s15 – Gripshiftslide

WTAC '14 :: Fresh Off The Boat

Grant — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:36:57 +0000

The 2014 chapter of the world time attack challenge is just 4 days away as we type this, months of careful preparation, shipping and planning is starting to pay off.
The hero cars from the motherland have arrived with just days to spare. All year we have been teased with snippets and photos of some of these cars and now they’re finally on our shores.
We couldn’t wait to get down and see these beautiful machines in the flesh!

These are the real deal, poster cars from any Japanese car lovers wall. The tuning gods of Japan have sent over their finest for an all out GTR battle.

These sort of aero mods help slow cars knock milliseconds off their track times, we can’t wait to see what they’ll do to an R35!

HKS have not yet had a racing entry at WTAC, they sent over their infamous red Evo purely as a static display. Now fans will really get to see what the land of the rising sun has to offer.

Scorch racing has gone from strength to strength now in it’s 3rd year of the WTAC series, still predominately a privateer entry/driver with a little help from sponsors.

Under Suzuki has hand built one of the wildest time attack cars on the planet, with blistering fast track times normally reserved for all wheel drive applications this really is a testament to what can be achieved if you’re as determined as Suzuki San.

Rocket bunny everything!!! Formally of Ben Sopra fame this over the top 180SX is now in the hands of Japanese drifter Daisuke Hasegawa. The look of this car is tame compared to what lies beneath… A HKS built VR38DETT lifted from an R35 GTR!!

Speaking of Rocket Bunny, check out kiwi drifter Mad Mike’s new look.

The car has gone through yet another massive makeover in time for it’s 3rd ever WTAC event.

Mad Mike Whiddet is not know for being quiet and reserved, this car is as loud as it looks. Mike definitely has volume knob on 11 for this one.

Same same but different, another rotary powered beast that will have the crowds on their feet with their fingers in their ears.

Ex- Le Mans racer, the legendary Mazda 767B.

This is as pure as the come, the sounds that exit the exhaust are said to be sweeter than the harp of an angel.

They don’t hit much harder than this… Max Orido, Team RS*R and a 1000 horse power Nissan V6. This is every Option DVD viewers dream live in Sydney Australia!

Some of the local talent came to check out the competition.

HKS!!! We’re going to be pinching ourselves every time this GTR flies past just to make sure we aren’t dreaming.

This must be what it’s like if you watched your parent’s wrap your Christmas presents days before you could open them… Hurry up World Time Attack we want to race now!
Do not miss out on this one, if you haven’t booked your tickets or flights do it now!!
More info – http://www.worldtimeattack.com
Thanks for reading,
Gwyn.
Photos courtesy of Roberto Mocchetti | Full Motion Photography

GSS x Japan :: Autumn Drift Matsuri

Grant — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:36:42 +0000

Last month, GSS visited Japan for the Ebisu G1GP and Autumn Matsuri for the trip of a lifetime.
I set off in the early hours of the morning for Melbourne Airport, and off we went.
After being awake for over 36 hours, two flights, a lot of waiting, and catching trains, we headed straight for our hotel rooms and called it a day.

The next morning saw some sneaky shopping opportunities, then yet another train ride, which took me way up north into the small town of Nihonmatsu. This was to be our central hub for the next week at Ebisu circuit…

The following morning, we finally made it to the circuit complex. My first impression of Ebisu Circuit is that the photos do not do it justice. This place is huge.
We met up with PowerVehicles, who took us down to the ‘graveyard’ where we collected the cars that we would be thrashing on the various courses over the next week.

My friend Evan was more than a little excited to pick up his C35 Laurel with an R34 RB25DET conversion. Unfortunately, this car was to be plagued with issues after the first couple of days, which saw Evan spending most of his time off track trying to get it running right again.

After a quick tune-up of the cars, we headed straight for the ‘school course’. This was a large rectangular circuit with several roundabouts in the centre, some NASTY ripple-strip drops and two concrete walls at 90 degrees to each other for good measure. Don’t let the name deceive you though, this course laid claim to more cars than any other in the entire complex.

Another popular course was the Togue course. consisting of a short and long loop, this is a faithful recreation of the mountain-pass type roads that the local street drifters adore so much.

Proceeding to the North Course – the uppermost course in the complex. This is an absolute power-circuit, with wide, sweeping turns, and a technical S-bend and hairpin section. Of course, there’s also a hefty pit-wall for those classic Ebisu wall-tap moments.

After a few days practicing and working on the cars, by Friday it was time for G1GP. This was the last round in the series, and included a “Super Class” demonstration from some of the country’s best drivers. Naoki Nakamura and his S13 were a crowd favourite.

Moving in for a closer look, I was amazed by the sheer detail in his bonnet artwork.

Heading down the Nishi Course pitlane towards the G1 event, I bumped into this beautiful JZX90 Mark II. I’m often surprised at how few of these we see in Australia either on the road or on track, since they’re such a capable chassis. Needless to say, they were EVERYWHERE at Ebisu Circuit.

The JZX100 chassis were also very popular here. This was my favourite, with it’s low-mount wing and huge widebody conversion.

Love it or Hate it, the JZX110 Verossa is an absolute powerhouse after a little modification. I tried to capture it’s best angle, then remembered it doesn’t have one.

