Hot Version Battle, Sendai Highland – Part 2

Here’s part two of Adam’s fascinating behind the scenes look at the Hot Version Battle at Sendai Highland.

With “unofficial 7Tune” scrutineering out of the way, I went over to have a chat to some of the team owners and personnel. Everyone I came into contact over the 2 days I was there was very professional and very polite, jovial even. Needless to say, there was a very comfortable but professional air to the proceedings. The actual filming for the main section of the event was to begin shortly after lunch and it was a nice surprise to see us all so well catered for. Ubiquitous Japanese lunch or “bento” packs filled with grilled salmon, rice and tsukemono ( Japanese pickled vegetables ) were provided for everyone as well as cool boxes filled to the brim with ice cold refreshment although sadly, not of the alcoholic variety. The Best Motoring staff provided for everyone ably, making sure we were ready to go when the action began as well as answering my numerous questions enthusiastically. Mercifully, many of the staff spoke English really well and for someone possessing as much broken Japanese as I do, this was a definite help to me.

I should point out here that in order for me to have access to everything there, I was given some very strict guidelines that needed to be adhered without exception. Since this is such an exclusive event, I am not permitted to make a peep about what times or results were achieved until after the DVD is released. This makes perfect sense for obvious reasons. Curiously though, comments made by Keiichi Tsuchiya were also off limits, the reasoning behind this being the fact that his comments could be misinterpreted or worse, used as a measure with which to obtain results. Best Motoring don’t mess around when it comes to protecting their interests. Knowing very well that I could tell you all about raw numbers, I think that, for the sake of the continuity and feel of this article, I would rather stick to explaining just what goes on around the cars. We all know what the DVD looks like from the outside and it’s a spectacle no doubt but to see the inner workings of what makes up a Hot Version DVD release was as amazing to me as if I had changed into a molecule and was viewing the inner workings of a turbo charged combustion engine from inside it.

Everything had a place. No one was idle or procrastinating and yet despite an invisible clock, no one skipped a single beat. I think the team from Best Motoring produce media of the highest quality purely because of how well everything is organized and executed. They are all supremely disciplined and nothing is left to chance. This motoring hive of activity was choreographed with real precision and while I won’t go so far as to say I felt out of place, if you were to look at me during this time, you would have seen a deeply impressed journalist. Camera rigs placed and static shots of the cars taken, the real action on track could now get under way. I haggled my way onto one of the camera support vans with fellow gaijin, Jean-Christophe Pepino, Chief Editor of the French magazine, Autoworks.

We were taken to different points of the track where filming would be staged and wasted no time in finding a place of our own from which to shoot the action. Runs were organized into what appeared to be random lots with all 3 drivers taking turns at the wheel of each car. It was at each of these points, overlooking the grand blacktop and lush green pastures that make up Sendai Highlands Raceway that I got the distinct impression that I was witnessing the inner workings of something very special. Each of the drivers gave the cars a real flogging, none more so that the Auto Produce Silvia, Manabu Orido flaunting with the entry into the back straight hairpin, executing a lurid but beautifully controlled slide and dropping a number 11 at least 300 meters long on exit. He was chased through the smoke by the RX7, piloted at the time by Taniguchi.

 Not content with being purposefully intimidating, the Fujita Engineering’s RX7 was a true study in engine phonics, its raspy 13BT buzzing out across the entire circuit. Its balance superb, it looked to be trying to secure fastest lap of the day with the MCR and Deck R35 GTR’s in hot pursuit. The two GTR’s appeared to have been tested back to back and with very little to choose between them it was indiscernible to me as to who would come out on top. Both cars were driven on the egde. Here is MCR’s Kobayashi in talks with Keiichi Tsuchiya after one of the runs involving the GTR.

The C-SER GRB WRX STi looked a real handful and on more than one occasion came into the off camber turn 13 on full lock and still going straight! Plagued with horrendous understeer, it was obvious that modifications don’t always equal an improvement in performance. The Evolution X looked much more comfortable, exiting the same corner with much left lift and minimal body roll. The design of the Evolution X is really starting to grow on me and if it weren’t for the rear tail light design, I might even be tempted into saying it was attractive! Where’s the wagon version I wonder? Half way through the action a time out was called while the Powerhouse Amuse GT1-S2K was prepared for its solo track outing. The S2K is totally at home on the circuit appearing as a 1:1 scale slot car on life sized rails with a soundtrack to back up the gravitational anger. Out of all the cars that day, the GT1 S2000 was the car I salivated over experiencing most.

As epic as the competition turned out to be we all wondered how much better if would have been with the presence of reigning touge champ Amemiya san and his RX7. No doubt Fujita san was looking forward to the match up but the Amemiya RX7 wasn’t ready in time and as such became a non starter, reducing the field from 7 to 6.

With the cars tracked, action shot, times set and reputations now on the line, the trio of drivers returned to the paddock to deliver their final verdicts. I wandered into where they were gathered, literally “that” fly on the wall that everyone wishes they could be. A swarm of media crew armed with boom mikes and HD cameras surrounded the table; Tsuchiya, Orido and Taniguchi deep in discussion over lap times and driving impressions. As for me, well I couldn’t take my eyes off the leggy beauty standing behind them nodding appreciatively.

Soon enough, the action for the main combatants was over and we all assembled a short distance away to view the final decisions. How good is the racing suit of Orido? The cowboy has come a long way in recent years and thankfully at least for this shoot, he lost the tassels! Needless to say I had a thoroughly enjoyable time and have been invited to attend future events so expect more of the same when I cover the next edition! I had an arguably even better time bringing the 580hp black R35 GTR back to Tokyo, the power deliver and practicality of the venerable weapon over the 400km return journey humbling my negativity towards its fragility every time. I will feature a full write up of this very car in a future post so stay 7-tuned for that.

And what about the results and the comments you ask? Well, that would be spoiling the surprise now, wouldn’t it?

Words/Images: Adam Zillin

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