he’s been busy over the off-season.
Encounter: Challenge Cup Class 2 – Nismo ER34
Haven’t done an Encounter post in quite some time now. I usually reserve them for random cars that I come across that seem worth sharing with everyone. This particular car fit the bill almost perfectly.
Video: Escort EVO 9 – Sugo Sportsland
In the most recent post about my trip to Sugo I mentioned shooting a little video before I had the opportunity to photograph Escorts EVO 9 – well, here is that video!
Close-Up: Tohoku Supremacy – The Takumi Project ESCORT EVO 9
Last week, Escort founder and owner Hiroshi Shiobara invited me out to Sugo Sportsland the Saturday before the Attack event to get a closer look at the team’s rebuilt Evo and to get a closer look into their test program. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to see their process in person, I would gladly make the drive to Sendai Saturday morning.
Feature: New Beginnings – The Team NDF S2000
Coming out of a two year hiatus, Justin Yoo returns to CVR for the NDF Attack Challenge hosted by VTEC Club and is met with surprising success.
The Narita Exchange: Episode 22 – Spicy Vinaregret
Spicy Vinaregret – October 21, 2019 Kristian and I sit down again in Unit B to go over some question submissions from the hotline and Instagram. Join us as we discuss in detail what it’s […]
The Narita Exchange: Episode 21 – Motivation In Mexico
Motivation In Mexico – SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 Recorded in the living room of a vineyard chateau on the Baja Peninsula, episode 21 of NDFX features personality powerhouses Justin Yoo, Kristian Wong, and Duane Bada. Join […]
Feature: Amir Bentatou – The RS Future K20 NSX
There is no doubt that the shear excitement of driving a purpose-built race car on the edge is enough for any driver to justify the money and work that gets put into building it. Although, surprisingly there are very few people that understand the actual amount of work that goes into building a race car; Amir Bentatou is not one of those people.
Gallery: Yoshiaki Itagaki – The Arios F16 SPL FD3S
There are a select few cars that, despite my frequency in traveling to Japan, always seem to elude me. Most of the time it’s due to a geographical hardship, as I’m often in the same parts of the country time and time again.
The Narita Exchange: Episode 20 – Flying Lizards In Japan
Flying Lizards In Japan – August 13, 2019 On Episode 20 of NDFX, we get introspective on the things we should be grateful for, talk about what you like and dislike about Japan, write anime […]
The Narita Exchange: Life And New Girl – July 31, 2019
Life and New Girl – July 31, 2019 Kristian and I are back in Unit B answering questions you sent in last week. Join us as we get deep into life and what drives our […]
Encounter: Tooru Nozaki – Autopolis Driven FD3S
Seeing as he lives all the way down in Kyushu, I consider myself lucky to have caught Nozaki and his FD at Fuji during Seven’s Day. I didn’t get the opportunity to see him at Autopolis Super Lap and was excited to see the build up close.
Event: Seven’s Day Fuji – Rotary Spirit 2019 V.2
As the day wore on, and my duties track-side came to a close, I was afforded more time to spend wandering around the sea of RX-7’s on the other side of the grandstands.
Event: Seven’s Day Fuji – Rotary Spirit 2019 V.1
Rotary Spirit was created in 2018 in an attempt to host the most comprehensive Seven’s Day meeting throughout all of Japan. This year marked the second annual event, and I happened to be at Fuji Speedway when the festivities were going down.
The Narita Exchange: Willem Drees – July 16, 2019
Willem Drees – July 16, 2019 FF record holder, Japanese fashion sensation, and creative powerhouse Will Drees stops by Unit B for a chat. Join us as we discuss the importance of family history, balancing […]
Feature: The Temple of Buddha – Golden Bathurst R-3 FD3S
This 1995 Mazda RX-7, owned by someone choosing only to be referred to as ‘The Temple of Buddha’ (or something like that I don’t actually know), is so far off the grid that I normally operate on that when I saw it at Fuji the other week, I had to take a closer look.
Video: Rotary Spirit Seven’s Day Meeting – Fuji Speedway
While I was photographing a race at Fuji Speedway, I took some time to record a walk-through of the Seven’s Day event that was going on in the event paddock.
Close-Up: Yukimitsu Hara FD3S – CSG FD3S Attack Build
It’s been quite some time now since Hara-san of Car Shop Glow has been behind the wheel of his own car, but it looks like the years of not competing have finally begun to take their toll.