Playstation 2? Yes boys and girls, if you've had a chance to go to Japan lately Playstation 2 is out. It's very sleek looking encased in it's black housing. With the worlds most advanced processor, DVD, and Dolby Digital 5.1 this is the hottest console systems ever to come out.
Well the first racing game to review, is Ridge Racer 5. This Game has a very cool intro, and music sound track. The menu system looks like it was done in flash.
As with Tradition, There is a girl that goes with the Ridge Racer Series. We found that this girl was not as hot as say Lara Croft, but hey you won't ever see me drooling over a video game chick.
I feel that this game is pretty much a demo of just partially what the Playstation can do. The graphics are of course hot with fully rendered 3D capabilities, perfect scrolling capabilities and of course a great sound track. It may change when the english release comes out. This is almost a remake of the original Ridge Racer 1 for Playstation. The tracks are almost identical. The cars are of course way better looking. Playability is pretty smooth too. It's not super hard to turn the cars and you can of course drift pretty nicely.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Racing Lagoon
For a long while now, we've all been waiting for Gran Turismo 2 to come out. And I am also sure that all you racing gamers out there have played Gran Turismo to a point that it just boring, because I know I have. Don't get me wrong, Gran Turismo is a great game, but if you look at the details, I am always wondering, what ever happened to the stuff I just bought to modify my car???
There is a new import racing game out called Racing Lagoon and it is really what I've been looking for in a good racing game. Not only does the game takes on the streets of Akihabara, but you race on different streets, and there are tracks that you can race too. You get to go around and race different kind of cars. Cars range from Civics HB to Si, from Corollas to Supras, 300ZX, Mitsubishis, old school and new school RX-7s, and even BUSES and TRUCKS, plus a whole bunch that I don't think would fit if I put them all in here!
The best part is that after each race, where if you win, you get to rip anything off the other guys car or they rip something off of your car if you lose; for example, engine, spoilers, exhaust, paint, rims, stickers, tech chips, and a bunch of other stuff to make your/his car the way you've always wanted. After you put the things you want on there, you can see the actual changes you made on your car such as your rims are different, the paint is a different color, the body that you just put on. You can go to Spencer's Car Shop to buy new stuff also besides from getting them from winning races.
This game is also an RPG, so you can level up your engine, chassis, and body to fit more stuff on there to make your car perfect. The game is split up to about 10 nights I believe, and you can do trials to get special parts from racers in the game. Most of the time you go around and flash your high beams to tell the other car you want to race, which is pretty tight. As you go through the nights, the story progresses and you see what happens to the racers in the town.
My favorite street to race on is the main street which has two big turns requiring your to slow down to about 30 mph to take it, which everyone always tries to jam through, and end up slamming into the walls, which slows them down a lot more then just slowing down.
Game play is really good and fast once you start to get the parts you want. At first, the game is pretty slow. I do have to admit you start out in a 87 Corolla which really sucks, but after a little skill pulled off here and there and some drifts, I managed to get a Civic Type R engine by the end of the first night therefore giving me double plus my old cars horsepower.
The graphic I think you will like because its really comes close to Gran Turismo and the concept is just that you are more of a illegal street racer then legal track racer. I must admit that this game is one of the best racing games I've play since Gran Turismo came out. Controls are not hard to control and even though its all in Japanese, all you need to know is car parts to get by. I mean who really needs to learn Japanese to play Japanese games?
Well, I will give this game an 8 out of 10 because it did try to copy the Gran Turismo engine. But you can't blame them for doing so and because sometimes you can't find the car you want to race and you have to race some cars over and over again. The cars go around town at random, so it takes you awhile to find the one you want to race sometimes. If you want to know where to get this game you can order it at Howie's Hi-Tech Games or ask ahead for information on the game by calling (408) 944-0333 at Howie's Hi-Tech Games.
There is a new import racing game out called Racing Lagoon and it is really what I've been looking for in a good racing game. Not only does the game takes on the streets of Akihabara, but you race on different streets, and there are tracks that you can race too. You get to go around and race different kind of cars. Cars range from Civics HB to Si, from Corollas to Supras, 300ZX, Mitsubishis, old school and new school RX-7s, and even BUSES and TRUCKS, plus a whole bunch that I don't think would fit if I put them all in here!
The best part is that after each race, where if you win, you get to rip anything off the other guys car or they rip something off of your car if you lose; for example, engine, spoilers, exhaust, paint, rims, stickers, tech chips, and a bunch of other stuff to make your/his car the way you've always wanted. After you put the things you want on there, you can see the actual changes you made on your car such as your rims are different, the paint is a different color, the body that you just put on. You can go to Spencer's Car Shop to buy new stuff also besides from getting them from winning races.
This game is also an RPG, so you can level up your engine, chassis, and body to fit more stuff on there to make your car perfect. The game is split up to about 10 nights I believe, and you can do trials to get special parts from racers in the game. Most of the time you go around and flash your high beams to tell the other car you want to race, which is pretty tight. As you go through the nights, the story progresses and you see what happens to the racers in the town.
My favorite street to race on is the main street which has two big turns requiring your to slow down to about 30 mph to take it, which everyone always tries to jam through, and end up slamming into the walls, which slows them down a lot more then just slowing down.
Game play is really good and fast once you start to get the parts you want. At first, the game is pretty slow. I do have to admit you start out in a 87 Corolla which really sucks, but after a little skill pulled off here and there and some drifts, I managed to get a Civic Type R engine by the end of the first night therefore giving me double plus my old cars horsepower.
The graphic I think you will like because its really comes close to Gran Turismo and the concept is just that you are more of a illegal street racer then legal track racer. I must admit that this game is one of the best racing games I've play since Gran Turismo came out. Controls are not hard to control and even though its all in Japanese, all you need to know is car parts to get by. I mean who really needs to learn Japanese to play Japanese games?
Well, I will give this game an 8 out of 10 because it did try to copy the Gran Turismo engine. But you can't blame them for doing so and because sometimes you can't find the car you want to race and you have to race some cars over and over again. The cars go around town at random, so it takes you awhile to find the one you want to race sometimes. If you want to know where to get this game you can order it at Howie's Hi-Tech Games or ask ahead for information on the game by calling (408) 944-0333 at Howie's Hi-Tech Games.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Grand Theft Auto 3
With Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar proves that not all developers are concerned with toning down the violence in their games. This sequel is even more bloody, violent, and sadistic than its popular predecessors, offering up an enormous 3-D city in which nearly any criminal act is possible. Players are free to steal cars, beat up the local population for their money (or weapons), make time with prostitutes, or simply roam to their heart's content. Those seeking more structure can embark on dozens of plot-driven missions or steal cars that let them play minigames. Nab a cop car and you can go on vigilante missions. Grab a cab and you can play a deadly version of Crazy Taxi. Take a fire truck and you can earn money putting out fires. The game just never gets boring.
As in real life, there are consequences for your criminality. As your random acts of mayhem mount up, the police start hounding you, eventually calling in SWAT trucks, the FBI, and even the army if you continue down the path of destruction. Shaking these pursuers is easily the most fun part of the game, especially when a bunch of friends are packed in the room to witness your narrow escapes.
Grand Theft Auto III is fine-tuned to near perfection in every category. All the vehicles, from slick sports cars to lumbering dump trucks, handle exactly as you'd expect and smash apart realistically when abused. The three islands in the game are rendered in terrific detail considering their size, and are packed with traffic, pedestrians, and hidden jumps. The audio is equally amazing. Pedestrians talk, cops scream at you, and you can tune in nine different radio stations whenever you are in a car. It all adds up to a monumental achievement: the rare console game for adults that manages to get everything right. --T. Byrl Baker
As in real life, there are consequences for your criminality. As your random acts of mayhem mount up, the police start hounding you, eventually calling in SWAT trucks, the FBI, and even the army if you continue down the path of destruction. Shaking these pursuers is easily the most fun part of the game, especially when a bunch of friends are packed in the room to witness your narrow escapes.
Grand Theft Auto III is fine-tuned to near perfection in every category. All the vehicles, from slick sports cars to lumbering dump trucks, handle exactly as you'd expect and smash apart realistically when abused. The three islands in the game are rendered in terrific detail considering their size, and are packed with traffic, pedestrians, and hidden jumps. The audio is equally amazing. Pedestrians talk, cops scream at you, and you can tune in nine different radio stations whenever you are in a car. It all adds up to a monumental achievement: the rare console game for adults that manages to get everything right. --T. Byrl Baker
Friday, April 27, 2007
Eddie Griffin Crashes Ferrari Enzo
Actor Eddie Griffin crashes his bosses' Ferrari Enzi at the movie premiere for Redline. Jackie Chan laughs about it.
Actor Eddie Griffin crashes his bosses' Ferrari Enzi at the movie premiere for Redline. Jackie Chan laughs about it.
Actor Eddie Griffin crashes his bosses' Ferrari Enzi at the movie premiere for Redline. Jackie Chan laughs about it.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Modified Magazine March 2007
ON SALE NOW! Packed with insane feature cars, leading edge products and premier events, the MARCH ISSUE of MODIFIED MAGAZINE also features a Suspension & Brake Guide.
Pick up the latest issue today featuring a Nissan Silvia S15, a Lancer Evolution IX, a Turbocharged Scion tC, a EVO- Outlander, a Island Skyline, and so much more! Get hot event coverage including the D1GP: U.S. vs. Japan, the D1GP: Round 6: Japan, HIN: Miami, Performance Racing Industry: Orlando, Super GT: Japan and in-depth tech articles that you can count on Modified to bring you each month!
Pick up the latest issue today featuring a Nissan Silvia S15, a Lancer Evolution IX, a Turbocharged Scion tC, a EVO- Outlander, a Island Skyline, and so much more! Get hot event coverage including the D1GP: U.S. vs. Japan, the D1GP: Round 6: Japan, HIN: Miami, Performance Racing Industry: Orlando, Super GT: Japan and in-depth tech articles that you can count on Modified to bring you each month!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
New Dyno in South San Francisco
If your looking for dyno services close to SF, then look no further. The best dyno is the Dynapack and Weapon-R has one. Click here for rates and info etc.
Dyno Testing & Services Rates:
Rate : $100 Hour
Minimum : ½ Hour
Tuning : $75 Hour
Dyno Operator is not responsible for making any changes to tested motor vehicle.
Technician Assistance : $50 Hour
Auto Lift Service: $35 Hour
No Tools Will be Lent out.
Location:
WEAPON*R COMPTEITION PRODUCTS:
180 SYLVESTER ST. SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080
Phone: 1-650-877-8280
Dyno Testing & Services Rates:
Rate : $100 Hour
Minimum : ½ Hour
Tuning : $75 Hour
Dyno Operator is not responsible for making any changes to tested motor vehicle.
Technician Assistance : $50 Hour
Auto Lift Service: $35 Hour
No Tools Will be Lent out.
Location:
WEAPON*R COMPTEITION PRODUCTS:
180 SYLVESTER ST. SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080
Phone: 1-650-877-8280
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Drifting Product: Drift Box
The revolutionary new DriftBox from Racelogic is an incredibly powerful GPS based Performance meter that can also measure the drift angle of your car.
DriftBox is the perfect tool for anybody wanting to accurately measure vehicle or driver performance. There is no other performance meter on the market today which offers the wealth of features for the price.
In fact, DriftBox combines four products in one:
Performance Meter
Drift Analyser
Lap Timer
Data Logger
DriftBox is packed with innovative and sophisticated features normally found on very expensive professional test equipment, but the most incredible thing about it is that it only costs £465 inc VAT.
Racelogic design and manufacture the hugely succesful GPS based VBOX, which is used by the majority of motor manufacturers, tyre companies and motor magazines around the world to test vehicles. Have a look at the impressive user list.
DriftBox borrows many of the techniques and hardware from the VBOX which has been honed and developed over the years into a World leader by Racelogic.
DriftBox History
Driftbox was initially developed for use in the Japanese D1 Grand Prix series to assist the judges award points during the competition, and has become in effect the fourth "Judge". Every vehicle which competes has a DriftBox Pro fitted during each run, and the judges get a points score for each corner based on Entry speed, Drift Angle and Cornering Force. Cornering force is used to judge how well the car is setup, the higher the cornering force, the more power and skill are needing to slide the vehicle.
