racing – Gripshiftslide

#T86RS :: Toyota 86 Racing Series

Grant — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:30:17 +0000

#T86RS Stands for Toyota 86 Racing Series and I was about to experience what it is like to
be apart of the new racing series. Gone are the days of “Race on Sunday, buy on Monday.” Finally there is some
light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Toyota and the new 86 Racing Series!

Once I arrived at Sydney Motorsport Park I was greeted by a line up of cars that helped define Toyota’s motorsport history. Toyota’s commitment to bringing motor racing back to the youth is something that toyota is really passionate about, not only have they assembled the cars but they also brought some of the drivers from Toyota’s heyday along for the ride.

There were plenty of familiar faces; some from TV ( Neil Crompton, Greg Rust),
and other motorsport royalty (The Bates family, John Boston and more).
We were run through the plan for the series and exactly why Toyota was getting back into local racing.

We were soon taken to “Garage 86” where both of the cars we would be testing were laid out with their various upgraded parts on display.
Australia is the 3rd largest market for the 86 It made sense that Toyota chose Australia for the release of the 86 Racing Series!

First we were introduced to the standard 86 and then the 86 racing version. Powered by the very same 2.0lt boxer engine that is found in the standard car the racing version shares the same power plant. The 86 Racing version includes upgrades like Motec ECU, Oil cooler, headers/extractors and muffler, AP Racing brakes, OZ Racing wheels, NBM Control Spec roll cage and more. 86 Racing Series Brochure

Having never driven an 86 I was very excited to get behind the wheel of both of these cars. We were made to drive the standard car first so we could see the difference between the two.

The standard car feels very balanced with super sharp steering! In the tight corners I really tried to give it the beans but as soon as I did I heard that all too familiar traction control sound and a slight drop in power. Good thing though as Toyota didn’t want us burying their cars into the concrete walls of Sydney Motorsport Park.

After 3 laps of the South Circuit in the standard car I began to understand just why these cars are so damn popular. It’s easy to hate on hype and yes I’m guilty of labeling the car without even driving it! But after a drive I’m a changed man! It’s such a responsive car with a good amount of power and road feedback.

My confidence grew as I figured out the braking points and what speed to take the corners. Our driving instructors were great; they really helped us to get more out of the cars than we initially thought was possible.

Toyota is really investing within this series. Up to 5 selected professional drivers nominated by Toyota will mentor and compete against a potential field of 27 amateur drivers who will qualify to get onto the starting grid. The nominated drivers will not be eligible for prize money but this will add to the growth of the series. Some of the races will even be held with rounds of the V8 Supercars.

Our old mate Justin Fox wasn’t playing around! He had his Stig helmet on and he really put this car through its paces! While waiting for my turn in the racing version of the 86 it was interesting to see the other drivers approach to the same corner in front of the pits. Some would really go wide and ring out 3rd, others would change to 4th early. I tried both but ringing out 3rd felt best up the hill.

It was time to get into the 86 Racing version! All I could think was please don’t stall! But luckily the clutch wasn’t a 100kg leg press and it felt almost identical to the standard clutch.

As soon as I got onto the track I put my foot down and straight away I could feel a difference! It felt a lot stiffer, quicker off the line, and the seating position was much lower.

Now I had learnt the track I was getting a little overconfident. So confident that my instructor was hitting my hand when I would try for an early gear change.

After our 3 laps in the racing version of the 86 we were then able to go for a hot lap with the professional drivers!

I was paired up with the talented Leanne Tander. Once I was strapped into the passenger side it was go time! All three cars left the pits at the same time.

While in the car I could feel the Dunlop Direzzas gripping and throwing us through the corners more than I had felt when I was driving the car. The pro drivers where really on another level! The comparison between driving yourself and a pro driving the same track is a real eye opener.

Neal Bates took everything to the next level by passing both 86s then proceeded to drift in front of us while we struggled to keep pace. The Dunlop tyres are such a great mix of grip and slip and they will definitely make the racing action fun to watch.

The Toyota 86 Racing Series will demand the competitors to adhere to a strict car setup meaning that driver talent, rather than team budget, will be the key to winning.

The 2016 86 Racing Series will be visiting lots of tracks all around Australia including:
Winton SuperSprint 20-22 May
Sydney Motorsport Park 26-28 August
Wilson Security Sandown 500 16- 18 September
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 6 – 9 October
Coates Hire Sydney 500 25-27 Nov

Tetsuya Tada’s dream is about to become true! The 86 Racing Series looks like it is just the right thing to reinvigorate the public’s passion in motorsport and Toyota.
We cannot wait to see this series take off!
facebook.com/toyotaracingaus, twitter.com/toyotaracingaus, instagram.com/toyotaracingaus
Thanks for reading,
Grant

Drift Streets Japan :: A world of addiction

Grant — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 12:16:08 +0000

Indie games have been on the rise in the last five years, in 2015 we saw some great racing games released from major studios. Games like Project Cars and Need For Speed[2015] have dominated the genre. Yet there is a new player in this arena! A game that has been developed not by a team of hundreds but by one man. Yes that’s right! The game goes by the name of (Drift Streets Japan) and it will cost the grand sum of $6.99 USD.

