No stranger to a variety of cars, S15, Altezza, JZX100, (even the FD, having owned one before this) just to name a few, Muraki Tatsuhiko has more experience than most when it comes to how different […]
Tag: Action
Event: Drift Muscle Round 4 – Honjyo Circuit
Like I mentioned in the previous post, we arrived pretty late to Honjyo Circuit because prior to coming here I had a photoshoot with Takahashi’s FD at T-One’s in Gunma. We arrived at […]
Event: Drift Muscle Round 4 – Honjyo Circuit / RPS13 Close Up
I had been up North in the Gunma area photographing Takahashi’s FD at T-Ones the other week, and thought, while up in that area we should check out Honjyo Circuit because there was […]
One Shot: ｽｺｰﾁ FD at Tsukuba
Flat out – TC2000
One Shot: Fuji Speedway S30 Action – やばい! ~~
This guy got a little too anxious on the parade lap last weekend at Fuji Speedway. I’ll have some more shots from the Fairlady Festival up soon.
Encounter: Team M/M/M & ACTION 180SX
I was first introduced to this car last time I was at Nikko Circuit for D1SL. The driver, Mitsuru Murakami, is a SEED driver for the Street Legal series; unfortunately, he had some mechanical problems […]
Close-Up: Funny Factory S15
This is one S chassis that I haven’t seen too much of until last month’s D1SL round in Nikko. It’s actually quite different than what we’re used to seeing. I find the reference to American […]
Event: Super GT Round 8 At Motegi 250km – Pre-Race Practice
So, it was 5am and the only thing I could think about was getting caffeine into my system; not if my friend was going to be late, not if it was going to rain […]
Close-Up: Kohno-san GP Sports 180SX
One of the cars I enjoyed watching most at this past round of D1SL at Nikko was this GP Sports 180SX. The car is driven by コウノ シオン (Kohno Shion) who you may remember by […]
Preview: Super GT Round 8 – Motegi 250km
This past Sunday marked the end of the 2012 Super GT season with the final race at Twin Ring Motegi; and despite the cold, rainy weather, the action was as hot as ever. […]
Event: Raceline Track Day at Willow Springs Raceway
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This last weekend, Super Street held the annual FF Battle at the Streets of Willow at Willow Springs International Raceway. Where is Willow Springs? It’s in the outskirts of the city of Rosamond in Kern County; basically in the Mojave Desert. I’m not positive, but it may be the hottest location in California. That same day, Raceline also had an open track day for intermediate ‘Level 3’ drivers. The week before my friend hit me up and asked if I wanted to register with him and his boss for the event. I hadn’t tracked my car for quite awhile so I thought it’d be fun, despite my engine setup being complete garbage. My friend Joel was nice enough to make the drive from San Diego to act as our pit crew and support vehicle. It was a good thing too because I ended up having a some brake issues on the drive home as a result of the beat down I gave my car throughout the day. I had a great time and as usual I got to meet some really good people, and see some familiar faces. I apologize for the lack of pictures but I was really concentrating on the drive that day. Not to mention I forgot my zoom lens at home. Click past the break to see the event.
One Shot: Subaru BRZ GT300 – Fuji Speedway
. Super GT Round 2 | Fuji Speedway – Oyama, Japan | Subaru BRZ GT300 .
Event: Super Taikyu Round 2 – Twin Ring Motegi v.2
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I think I’ll break up the Wekfest coverage with the second post of Super Taikyu from Twin Ring. I have a few fans that are awaiting the continuation of this and it just so happens I initially started posting it right before Wekfest hit town; which was not my intention. Plus, seeing a couple of race cars fight it out on track will be a nice contrast to the show coverage. We left off on the last post somewhere near the start of the race, after the practice laps. By now you have a good impression of the diversity of this series; I’m pretty sure I’ve said that a million times now, but it’s part of why this is such a cool race. Part of the appeal of Group-N racing series’ is that it has the ability to make any regular person feel like they can be a race car driver behind the wheel of there normal, every day car. That’s not to say that they should…but it’s nice to have that feeling. A popular car among the Super Taikyu contenders is the Sturm Motul STi. You can see it here propped up on the air jacks in the team garage; the crew going through a few final tests before it’s unleashed on the track for the 4 hour stint. Check the continued coverage past the break.