The DriftBox Pro is for official competition judging, and communicates in real time to the judges via a radio telemetry system. This system is based on two GPS systems, with antennas placed in line on the roof of the car. Drift Angle is the difference between the Direction of travel and the Direction the vehicle is pointing.
The GPS system used is an RTK system, which gives an accuracy of 0.25 degrees, 0.1km/h and 0.01G.
As a result of the development of DriftBox Pro, Racelogic have been able to use this experience to produce DriftBox.
Twin Antennae DriftBox Pro
How Does DriftBox Work?
Housed inside the DriftBox is a high performance 10Hz GPS engine coupled with sophisticated motion sensors. Speed, Postion, Acceleration and Drift are measured 10 times a second. To measure Drift angle, the angle the vehicle is pointing is computed using the motion sensors, and this is compared with the angle the vehicle is travelling which is computed from the GPS.
DriftBox is equipped with an MMC/SD Flash memory card socket. This allows 10Hz logging of Time, Distance, Speed, Position, G-force, Lap Times, Split Times, and Drift Angle.
Data logged to the MMC flash card can be analysed in detail using the PC software provided. For convenience, the DriftBox can be connected to the USB port of a PC compatible computer to download information stored on the memory card.
For more information visit their website at http://www.driftbox.com
or http://www.vboxusa.com/driftbox/
DriftBox is the perfect tool for anybody wanting to accurately measure vehicle or driver performance. There is no other performance meter on the market today which offers the wealth of features for the price.
In fact, DriftBox combines four products in one:
Performance Meter
Drift Analyser
Lap Timer
Data Logger
DriftBox is packed with innovative and sophisticated features normally found on very expensive professional test equipment, but the most incredible thing about it is that it only costs £465 inc VAT.
Racelogic design and manufacture the hugely succesful GPS based VBOX, which is used by the majority of motor manufacturers, tyre companies and motor magazines around the world to test vehicles. Have a look at the impressive user list.
DriftBox borrows many of the techniques and hardware from the VBOX which has been honed and developed over the years into a World leader by Racelogic.
DriftBox History
Driftbox was initially developed for use in the Japanese D1 Grand Prix series to assist the judges award points during the competition, and has become in effect the fourth "Judge". Every vehicle which competes has a DriftBox Pro fitted during each run, and the judges get a points score for each corner based on Entry speed, Drift Angle and Cornering Force. Cornering force is used to judge how well the car is setup, the higher the cornering force, the more power and skill are needing to slide the vehicle.
The DriftBox Pro is for official competition judging, and communicates in real time to the judges via a radio telemetry system. This system is based on two GPS systems, with antennas placed in line on the roof of the car. Drift Angle is the difference between the Direction of travel and the Direction the vehicle is pointing.
The GPS system used is an RTK system, which gives an accuracy of 0.25 degrees, 0.1km/h and 0.01G.
As a result of the development of DriftBox Pro, Racelogic have been able to use this experience to produce DriftBox.
Twin Antennae DriftBox Pro
How Does DriftBox Work?
Housed inside the DriftBox is a high performance 10Hz GPS engine coupled with sophisticated motion sensors. Speed, Postion, Acceleration and Drift are measured 10 times a second. To measure Drift angle, the angle the vehicle is pointing is computed using the motion sensors, and this is compared with the angle the vehicle is travelling which is computed from the GPS.
DriftBox is equipped with an MMC/SD Flash memory card socket. This allows 10Hz logging of Time, Distance, Speed, Position, G-force, Lap Times, Split Times, and Drift Angle.
Data logged to the MMC flash card can be analysed in detail using the PC software provided. For convenience, the DriftBox can be connected to the USB port of a PC compatible computer to download information stored on the memory card.
For more information visit their website at http://www.driftbox.com
or http://www.vboxusa.com/driftbox/
Monday, April 23, 2007
BMW Mini Cooper S Air Intake
The new BMW Mini Cooper S intake was dyno'd at giving 8.6 HP to the wheels and giving an extra 5.8 foot pounds of torque. Weapon R part # 308-118-101. You saw it here first on SRO. Mini owners can buy directly from us.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Interview by NHRA.
Ibarra, driver of the K&N Filters Mazda RX-7, is a pioneer of sport compact/import drag racing. The Los Angeles native, who has earned two NHRA sport compact victories, got his first car as a gift when he was 14 years-old. After continually getting beaten by a Mazda, Ibarra became a Mazda loyalist. He built his well-known Mazda R-100 in 1996 before building the current RX-7. Later this season, he will debut the new Mazda RX-8. In this Q&A session, the former street racer talks about the ills of illegal street racing, the future of sport compact racing, his frustrating 2002 season and the importance of devoted sponsors.
Q: How long have you been involved in sport compact racing?
IBARRA: I've been racing sport compacts since about 1983 or '84 when I started off street racing in L.A. When I was little it came from 'The Dukes of Hazard' and 'Smokey and the Bandit' and watching those TV programs and other shows on TV with race cars. My uncle gave me a ride in his car one time and we went fast and it felt good. It kind of all started from there. Just the speed, I liked the speed.
Q: Have you always been racing imports?
IBARRA: Actually no. My very first car was a Mercury Capri that my mom and uncle gave me for my 14th
birthday. I fixed it up and did a couple of modifications to it and it got smoked by a Mazda like five days in a row leaving school and I said I have to get me one of those things. So, ever since then that's what I've had, nothing but Mazdas.
Q: You started out racing on the streets of Southern California. What would you tell the kids that are out there
street racing?
IBARRA: I would tell them that back then when we were doing it that it was different. Plus, there weren't as many cars and we didn't have any tracks to go to. Pomona was the only local track to go to, and Palmdale, but they really didn't let anybody go to Palmdale. I think they were open maybe once every two weeks. So now there's California Speedway, there's Irwindale, there's Pomona, we've got all these tracks now. I don't feel there's a need to street race. It's not worth it. A lot of these kids have professions or they're going to school and all it takes is for one of them to get in a wreck and hurt someone and there goes their whole career and the effort of their parents, down the drain. Why, when there's tracks open? So, I don't suggest it. I don't think that's the way to go.
Q: When did you get involved in competitive racing?
IBARRA: I started racing competitively right around 1997. We built the Mazda R-100 in 1996 and took it to a couple of races and we were the fastest runner in the country for about two, three years, but the little car is so small it's outclassed now, but it held its own in the beginning.
Q: How has the sport compact arena changed since then?
IBARRA: It's fantastic. It's really gotten a lot bigger. It's gotten to a much higher level then I ever thought it would, especially with these cars being so fast and competitive. And I think it's just as much if not more work than NHRA Pro Stock racing. Yeah, those guys have a really, really tight field, but they already know the stuff they're working with. The motor combinations out here are so diverse. We have to worry about what turbos, what fuel injection. It's really hard. It's a lot of work to get the power that we need to get.
Q: Is that a goal of yours, to race Pro Stock?
IBARRA: No, this is my thing. I like Mazdas and if I can't race a Mazda, then I'm done. I've got a big strong fan base and I don't think that would go over well with them and I think most of my success is due to the fans and the way they ask for me and the demand they bring. I'm out here for my sponsors, K&N Filters and Toyo Tires, but the main thing is for the fans because with out the fans, Toyo wouldn't be successful. K&N wouldn't be successful. NHRA wouldn't be successful. I just don't think that would go over well with my fans, to jump into a piston-motored car. So, if I can't race a rotary or do this, I just won't race at all.
Q: Do you feel that the sport compact industry has hit its peak or will it continue to grow?
IBARRA: I think it's going to get a lot bigger. As you see, there's a lot more rigs coming to the races, a lot more Pro cars. I think it's growing with each race. I think we're in real good shape. I think by, well I'm not going to say next year, but in four or five years it's going to start paying off for some people. I think it's going to take a while, but I think it's heading in the right direction.
Q: What are your goals for this season?
IBARRA: My goal is to do well and get over all those gremlins that I had last year. You know, maybe contend for the championship. I know that's going to be really hard, but if I can do well and stay on top and gain points and be consistent, I think we'll be alright. I'm doing my best with the engine and the tune-up and I think I'm really on it, but sometimes things happen.
Q: How frustrating was the 2002 season for you?
IBARRA: Last year was very, very, very frustrating. We had so many things that went wrong. We'd fix one thing, then another. I shouldn't say wrong, they just weren't working together right. For what we were demanding out of the engine - the three-rotor is a whole different animal from the two-rotor - it was extremely frustrating. We'd fix one thing, then there would come another problem. Slowly I tried to make things better and at one point I ran out of three-rotor parts and we had to stick the two-rotor back in, but regardless of what happened I feel real strong about this season and the engine's performance and the reliability. It's just that we're dealing with high-end parts that really are not fully proven and we have to learn how long they can last with these horsepower levels. I guess we have to do a little more maintenance and switch parts out sooner than we were. This is a learning lesson. I know now that certain things have to get replaced more often.
Q: How important is it to have a dedicated sponsor like K&N?
IBARRA: It is very important. The way this sport is, I owe everything to K&N, Toyo Tires, Mazda, Extrudhone and all the people that help me like Moroso, G-Force and Red Line Oil. If it wasn't for them I couldn't do this. There's just no way you can afford this unless you're a natural born millionaire, you just can't do it anymore. And even with money it's tough. Money isn't everything. What helps out so much with K&N is that they do so much for you. By being a big company, they do advertising and they let you be seen and known and that brings the fans to the track.
Name: Abel Ibarra
Team: Flaco Racing
Class: Pro RWD
Hometown: Mira Loma, Calif.
Birthdate: Sept. 3, 1969
Car: Mazda RX-7
Engine: 13B REW 1.3-liter turbocharged on methanol
Sponsors: K&N Filters, Toyo Tires, Extrude Hone, Mazda
Best e.t.: 7.12
Best speed: 178 mph
Career highlights: 2000 NIRA Pro Import National Champion
2000 IDRC Pro Import National Champion
Mazda world e.t. record holder
NIRA Pro Import speed record holder (172.27 mph)
Ibarra, driver of the K&N Filters Mazda RX-7, is a pioneer of sport compact/import drag racing. The Los Angeles native, who has earned two NHRA sport compact victories, got his first car as a gift when he was 14 years-old. After continually getting beaten by a Mazda, Ibarra became a Mazda loyalist. He built his well-known Mazda R-100 in 1996 before building the current RX-7. Later this season, he will debut the new Mazda RX-8. In this Q&A session, the former street racer talks about the ills of illegal street racing, the future of sport compact racing, his frustrating 2002 season and the importance of devoted sponsors.
Q: How long have you been involved in sport compact racing?
IBARRA: I've been racing sport compacts since about 1983 or '84 when I started off street racing in L.A. When I was little it came from 'The Dukes of Hazard' and 'Smokey and the Bandit' and watching those TV programs and other shows on TV with race cars. My uncle gave me a ride in his car one time and we went fast and it felt good. It kind of all started from there. Just the speed, I liked the speed.
Q: Have you always been racing imports?
IBARRA: Actually no. My very first car was a Mercury Capri that my mom and uncle gave me for my 14th
birthday. I fixed it up and did a couple of modifications to it and it got smoked by a Mazda like five days in a row leaving school and I said I have to get me one of those things. So, ever since then that's what I've had, nothing but Mazdas.
Q: You started out racing on the streets of Southern California. What would you tell the kids that are out there
street racing?
IBARRA: I would tell them that back then when we were doing it that it was different. Plus, there weren't as many cars and we didn't have any tracks to go to. Pomona was the only local track to go to, and Palmdale, but they really didn't let anybody go to Palmdale. I think they were open maybe once every two weeks. So now there's California Speedway, there's Irwindale, there's Pomona, we've got all these tracks now. I don't feel there's a need to street race. It's not worth it. A lot of these kids have professions or they're going to school and all it takes is for one of them to get in a wreck and hurt someone and there goes their whole career and the effort of their parents, down the drain. Why, when there's tracks open? So, I don't suggest it. I don't think that's the way to go.
Q: When did you get involved in competitive racing?
IBARRA: I started racing competitively right around 1997. We built the Mazda R-100 in 1996 and took it to a couple of races and we were the fastest runner in the country for about two, three years, but the little car is so small it's outclassed now, but it held its own in the beginning.
