Sunday, June 29, 2008

GT Live Part 8: Other randomness



















Very cool Black Integra trackster, who was later sadly towed off the track. Doh!


An R32 (or was it an R33?) Skyline, not many of those around these parts.

Some interior shots of gutted cars. I love race seats. It is a big part of the driving experience and is probably one of the most unloved, unseen and yet crucial components to a race car. They don't get much love. They're like an unnecessary evil. They're not as "cool" as a big turbo, wide wheels, etc.


Poor BMW 135i, holding up the pack in the turns, but then its 300hp/tq kept the "train in the station" as it were. We were hoping it was the driver's first time at the track. Cool car nonetheless.


Also, here's a shot of Tarzan Yamada next to the Crawford STi talking strategy or car setup, or maybe what's for lunch, who knows!?

GT Live Part 7: TurboLab's Turbo NSX Time Attacker



This bright yellow NSX is one of the coolest Time Attack cars around in my opinion. It is a platform that is not used often in this arena. It's hard to chop up an expensive super car like this, but when done right, it makes for a fast and unique ride. This car has a cool story which you could probably find in a forum somewhere. The car is owned/driven by Joe Sim, who runs Turbo Laboratories (thanks for the free shirt last year, but what happened to the freebees this year, j/k) out of Orem, Utah.
The car ran out at the West Track last year in a black suit with green wheels and was the fastest in the Track Day of the ameteurs. For this year, the car was painted yellow and probably given some power upgrades. I think it was running around 450whp last year; this year it's gotta be in the 5xx whp range, I don't know for sure. Joe and the NSX started out running at Buttonwillow at the opening Redline Time Attack event of the 2008 year. Over the fall/winter, the car decided to make an exit off the trailer and was mangled. Instead of parting it out, it was totally rebuilt. Reminder, this car has an aluminum chassis/frame. Anyway, back to 2008. This car is fast. I need to look at the results and see how he did. The car, when he's driving around in the pits, sounds like a beast. It's popping and whizzing, and whining...its an animal. The car setup is very aggressive. It has wide fenders all around, likely made out of FG or CF. The large rear wing, front splitter, big brakes and wide Enkei NT-03 wheels and sticky rubba'. I have a short vid. It doesn't do it justice. Sorry Joe, I caught a gear grind in there too, but props to this guy. After he came back to the pits, I saw him and some TL buddies go off to run some Go-Karts. A true enthusiast for sure! Nice!

GT Live Part 6: Drift 'til Dark



















There was a lot of drift action at GT Live. Here's some pics of the slideways type. Gotta love the clean 240SX's and Hachiroku's (86's, or Corolla GT-S from 84-87). This was the 4th drift event I've seen now: 2 GT Live events, a Midnight drift at Rocky Mountain Raceway and a Nissan Event in 2003 at California Speedway. I love the cars; they are low, big camber, stretched tires over wide wheels, ratty ziptied bodywork, and great fun to watch. When a drift is done up right, there's not much more exciting to watch than that. The skill and car control is awesome to witness. I think its a cool motorsport. It adds variety to the scene for sure.


I love the ITBs (Individual throttle bodies) and Ferrari valve cover on that green '86.


Check out the LS1 swap into the red 240sx. Whoa! I didn't see him running, but I'm sure its a blast to drive.


Check out the faceless RX7...no front fenders, hood or bumper. I guess that's one way to preserve your bodywork. :)


I'd have to say my favorites were the green metallic paint '86 with ITB's and the red, very low and clean coupe 240sx (S13) with the chrome lipped wheels.
The Mazda Miata with composite 1 piece front end was one of two that were giving spectators rides in the Mazda Drift Experience. They had Cosworth built 2.3L 4 pots 'o' fury that were naturally aspirated (NA) and making about 250-300hp some where is my guess. They had big entry speed. Very cool! I just didn't want to wait in the lines. I would rather be watching every second.

GT Live Part 5: Random Suby pics



















Here's some random Suby pics for your viewing pleasure.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

GT Live Part 4: Time Attack Honda Civic by Tag Evanson










Tag Evanson from Arizona made the trip up to Utah for the GT Live Redline Time Attack event this weekend. I snapped some pics right after arriving this morning. Then, after watching some West Track action, I headed back to the paddock/pits area. I cruised back around and saw Tag working on his Civic's left front region. Apparently he had a leaky axle seal at the tranny. His wife and 2 daughters had gone into town to pick up a new seal at Willey Honda in Bountiful. So, while he was working on it, I was just watching. We started to chat a little. Yes, I did offer to help, but the man seemed to have things under control. We chatted for about 30 minutes almost. He is very down to earth and a super nice guy. He seemed like a totally normal dude, which he is. It's just that when a Time Attack newby/nut is talking to someone who has been on TV, in the mags, and on the internet, its just weird. He is known for having a very quick Civic hatchback, which is attributed to the car setup (now running a K series engine instead of the B series, which he said needed more upkeep and constant attention compared to the K) and obviously his driving. You can't have a fast car and it only be because of power. You have to be able to drive the thing and Tag is the man behind the wheel. He's a do-it-yourselfer type and is on a budget. I know his car has the typical Sponsor decals, but if you saw pics of his car taken 1 or 2 years ago, it was plain jane white. He has likely picked up those Sponsorships after he won his first event at Buttonwillow. His wife was way cool to. She thought I looked like someone they knew, but apparently he didn't think so. :) Oh well, I was so close. Good times and thanks Tag. Keep up the good work and remember, have fun. That's what its all about. Enjoy these pics of his Civic and him working on it.