Event: Super Taikyu Round 2 – Twin Ring Motegi V.1
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耐久 [Taikyu] – Translate the word to English and it becomes ‘Endurance’, or ‘Persistence’. Both of which are needed in a series like Super Taikyu; where the most average of cars are transformed into octane devouring, tire burning, track monsters for their drivers to tame around the circuit. A series that pushes both man and machine to the brink of exhaustion; endurance racing at it’s finest. Now don’t get me wrong – this is no 24 Hours of Nürburgring. It is, however, grueling in it’s own right – I barely survived photographing it, let alone driving it. It’s possible that some readers are not familiar with the series, although, they may be familiar with the term ‘Group-N’ racing. A particular type of motor sport, governed by the FIA, where standard production vehicles are allowed to be slightly modified for competition; I use the term ‘slightly’ very loosely. No doubt about it that each and every one of these cars is fully built to be race metal. The main reason I fell in love with this series is the amount of classes involved and on track at the same time, all racing to be number one in their own right. In this sense it’s a bit like Le Mans racing, except Super Taikyu has 5 classes. I’m really excited to share this series with you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Click past the break for more Twin Ring action.
Event: Super GT Round 2 – Throwdown At Fuji Speedway v.2
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We continue the coverage of Super GT Round 2 from about the middle of the race. By now I had wandered myself around the better half of the track and started making my way back to the paddock area to get something to eat. While doing so, I managed to miss the massive crash of the Art Taste Porsche driven by Tim Bergmeister that ended up sending him to the hospital. I’m not sure if he had a puncture in one of his tires that threw him off, or if it was a driver error, but the accident was pretty horrific. This delayed the race for a good 30 minutes while they cleaned up and got the car off-track. It didn’t take long though for the GT cars to start up at full throttle again. Click past the break to check out more racing action from Fuji Speedway.
Event: Super GT Round 2 – Throwdown At Fuji Speedway v.1
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Nothing can short change the excitement of a good road race. Rapidly changing weather conditions, split second decisions, class differences, mental fatigue, and constant overtaking all combine to create an environment that only motor sport can provide. Super GT, Japan’s premier racing series, brings this to the table round after round. Mixing GT300 and GT500 contenders make for a packed grid and the opportunity to see some great driving. This particular race held many challenges for the teams to overcome; challenges that would leave the unprepared teams either on the back of the grid or, worse yet, off the track and retired. It’s my pleasure to bring you coverage from Round 2 of Super GT held at Fuji Speedway in the Shizuoka prefecture. Click past the break for a look at the action.
Event: Motor Sport Japan 2011 – On Track Action
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Before I post the coverage that JDM Clips got of the Motor Sports Japan 2011 Festival, I thought it would be cool to share the ‘on-track’ action from the event. Race teams, aftermarket companies, and car manufacturers give the fans a sample of the vehicles performance on a make-shift track in part of the lot at the site in Daiba, Tokyo. Famous drivers take to the machines for a few spirited laps around the course. Some of the cars include current Super GT cars, rally built cars, prototype and modified street cars. Click past the break for some more great shots.
Event: Speedventures/Hontune Fontana v.1
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Here is some general coverage of the track day/car show at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Even though it seemed like the track was dominated by S2000’s, I was pleased to see a wide variety of cars present; especially at the autocross track. Although my preference has always leaned toward Japanese manufacturers, I am a fan of all cars in general. There were many Euro cars that I shot too, but seeing as how this blog is geared toward Japanese performance, I’ll stick to that. Check out more below.
Feature: Brothers in Arms
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This past weekend I ventured over to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana to attend the Speedventures open track day, and to check out Big Mike’s Hontune event. This was the first Speedventures event I’ve been to, and although I didn’t track my car, I had a ton of fun walking around the facility shooting photos. Despite the bone chilling wind and uncertain forecast, I’m glad I went because I ended up meeting some great people and getting to shoot their awesome cars. Case in point; the two track ready S2000’s you see before you. I saw this pair sitting unattended in the garage, so I ventured in for some pics; click past the break for more.
Action: Mugen Circuit Challenge S2000
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Ever wonder what it would feel like to fly around Tsukuba, strapped into a Mugen built machine, driven by a former F1 driver and current Super GT driver? If so, the Mugen Circuit Challenge at Tsukuba Circuit is the place you need to go. Taka from JDM Clips sent these images over to help us get as close as we can to the action. He has attended this event multiple times, and really has a feel for what a company like Mugen can achieve. Perfectly matching power output with chassis limitations, Mugen can take performance to an entirely new level. Having a reliable car equipped with parts that work in harmony with the chassis is ideal for maintaining control on track; and Mugen does just that. Most people don’t realize just how much experience Mugen has in building cars and engines. Click past the break for more on-track shots.