Q: How has the sport compact arena changed since then?
IBARRA: It's fantastic. It's really gotten a lot bigger. It's gotten to a much higher level then I ever thought it would, especially with these cars being so fast and competitive. And I think it's just as much if not more work than NHRA Pro Stock racing. Yeah, those guys have a really, really tight field, but they already know the stuff they're working with. The motor combinations out here are so diverse. We have to worry about what turbos, what fuel injection. It's really hard. It's a lot of work to get the power that we need to get.
Q: Is that a goal of yours, to race Pro Stock?
IBARRA: No, this is my thing. I like Mazdas and if I can't race a Mazda, then I'm done. I've got a big strong fan base and I don't think that would go over well with them and I think most of my success is due to the fans and the way they ask for me and the demand they bring. I'm out here for my sponsors, K&N Filters and Toyo Tires, but the main thing is for the fans because with out the fans, Toyo wouldn't be successful. K&N wouldn't be successful. NHRA wouldn't be successful. I just don't think that would go over well with my fans, to jump into a piston-motored car. So, if I can't race a rotary or do this, I just won't race at all.
Q: Do you feel that the sport compact industry has hit its peak or will it continue to grow?
IBARRA: I think it's going to get a lot bigger. As you see, there's a lot more rigs coming to the races, a lot more Pro cars. I think it's growing with each race. I think we're in real good shape. I think by, well I'm not going to say next year, but in four or five years it's going to start paying off for some people. I think it's going to take a while, but I think it's heading in the right direction.
Q: What are your goals for this season?
IBARRA: My goal is to do well and get over all those gremlins that I had last year. You know, maybe contend for the championship. I know that's going to be really hard, but if I can do well and stay on top and gain points and be consistent, I think we'll be alright. I'm doing my best with the engine and the tune-up and I think I'm really on it, but sometimes things happen.
Q: How frustrating was the 2002 season for you?
IBARRA: Last year was very, very, very frustrating. We had so many things that went wrong. We'd fix one thing, then another. I shouldn't say wrong, they just weren't working together right. For what we were demanding out of the engine - the three-rotor is a whole different animal from the two-rotor - it was extremely frustrating. We'd fix one thing, then there would come another problem. Slowly I tried to make things better and at one point I ran out of three-rotor parts and we had to stick the two-rotor back in, but regardless of what happened I feel real strong about this season and the engine's performance and the reliability. It's just that we're dealing with high-end parts that really are not fully proven and we have to learn how long they can last with these horsepower levels. I guess we have to do a little more maintenance and switch parts out sooner than we were. This is a learning lesson. I know now that certain things have to get replaced more often.
Q: How important is it to have a dedicated sponsor like K&N?
IBARRA: It is very important. The way this sport is, I owe everything to K&N, Toyo Tires, Mazda, Extrudhone and all the people that help me like Moroso, G-Force and Red Line Oil. If it wasn't for them I couldn't do this. There's just no way you can afford this unless you're a natural born millionaire, you just can't do it anymore. And even with money it's tough. Money isn't everything. What helps out so much with K&N is that they do so much for you. By being a big company, they do advertising and they let you be seen and known and that brings the fans to the track.
Name: Abel Ibarra
Team: Flaco Racing
Class: Pro RWD
Hometown: Mira Loma, Calif.
Birthdate: Sept. 3, 1969
Car: Mazda RX-7
Engine: 13B REW 1.3-liter turbocharged on methanol
Sponsors: K&N Filters, Toyo Tires, Extrude Hone, Mazda
Best e.t.: 7.12
Best speed: 178 mph
Career highlights: 2000 NIRA Pro Import National Champion
2000 IDRC Pro Import National Champion
Mazda world e.t. record holder
NIRA Pro Import speed record holder (172.27 mph)
Saturday, April 21, 2007
2002-2005 Subaru WRX Alcohol Injection System
After months of design & testing, SMC is proud to announce the addition of a custom alcohol system for the WRX. The kit uses the Subaru 1 gallon washer fluid tank as a reservoir- this makes for a very simple and stealthy install. Included is a small auxilliary washer tank/pump that mounts in front of the battery so yes, you can still clean your windshield.
Also new is the Progressive Controller... This microprocessor based unit will automatically increase spray pressure as boost rises, and allows you to set the boost level at when spray begins , and when spray is at max.. A bonus with this controller is the smaller size - it measures only 2.75" wide x .9" high x 4.6" deep. If you have changed out your factory radio it will fit perfectly in a pocket underneath your new radio, which makes for a very nice look.
Also included is the custom spray nozzle. It mounts in the outlet of the intercooler from underneath and is totally hidden, and sprays directly into the throttle body.
Expect up to 18 psi on a Stage 2 car. Stage 3 or 4 cars have been known to run as high as 24 psi on 93 octane with alcohol injection. An EGT meter, wideband O2, and/or a scan tool are highly recommended at these higher boost levels!
Also new is the Progressive Controller... This microprocessor based unit will automatically increase spray pressure as boost rises, and allows you to set the boost level at when spray begins , and when spray is at max.. A bonus with this controller is the smaller size - it measures only 2.75" wide x .9" high x 4.6" deep. If you have changed out your factory radio it will fit perfectly in a pocket underneath your new radio, which makes for a very nice look.
Also included is the custom spray nozzle. It mounts in the outlet of the intercooler from underneath and is totally hidden, and sprays directly into the throttle body.
Expect up to 18 psi on a Stage 2 car. Stage 3 or 4 cars have been known to run as high as 24 psi on 93 octane with alcohol injection. An EGT meter, wideband O2, and/or a scan tool are highly recommended at these higher boost levels!
Friday, April 20, 2007
7.2 inch Sun Visor DVD
Please do not use this while driving. It can be dangerous. A backup camera can be hooked up to it.
PRICE IS FOR EACH SIDE. Left or Right side is available. We will email you asking what version you'd like and color you would like.
7.2 inch Sun visor DVD monitor Built-in functions: Car DVD, TV, OSD menu.
Manufacturers Specifications
7.2" Class A TFT Active Matrix Display
Zero radiation, very low heat output
Menu: On Screen Menu, Front Controls, and a Wireless Remote Control
High Picture Resolution:
Built-in Region Free DVD Player
NTSC/Pal compatible
Electronics Anti-Skip Mechanism (shock resistant)
Video System: Multi system in 3 modes (Auto, NTSC, PAL) (Covers all of North America, Asian, UK and most of European markets)
Support Multi disc playback (DVD,CD,(VCD Supports VCD 1.0 and 2.0),MP3,CD-R,CD-RW)
System:Four speed disk scan (2x, 4x, 6x, 8x)
Aspect Ratio:16:9 / 4:3
Front control of color/brightness/contrast
Built-in speaker
Power Output: 7.2W
NTSC/PAL auto switchable
PRICE IS FOR EACH SIDE. Left or Right side is available. We will email you asking what version you'd like and color you would like.
7.2 inch Sun visor DVD monitor Built-in functions: Car DVD, TV, OSD menu.
Manufacturers Specifications
7.2" Class A TFT Active Matrix Display
Zero radiation, very low heat output
Menu: On Screen Menu, Front Controls, and a Wireless Remote Control
High Picture Resolution:
Built-in Region Free DVD Player
NTSC/Pal compatible
Electronics Anti-Skip Mechanism (shock resistant)
Video System: Multi system in 3 modes (Auto, NTSC, PAL) (Covers all of North America, Asian, UK and most of European markets)
Support Multi disc playback (DVD,CD,(VCD Supports VCD 1.0 and 2.0),MP3,CD-R,CD-RW)
System:Four speed disk scan (2x, 4x, 6x, 8x)
Aspect Ratio:16:9 / 4:3
Front control of color/brightness/contrast
Built-in speaker
Power Output: 7.2W
NTSC/PAL auto switchable
Junior won't confirm DEI majority ownership offer
type size: + -AVONDALE, Ariz. -- If contract negotiations between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and DEI have resulted in a tentative agreement to give Junior a majority interest in the company, he's not telling.
Following his run in Thursday's Nextel Cup qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway, Junior was asked if he could confirm that the two sides had tentatively agreed to give him 51 percent ownership in DEI.
"No, I can't," Earnhardt said. "If that was the case, I'd know about it."
Earnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, is acting as his advisor in negotiations. DEI, currently owned by Teresa Earnhardt, is being represented at the bargaining table by president of global operations Max Siegel. Both sides have stated they would like to come to an agreement no later than June 1.
Despite undergoing surgery on March 23 to have a growth removed from her pancreas, Elledge -- president of JR Motorsports -- has remained in constant communication with Siegel.
Junior said he believed progress is being made.
"Things were better yesterday than the day before and over the last couple of weeks," he said. "We're just moving along with the negotiations."
So would he agree to a deal if the 51 percent ownership figure becomes a reality?
"I don't want to get hypothetical," Junior replied. "That's a long ways down the road. We've still got some things in the contract to work out."
Following his run in Thursday's Nextel Cup qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway, Junior was asked if he could confirm that the two sides had tentatively agreed to give him 51 percent ownership in DEI.
"No, I can't," Earnhardt said. "If that was the case, I'd know about it."
Earnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, is acting as his advisor in negotiations. DEI, currently owned by Teresa Earnhardt, is being represented at the bargaining table by president of global operations Max Siegel. Both sides have stated they would like to come to an agreement no later than June 1.
Despite undergoing surgery on March 23 to have a growth removed from her pancreas, Elledge -- president of JR Motorsports -- has remained in constant communication with Siegel.
Junior said he believed progress is being made.
"Things were better yesterday than the day before and over the last couple of weeks," he said. "We're just moving along with the negotiations."
So would he agree to a deal if the 51 percent ownership figure becomes a reality?
"I don't want to get hypothetical," Junior replied. "That's a long ways down the road. We've still got some things in the contract to work out."
Thursday, April 19, 2007
TOKYO Underground - JDM Motor Trend
This is a very rare and limited edition DVD.
D-1 Jam Session
Exclusive with Taniguchi, Ueno, and Imamura
Never Before Seen Taniguchi Canyon Racing Footage
-PROFESSIONAL DRIFTING-
D-1 Jam Session
Exclusive with Taniguchi, Ueno, and Imamura
Never Before Seen Taniguchi Canyon Racing Footage
-2004 TOKYO AUTO SALON-
Latest designs coming out of Japan
Skylines, Silvias, JDM Heaven
-UNDERGROUND DRIFTING / GRIP-
Japan's underground racing scene
Drifting, gripping on the midnight highways and canyon of Tokyo
Watch the Trailer
D-1 Jam Session
Exclusive with Taniguchi, Ueno, and Imamura
Never Before Seen Taniguchi Canyon Racing Footage
-PROFESSIONAL DRIFTING-
D-1 Jam Session
Exclusive with Taniguchi, Ueno, and Imamura
Never Before Seen Taniguchi Canyon Racing Footage
-2004 TOKYO AUTO SALON-
Latest designs coming out of Japan
Skylines, Silvias, JDM Heaven
-UNDERGROUND DRIFTING / GRIP-
Japan's underground racing scene
Drifting, gripping on the midnight highways and canyon of Tokyo
Watch the Trailer
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Rockstar Games presents Midnight Club 2 Video Game
Members of the world's most notorious illegal street racing syndicate meet each night on the streets of Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo. Find yourself in the position of a novice challenger, set on penetrating this secret society and trumping them all, one by one.
Rockstar Games presents Midnight Club 2.
The future of illegal street racing.
Members of the world's most notorious illegal street racing syndicate meet each night on the streets of Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo. Find yourself in the position of a novice challenger, set on penetrating this secret society and trumping them all, one by one. Add insult to injury, as you win the suped-up rides of defeated adversaries, all on your way to being crowned international champion. Just remember, there are no rules. Use whatever routes, shortcuts and driving methods necessary to hit those checkpoints and arrive at the finish line before your opponent has a chance.
