Last week I made my way down to the Kansai Region of Japan for a few photoshoots I had lined up. Our first stop was at Esprit where I met our friend Sugikou-san. I wanted to photograph his Supra again for 80R because a lot of time has passed since our original shoot at Suzuka Circuit.
Without a doubt the most interesting thing for me, in following Japanese Time Attack so closely, is getting to see the progression of builds over an extended period of time. We all know that building a race car isn’t a quick task, and for most people at the grassroots level it’s a trial and error procedure; you find out what works and what doesn’t from your initial base, and head back to the drawing board after each event. Everyone has their own method of going about this, but the common goal for everyone, however, is to go faster.
The 2JZ powered Z32 built by C&Y Sports has adapted a much more aggressive looks since last we saw it. While it does look more the part, the cosmetics of this car aren’t the only thing that’s come a long way. The car, since 2013, has consistently improved it’s lap times around the famous Fuji Circuit.
No, your eyes do not deceive you; this is the same Soarer that was coated in a bright white just last year. This season though, the white panels have been shed in favor of […]
Imai-san sure sealed the deal on the controversy envelope with this one. His 2J powered, GT-R converted 180SX has made a resounding impact throughout the world. Catch it in the Drift Muscle series […]
I’m so behind on coverage of pretty much every event in Japan it’s killing me. Hyper Meeting, still have the last of the HKS Premium Day coverage (which is long overdue), several drift events […]
Throwing it back to last year when Jay and I stopped by Kunny’z to say hi to Kuniaki-san and Masahiko-san, seen here rocking the Uggs. I had met Kunny-san awhile back briefly, but had […]
I mentioned on our Instagram account (@naritadogfight) that Sekinei was at Tsukuba this past weekend covering Hyper Meeting 2014. I initially wanted to post up a bunch of shots from the event but honestly […]
Our first run in with Art Engine was quite awhile back at Tsukuba Circuit during an open track event. Which, after this post, will give you an idea of how versatile Art Engine is. […]
Shoji Auto may not have the best website, but they sure built a good looking Z30…
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Adam Mao; the owner of the GS300 you see here. Adam, a very easy going and very talented young guy, was nice enough to meet […]
Last week, while I was up in the bay, I stopped by San Jose to take a couple snaps of Adam’s 2JZ Aristo. Check for the full set soon. I apologize for the lack of […]
Z32’s are admittedly not the most common choice when it comes to building a time attack car. Actually, Z32’s are pretty much uncommon no matter how you put it; but there is one company […]
It was bad news to hear about the Kazama D1 car getting stolen just prior to this event, but good to see that the team doesn’t give up so easily. Regardless of the bad […]
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For those of you who are regulars of NDF, this Lexus (…is that what this is?) will be a familiar site to you. It belongs to Joe McGuigan and is in the process of quite the transformation. If you’re not familiar with what Joe does, check this out. If you aren’t familiar with what he does it with, check this out. Last year, Joe ran Thunder Drift with the stock 2JZ; underpowered to say the least. Well, as you can see, things have changed. With the 2012 season approaching and new targets in his site, he’s decided to ditch the OEM power in favor of some V8 juice! Check out more of the 1UZ swap progress past the break.
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The one thing that continues to amaze me in this industry is the amount of great, down to earth people there are. No matter the discipline, whether you’re a driver, a spectator, a mechanic, or involved in media coverage, it just seems hard to come across a person you won’t get along with. Case in point; Joe McGuigan. Joe drifts in the Thunder Drift: Pro Am series here in Northern California. The series basically serves as a gateway for amateur drivers looking to get into national series like Formula D. As this season comes to an end, Joe is already looking to next year where, with an all new engine setup, will be shooting for his Formula D license. Let’s take a closer look at his weapon of choice past the break.
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I apologize for my absence as of late. While I may have been invisible, I didn’t forget I ran a blog. In fact, I’ve been working on new graphic designs for some vinyl that will be available at the end of the month. I know I keep saying that, but I mean it this time. The more I looked at my previous designs, the less pleased I became with them. So while I toil away behind my monitor, I’ll let you soak up some eye candy at last month’s D1GP event in Odaiba. Let’s take a little walk through the pits past the break.
