UK Time Attack visits Tsukuba

Recently 4 of the leading cars from the Time Attack series were shipped to Tsukuba circuit in Japan for the RevSpeed Tsukuba Super Lap event, probably the best known and highest level Time Attack event in the world

The cars were:

Zen Performance Subaru Impreza (2007 Champion)

RC Developments Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 (winner of Round 2 2007)

Fensport Toyota Celica

Sumo Power Nissan 350Z

As part of the build up,some of my photos were used in RevSpeed mag (bottom left corner) - a great honour for me!

In October the cars were shipped to Japan where they were stored in the Do-Luck warehouse,Mr Ito doing a lot of the behind the scenes work on the Japan side.

Unfortunatley - as much as I wanted to I just could not go, and I knew this so for once it was not so bad being sat 12,000 miles away watching it all unfurl!



Onto December and all the cars arrived safely, but during some dyno tuning for the Japanese fuel the Zen car sheared a cam sprocket - not good. After a miraculous overnight rebuild completed at 5am it was off to the track, where a misssed gearchange caused the Fensport cars engine let go in a big way and with a few custom parts installed that are not available in Japan (strangely!!) a standard 3S-GTE was installed, which although greatly down on power at least made the car mobile again, with a best time of 1.04




More bad luck, with the Zen car throwing a rod though the block,caused by oil surge,a common fault with tuned Impreza engines - but before this,driver Phil Glew managed a 58.5 second lap, good enough for 11th overall!!

Current Tsukuba record holder Nob Taniguchi tested the RC car and after testing different setups recorded a 59.1 second lap, which placed them 14th overall, another fantastic result.
A very trouble free trip for the RC lads a testiment to their work

NOB prepares to go out,also in the photo is Abe san of Blitz



The Sumo Car with Andy Barnes at the wheel set a best time of 1.03.5, later Tarzan Yamada improved on this slightly with a 1.03. With a track the size of Tsukuba (1.29miles) half a second is a big difference!

Overall winner was the M-Speed Nissan R34 Skyline GTR with a time of 54.202,which sets a new GTR record. The overall record is still held by Taniguchi in the HKS Carbon Evo 8 with 53.999

Tarzan gives his opinion on the cars for the cameras

2008 should be good!!