With entirely overhauled technology, breathtaking new vehicles, physics and driving mechanics like nothing you've ever experienced... Rockstar is about to deliver the racing game that will again change the genre forever. Midnight Club 2 returns to once again redefine street racing on the PlayStation®2, Xbox%u2122 and PC in 2003. Choose from the latest performance enhanced cars and bikes and compete head-to-head to make a name for yourself. Or battle it out with up to 3 other players in white-knuckle, adrenaline-pumping multiplayer modes. Drive anywhere in the city. Master evasive tactics to duck authorities. Find the fastest route to win. And earn your place at the top.
Rockstar Games presents Midnight Club 2.
The future of illegal street racing.
Members of the world's most notorious illegal street racing syndicate meet each night on the streets of Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo. Find yourself in the position of a novice challenger, set on penetrating this secret society and trumping them all, one by one. Add insult to injury, as you win the suped-up rides of defeated adversaries, all on your way to being crowned international champion. Just remember, there are no rules. Use whatever routes, shortcuts and driving methods necessary to hit those checkpoints and arrive at the finish line before your opponent has a chance.
With entirely overhauled technology, breathtaking new vehicles, physics and driving mechanics like nothing you've ever experienced... Rockstar is about to deliver the racing game that will again change the genre forever. Midnight Club 2 returns to once again redefine street racing on the PlayStation®2, Xbox%u2122 and PC in 2003. Choose from the latest performance enhanced cars and bikes and compete head-to-head to make a name for yourself. Or battle it out with up to 3 other players in white-knuckle, adrenaline-pumping multiplayer modes. Drive anywhere in the city. Master evasive tactics to duck authorities. Find the fastest route to win. And earn your place at the top.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
3DO Street Racing Syndicate
This game is going to be red hot. It features all the hottest import models, licensed vehicles and modifications. Street Racing Syndicate will be a jam packed action game.
Publisher:
The 3DO Company
Developer:
Eutechnyx Ltd.
Planned Release Date:
Summer 2003
Gaming Platforms:
PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system
Nintendo GameCube system
Xbox video game system
ESRB Rating:
Rating Pending
Genre:
Street Racing
Street Racing Syndicate captures all the competition, lifestyle, and action of real illegal and underground street racing. Nights filled with high-risk, nitrous-injected, illegal racing on real city streets. Money and respect always on the line. Cops lurking behind every sharp turn. Customizing cars with authentic parts, cool paint, and anything else bought or won. From hot cars with lifelike physics and damage, to beautiful models picked from the pages of today's top import magazines, to booming bass, big bets, and illegal and sanctioned events, Street Racing Syndicate is the first game ever to deliver the real world of street racing.
SRS is the first game to deliver authentic street racing action, featuring realistic cars, genuine aftermarket parts, and true-to-life driving physics
Live a life immersed in the underground world of real street racing
Customize and tune realistic vehicles with detailed auto upgrades including dozens of licensed aftermarket parts that physically appear on cars
Progress through the Philadelphia, Miami and Los Angeles street racing scenes
Outrun and outsmart the cops in high-speed late night chases
BET BIG. Race for money, pink slips or even the girlfriends of rival street racers!
Experience real high-speed illegal street racing with true racing physics and authentic damage that affect both looks and performance
Compete in both illegal and official sanctioned racing events
Publisher:
The 3DO Company
Developer:
Eutechnyx Ltd.
Planned Release Date:
Summer 2003
Gaming Platforms:
PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system
Nintendo GameCube system
Xbox video game system
ESRB Rating:
Rating Pending
Genre:
Street Racing
Street Racing Syndicate captures all the competition, lifestyle, and action of real illegal and underground street racing. Nights filled with high-risk, nitrous-injected, illegal racing on real city streets. Money and respect always on the line. Cops lurking behind every sharp turn. Customizing cars with authentic parts, cool paint, and anything else bought or won. From hot cars with lifelike physics and damage, to beautiful models picked from the pages of today's top import magazines, to booming bass, big bets, and illegal and sanctioned events, Street Racing Syndicate is the first game ever to deliver the real world of street racing.
SRS is the first game to deliver authentic street racing action, featuring realistic cars, genuine aftermarket parts, and true-to-life driving physics
Live a life immersed in the underground world of real street racing
Customize and tune realistic vehicles with detailed auto upgrades including dozens of licensed aftermarket parts that physically appear on cars
Progress through the Philadelphia, Miami and Los Angeles street racing scenes
Outrun and outsmart the cops in high-speed late night chases
BET BIG. Race for money, pink slips or even the girlfriends of rival street racers!
Experience real high-speed illegal street racing with true racing physics and authentic damage that affect both looks and performance
Compete in both illegal and official sanctioned racing events
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ridge Racer hits the PSP This Month.
"Namco has created a game that takes full advantage of the new platform's wireless connectivity capabilities and offers gamers new to this genre a unique and exciting gaming experience," said Nobuhiro Kasahara, president and CEO of Namco Hometek Inc. "'Ridge Racer' not only capitalizes on the amazing wireless connectivity of the PSP handheld system, but also is a fun game that racing fans have continued to enjoy over the years."
The latest installment of "Ridge Racer" features stunning 3D graphics, smooth analog steering and robust course selections comprised of new tracks and classic courses from the "Ridge Racer" series. For the most serious speed demons who have mastered all 39 standard tours within the game, the U.S. version features a new MAX Tour in World Tour Mode, with seven ferociously difficult tours to conquer. "Ridge Racer's" Wireless Battle permits players to battle it out head-to-head in eight-player races, while an all-new nitrous boosting system allows for faster racing than ever before.
"Ridge Racer" will be available at the launch of the PSP handheld system on March 24th. For more information, please visit: www.namco.com.
The latest installment of "Ridge Racer" features stunning 3D graphics, smooth analog steering and robust course selections comprised of new tracks and classic courses from the "Ridge Racer" series. For the most serious speed demons who have mastered all 39 standard tours within the game, the U.S. version features a new MAX Tour in World Tour Mode, with seven ferociously difficult tours to conquer. "Ridge Racer's" Wireless Battle permits players to battle it out head-to-head in eight-player races, while an all-new nitrous boosting system allows for faster racing than ever before.
"Ridge Racer" will be available at the launch of the PSP handheld system on March 24th. For more information, please visit: www.namco.com.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Interview with Mike Gonzaga
To answer your other questions, the team name is the "THE ATTACK TEAM." The team named themselves "The Attack Team" because they do not only achieve their goals, they attack their goals.
The Attack team is just a nickname under GONZAGA RACING INC. The "ATTACK TEAM" has been together under Gonzaga Racing for 2 years. All were hand picked because of background. Each individual skill is accounted for to form a strong discipline and dedicated team.
Technical Specifications
Chassis: VICTORY RACE CARS (Corona, CA) chrome-moly frame & tin.
Body: A&A AUTOBODY (Van Nuys, CA) Honda Integra Type R carbon fiber/kevlar
Lubricants: OIL EXTREME RACING OIL
Overall Length: 18 feet & 10 inches
Overall Width: 66.25 inches
Overall Height: 57 inches
Overall Weight: Approximately 1800 pounds including driver
Wheel Base: 125 inches
Tires: Rear-Good Year Slicks 33x17x16 / Front-Good Year 23x5x15
Wheels: Centerline Aluminum/Magnesium Wheels
Decals: COOKIE GRAPHICS (North Hills, CA)
Sponsors
AEM Inc. - Hawthorne, CA
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. - Torrance, CA
A&A Autobody Inc. - Van Nuys, CA
A&F Paint and Supplies - North Hollywood, CA
Cookie Graphics - Mission Hills, CA
Victory Race Cars - Corona, CA
Nitrous Express - Gardena, CA
Meguiars - Irvine, CA
Crower - San Diego, CA
OIL EXTREME - Inland Empire, CA
Mixture Online - www.mixtureonline.com
Engine
V6 – 3.0 HONDA NSX VTEC
4 Overhead Cams – 24 Valve
Displacement: N/A
Force Induction: 2 T-BIG TURBOS
Injectors: N/A
Fuel Pump: N/A
Cams: CROWER Billet
Valves and Springs: CROWER
Rods: CROWER
Pistons: AEM (Hawthorne, CA)
Compression: N/A
Spark Plugs: N/A
Fuel: 80% Methanol
Ignition: N/A
Transmission: Liberty Titanium 4 speed air-shifter
Rear End: Strange Manufacturing Live Axle
Brakes: Strange Manufacturing
Safety Equipment: SIMPSON
Computer System: AUTRONIC Fuel Management
Horsepower: Estimated to be 1300 to 1600 hp
Elapsed Time: Estimated to be in the 6-second range
MPH: Estimated to be in the 200 mile per hour range
The Attack team is just a nickname under GONZAGA RACING INC. The "ATTACK TEAM" has been together under Gonzaga Racing for 2 years. All were hand picked because of background. Each individual skill is accounted for to form a strong discipline and dedicated team.
Technical Specifications
Chassis: VICTORY RACE CARS (Corona, CA) chrome-moly frame & tin.
Body: A&A AUTOBODY (Van Nuys, CA) Honda Integra Type R carbon fiber/kevlar
Lubricants: OIL EXTREME RACING OIL
Overall Length: 18 feet & 10 inches
Overall Width: 66.25 inches
Overall Height: 57 inches
Overall Weight: Approximately 1800 pounds including driver
Wheel Base: 125 inches
Tires: Rear-Good Year Slicks 33x17x16 / Front-Good Year 23x5x15
Wheels: Centerline Aluminum/Magnesium Wheels
Decals: COOKIE GRAPHICS (North Hills, CA)
Sponsors
AEM Inc. - Hawthorne, CA
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. - Torrance, CA
A&A Autobody Inc. - Van Nuys, CA
A&F Paint and Supplies - North Hollywood, CA
Cookie Graphics - Mission Hills, CA
Victory Race Cars - Corona, CA
Nitrous Express - Gardena, CA
Meguiars - Irvine, CA
Crower - San Diego, CA
OIL EXTREME - Inland Empire, CA
Mixture Online - www.mixtureonline.com
Engine
V6 – 3.0 HONDA NSX VTEC
4 Overhead Cams – 24 Valve
Displacement: N/A
Force Induction: 2 T-BIG TURBOS
Injectors: N/A
Fuel Pump: N/A
Cams: CROWER Billet
Valves and Springs: CROWER
Rods: CROWER
Pistons: AEM (Hawthorne, CA)
Compression: N/A
Spark Plugs: N/A
Fuel: 80% Methanol
Ignition: N/A
Transmission: Liberty Titanium 4 speed air-shifter
Rear End: Strange Manufacturing Live Axle
Brakes: Strange Manufacturing
Safety Equipment: SIMPSON
Computer System: AUTRONIC Fuel Management
Horsepower: Estimated to be 1300 to 1600 hp
Elapsed Time: Estimated to be in the 6-second range
MPH: Estimated to be in the 200 mile per hour range
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Spotlight on Danny Correos
Alot of you have seen some of the tightest rides rollin around the Bay Area here in Cali. You've wondered where these guys came up with these ideas for their cars, and who put these ideas into effect. Well we feel that it's time to tell you about a guy who does just that. Danny Correos can take practically any of your ideas and put them forth into a reality. Of course time does cost money, but you get what you pay for. His team carefully works on each car and trys to make your car safe as well, such as he'll try as best as possible to keep the safety features of the car in it, while installing custom bumpers.
Currently Danny just finished his prototype MR2. It will be display at Hot Import Nights. He does not try to limit himself to imports only, he wants to work on domestics as well. If any companies need a certain car built for a movie or special project design they should come to Danny.
In his spare time, he enjoys riding his Harley, playing with his dogs, being a church youth leader, and of course spending time with his wife.
Currently Danny just finished his prototype MR2. It will be display at Hot Import Nights. He does not try to limit himself to imports only, he wants to work on domestics as well. If any companies need a certain car built for a movie or special project design they should come to Danny.
In his spare time, he enjoys riding his Harley, playing with his dogs, being a church youth leader, and of course spending time with his wife.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Need for Speed Underground
Need For Speed Underground
Article by Sam Chae
It sure has been a while. The loud screech of the blow-off valve switching from 4th to 5th, the exhaust spitting blue fire as the tires burn and the turbo spools to make your eyes suck into their sockets.
Since the release of The Fast and the Furious a few years back, along with its sequel, big media hasn't done much more to show the world this underground import scene, where racers meet on the streets to find out who's the fastest. It seemed like it was never going to happen, but then this game came in.
