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Nov 28, 2008

Pictures from 2007 Nissan GT-R Meet

This was a cool event. Always great to be able to get this many Nissan GT-R's out in one place. This was for the preview of the 2009 Nissan GT-R.

Pictures from the 2008 Super Lap Battle

A few pictures from the 2008 Super Lap Battle at Buttonwillow Raceway.

Pictures from the 2008 SEMA Show

Some of the things I found interesting from the 2008 SEMA Show.

Random Pictures from the 2008 SEMA show.

Nov 27, 2008

2009 Nissan 370Z Road Test

Nissan 370Z Full Roadtest at Edmunds Inside Line. New 3.7 liter engine,shorter wheelbase.

Nov 24, 2008

RB Motorsports R32.4

Best pass of the weekend. So close to a 10 second pass.

In Car GT-R vs GT-R at Fontana, CA

Eric Smoking Me. Missed 4th gear. 11.4@125 vs 10.4@137

Nov 23, 2008

Civic SMOKES GT-R

Sure, whatever.It would have been a good race. The Civics best pass was a 10.3. The GT-R best pass was 10.4. This was a little grudge match. Just have to post this. Eric ran me down the round before posting a 10.4 @137 mph to my 11.4@125 mph pass. GT-R's.

Over the Shoulder Video R32 GT-R

R32 GT-R in car. Over the shoulder. Just a nice easy pass. Took off like I was leaving a stop light in front of a cop. That was intentional. The mis-shift was not. 12.7 @ 120 mph on this pass. You can see Josh in the other lane. http://www.rbwheels.comDrag Racing

Aki 9.77@145mph

Video after the jumpAki was happy. His fastest pass in the US.

XS Engineering R32 GT-R

Peter and the XS R32 Best pass 10.4@137 mph

SP Engineering R35 GT-R 11.4@125 mph

SP Engineering R35 GT-R. HKS GT570 Kit. 11.4@125.

Nov 22, 2008

Does It Look Like I Am Sandbagging ?

Bad 1-2 shift, missed a gear, let up early.

Garage Bomber R32 GT-R vs R35 GT-R

10.0@142

Garage Bomber R32 GT-R Burnout

Hopping up and down on the burnout.

emergency hooker

11.0 @ 131 Timeslip for R32.4

7.2@105 1/8th

Oh so close to a 10 second pass.   We swapped tires before this event.  The last tires we had on, were letting us get some 1.7 60 foots, which would have been a 10 second pass. Would have. Could have. Should have.

Such is life.


gtrs

Nov 21, 2008

squeeky clean for idrc

GT-R Axles

Sport Compact Car Dead ?



The latest rumors around the industry are that Source Interlink is laying off 115 employees and killing off Sport Compact Car Magazine. First Turbo Magazine, now SCC. Sport Compact Car has been a favorite of many people, owing to its more technical aspect of coverage from the sport compact industry. The Ultimate Street Car Challenge has been one of the best "real world" tests published in any magazine. SCC has been getting thinner and thinner over the last few years, and it is getting more and more difficult to find. Wonder what the next victim of Source Interlink will be?

Nov 20, 2008

4 Phantoms

at the Riverside high line sale

Nov 19, 2008

Videos of LA Auto Show

Porsche PDK Transmission And here is the rest of it.

Nissan press conference

5 minutes to Nissan press conference . 370z and Cube coming up.

Nov 18, 2008

Ken Block Subaru Gymkhana Training

This video is awesome. You have to check it out. Subaru Fun
Big ups to the guys from Crawford.

What Happens If The US Auto Industry Collapsed ?

Probably not the right industry, not to bail out right now. No matter how you look at it, its tough times.

R34 GT-R vs Yamaha R1

You Tube : Skyline GT-R , R34 vs Yamaha R1

Nov 17, 2008

M-Workz 350 Super Lap Battle Wrap Up


Since the last event at California Speedway I have been working on a number of areas to improve the performance of the car. My main focus was to work on improving the aerodynamics of the car. I added a rear diffuser, OEM rear deck spoiler, lexan side windows and a belly pan just before the rear diffuser. The goal was to improve overall downforce without a significant increase in drag. I also changed to different spring rates and alignment settings to optimize the car for the high speed corners at Buttonwillow.