They say you’ll never forget the moment you met your true love. Readers, what you see here is that precise moment in time for me. While standing mesmerised, watching what has to be the world’s most beautiful Mark II being drifted perfectly around every bend at full noise, I realised I had to have one. As soon as I returned home, I started putting plans into action to acquire one.

As part of the G1GP festivities, the Super Class demonstration was mind-blowing. Seeing in person drivers such as Andy Gray, Nakamura-San, and Suenaga-San that I’d read about in blogs for years, was a surreal experience.

All of these drivers have skill and speed in abundance. How’s that for proximity.

At the end of the Super Class battles, Suenaga-San of Team Orange was declared the winner. From there, it was time to head back to the other courses and start preparing for matsuri.

While I’m sure you’re all familiar with the matsuri concept, they do things a little differently in Japan. Where your local circuit will turn the lights off at 9 or 10pm due to noise regulations, Ebisu stays open, under lights, for a full 36 hours. The night before, there was a line at the gate of Japanese drivers, sleeping in their cars to ensure they got the best pit garages when gates opened in the morning.

By this time, the cars were starting to look a little worse for wear. Battle scars (or trophies as the drivers saw it) showed perfectly executed wall-taps, scrapes and bumps with other cars.

I found that one of the best things about Ebisu, was also very reflective of the Japanese psyche. Anything goes and everyone is accepted exactly the way they, cars included. This little Kei car was kicking it around the togue course with all the big-bad JZX, S, and R chassis, and nobody had a problem with it.

Did I mention Ebisu Circuit is also home to a Safari Park? Only in Japan.

The end of Matsuri concluded our stint in Nihonmatsu. With the cars beaten, bruised, and covered in tyre marks from super-close tandems, ( Check out Taylor Wright’s awesome Matsuri video to see just how close – Click here.) it was time to pack up the tools, hop in the vans and head for Tokyo. On the drive back south, we wanted to stop by Nikko circuit, just to check it out. We had no idea if it would even be open, and we weren’t even sure if we were in the right place.

That was until we found this S15, a tell-tale sign that we were going in the right direction.

There just so happened to be a great little monday-afternoon drift meet, with close to 30 of the cleanest, straightest drift cars you’ve ever seen. This C34 Laurel might look to be more stance or VIP than drift, but it’s driver was pushing it as hard as any of the other cars on track that day.

Walking the pit lane, I spotted this cool little Toyota Starlet…

And this Battleship grey S15.

Speaking of S15s, As soon as I saw that two-tone paint, I knew I’d seen this car before, but I couldn’t quite place it. Walking around to the front, I immediately clicked.

That’s not two different cars you’re looking at. You may remember this S15 with E46 front end doing the rounds on the interweb a few months back. Again, while it looks like a mint condition show-car, the driver was not holding back at all out on track.

I was blown away by the sheer entry speed all the drivers were carrying into the turns.

Walking back through the pits to head off, I had to have a quick snap of this S15. The little details were what made this car. Like the green ring around the projectors and the air-horns tucked into the bumper.

Once back in tokyo, it was time to relax, shop, and start preparing for our flights home in the coming days. That said, we made time for the Toyota-sponsored Motoring History museum, complete with vintage Toyotas, this Ferrari Dino, and…

This immaculate KPGC10 GT-R. Seeing this iconic car in person, in such great condition, was a surreal experience.

On my last night, I met up with a local friend for some drinks at an Irish pub. Heading back to the hotel to start getting ready to go home, there was no mistaking that I was still in Japan. Only there would you see an original H1 Hummer towing two I-don’t-even-know-what’s behind it.
This concludes my coverage for GSS of what was for me, the trip of a lifetime.
In the coming weeks I’ll have some additional images over on my personal page – http://www.facebook.com/leighkellyphoto.
Thanks for reading,
– Leigh.

Melb-S15 :: DFO Meet "n" Greet

Grant — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 05:59:06 +0000

Late on a friday afternoon i got the word there was going to be a gathering of some of Melbourne’s best s15’s at dfo essedon. Upon arriving i was impressed with the range of silvia’s and s14’s that where on display.

The turnout was a lot larger than i had ever expected, with 20 plus cars and plenty of them heavily modified, i knew i was in for a treat.

Fitment, was the first word that sprung to mind, sitting nice and flat with a good amount of camber this S14 had it all.

Mikey is a trend setter and rocking 3 spoke wheels is a true throwback to the 90’s and mad way to show true JDM pride.

Amongst the sea of S15s there is a few Nissan S14’s, black with a polished lip always a good choice.

Even know this car is a work in progress, its still damn impressive!

With a great fitment and pitch perfect poke, it really turns heads.

Alex’s S15 is running a carbon hood to shave some Kilos off whilst plenty of engine mods make this one car that demands respect.

Simple and clean, this is one s15 that will not attract the boys in blue.

X marks the spot! this is one way to hide battle scars.

Both with gold wheels on gunmetal grey! is a great colour combo that looks classy and never gets old.

Jono’s R32 GTR is looking better than ever and a little birdy tells me; there are some major upgrades in the works for this legendary machine.

Looks like the GT wing has been removed, not sure if its because of the poepoe or for more straight line speed?

So many nice Silva’s in Melbourne and the melbs15.com forum is the main home for all of these great looking cars.
Thanks for looking,
-Grant