To say the least, this game kicks serious ass. From the stunning graphics, and real-time recorded sounds of the exhaust, blow off valves, even the nitrous oxide and tire screeches, combine to make this game the straight out most realistic street racing piece of media to ever hit the market. You'll have a hard time finding mistakes in this game...if things were more realistic, you'd be sittin' in jail for criminal speeding and drag racing.
It sure is fun though...starting off with a close to stock car, ranging from vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Eclipse or Lancer, Dodge Neon, Mazda Miata, Honda Civic, and a range of other cars, that look so much like the real thing, it's easy to notice them without even looking at the badge.
My favorite aspect of this game is once again the reality. It still amazes me how you can feel the torque when switching gears, downshift of peeling out. The feeling of the vehicle when shifting is so life-like...MAJOR props to EA Games for that. All racing games from here on out should be like that!
I will admit, especially on PS2, it isn't easy to get used to driving. I prefer the pad, not the joystick when driving. It all comes down to finesse in the end. At first, it feels like the car is driving on ice, the way the car skids so easily. It took me a few games to realize that using the steering wheel not too excessively made all the difference. Once you get used to the driving, it really is something else. This game is designed so that the driver can easily drift at almost any speed, and that's something not easy to get used to. However, it does make the game a lot more interesting, not to mention exciting. This is definitely not one of those games you can beat and finish before supper and put back on the shelf to collect dust. Addicting would be a great word to describe this game.
It is crazy still, the scenery, taking place on streets with race mode as well as drag mode. Ah there's nothing like driving through the streets of San Francisco at 2 am, avoiding on coming traffic, tunnels and weaving through opponents at 120 MPH, blasting nitrous to finish first, and making mad cash, to buy pretty much anything for your car.
With intakes, turbos, intercoolers, nitrous oxide, new shoes, body kits, graphics and tons more, you can watch your car go from stock to show throughout the game. All in all, I give this game 5 star, 5 out of 5, two thumbs up or whatever the equivalent...this by far is the best racing game I've ever played.
Available on PlayStation 2, PC-CD, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, and coming soon for Game Boy Advance.
Article by Sam Chae
It sure has been a while. The loud screech of the blow-off valve switching from 4th to 5th, the exhaust spitting blue fire as the tires burn and the turbo spools to make your eyes suck into their sockets.
Since the release of The Fast and the Furious a few years back, along with its sequel, big media hasn't done much more to show the world this underground import scene, where racers meet on the streets to find out who's the fastest. It seemed like it was never going to happen, but then this game came in.
To say the least, this game kicks serious ass. From the stunning graphics, and real-time recorded sounds of the exhaust, blow off valves, even the nitrous oxide and tire screeches, combine to make this game the straight out most realistic street racing piece of media to ever hit the market. You'll have a hard time finding mistakes in this game...if things were more realistic, you'd be sittin' in jail for criminal speeding and drag racing.
It sure is fun though...starting off with a close to stock car, ranging from vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Eclipse or Lancer, Dodge Neon, Mazda Miata, Honda Civic, and a range of other cars, that look so much like the real thing, it's easy to notice them without even looking at the badge.
My favorite aspect of this game is once again the reality. It still amazes me how you can feel the torque when switching gears, downshift of peeling out. The feeling of the vehicle when shifting is so life-like...MAJOR props to EA Games for that. All racing games from here on out should be like that!
I will admit, especially on PS2, it isn't easy to get used to driving. I prefer the pad, not the joystick when driving. It all comes down to finesse in the end. At first, it feels like the car is driving on ice, the way the car skids so easily. It took me a few games to realize that using the steering wheel not too excessively made all the difference. Once you get used to the driving, it really is something else. This game is designed so that the driver can easily drift at almost any speed, and that's something not easy to get used to. However, it does make the game a lot more interesting, not to mention exciting. This is definitely not one of those games you can beat and finish before supper and put back on the shelf to collect dust. Addicting would be a great word to describe this game.
It is crazy still, the scenery, taking place on streets with race mode as well as drag mode. Ah there's nothing like driving through the streets of San Francisco at 2 am, avoiding on coming traffic, tunnels and weaving through opponents at 120 MPH, blasting nitrous to finish first, and making mad cash, to buy pretty much anything for your car.
With intakes, turbos, intercoolers, nitrous oxide, new shoes, body kits, graphics and tons more, you can watch your car go from stock to show throughout the game. All in all, I give this game 5 star, 5 out of 5, two thumbs up or whatever the equivalent...this by far is the best racing game I've ever played.
Available on PlayStation 2, PC-CD, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, and coming soon for Game Boy Advance.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Interview with Stephan Papadakis
An interview with one of the most world famous drag racers for the import community Stephan Papadakis.
Papadakis, driver of the AEM/Driver FX Pro RWD Honda Civic, is arguably the most recognizable name in sport compact drag racing. The Redondo Beach, Calif. resident recorded the first eight-second pass in a front-wheel drive car and owns the fastest E.T. for a FWD car in sport compact racing. He also captured three NHRA sport compact victories with that bright yellow FWD Honda. This year, Papadakis moved to the Pro RWD category with his new AEM/Driver FX Honda Civic. In this Q&A session, Papadakis talks about his inauspicious debut to the market, why kids should race their cars at the track and not on the street, and how he gained sponsorship.
Q: How did you get involved in sport compact racing?
PAPADAKIS: My friends had Hondas and fixed up their cars and I've always been into RC cars and performance and fixing up cars. Nobody in my family would let me get a Mustang or Camaro, so the Civic was a good economical choice. It was attractive because you could still do work to it. This was back in 1992 when the whole scene was just starting. At the time, big upgrades were headers and exhaust.
Q: That was a little more than a decade ago. Did you think the sport compact scene would take off like it has?
PAPADAKIS: No, I remember going into the local speed shop, which was Dynamic Autosports in Irvine, [Calif.], and I was talking to them about a used camshaft for my buddy. They were telling me about stuff like honing the manifolds, nitrous, porting the heads and all this other stuff that they do to the engines. I told them, 'No, this is it. I don't want to get to serious here.' I think a couple months after that I was doing tons of work to the car.
Q: What made you get so involved?
PAPADAKIS: I was hanging out with friends that were into the same stuff. I was racing them and losing to them, but I was learning more. And the more I learned about the engines and the upgrades, the less I was afraid to make upgrades to my car.
Q: You started out street racing. What would you tell today's youth about street racing?
PAPADAKIS: You don't have to street race now because there are plenty of tracks to go racing at today. Back when I was doing it, there weren't any local race tracks in Southern California. And when I stopped street racing and started going to the race tracks was when I was able to actually get sponsors and make a little money and develop a positive reputation. None of that could happen at a street race. There's no professional street racers.
Q: How did you get involved with AEM?
PAPADAKIS: I dealt with John Conpaldi, who was the original owner. So, I had a pretty good relationship working with him and him helping me with my race car back in 1995. And around '99, they had grown into a large company and wanted to do some race sponsorship. So, John gave me a call and said to send him a proposal. I sent them a proposal and we had some meetings and it worked out well. And it was because I was going to Battle of the Imports and the NIRA races at the time and I was making a good showing and developing a name for myself at these publicized races.
Q: When you started out racing did you ever imagine that you'd achieve the success and the status that you've achieved?
PAPADAKIS: No, it was never even a goal. All I thought about was racing, I wanted to go racing. It was just something I did for fun. Then it turned into something that if I could make some money off of or maybe make a living doing it, that would be fine. But I just want to race, that's the main thing. It's not that I want to be rich or I want to be famous, I just want to go race.
Q: You achieved a lot of success in the FWD Modified car. Did you want to move up to the Pro RWD category this season?
PAPADAKIS: Oh yeah. The record that I have, the 8.12 is not an NHRA record, but it's a FWD record. I ran that in November 2001. Shaun (Carlson) ran an 8.22 this year, we're talking a year-and-a-half later. No. 1, I had to say, is the competition or the lack of it in the Modified class and the really good competition in the Pro RWD class. Also, the attraction on moving to a faster, more high profile class and just trying something new. I still have the FWD car, which I'll still race at certain events.
Q: Do you ever plan on campaigning both cars at the same event?
PAPADAKIS: No, it's hard enough to race just one. If we try and do both, it takes away from one car. I do miss that car, but with the FWD, because of the drive train, it's not bulletproof as with the RWD cars. So, the FWD car is a more frustrating car to race.
Q: You debuted the RWD AEM Drag Civic at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas last fall. What was the reaction when you brought out the RWD car?
PAPADAKIS: Some people thought I was abandoning FWD, which I wasn't. I've innovated tons of stuff in that class anyway. People who think the way I do want to compete. They want to go racing. I wanted to go racing because I like to compete. I'm not into racing because I want to dominate everybody. If I'm dominating, that means I need to go somewhere else. I need a new challenge. I like the challenge.
Q: Whose decision was it to campaign the RWD AEM Drag Civic, yours or AEM's?
PAPADAKIS: It was a combination of both. We wanted to do something in another class and have a faster car. It's cool having a six-second car at over 200 mph. For the layman, it's just more high profile. At the same time, we made sure we wouldn't neglect or just give up on the FWD car.
Q: What's your goal for the 2003 season?
PAPADAKIS: To be within the top three. I want to be the third fastest guy out there and finish top three in points. For a first-year car, first-year team, first-year engine program, because everything is new this year, I think we've come a long way and the second half of the year is going to be kick-ass.
Q: Are you looking forward to the second StreetGlow Extreme Rush in Dallas in October?
PAPADAKIS: I'm really excited. Not necessarily to prove myself to the domestic crowd, that's not what I'm trying to do; we have our own following. After the first Extreme Rush I realized that's not really the people I'm trying to reach. I don't really care about the 55-year-old man with a muscle car in the parking lot. I don't care if he likes my car or not; that's not our market. So, I just take it as another race. It's the top eight cars in the points going out and competing at a national event in front of a huge crowd.
Q: What are your feelings about the rivalries in the Pro RWD category? Do you enjoy racing against that group?
PAPADAKIS: I love racing against all those guys especially because they're nice guys. It's always fun competing against nice people and we have plenty of that in the class. I consider everybody in the class a rival because they're not on the same team and they don't have Hondas. So, everyone out there is a rival. I like racing George (Ioannou) the most because he's the fastest in the class and he's got the bulls-eye right now.
Papadakis, driver of the AEM/Driver FX Pro RWD Honda Civic, is arguably the most recognizable name in sport compact drag racing. The Redondo Beach, Calif. resident recorded the first eight-second pass in a front-wheel drive car and owns the fastest E.T. for a FWD car in sport compact racing. He also captured three NHRA sport compact victories with that bright yellow FWD Honda. This year, Papadakis moved to the Pro RWD category with his new AEM/Driver FX Honda Civic. In this Q&A session, Papadakis talks about his inauspicious debut to the market, why kids should race their cars at the track and not on the street, and how he gained sponsorship.
Q: How did you get involved in sport compact racing?
PAPADAKIS: My friends had Hondas and fixed up their cars and I've always been into RC cars and performance and fixing up cars. Nobody in my family would let me get a Mustang or Camaro, so the Civic was a good economical choice. It was attractive because you could still do work to it. This was back in 1992 when the whole scene was just starting. At the time, big upgrades were headers and exhaust.
Q: That was a little more than a decade ago. Did you think the sport compact scene would take off like it has?
PAPADAKIS: No, I remember going into the local speed shop, which was Dynamic Autosports in Irvine, [Calif.], and I was talking to them about a used camshaft for my buddy. They were telling me about stuff like honing the manifolds, nitrous, porting the heads and all this other stuff that they do to the engines. I told them, 'No, this is it. I don't want to get to serious here.' I think a couple months after that I was doing tons of work to the car.
Q: What made you get so involved?
PAPADAKIS: I was hanging out with friends that were into the same stuff. I was racing them and losing to them, but I was learning more. And the more I learned about the engines and the upgrades, the less I was afraid to make upgrades to my car.
Q: You started out street racing. What would you tell today's youth about street racing?