The car had run a best lap of 1:52.9" the last time it was run at Buttonwillow. The current record was a 1:48.5" set by an RX-7 last year. The first session out Billy Johnson fought his way through traffic and was able to clock in a mid 1:50" second lap. The next session which was the first timed session he ran a high 1:48" while the track was covered in dust and rocks from other cars spinning out. At this point we were on top of the time sheets and were nearly 5 seconds faster than our best time last year and within a few tenths of the record. After a debrief session with Billy we decided to change the alignment settings as that was the only tool available to improve performance.

Billy went out with the changes and ran a 1:48.4" second lap. For the final session we decided to gamble on a set of Advan A048's that were offered to us. Since the Hankook's that we were running now had 3 events on them, they were pretty well used up. Unfortuneatly the Advans were slower on our car, so we did not improve our lap time. During the last session several other teams rolled out the brand new sets of tires to make up time. The final result was we ended up 4th despite breaking last years record. The new record is a 1:46.8", so clearly everyone is improving the performance of their cars.


So our season ended up with 3rd at Buttonwillow at the Redline Time Attack, 2nd at California Speedway, 3rd at Long Beach, and 4th at Buttonwillow. The car improved dramatically this year and we will have to see what next year brings after the winter break.

The full results are located here: http://www.superlapbattle.com


Once again I would like to thank all of my sponsors for making this possible. Without them, there is no way I can do this on my own.

In no particular order:

Jim Wolf Technology
Motul
Cwest
Hose Techniques
Technosquare
Cosworth
Nissan
Swift Springs
Zeromass
AIT Racing
Brembo
Vantech World Transport
Moton Suspension Technology
K&N
Aerodynamic Solutions
XS Engineering
SPL Parts
Tilton
Volk Wheels
Nismo Japan
Whiteline Automotive
Steves 350Z is very quick. Everyone is improving, getting faster, and pushing the limits of what was quick last season.

IDRC Fontana November 22-23 - GT-R Meet


New and Improved. Now 2 Days. www.importdrag.com

Lets all go Drug battle.....

Nov 16, 2008

Pedobear Spotting

Pedo bear.

Toyo R34

Toyo Tires Sponsored. Super Autobacs RB26 powered R34 GTS at the Red Bull Drifting Championships.

4 rotor

Sweetest sounding rotary ever. Sounds like an F1 car.

Nov 15, 2008

Nissan 370z at Edmunds Inside Line Event






Edmunds Inside Line hosted an event at Chiat Day today to preview the new Nissan 370z. The event was very low key, put out to the public mostly by word of mouth and forums.


I like the look of the new car. Shorter, more aggressive fender flare over the rear tires. 3.7 liter engine. Nearly 100 lbs lighter than the 350Z. I still hate the door handles.



ash ash everywhere

la la is burning. The sky was very nasty looking today. A ton of smoke blowing down from the fires up north of Los Angeles. Out at the Red Bull Drifting Championship in Long Beach, CA.

screwdriver

free screwdrivers are best.

nasty buring sky

Gumpert Apollo

Gumpert Apollo
The Gumpert Apollo uses a 4.2-liter V-8 sourced from the bossman's old company, but two massive turbochargers help it breathe a bit better in this application. The engine's 650 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque are routed through an F1-style sequential six-speed, and the 2420-pound supercar will hit sixty mph in three seconds and 124 mph in just under six more.




Gumpert Apollo 1:17.1

SP Engineering



R34 and R33 GT-R's. This R34 was on the cover of Turbo Magazine recently. SP says they are coming out to IDRC next weekend. I look forward to them being there. It should be a fun event.

focus auto sales r34

at red bull drifting championships

Nov 14, 2008

Toyota Supra At Super Lap Battle 2008



Big congratulations go out to Curtis, Matt , Andrew on their class win in Street tire rear wheel drive at this years Super Lap Battle. 1.57.711 on a real street tire. Heres Curtis' account from the event. Super Lap Battle Results on Urbanracer.com

I have a few videos from outside the car at the event. I had a camera I should have put in the car, but I was helping out with Dan's Scion most of Wednesday.

SCS STI In Car Buttonwillow

South Coast Subaru STI at EVO vs STI Challenge put on by Import Tuner Magazine. Car doesn't go out until about 1:40. In Car Video. Matt Andrews is the driver. Ferdie is the guy that put it together . Buttonwillow race 13.And here is the rest of it.

Cobb Tuning R35 GT-R at Super Lap Practice

Some quick video of the Cobb Tuning R35 GT-R at Super Lap Practice.

