Tag: Narita Dog Fight

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Feature: What The World Needs – 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.

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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.

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Feature: Hiroshi Shimada – Southern Style CT9A

In the heart of Winter this year, I made the trek down to Kyushu to attend Autopolis Superlap.  Unbeknownst to me (because it happened when I was in-flight from Tokyo to Kumamoto) the event had been cancelled due to excessive snowfall in the area.  For the past week, the likelihood of the event taking place was always brought into question.

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Feature: Advancing Passion – Takanori Seyama’s GTR32

Takanori Seyama has never been one to turn away from a challenge; choosing to define himself by his hard work and willingness to sail through uncharted waters on his own.  His hard work has proven itself in the fabrication of his GTR32, which has crowned itself among the fastest Skyline’s in Japan.

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Feature: The Global Offensive – JDM Yard At TC2000

As per the norm, Tsukuba Circuit was rented out by various hosts the day before the main event of Attack Tsukuba, allowing for the Attack competitors a chance to test and tune car settings.  In this case, Sato-san from Unlimited Works hosted the first half of the day, and Takeo Fukazumi from Zummy Racing Family took on the afternoon.

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Feature: Northern Exposure – The GNR Racing EK9

The evolution of time attack builds in Japan is, for me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the sport.  The dedication of the teams and the drivers to improve performance each season typically results in a year over year change in the appearance of the cars.  Especially given the fact that most of the Attack competitors are ghosts on social media in comparison, it’s always a surprise to see what they unveil at the start of each season.

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Feature: Dogfight Japan Bodyworks GTR33

Masao has been hard at work over the past few months putting his skills to the test on his son’s project car.  The design that Tani had in mind for this GTR33 would take on a more subtle approach to body tuning than the work that Masao is typically used to being commissioned for.  A look that would pull focus to the cars original body lines while still retaining a very street-able appearance.  Reserved as a car to occasionally enjoy weekend drives and a general feel of car-life, the Skyline was purchased without the circuit in mind.  A purpose that is reflected in the final outcome of the build.

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Editorial: Celebrating Community – A Tribute to Kazuyuki Takahashi

Having always been a very task-oriented person, I often times find myself gravitating more towards the desire of completing a project or event as opposed to the act of simply participating in it.  It wasn’t until the past few years in my life that I was taught to be mindful of the present, or, ‘enjoy the ride’ so they say.  While the wording of that saying may come off as childish and a bit pedestrian, there is merit to being able to live in the moment.  I’ve learned that checking in with yourself existentially every once in awhile can be beneficial.

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Event: Attack Championship 2019 – Tsukuba Stage V.1

It takes a dedicated enthusiast to consider time attack a spectator sport; and trust me, I don’t say that lightly.  I’ve spent almost a good portion of my life promoting the sport, the last thing I want to do is discredit my own work.  That’s not my sole opinion though, it is simply a statement that is rooted in factuality.  Unlike other mediums in motor sport, time attack is more of an intrinsic, individual type of racing when compared to wheel to wheel events.  It’s something you’d rather be doing than watching.  At the top levels, the tracks are somewhat deserted in order to give the driver a clear shot in getting the fastest lap possible – having no traffic is essential.

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Video: Attack Tsukuba 2019 – Test Day Pit Walk

Friday morning a few other track hosts held open events for those entrants that wanted to do some testing the day before the Attack event on Saturday.  Many of the top tier teams took advantage of the time, as did the overseas competitors.  Since this day was a little more relaxed, I took some video around the paddock and pit.

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Event: NDF Attack Challenge – March 10, 2019

If you happen to follow our Facebook or Instagram page, you may have noticed a few images promoting an upcoming event we’re headlining with the organizers of VTEC Club.  NDF Attack Challenge is our take on emulating a Japanese style of time attack that is not often found in the States.  Naturally, with the countries being almost polar opposites of one another (in both size, demographic, and culture), there are some very notable differences between the execution of the two; the most striking difference being that of classing.

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Encounter: Out Of The Blue – Yuma Koide’s EK9

It may be obvious to most people, but after surrounding myself with Japan’s fastest time attack cars, I often times need to remind myself that there are several cars not built to an extreme that are very noteworthy.  In fact, sometimes its the cars that are very tastefully modified that stand out the most; as is the case with Yuma Koide’s EK9.  While the bright blue exterior is quick to catch the eye of a passerby, it’s what you don’t see that keeps you staring.

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Encounter: Timeless Attack – A Pair Of RGN FC3S

As time goes by, it becomes more and more infrequent that we see a large amount of second generation RX-7s out and about at the circuit. No doubt the popularity of the FC chassis plays a large part in why we still see them at all, but for a car whose newest model would now be a good 27 years old, it is getting more and more rare to spot them at events. Despite their age, however, there remains a large aftermarket support for FC3S, as the style and engine seem to transcend time itself in an attempt to stay relevant in motor sports.

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Event: Central Time Attack Challenge 2019 – Special Classes

As I continued to sift through the coverage of Central Time Attack Challenge, I realized that there were a noticeably less amount of cars in attendance this year compared to last.  No doubt in part due to the weather, which sort of goes to show the challenges with hosting a once a year style event in a country that has such unpredictable weather patterns.  It’s really something places like Southern California don’t have to deal with, and we often take for granted.

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Event: Central Time Attack Challenge 2019 – Vertex SL Class

Central Time Attack is an event that has quickly grown on me in an interesting way; be it the uniqueness of the circuit, the location, or the ‘newness’ of it to me, it’s definitely starting to become something I look forward to annually.  Being so far from the ‘hub’ of time attack in Japan, it presents a unique opportunity for me to see builds I don’t typically get exposed to regularly.  I had a similar feeling shooting at Suzuka for the first time back in 2017.  This was my second consecutive year attending CTAC and while the weather wasn’t particularly cooperating, it was still an exciting day.

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Encounter: Kenji Mori’s CBY AE86

I can always appreciate a dedicated race car build that maintains the character of a street car.  More than just a collection of parts thrown together, these cars carry with them a certain presence – an appearance that brings with it an almost tangible-like feeling.  Arguably, in Japan, the AE86 chassis has the ability to achieve this more than any car out there.  Be it due to its history in racing both on track and street, or perhaps its timeless design that attracts shops to continually develop parts for it.  Whatever the case, there are some very indismissable examples, and Kenji’s CBY supported build is a perfect representation of this idea.

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Event: Speed And Sound Trophy – Option Superlap

The Speed and Sound Trophy is, all things considered, a newer event held annually at Tsukuba Circuit.  Hosted by a handful of well-known media publications that include names like Option, REVSPEED, Autosport, G-Works, and Motor Head, it attempts to bring together all facets of motor sport for enthusiasts of any kind to enjoy equally.  The end result is an event that keeps the track busy with time attack competitions, demonstration runs from old and current race cars, guest driver personalities, GT cars, drift exhibitions, and car shows.  Of course, what we’re interested in is the Option hosted Superlap competition.