PAPADAKIS: You don't have to street race now because there are plenty of tracks to go racing at today. Back when I was doing it, there weren't any local race tracks in Southern California. And when I stopped street racing and started going to the race tracks was when I was able to actually get sponsors and make a little money and develop a positive reputation. None of that could happen at a street race. There's no professional street racers.
Q: How did you get involved with AEM?
PAPADAKIS: I dealt with John Conpaldi, who was the original owner. So, I had a pretty good relationship working with him and him helping me with my race car back in 1995. And around '99, they had grown into a large company and wanted to do some race sponsorship. So, John gave me a call and said to send him a proposal. I sent them a proposal and we had some meetings and it worked out well. And it was because I was going to Battle of the Imports and the NIRA races at the time and I was making a good showing and developing a name for myself at these publicized races.
Q: When you started out racing did you ever imagine that you'd achieve the success and the status that you've achieved?
PAPADAKIS: No, it was never even a goal. All I thought about was racing, I wanted to go racing. It was just something I did for fun. Then it turned into something that if I could make some money off of or maybe make a living doing it, that would be fine. But I just want to race, that's the main thing. It's not that I want to be rich or I want to be famous, I just want to go race.
Q: You achieved a lot of success in the FWD Modified car. Did you want to move up to the Pro RWD category this season?
PAPADAKIS: Oh yeah. The record that I have, the 8.12 is not an NHRA record, but it's a FWD record. I ran that in November 2001. Shaun (Carlson) ran an 8.22 this year, we're talking a year-and-a-half later. No. 1, I had to say, is the competition or the lack of it in the Modified class and the really good competition in the Pro RWD class. Also, the attraction on moving to a faster, more high profile class and just trying something new. I still have the FWD car, which I'll still race at certain events.
Q: Do you ever plan on campaigning both cars at the same event?
PAPADAKIS: No, it's hard enough to race just one. If we try and do both, it takes away from one car. I do miss that car, but with the FWD, because of the drive train, it's not bulletproof as with the RWD cars. So, the FWD car is a more frustrating car to race.
Q: You debuted the RWD AEM Drag Civic at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas last fall. What was the reaction when you brought out the RWD car?
PAPADAKIS: Some people thought I was abandoning FWD, which I wasn't. I've innovated tons of stuff in that class anyway. People who think the way I do want to compete. They want to go racing. I wanted to go racing because I like to compete. I'm not into racing because I want to dominate everybody. If I'm dominating, that means I need to go somewhere else. I need a new challenge. I like the challenge.
Q: Whose decision was it to campaign the RWD AEM Drag Civic, yours or AEM's?
PAPADAKIS: It was a combination of both. We wanted to do something in another class and have a faster car. It's cool having a six-second car at over 200 mph. For the layman, it's just more high profile. At the same time, we made sure we wouldn't neglect or just give up on the FWD car.
Q: What's your goal for the 2003 season?
PAPADAKIS: To be within the top three. I want to be the third fastest guy out there and finish top three in points. For a first-year car, first-year team, first-year engine program, because everything is new this year, I think we've come a long way and the second half of the year is going to be kick-ass.
Q: Are you looking forward to the second StreetGlow Extreme Rush in Dallas in October?
PAPADAKIS: I'm really excited. Not necessarily to prove myself to the domestic crowd, that's not what I'm trying to do; we have our own following. After the first Extreme Rush I realized that's not really the people I'm trying to reach. I don't really care about the 55-year-old man with a muscle car in the parking lot. I don't care if he likes my car or not; that's not our market. So, I just take it as another race. It's the top eight cars in the points going out and competing at a national event in front of a huge crowd.
Q: What are your feelings about the rivalries in the Pro RWD category? Do you enjoy racing against that group?
PAPADAKIS: I love racing against all those guys especially because they're nice guys. It's always fun competing against nice people and we have plenty of that in the class. I consider everybody in the class a rival because they're not on the same team and they don't have Hondas. So, everyone out there is a rival. I like racing George (Ioannou) the most because he's the fastest in the class and he's got the bulls-eye right now.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Marty Ladwig Interview by NHRA
Marty Ladwig qualified number one in Hot Rod with his '04 Sunfire running 8.331-seconds at 173.23 mph. He won the race defeating Gary Gardella, set Low ET at 8.205 seconds, and Top Speed at 175.32 mph.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NHRA Communications, (626) 914-4761
MARTY LADWIG
Marty Ladwig moved with his family from Okinawa, Japan to the United States when he was 10. Because of his father's position with the NSA as an intelligence analyst, the next two decades they would continue to relocate, going from California to Illinois, then El Paso, Texas, finally settling in San Antonio. After graduating high school, he began racing his Firebird and motorcycles, as a local bracket racer at Alamo Dragway, San Antonio Raceway and Temple Academy Raceway. Despite loving his time on bikes he decided to turn strictly to cars in 2001, when he was hired by General Motors to be one of their factory drivers for the Sunfire program. He became the first domestic Hot Rod driver to eclipse the nine-second barrier, with an 8.928-second pass at Sonoma, Calif. in 2002 and finished fifth in the NHRA point standings that season. Last year, his team improved by leaps and bounds, winning four races, qualifying No. 1 five times and capturing the NHRA Hot Rod championship. That fantastic string of success has continued into this season, with Ladwig taking home the "Wally" trophy at three of the first five races and setting the class E.T. record with an 8.184-second run at Englishtown, N.J. in May. He is truly living "the life."
Q: How did you like growing up in San Antonio and what's the racing scene like there?
LADWIG: "This is where my parents decided to live and where my father's job was. It's a pretty nice city. I didn't like it when I first moved here, but once I started traveling around and could see it I began to like it more and more. There is a lot of things to do, traffic is not bad, there's not a lot of crime, so it's pretty cool. There are two drag strips here; one is really nice, modeled after the Texas Motorplex. It's pretty new and really one of the best facilities in the country. There is a lot of drag racing that goes on around here."
Q: What's it like working for GM, and have you been pleased with the development that has come from the program in the last three years?
LADWIG: "Working for GM and being sponsored by Pontiac is a dream come true for me. I've always been into Pontiacs, even before I started racing in the Sport Compact Series. We started out with a stock Sunfire, with all the glass in it, the full interior and it weighed 2,800 lbs. That was the car we raced in the Hot Rod class the first year and got it to run 10.08 at 132 mph, which was pretty good considering how much it weighed. From there, we built another car using all of the things we learned from that one. We ran that in 2003. Then for this season, we were able to incorporate all of the things we have learned from both of those cars. It's a step by step progression, finding out what works and what doesn't work and the main purpose for being involved is to promote the Ecotec Engine and the Pontiac Sunfire. Also, we are trying to promote the grass routes level of racing, to develop parts that work on the race car so we can label them and sell them down the road."
Q: That's the goal for GM, what's the goal for you?
LADWIG: "I love to race and to get the chance to be a factory drag racer and live the lifestyle can't be beat. It's the same thing for all the other drivers out there."
Q: What are your thoughts on the Hot Rod class and the improvements that all the other teams are making, creating a lot of competition this season?
LADWIG: "Everyone is running strong and you can tell that everyone has what they need to go fast, they are just trying to get the right package and combination going. You can never underestimate anybody. Gary Gardella has gone just as fast as we have and there are people that have gone more mile-per-hour then we have, several times, so you can't count anybody out once they get dialed-in. I expect everybody to figure things out, and most already have."
Q: You mention Gardella, who beat you in Atco, N.J. a couple of months ago. Is there a rivalry starting to develop?
LADWIG: "With Gary, there is a rivalry. He always seems to step up his game when he faces me, and put the pressure on me when I know I have to run him. We definitely check the reaction times when we get to the end of the track so we can compare the two. We don't even worry about the E.T., we just want to know who had the better reaction. It's a good rivalry and I definitely try to step-up my game when I face him. Also, he's the fastest import brand and we're the fastest domestic, so there is a rivalry there as well."
Q: What's it like being the team to beat?
LADWIG: "It's great to be running as fast as we are, but you never know what is going to happen. We are always trying to do our best and have the best prepared car, and I try to do my job and represent Pontiac well. I try to promote what GM is trying to do with the Ecotec Engine and Pontiac Sunfire and I truly believe that we have made a big difference in how people view the engine. When we first started the program nobody even knew what it was, even people that were familiar with GM products. Now it goes hand-in-hand with Sport Compact racing and people know what it is, how much power it puts out and what it's capable of."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NHRA Communications, (626) 914-4761
MARTY LADWIG
Marty Ladwig moved with his family from Okinawa, Japan to the United States when he was 10. Because of his father's position with the NSA as an intelligence analyst, the next two decades they would continue to relocate, going from California to Illinois, then El Paso, Texas, finally settling in San Antonio. After graduating high school, he began racing his Firebird and motorcycles, as a local bracket racer at Alamo Dragway, San Antonio Raceway and Temple Academy Raceway. Despite loving his time on bikes he decided to turn strictly to cars in 2001, when he was hired by General Motors to be one of their factory drivers for the Sunfire program. He became the first domestic Hot Rod driver to eclipse the nine-second barrier, with an 8.928-second pass at Sonoma, Calif. in 2002 and finished fifth in the NHRA point standings that season. Last year, his team improved by leaps and bounds, winning four races, qualifying No. 1 five times and capturing the NHRA Hot Rod championship. That fantastic string of success has continued into this season, with Ladwig taking home the "Wally" trophy at three of the first five races and setting the class E.T. record with an 8.184-second run at Englishtown, N.J. in May. He is truly living "the life."
Q: How did you like growing up in San Antonio and what's the racing scene like there?
LADWIG: "This is where my parents decided to live and where my father's job was. It's a pretty nice city. I didn't like it when I first moved here, but once I started traveling around and could see it I began to like it more and more. There is a lot of things to do, traffic is not bad, there's not a lot of crime, so it's pretty cool. There are two drag strips here; one is really nice, modeled after the Texas Motorplex. It's pretty new and really one of the best facilities in the country. There is a lot of drag racing that goes on around here."
Q: What's it like working for GM, and have you been pleased with the development that has come from the program in the last three years?
LADWIG: "Working for GM and being sponsored by Pontiac is a dream come true for me. I've always been into Pontiacs, even before I started racing in the Sport Compact Series. We started out with a stock Sunfire, with all the glass in it, the full interior and it weighed 2,800 lbs. That was the car we raced in the Hot Rod class the first year and got it to run 10.08 at 132 mph, which was pretty good considering how much it weighed. From there, we built another car using all of the things we learned from that one. We ran that in 2003. Then for this season, we were able to incorporate all of the things we have learned from both of those cars. It's a step by step progression, finding out what works and what doesn't work and the main purpose for being involved is to promote the Ecotec Engine and the Pontiac Sunfire. Also, we are trying to promote the grass routes level of racing, to develop parts that work on the race car so we can label them and sell them down the road."
Q: That's the goal for GM, what's the goal for you?
LADWIG: "I love to race and to get the chance to be a factory drag racer and live the lifestyle can't be beat. It's the same thing for all the other drivers out there."
Q: What are your thoughts on the Hot Rod class and the improvements that all the other teams are making, creating a lot of competition this season?
LADWIG: "Everyone is running strong and you can tell that everyone has what they need to go fast, they are just trying to get the right package and combination going. You can never underestimate anybody. Gary Gardella has gone just as fast as we have and there are people that have gone more mile-per-hour then we have, several times, so you can't count anybody out once they get dialed-in. I expect everybody to figure things out, and most already have."
Q: You mention Gardella, who beat you in Atco, N.J. a couple of months ago. Is there a rivalry starting to develop?
LADWIG: "With Gary, there is a rivalry. He always seems to step up his game when he faces me, and put the pressure on me when I know I have to run him. We definitely check the reaction times when we get to the end of the track so we can compare the two. We don't even worry about the E.T., we just want to know who had the better reaction. It's a good rivalry and I definitely try to step-up my game when I face him. Also, he's the fastest import brand and we're the fastest domestic, so there is a rivalry there as well."
Q: What's it like being the team to beat?
LADWIG: "It's great to be running as fast as we are, but you never know what is going to happen. We are always trying to do our best and have the best prepared car, and I try to do my job and represent Pontiac well. I try to promote what GM is trying to do with the Ecotec Engine and Pontiac Sunfire and I truly believe that we have made a big difference in how people view the engine. When we first started the program nobody even knew what it was, even people that were familiar with GM products. Now it goes hand-in-hand with Sport Compact racing and people know what it is, how much power it puts out and what it's capable of."
