Tsukuba Super Battle

Tsukuba City, lying approximately one hour north of Tokyo in Ibaraki Prefecture is well known through out Japan for its Scientific research. It is actually the home of Japanese Space Agency NASDA, but what lies just outside of this Science city is what drew us out of bed early one Thursday morning.

Super Battle

See, while there may be scientific testing of rockets and other soaring things happening in Tsukuba, we went out to Tsukuba Circuit to see just how some of our favorite 4 wheeled, soft tired and aeronautically challenged friends were learning how to soar. They didn’t manage to learn how to take off, but they sure did a very impressive job of flying around the 2070m Tsukuba track. The reason for their flight? The 18th RevSpeed Tsukuba Super Battle.

Birds of a feather flock together,
The Super Battle, started here by RevSpeed magazine in 1989, is a well anticipated annual event for tuning shops, their respective teams and the spectators who come out to see what these super machines can do. They could well be classed as the F18’s of the automotive and tuning world but since the inception of the event, each year the lap times around the course have gradually slipped lower and lower. It seems that the faster the teams here go the more attractive the event has become and second by second, to the current lap record, many a competitor and challenger has come. The current fastest time stands at 53.589 seconds which is held by the HKS all carbon fiber CT230R Lancer Evolution.

The participating teams coming mostly from around Japan, though far and wide, usually dominate here at Tsukuba circuit. Many of the Japanese teams build their car to take on this tarmac, with custom parts being created just to shave off hundredths of a second for this circuit. This year though, to shake things up a little, entrants from as far as the U.K. and Australia were on hand and on course to participate in the attacking fun. The battle style of the event is basically a time-attack competition. Instead of a lap race against other drivers, the teams are pitted against the clock and have 1 lap (after a warm up) to achieve the fastest lap time they can. Seems simple enough doesn’t it?

Well lets’ have look at this years Super Battle and check out the who’s who in the field and their achievements this year.

4WD Turbo Class

M-Speed GT-R
First up, the M-Speed GT-R. Just stepping inside in to the pit area of Tsukuba circuit, the sheer ferociousness of this machine hits you like a yellow and green slap in the face. Originally what was once a BNR34 GT-R Skyline, has been transformed into a solid, constant 54 second lap running monster. It sports some amazing custom work with custom suspension arms, huge Brembo brakes and Quantum coilovers all falling neatly inside the guards. No detail in the engine bay has been left untouched either and to top it all off, the GTR has a business only Carbon interior to please even the most fastidious driver. The GTR, which participated in this event last year lapped the circuit in 54.481 seconds. This time was good enough to take first place on the day and in doing so, broke the record had M-Speed set last year for first place, which was a time of 55.23 seconds.

Varis CP9A Lancer Evolution
Laying on the other side of the entry to the track and the M-Speed GTR, was another all wheel drived monster. This time from the Mitsubishi stable, tuned by Unlimited Works and put together using Varis body parts, the Evolution puts on a very mean and aggressive stance with its wide body kit filled with Rays CE28 rims. To back it up it also packs a punch from a 2.2 liter Jun stroker kit and Trust TD06-25G Turbo strapped to the side of it. The Evolution is also another participant which took part in last year’s event. Last year it came in #14^th position lapping at 58.456 seconds with a top speed of 211.02km/h.. but in 2007, the team did one better with a 57.949 second and an identical trap speed of 211.02km/h netting them 10th over all.

Trial CT9A Lancer Evolution
Another Lancer laying close by the Varis CP9A in the paddock and using similar Varis body parts was the Garage Trial Lancer Evolution. Tuned by the boys down at Garage Trial in Tottori in southern Japan, they had quite a long way to come to participate in this event. During the early morning the team had trouble getting good times but through out the day their luck and times took a turn for the better. A swap this year to the new HKS V-CAM also showed a tremendous improvement in torque through out the midrange so the result of their hard work, perseverance and travel to Tsukuba paid off. Trial Tottori came out with a best lap of 56.094 seconds and overall 3rd position. Trial are very satisfied with their times this year, however are very eager and focussed at achieving a 54 second lap next year at this event.