The car was running new downpipes and had a much nicer snarl than the last time I heard the car.

They ended up snapping the propshaft on Wednesday. The quickest time I saw the car do was a 1:56 on Buttonwillow race 13, CW. Thats a pretty fast time, but I think it could be a little quicker.

Nov 12, 2008

can it go to la ?

cobb r35 broken front driveshaft

attacking time

Super Lap Battle Results on Urbanracer.com

Nov 10, 2008

City of Palmdale fined $18,500 for air quality violations

You have to love that CARB fines cities in California and gets settlements. It shows that no one is immune.

SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board fined the city
of Palmdale this week $18,500 for diesel emissions violations
that occurred in 2006 and 2007.

An ARB enforcement audit found that the city had not been
conducting the required annual periodic smoke emissions
inspections on their heavy-duty on-road diesel vehicles. The
inspections are part of a system designed to make sure that
diesel trucks are compliant with California emissions standards.
Failing to conduct these inspections can lead to an increase of
toxic diesel particulate matter in the air.

"As part of our crackdown on diesel emissions, our enforcement
staff has been searching for entities in violation of
California's air quality standards," said ARB Chairman Mary
Nichols. "Everyone from business owners to city governments are
responsible for keeping California's air clean."

Per the terms of the settlement:

* Palmdale city employees that are responsible for
conducting the inspections must attend a mandatory California
Community College class on diesel emissions and provide
certificates of completion within one year;
* The company must provide documentation to ARB that the
inspections are being carried out for the next four years;
* All of the city's heavy duty trucks must have their
software revised with the latest Low NOx (oxides of nitrogen
emissions) programming, and;
* The city of Palmdale must make sure that all of their
diesel trucks are up to federal emissions standards for the
vehicle model year and are properly labeled with an emissions
control label.

Per the terms of the settlement, the city of Palmdale will pay
$18,500 in penalties; $13,875 will go to the California Air
Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and
research to improve California's air quality with the remaining
$4,625 to Peralta Community College District to fund emissions
education classes.

A decade ago, the ARB listed diesel particulate matter as a
toxic air contaminant in order to protect public health.
Exposure to unsafe levels of diesel emissions can increase the
risk of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory diseases.
California has aggressively worked to cut diesel emissions by
cleaning up diesel fuel, requiring cleaner engines for trucks,
buses and off-road equipment, and limiting unnecessary idling.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.

Nov 9, 2008

Redline: Time Attack! Series Announces Plans for 2009


Stolen from Live Sockets

13-Episode Redline: Time Attack! TV Show Announced

Los Angeles (November 3rd, 2008) - The Redline: Time Attack! Series, the premiere time attack series in North America, is announcing their plans for the 2009 season. The series is coming off a very strong year in 2008, which saw a total of 7 races across the United States and solid growth in participation and spectator numbers. As the industry and enthusiast communities begin to transition into what many are calling a "renaissance" of road racing in North America, The Redline:Time Attack! Series is positioned to lead the way.

Several key announcements for the 2009 season are being made. These include the return of Performance Auto & Sound Magazine as an Official Media Partner of the series. PAS Mag will provide editorial coverage of every Redline event in 2009, as well as produce and distribute the official Series Program available to all spectators free of charge. PAS and Redline will work very closely together to grow the sport of Time Attack over the next couple of years, as PAS is onboard through the end of the 2010 season. A new addition to the series for 2009 as an Official Media Partner is DSport Magazine. DSport will offer editorial coverage of every Redline event in 2009 as well as include footage of Redline races on 3 of their DVDs in addition to producing a fan-copy of the Rule Book and Technical Guide. DSport has done an excellent job of covering Redline Time Attack races in the past, offering the "technical" coverage of the sport that is difficult to find anywhere else.

2009 Redline Time Attack Season Schedule

Buttonwillow Raceway, CA - March 28th-29th
Willow Springs Raceway, CA - May 29th-30th
Autobahn Country Club, IL - June 20th-21st
Nashville Super Speedway - July 25th-26th
Carolina Motorsports Park, SC - August 8th-9th
New Jersey Motorsports Park - August 30th-31st
Spring Mountain Motorsports Park, NV September 26th-27th
Auto Club Speedway, CA - November 14th - 15th

Being keenly aware of the significance of the Web to the latest generations of enthusiasts, Redline has taken the steps to improve their previously impressive amount of online coverage. Strengthened relationships with online powerhouses such as UrbanRacer.com, RiceBoyTV.com and Carbon8Mag.com will expose hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts to the quickly growing sport of Time Attack. A completely new and 100% re-designed RedlineTimeAttack.com website will be launched in the first part of the New Year. The new site will include Web 2.0 technologies and features in addition to message forums, video galleries, pod casts and community generated content.