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Who is Tarzan Yamada?
You've seen the wild hair. You've seen his fence climbing antics. You've even seen him defy the laws of physics by getting sideways in a Dodge Viper. Now meet the man behind the shades: Eiji "Tarzan" Yamada.
Tarzan Yamada is a Japanese professional race car driver who competes primarily in the Japan Grand Touring Circuit but also in numerous Time Attack competitions. Sponsored by several automotive manufacturers and performance shops, he drives a variety of tuner built cars, including the notorious Benihana Viper.
Although a skilled driver with many awards to his name, Tarzan is an automotive superstar because of his wild sense of humor and wacky on screen antics. He gained immense popularity on several Japanese videos with VAKA-MON, his trademarked logo that translates loosely as "stupid monkey."
With the American drift scene getting hotter by the day, the stage is set for Tarzan to take America by storm. 2004 is the year of the monkey and VAKA-MON is ready to embrace it!
What's New in Tarzan's World
Tarzan Yamada broke the fastest lap at Tsukaba yet again in the Sun Auto Cyber Evo. It's going to take a fierce competitor to break Tarzan's record. Even if somebody breaks the record, Tarzan has vowed to shatter the competition and regain his title.
In other news, Tarzan set Suzuka ablaze at the Super Taikyu race in the C-West 350Z by clocking the fastest lap during qualifying on May 15. Although the C-West tram only placed sixth, they will be coming back harder at the next race.
With the next round of the Formula D quickly approaching, everyone in America is wondering, "What will Tarzan do next?"
Stay tuned to find out...
Tarzan and SRO?
SRO Magazine is one of Tarzan's newest media partners. You'll be able to find out and track progress with Tarzan on our site. Not only can you keep up with Tarzan but you can also purchase his gear here on the SRO Shop.
Racing History
Graduated from NISSAN RACING SCHOOL
1 9 8 1 Suzuka Freshmen race FJ 1600 class Debut
1 9 8 2 Suzuka Freshmen race FJ 1600 class Winner
1 9 8 3 All Japan F3 tournament entry
1 9 8 4 All Japan f3 tournament winning twice & series 2nd position
1 9 8 5 All Japan f3 tournament 3 years continued entry
1 9 8 6 Travels to United States to improve racing skills
1 9 8 7 All Japan F3 tournament comeback entry :Zaurus cup series Champion
1 9 8 8 Jim russel formula class entry
1 9 8 9 Zaurus cup series Champion, Formula Mirage class - series 2nd
1 9 9 1 Formula Mirage class - series Champion
1 9 9 1 All Japan Group A tournament entry at "WORKS SKYLINE GTR"
1 9 9 2 N1 Super Enduring tournament entry at "NISMO SKYLINE GTR"
1 9 9 3 N1 Super Enduring tournament entry at "NISMO SKYLINE GTR"
1 9 9 4 All Japan GT tournament "NISMO GTR" : All Japan F 3000 series entry
1 9 9 5 All Japan GT tournament entry at "PORSCHE"
1 9 9 6 All Japan GT tournament entry at "PORSCHE"
1 9 9 7 All Japan GT tournament entry at "PORSCHE"
1 9 9 8 N1 Super endurance tournament entry
1 9 9 9 N1 Super endurance tournament entry
2 0 0 0 N1 Super endurance tournament entry
2 0 0 0 All Japan GT tournament "NISSAN SILVIA" / "Viper"
2 0 0 1 All Japan GT & N1 Super endurance tournament entry
2 0 0 2 All Japan GT & N1 Super endurance tournament entry: N1 series Champion
2 0 0 3 All Japan GT & N1 Super endurance tournament entry: GT 4th Winner
2 0 0 4 WORLD RECORD at USA DRAGRACE using a SKYLINE GT-R
Tarzan Yamada is a Japanese professional race car driver who competes primarily in the Japan Grand Touring Circuit but also in numerous Time Attack competitions. Sponsored by several automotive manufacturers and performance shops, he drives a variety of tuner built cars, including the notorious Benihana Viper.
Although a skilled driver with many awards to his name, Tarzan is an automotive superstar because of his wild sense of humor and wacky on screen antics. He gained immense popularity on several Japanese videos with VAKA-MON, his trademarked logo that translates loosely as "stupid monkey."
With the American drift scene getting hotter by the day, the stage is set for Tarzan to take America by storm. 2004 is the year of the monkey and VAKA-MON is ready to embrace it!
What's New in Tarzan's World
Tarzan Yamada broke the fastest lap at Tsukaba yet again in the Sun Auto Cyber Evo. It's going to take a fierce competitor to break Tarzan's record. Even if somebody breaks the record, Tarzan has vowed to shatter the competition and regain his title.
In other news, Tarzan set Suzuka ablaze at the Super Taikyu race in the C-West 350Z by clocking the fastest lap during qualifying on May 15. Although the C-West tram only placed sixth, they will be coming back harder at the next race.
With the next round of the Formula D quickly approaching, everyone in America is wondering, "What will Tarzan do next?"
Stay tuned to find out...
Tarzan and SRO?
SRO Magazine is one of Tarzan's newest media partners. You'll be able to find out and track progress with Tarzan on our site. Not only can you keep up with Tarzan but you can also purchase his gear here on the SRO Shop.
Racing History
Graduated from NISSAN RACING SCHOOL
1 9 8 1 Suzuka Freshmen race FJ 1600 class Debut
1 9 8 2 Suzuka Freshmen race FJ 1600 class Winner
1 9 8 3 All Japan F3 tournament entry
1 9 8 4 All Japan f3 tournament winning twice & series 2nd position
1 9 8 5 All Japan f3 tournament 3 years continued entry
1 9 8 6 Travels to United States to improve racing skills
1 9 8 7 All Japan F3 tournament comeback entry :Zaurus cup series Champion
1 9 8 8 Jim russel formula class entry
1 9 8 9 Zaurus cup series Champion, Formula Mirage class - series 2nd
1 9 9 1 Formula Mirage class - series Champion
1 9 9 1 All Japan Group A tournament entry at "WORKS SKYLINE GTR"
1 9 9 2 N1 Super Enduring tournament entry at "NISMO SKYLINE GTR"
1 9 9 3 N1 Super Enduring tournament entry at "NISMO SKYLINE GTR"
1 9 9 4 All Japan GT tournament "NISMO GTR" : All Japan F 3000 series entry
1 9 9 5 All Japan GT tournament entry at "PORSCHE"
1 9 9 6 All Japan GT tournament entry at "PORSCHE"
1 9 9 7 All Japan GT tournament entry at "PORSCHE"
1 9 9 8 N1 Super endurance tournament entry
1 9 9 9 N1 Super endurance tournament entry
2 0 0 0 N1 Super endurance tournament entry
2 0 0 0 All Japan GT tournament "NISSAN SILVIA" / "Viper"
2 0 0 1 All Japan GT & N1 Super endurance tournament entry
2 0 0 2 All Japan GT & N1 Super endurance tournament entry: N1 series Champion
2 0 0 3 All Japan GT & N1 Super endurance tournament entry: GT 4th Winner
2 0 0 4 WORLD RECORD at USA DRAGRACE using a SKYLINE GT-R
Monday, April 9, 2007
Sunday, April 8, 2007
350Z
www.modacar.com
Stillen 350Z Specialists
The Largest 350Z Tuner in the World From Superchargers to Body kits
stillen.com
Nissan 350Z Grilles
Custom billet and wire mesh grilles for the Nissan 350Z.
www.USSpeed.com
350z and G35 Performance
Make your ride your own! Customize it with products from SRD
www.envisionelite.com
Nissan 350Z Body Kits
Unrivaled Customer Care and Support Supreme Prices For Your 350Z
www.Viniati.com
Get Discount Pricing on the car of your dreams with this FREE Price Quote!
As a normal, functioning, non-cave dwelling member of society, you've probably heard of a little carmaker called Nissan. From off-road racing to the Super GT ranks, Nissan has the performance racing world covered. In fact, the grassroots drifting scene is undoubtedly dominated by Nissan metal, thanks to the cheap and accessible 240SX platform. Then there's Nissan's most famous little commuter car, a monster known as the Skyline GT-R. Perhaps you've heard of it?
When Nissan's latest sports creation, the 350Z, hit a few years back, nobody knew what to expect. A new body, a new frame and a new engine; it was unlike any Z produced before it. Some fears arose when the news hit that the VQ engine and the 350Z's frame would be shared with other Nissan models. Sharing parts with commuter cars and SUV's is never a good thing for a sports model, but the 350Z showed all of its doubters the true path to enlightenment. Dominating on the track, the street and even off-road in the All-Japan Rally series, the Z is the hot choice today for torque-laden, rear-wheel drive performance.
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The 2003 Nissan 350Z you see before your eyes started out life as a loaner to the now-dead GT-R importer MotorRex. Built as a drifting demo car, the then-silver Z was fit with a full C-West bodykit, C-West hood and was fully gutted for competition use. After blowing up their stock VQ35 engine, the MotoRex boys switched out the six-cylinder for a turbocharged four-cylinder SR20DET engine. Driven by Chris Forsberg and Calvin Wan, the 350Z was beat on and abused, regularly taking the fight straight to Mopar's Viper Competition Coupe and Millen's GTO drift car.
When MotoRex closed its doors for good, this 350Z found itself without a home. Sent back to Nissan corporate, the Z ended up in the hands of former National Service Center manager Steve Mitchell. A longtime Nissan employee, Mitchell owns one of the nicest 500-plus wheel hp R32 Skyline GT-R's in the nation, featured on the Mar. '06 cover of our sister mag, Sport Compact Car. An IMSA racecar driver from 1986-1988, Mitchell also worked on the Nissan IMSA GT effort prior to spending eighteen long years climbing the ranks of the Nissan employee structure. As a diehard performance enthusiast and SE-R Club of America driving instructor, Mitchell knew he had to save this 350Z.
Renowned tuner shop XS Engineering expressed interest in acquiring a 350Z to do product development on, and Mitchell found his first partner. The first steps taken were pure moments of mercy, breathing new life into the Nissan. A fresh VQ35 engine was dropped in and the old roll cage was cut out of the car. Since the Z was already fully gutted, Mitchell saw no point in trying to dig up and reinstall a stereo, interior trim, sound deadening, and stock seats. Instead, he brought the car to Technosquare of Torrance, Calif., so a new 8-point rollcage and "drift-spec" e-brake handle could be fabricated.
Built as a street-legal track toy, Mitchell's 350Z features a slathering of grey interior paint to match the blazing red Bride bucket seats. An Impact Racing 5-point harness holds the driver in place, while a Nismo/Willans unit cinches down the passenger. Although there is no fiberglass gauge pod, flip-out LCD or suede headliner, this Z is actually quite the showstopper at the track. Chalk that up to the C-West body components, C-West front canards, 2006 OEM 350Z LED tails and a C-West carbon fiber wing. As a testament to Mitchell's driving skill, there has been no C-West devouring off-track excursions. To date, all the body panels have remained pristine and shining in all their bright red glory.
Stillen 350Z Specialists
The Largest 350Z Tuner in the World From Superchargers to Body kits
stillen.com
Nissan 350Z Grilles
Custom billet and wire mesh grilles for the Nissan 350Z.
www.USSpeed.com
350z and G35 Performance
Make your ride your own! Customize it with products from SRD
www.envisionelite.com
Nissan 350Z Body Kits
Unrivaled Customer Care and Support Supreme Prices For Your 350Z
www.Viniati.com
Get Discount Pricing on the car of your dreams with this FREE Price Quote!
As a normal, functioning, non-cave dwelling member of society, you've probably heard of a little carmaker called Nissan. From off-road racing to the Super GT ranks, Nissan has the performance racing world covered. In fact, the grassroots drifting scene is undoubtedly dominated by Nissan metal, thanks to the cheap and accessible 240SX platform. Then there's Nissan's most famous little commuter car, a monster known as the Skyline GT-R. Perhaps you've heard of it?