Now you may be thinking what kind of game will you be getting for such a low price? Well if you’re expecting a large array of virtual achievement badges than this is not the game for you. This is the type of game that grows on you it doesn’t have all the fancy bells and whistle’s we have now become accustomed to. Although it has something else… character! That’s right this game will take you back in time! When you may ask? Back to a time when Grand Turismo 2 was the top game on the racing sim charts and you would stay up all night trying to win races to buy parts for your car.

If you have ever modified your car you will be familiar with the excitement of getting a new part. This is where the games magic lies! You get hooked! Drifting earns you money you spend that money on parts and the cycle continues! Soon Car tuning takes over and you are spending lots of time perfecting the handling of your car. From camber to offset your car will be drifting like a pro or drifting like a pig! It’s all in the set up!

Akina is the games original track! A proper down hill mountain touge, with nothing but corners. This track is a first and second gear limit basher! Linking drifts and keeping a drift combo score the whole way through the track is almost impossible.

One of the best things about this game is its updates! Constantly evolving and morphing to suit the players needs. There is also a Forum that supports the game where you can find all kinds of hints and tricks plus drift teams!

Drift team? yes gangs of people who get together and drift as one! Virtually! I never thought i would see the day when we would have virtual teams but that day has come.

Originally adapted from a phone game and now ported to PC. This is how the game used to look in the android version you can see all its touch controls. With the PC version you can control it via the keyboard or steering wheel. Playing this game with a wheel is the most fun!

Here is an example of a crazy high score run! This would have taken some serious time to do and a hell of a lot of concentration.

This game is kinda like Daytona for drift! it is easy to pick up and play and its arcade like but still takes a fair amount of skill to become a pro.

Modding will be added to the game soon starting with track maps! this means people will be able to create their very own drift tracks!
Stay tuned this game is sure to become big and this is definitely a game you should keep your eye on! Drift Streets Japan
Thanks for reading.
-Grant

Castrol Edge CIK :: Stars of Karting – Round 5

Grant — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 10:59:46 +0000

We dont normally visit karting events, yet we thought it was time to see what all the fuss was about! Round 5, being the last round of the current CIK Karting Championship, meant the pressure was on and all the best drivers had turned up to Port Melbourne to put some final points on the board.

As soon as we entered the gates we knew we were in for some serious racing. Pit crews were running all over the joint, engines were being fired up and were then having their guts revved out and there were loud and important announcements booming over the area and lots of people were suited up to race.

Knowing that many great Formula 1 drivers started their careers in karting meant we could no longer ignore this sport. Fierce battles were being fought the whole way around the track, but especially at the very first corner of the track – it was simply epic.

Teams waited and watched their fellow competitors as these super fast races took place one after another. There are three major classes of the CIK Castrol Stars of Karting series, Pro Gearbox, Pro Light and Pro Junior.

Before hitting the track, the drivers line up on the undercover dummy grid. When the current race finishes the karts are rushed in to be weighed and checked over by officials and this is when the dummy grid is released onto the track.

The Port Melbourne track is well laid out with some good sweeping corners, hairpins and a to top it all off – a great view of the city. It is quite amazing to see just how many Karts can fit on the track at any one time, this track is wide, whilst still being compact and technical.

You know how when you see a car that has ‘battle scars’ and you know not to road rage with them (because let’s face it, they will probably be quite happy to destroy their car in an effort to run you off the road!)… well the same sort of principal applies here!

You may think that a tiny little 2 stoke engine is really not going to be able to go very fast, but you would be wrong! These karts where hitting speed in excess of 120kph. When you are sitting 3 cm off the ground, that speed feels almost double that though!

These karts take advantage of every part that is bolted on to their frame. There is little room for anything extra as the regulations are pretty tight but these strict standards help to make sure the competition is fair and keeps things entertaining.

There are no mirrors on these karts and so the only way to know if someone is on your tail is to listen out and see if you can hear their kart over the engine of your own, or if you’re lucky you might get time to do a very quick head check!

I saw quite a few people wearing body amour style kidney belts. Seeing the amount of force that a drivers body goes through in these little karts is pretty scary and if you happen to crash, then there isn’t much protection – so anything you can wear to help minimise the risk of injury is a good idea.

Some of the drivers where hitting this corner at full speed and even lifting one wheel as they hit the small bump just before the corner.

I didn’t see any learner plates on the day but I did spy a few p-plates. A Practice License is a great way to get some track time before hitting the big league.

That all important stare down! As the drivers psych each other out, they get a feel for who they are up against on the day.

The Pro Gearbox karts have some cool displays, with shift lights, timers and other gadgets. These displays remind me of the real Formula 1 gear and it is easy to see why karts are so similar to their bigger brothers.

The corner exit speed of these machines is quite incredible! Not only do they accelerate fast, but their late braking skill means that they are not off the power for long.

When a driver brakes from the field it is almost an impossible task for the rest of the pack to catch up unless the race leader stuffs up!

The Pro Junior class competition was also intense! Being that age and competing at such a high level really is very impressive.

This sport is exciting but so quick and very hard to focus on the individual battles that are playing out around the track. It would be great to see more TV coverage of karting! There is a little bit of coverage on Speedweek but this motorsport is a greater spectacle than most V8 supercar races and it deserves more attention.

A big thank you to Race-Recall.com for inviting us to see karting up close! We hope to cover some more obscure motorsport events in the future.
Our next big event on the calendar is World Time Attack our it is by far out favourite event of the year! We cannot wait!
Thanks for reading,
-Grant