Possibly the biggest news heading into the 2009 Season is the announcement of a 13-episode Redline:Time Attack! television program airing on DirecTV, Dish and most major cable provider networks. This is a HUGE development for the sport of Time Attack and Redline in particular. The television series will be produced by Crescent Moon Productions in a close working relationship with the staff at Redline. Footage from every Redline race as well as behind the scenes shop visits, interviews with leading racers & tuners and industry news will be featured on the episodes. Finally, the sport of Time Attack will receive the much needed television exposure it so deserves.

We will see a return of the Championship Points Race in 2009, with a total of 8 Championship races being held across the country. Unlimited Class teams will be given the opportunity to put money on the table and run for season ending Championship cash payouts of up to $25,000! Expect to see up to two "Dash for Cash" invitational events held alongside other premiere motorsports events as well. The wheel-to-wheel Super Session bonus rounds will also be making a return to 4 events next year. Redline was the first to incorporate the wheel-to-wheel racing aspect into Time Attack in North America, where it was received with great enthusiasm. Redline will also be teaming up with Live Sockets Entertainment to bring back the "Live Sockets Circuit Battles", pairing top tuners from across the country in head-to-head Touge-style lapping battles.

Redline will be releasing more information in the coming months via their new website. Expect to see announcements for each team opting to "franchise" with the series with full team profiles listed on the website. Redline will also bring lifestyle elements to many of the larger events in 2009 and are working on developing relationships with leading car show and entertainment organizers.

For more information on the Redline:Time Attack! Series, visit their website at www.RedlineTimeAttack.com or call 661-992-4384 or 661-992-2390

Live Sockets Battle Series Results - R35 GT-R vs R34 GT-R

Live Sockets Battle Series. I don't think I ever posted this video up from the event. I had a few from outside when I attended the event.

Cobb R35 GT-R Vs FAS R34 GT-R

GT-R's at the 2008 SEMA Show


Most of the R35 GT-R's at the 2008 SEMA Show had only minor modifications, body kits and wheels, hoods. A few with minor bolt on items. They seemed to be favorites of tire companies. Its going to be a little while until we see any radically modified GT-R's. These cars are mostly listed by the booth they were in. There were about 24 of them in the show. Theres always one hiding somewhere that you miss.

Axis Wheels GT-R

Branew GT-R

Bulletproof/Toyo GT-R

Continential Tires / Streetfire.net GT-R

Darkside Motoring GT-R

Dunlop Tires GT-R

Falken GT-R

Giovanna GT-R

Haltec GT-R

Hancook GT-R

HRE GT-R

iForged Wheels GT-R

Lobby GT-R (not sure the name,yet)

Mines GT-R

Mobil 1/Bulletproof GT-R

Nexen GT-R

Nissan GT-R

Nitto GT-R

NRG GT-R

Perrin/ H and R GT-R

Seibon GT-R

Vivid Racing GT-R

Z-Car Garage

Zele GT-R

This car wasn't in the show, but it was in the gold lot. One of Nissans press fleet cars.

SEMA 2008 Nissan GT-R's


Aeromotions Moveable Wing on R35 GT-R

Aeromotions moveable wing. Its interesting, however its moveable aero and not allowed by most race series. It might be interesting on a time attack car. They claimed a 2 second a lap difference in some testing they did. This wing was mounted on an R35 GT-R in the Falken booth at SEMA 2008.

SEMA 2008.

Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe

Merritts new car ? 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe

Ecotec

1350 hp 1970 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow - Hemi RR at SEMA 2008




This 1970 Rolls Royce is just nutty. Leather wrapped roll cage. Leather everywhere. Tubbed. Big hemi sticking though the hood. Nutty in a good and crazy way,not a bad way. Video after the jump Hemi RR

Jet Powered Waverunner at SEMA 2008




Jet Powered Yamaha Waverunner at SEMA 2008. Just what everyone needs. Yamaha Waverunner . Jet Powered