When Nissan's latest sports creation, the 350Z, hit a few years back, nobody knew what to expect. A new body, a new frame and a new engine; it was unlike any Z produced before it. Some fears arose when the news hit that the VQ engine and the 350Z's frame would be shared with other Nissan models. Sharing parts with commuter cars and SUV's is never a good thing for a sports model, but the 350Z showed all of its doubters the true path to enlightenment. Dominating on the track, the street and even off-road in the All-Japan Rally series, the Z is the hot choice today for torque-laden, rear-wheel drive performance.
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The 2003 Nissan 350Z you see before your eyes started out life as a loaner to the now-dead GT-R importer MotorRex. Built as a drifting demo car, the then-silver Z was fit with a full C-West bodykit, C-West hood and was fully gutted for competition use. After blowing up their stock VQ35 engine, the MotoRex boys switched out the six-cylinder for a turbocharged four-cylinder SR20DET engine. Driven by Chris Forsberg and Calvin Wan, the 350Z was beat on and abused, regularly taking the fight straight to Mopar's Viper Competition Coupe and Millen's GTO drift car.
When MotoRex closed its doors for good, this 350Z found itself without a home. Sent back to Nissan corporate, the Z ended up in the hands of former National Service Center manager Steve Mitchell. A longtime Nissan employee, Mitchell owns one of the nicest 500-plus wheel hp R32 Skyline GT-R's in the nation, featured on the Mar. '06 cover of our sister mag, Sport Compact Car. An IMSA racecar driver from 1986-1988, Mitchell also worked on the Nissan IMSA GT effort prior to spending eighteen long years climbing the ranks of the Nissan employee structure. As a diehard performance enthusiast and SE-R Club of America driving instructor, Mitchell knew he had to save this 350Z.
Renowned tuner shop XS Engineering expressed interest in acquiring a 350Z to do product development on, and Mitchell found his first partner. The first steps taken were pure moments of mercy, breathing new life into the Nissan. A fresh VQ35 engine was dropped in and the old roll cage was cut out of the car. Since the Z was already fully gutted, Mitchell saw no point in trying to dig up and reinstall a stereo, interior trim, sound deadening, and stock seats. Instead, he brought the car to Technosquare of Torrance, Calif., so a new 8-point rollcage and "drift-spec" e-brake handle could be fabricated.
Built as a street-legal track toy, Mitchell's 350Z features a slathering of grey interior paint to match the blazing red Bride bucket seats. An Impact Racing 5-point harness holds the driver in place, while a Nismo/Willans unit cinches down the passenger. Although there is no fiberglass gauge pod, flip-out LCD or suede headliner, this Z is actually quite the showstopper at the track. Chalk that up to the C-West body components, C-West front canards, 2006 OEM 350Z LED tails and a C-West carbon fiber wing. As a testament to Mitchell's driving skill, there has been no C-West devouring off-track excursions. To date, all the body panels have remained pristine and shining in all their bright red glory.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
1992 Honda Civic Hatchback get the newsletter
www.CarPriceAdvisor.com
Honda Body Kits
New 2007 Design and Kits Available. 100% Guaranteed. New Pricing!
www.KGSengineering.com
JSC Speed Civic / Acura
High End Acura, Civic, Accord, S2000, & Prelude Performance Part
www.JSCspeed.com
Custom Honda Racing heads
Drag, RR, street, full race Honda cylinder heads. B18, D16, H22, K20
www.exospeed.com
Civic Racing Parts
Intakes, Exhaust, Turbos, Springs AEM, HKS, Greddy, K&N and more.
www.hopupracing.com/hondaciv
Get Discount Pricing on the car of your dreams with this FREE Price Quote!
• Owner: Philip Chase
• Dynamometer Model: Superflow Dynamometer
• Text And Photos: Staff
• Hondata Tuning: Dr. Charles
Pros
The venerable 1.8-liter, B18C engine has been a longtime favorite among the Honda and Acura camp since the last decade. Among the slew of Honda owners that have shoehorned the twin cam powerplant in their engine bay is Philip Chase of Torrance, Calif. Chase's EG hatchback was the perfect candidate for testing some of the newest B-series products to hit the market as he planned to debut his Civic road race machine in the Honda Challenge H1 class next season. Trailered to the dyno facility, the Civic was outfitted with a GSR block, CTR pistons, GSR rods, GSR crank (balanced and blueprinted by Zero Factory), B16A head with a competition port by Alaniz (milled 20 thousandths), stock head gasket, Super Tech racing valves, Skunk2 Stage 2 cams, Hondata S200, RC 550 injectors, ported Type-R intake manifold and an Erick's Racing 4 to1 tubular "bottom exit' header.
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Dyno 1: Baseline
Peakhp 196 / Peaktq 113
Cons
Before we began our experimental testing phase, it was noted that the Civic was producing a respectable 190 wheel hp on the rollers. On paper, the horsepower numbers might sound impressive, but we noticed a flaw in the B18's engine combination when performing some shakedown runs at a local race track. Combining the engine's profile and older Skunk2 camshaft, the low cam to high cam lobe VTEC crossover point was opening up at 6900 rpm for maximum horsepower gains. What's the big deal you ask? For those who are familiar with tracks such as The Streets of Willow in Rosamond, Calif., you will quickly realize the secondary lobes wont benefit on a short, technical course like Willow until near the ends of the front straights. In all fairness, the VTEC was a waste for the car.
Notes
NASA rulebooks for the Honda Challenge H1 class specify the use of factory OEM pistons or exact equivalents, while a piggyback ECU or reprogramming of the factory ECU is legal. Using a ported cylinder head alongside an aftermarket valvetrain and camshafts fall under the permitted category. In further reviewing the rules, we found the Erick's Racing 70mm throttle body found on Chase's EG was not within H1 regulations and it would need to be removed upon the vehicle's track debut.
Honda Body Kits
New 2007 Design and Kits Available. 100% Guaranteed. New Pricing!
www.KGSengineering.com
JSC Speed Civic / Acura
High End Acura, Civic, Accord, S2000, & Prelude Performance Part
www.JSCspeed.com
Custom Honda Racing heads
Drag, RR, street, full race Honda cylinder heads. B18, D16, H22, K20
www.exospeed.com
Civic Racing Parts
Intakes, Exhaust, Turbos, Springs AEM, HKS, Greddy, K&N and more.
www.hopupracing.com/hondaciv
Get Discount Pricing on the car of your dreams with this FREE Price Quote!
• Owner: Philip Chase
• Dynamometer Model: Superflow Dynamometer
• Text And Photos: Staff
• Hondata Tuning: Dr. Charles
Pros
The venerable 1.8-liter, B18C engine has been a longtime favorite among the Honda and Acura camp since the last decade. Among the slew of Honda owners that have shoehorned the twin cam powerplant in their engine bay is Philip Chase of Torrance, Calif. Chase's EG hatchback was the perfect candidate for testing some of the newest B-series products to hit the market as he planned to debut his Civic road race machine in the Honda Challenge H1 class next season. Trailered to the dyno facility, the Civic was outfitted with a GSR block, CTR pistons, GSR rods, GSR crank (balanced and blueprinted by Zero Factory), B16A head with a competition port by Alaniz (milled 20 thousandths), stock head gasket, Super Tech racing valves, Skunk2 Stage 2 cams, Hondata S200, RC 550 injectors, ported Type-R intake manifold and an Erick's Racing 4 to1 tubular "bottom exit' header.
advertisement
Dyno 1: Baseline
Peakhp 196 / Peaktq 113
Cons
Before we began our experimental testing phase, it was noted that the Civic was producing a respectable 190 wheel hp on the rollers. On paper, the horsepower numbers might sound impressive, but we noticed a flaw in the B18's engine combination when performing some shakedown runs at a local race track. Combining the engine's profile and older Skunk2 camshaft, the low cam to high cam lobe VTEC crossover point was opening up at 6900 rpm for maximum horsepower gains. What's the big deal you ask? For those who are familiar with tracks such as The Streets of Willow in Rosamond, Calif., you will quickly realize the secondary lobes wont benefit on a short, technical course like Willow until near the ends of the front straights. In all fairness, the VTEC was a waste for the car.
Notes
NASA rulebooks for the Honda Challenge H1 class specify the use of factory OEM pistons or exact equivalents, while a piggyback ECU or reprogramming of the factory ECU is legal. Using a ported cylinder head alongside an aftermarket valvetrain and camshafts fall under the permitted category. In further reviewing the rules, we found the Erick's Racing 70mm throttle body found on Chase's EG was not within H1 regulations and it would need to be removed upon the vehicle's track debut.
Friday, April 6, 2007
TUNER INFO
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR
www.trenchracing.com
Supercharge Any Car
Gain up to 35 Horsepower. Easy to install. On sale for $49.95
www.Turbonator.com
HKS Racing Products
HKS Exhaust, Intakes, Turbos Intercoolers, Suspension and more.
www.hopupracing.com
Skunk2 Racing Parts Cheap
Full line of Skunk2 Racing products Low prices, Free shipping Instock.
Mitsubishi Evo 8
Quality Mitsubishi Evo 8 All at Official Auto.
Mitsubishi.official-auto.com
Get Discount Pricing on the car of your dreams with this FREE Price Quote!
Pros
New for all 2006 Lancer Evolution models is the Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and Electronic Control (MIVEC) system, which adjusts the intake valve timing for optimal combustion, resulting in more horsepower and torque. The 2.0-liter DOHC intercooled-turbocharged 4G63 engine was tuned to deliver maximum power and improved engine response, now generating 286 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque. With numerous updates on the EVO IX including a revision in the turbocharger's compressor housing, and an exhaust system that offers improved flow, the Evolution is truly a race-bred-rally car built for the streets.
Cons
The car comes with a shitty looking radio. That's pretty much the only fault the EVO is credited with when it comes to complaints. In all honesty, we didn't find much else to complain about the MR besides a thirsty engine that consumes fuel like a drunken sailor and a rather suspect clutch setup from the dealership that was destined to fail after hard driving on the 6-speed setup.
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Notes
With 1100 miles on the odometer, the EVO IX was freshly broken in and ready for the operating table. The owner of the EVO specifically requested 2NR to locate and use products that were vehicle friendly and didn't hurt the overall performance of the vehicle. We decided to test products that were often overlooked by EVO MR owners, as simple bolt-on parts that could net your EVO to more than 300 wheel hp in less than a day's time. With the EVO strapped to the dyno, the MR managed to squeeze out 257 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque to the wheels.
www.trenchracing.com
Supercharge Any Car
Gain up to 35 Horsepower. Easy to install. On sale for $49.95
www.Turbonator.com
HKS Racing Products
HKS Exhaust, Intakes, Turbos Intercoolers, Suspension and more.
www.hopupracing.com
Skunk2 Racing Parts Cheap
Full line of Skunk2 Racing products Low prices, Free shipping Instock.
Mitsubishi Evo 8
Quality Mitsubishi Evo 8 All at Official Auto.
Mitsubishi.official-auto.com
Get Discount Pricing on the car of your dreams with this FREE Price Quote!
Pros
New for all 2006 Lancer Evolution models is the Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and Electronic Control (MIVEC) system, which adjusts the intake valve timing for optimal combustion, resulting in more horsepower and torque. The 2.0-liter DOHC intercooled-turbocharged 4G63 engine was tuned to deliver maximum power and improved engine response, now generating 286 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque. With numerous updates on the EVO IX including a revision in the turbocharger's compressor housing, and an exhaust system that offers improved flow, the Evolution is truly a race-bred-rally car built for the streets.
Cons
The car comes with a shitty looking radio. That's pretty much the only fault the EVO is credited with when it comes to complaints. In all honesty, we didn't find much else to complain about the MR besides a thirsty engine that consumes fuel like a drunken sailor and a rather suspect clutch setup from the dealership that was destined to fail after hard driving on the 6-speed setup.
advertisement
Notes
With 1100 miles on the odometer, the EVO IX was freshly broken in and ready for the operating table. The owner of the EVO specifically requested 2NR to locate and use products that were vehicle friendly and didn't hurt the overall performance of the vehicle. We decided to test products that were often overlooked by EVO MR owners, as simple bolt-on parts that could net your EVO to more than 300 wheel hp in less than a day's time. With the EVO strapped to the dyno, the MR managed to squeeze out 257 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque to the wheels.
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