F.R. Turbo Class

PanSpeeding..
Out of the 4WD class and into the F.R. class, we found 2 hot competitors duking it out during the day for top honors. One of them was the PanSpeed RX-7 which has taken the level of Rotary tuning to another height. Their FD3S kitted out with their new Le-Mans style super wide body kit is a marvel to look at and has been put together so well, complementing the lines of the FD3S like no other kit on the market. In regards to aerodynamic tuning and handling the Seven has had an immense amount of work applied to it and its super low ride height is only achieved by the movement of many a crucial suspension arm. On the track it was able to knock out the competition with relative ease, lapping faster than the TopFuel S2000, and finally outdoing it with a 55.603 lap vs. the Honda’s 57.394.

Foreign Entries

This year proved to be more interesting yet, with a total of five competitors making the trip from overseas. Four of the foreign entrants were from the U.K. and brought out their own time attack machines to the course. In the pack were, Zen Performances’ Subaru Impreza, RC Developments Mitsubishi Evo 6, Sumo Powers’ Nissan 350Z and Fensports’ Toyota Celica GT4X 4WD. Hailing from down under and the other side of the planet were the Australian Hi-Octane Racing 32 GTR rounding out the international contingent. As it was each teams first time on the track there were a few incidents and dramas, but the positive results and experienced gained from their coming was definitely enough to put a smile on everyones face
Foreigners on the track
On the track, the Hi-Octane team came to the day with medium tires on on all four corners yet still managed to come off with a 59.623 second lap. Considering the other teams that were there on the day were all using super soft or soft variants just goes to show what a great job they did and that there is still a lot they could get from the 32-GT-R. The Fensport Celica also met with problems in practice after driver Adrian Smith mistook 3^rd gear for 1^st, over-revving the engine and causing the team to have to purchase a new engine and replace it with the old one overnight. There effort bagged them 1:04.967 fastest lap, though boost was kept at only half the usual running level. RC Developments and Zen performance also performed well on the day, with both teams dropping under the one minute mark. RC Developments took home a 59.169 second lap with their Evolution 6 and a 58.422 was had from Zens’ GC8 respectively. Congratulations also must go to Sumo Power and their 350Z as well, for a PB of 1:03.159 second. We’re sure that this trip was a wonderful experience on and off the track for the teams and that the Japanese are looking forward to playing host again next year.

GTR

The GTR returns..
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better on a day like this, MCR Racing decided to bring out and show off its brand spanking new GTR. The car which was driven their on temporary number plates wasn’t driven on the track but seeing the GTR in the flesh and being driven on public roads finally is something very exciting to watch. What made the day even more memorable was that later on in the afternoon, Mines brought in their own white GTR fresh from Nissan that morning and the Mines factory shortly after. Whilst still in total original form (bar the Mines Stickers), the GTR was taken out onto the track and quickly polished of a lap time of 1:03.1 seconds. This was achieved with no modifications, straight off the showroom floor. It is believed that the driver had left the traction control on though which limited the power during the run, giving hope that the GTR could possibly dip into the 1:02.00’s in standard form. After their quick display Mines and MCR got busy and back into the workshop. The two teams are currently developing parts for the GTR which will go on display later in January at the Tokyo Auto-salon.

Another Year..

So with another wonderful end to the Motor racing calendar here in Japan we look forward to what the next year has installed for us. With the Auto-Salon quickly approaching we hope to see what some of the tuners have been working on and what they will proudly display at the show. Also to the visitors from Australia and the U.K. from everyone here in Japan, we would like to wish you another successful year and hope to see you back here at Tsukuba in 2008. To the tuners here in Japan we would also like to wish them the best and we are excited at the turning prospects for the new GTR and Evolution. Hopefully their release will breath a little extra life into the motor sport fans and tuners. This should all promise a more invigorated motor sports year in 2008 and hopefully will be just what the doctor ordered to keep the Japanese motor industry and sports car fans happy in the new year! We look forward to an exciting 2008!

Words: Peter Horniak

Photos: Peter Horniak

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