Tag: Z

Automotive by Sean

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.

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Automotive by Sean

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.

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Automotive by Sean

Feature: Playing in the rain – Kevin’s Fairlady Z

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I’ve always been a fan of the Z32; it’s shape is so iconic to the 90’s sports car.  It’s one of those cars that I love to look at, but would never have the patience to build.  So, with that said, I’ll leave it up to people like Kevin Hurst to build them for me to look at.  I met Kevin when he moved into my old apartment complex a few years ago.  I had noticed his Z in the parking area a few times, mainly due to the concave 5-Zigens and it being 1 inch off the ground, but I never saw a driver.  We eventually ran into each other when I was washing my car and instantly started talking cars.  I mentioned my blog and it was decided that I would eventually get to photograph his car.  A few months and mods later, we finally both had a break in our schedules to take some shots and grab some lunch.  Check out the results past the break.

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Automotive by Sean

Event: Nismo Festival 2011 v.2

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Ahhh, Nismo Festival.  A celebration of all things Nissan.  Oh, wait.  I already introduced this coverage with some mediocre commencement.  Let’s dive right in to the second part of the Nismo Festival coverage with these RC cars.  No, not radio controlled.  RC stands for Racing Competition in this case; a series of cars built by the NISMO factory specifically for competition.  When I say specifically for competition I mean just that – you cannot drive these on the street; and yes, they are expensive.  But if the car isn’t enough, and you’re looking to spend even more money, you can also buy NISMO’s technical support upon delivery.  Think of it as a warranty on steroids.   Let’s check out some more past the break.  You guys are in for a treat with this post…

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Automotive by Sean

Event: Nismo Festival 2011 v.1

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OK, I’ve been putting this off for too long.  AutoCon can wait – it’s time for Nismo Festival coverage!  Held at Fuji Speedway annually, Nismo festival is the mecca of all things Nissan and, really, there couldn’t be a better venue!  On clear days, like this, Fuji-san is a visually dominating feature.  However, Nismo did their best to offer a variety of street and race cars to distract you from the great mountain view.  The highlight of this year’s festival had to be the motor sports ‘garage sale’ that Nismo put together.  Offering various wheels, and body parts from Super GT cars at extremely low prices – great for home decoration and collecting!  Imagine taking home a pair of Mag Volk wheels from a Super GT machine for $10 each!  How awesome of a coffee table would that make?  Anyway, click past the break for volume 1 of the coverage!

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