Indholdsfortegnelse for No 245 May 2017 i NZ Performance Car

Most Saturday nights during summer, my neighbourhood hums to the sweet sound of high-revving speedway machines blasting that dirt oval. While I enjoy wrenching away to this soundtrack, it does get me wondering why the hell speedway has maintained such a good following (even with its terrible food) when other forms of motorsport have seen big declines in spectator numbers over the past 10 years. What exactly are the issues that have driven the sport to lacklustre crowds, minimal corporate sponsorship spend, and race cars gathering dust in sheds all over the country? Have fans lost interest in eating hot chips as they swelter under the hot summer sun watching tin-tops bash wheel to wheel? No, I don’t think they have — well, not entirely. What I do think has…

CAREVETS SECURES CHAMPIONSHIP Christchurch drivers Ryan Yardley and Jack Milligan have handed CareVets team owner Keith Houston the perfect championship result. The teammates dominated the latter part of the championship and the final round of the Speedworks Summer Series at Hampton Downs, with CareVets Scholarship driver Milligan taking the rookie title with a race to spare and helping Yardley in his unstoppable run to the 2016–2017 Toyota 86 Championship. A wingman but never less than a racer, Milligan led the early laps of the final race in a CareVets one-two before being overtaken by another former Cantabrian, Tom Alexander, who went on to win the race. A former TR 86 champion, Alexander was making a one-off ‘cameo’ return to the series. Yardley had come to the weekend firmly focused on…

The year was 1987, and expat Kiwi Rod Millen was at the foot of Pikes Peak, strapping himself into his latest and wildest creation — a 4WD turbo 13B peripheral-port (PP) tube-framed FC RX-7. What lay before him was the world’s most gruelling hill climb, 20km of snaking gravel ascending to over 4200m above sea level. No tarmac, no barriers, and sheer drops that offer little more than certain death to anyone sliding off. He placed third — it was the first year Millen tasted the sweet flavour of victory champagne at such altitude — and that began a career chase. Two years later, he returned to the mountain with the FC, but, this time, it was powered by the latest Mazda rotary offering, a 20B turbo coupled with the…

Those of you who aren’t a fan of anything with an H-badge should look away now; this ain’t the article for you. On the flip side of that coin, if you love all things high-revving, lightweight, that go ‘dort-dort’, and are practically circuitready street racers, get a load of the calendar staple that is the annual NZHondas.com North Island Mega Meet on the Hampton Downs National Circuit. With a solid 60 cars in attendance this year, it was pretty on par with, if not better than, recent years’ turnouts. If you thought it was just daily-driven beaters being abused, you’d be dead wrong. No matter the Civic, Integra, Accord, or other Honda you prefer, there was some form of it there, and, more often than not, it had been engine…

In the last decade, the sport of drifting has exploded in popularity — it’s been forever changed, and now, through the glitzy ticker tape and flashing lights, it can seem highly strung and stressful. Sometimes, it is nice to just relax and partake in the sport when time is of no importance, schedules don’t exist, and smiles and laughter are a chain reaction in the paddock. The true spirit of drifting isn’t specific to one place, series, or country, and you can certainly find it in abundance at any grass-roots drift day, no matter where you are Yusuke Nojima is well known for his paintwork, which adorns the RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB) Porsches, yet many don’t realize that he is a profound advocate for grass-roots soukoukai (track days). You don’t need…

APRIL 21-22 DEMON ENERGY D1NZ R5, PUKEKOHE PARK RACEWAY It’s considered the spiritual home ground of drifting in New Zealand, and when the Demon Energy D1NZ National Drifting Championship hits Pukekohe, it’s obvious that huge things will go down. You will witness first-hand one of the fastest drift corners in the world — with speeds hitting upwards of 200kph down the front straight into ruthless first-corner initiations — and watch as the D1NZ 2017 Pro-Sport and Pro champion is crowned. For more information and ticket pricing, head to d1nz.com. APRIL 8-9 HIGHLANDS FESTIVAL OF SPEED, CROMWELL Set among the killer Central Otago ranges, this one encompasses two days of classic race cars tearing it up across one of the country’s best tracks — if you’re in the area or near…

Building a car is a very personal process — tastes vary, and wanting to create a style that represents ‘you’ as a person is a huge part of that. Every decision, right down to the small touches, shapes the way people will perceive the final product and the person behind the wheel. All too often, though, you can find yourself altering the original build concept to suit a specific way things are ‘supposed’ to be done and ensure the purists aren’t riled up. But when you boot any such thoughts out the back door and run wild, next-level awesome can be achieved. This was, without a doubt, Russell Clarke’s approach — even if he had never dreamed of owning the WRX in the first place. When he migrated from the…

EXTERIOR PAINT: Ambulance paint job ENHANCEMENTS: 10-inch roof chop, copper electroplated bumpers, Japanese ambulance sirens SHOES WHEELS: (F) 18x8-inch (-4) Work Seeker NX, transparent grey polished centre and bronze lip; (R) 18x9.5-inch (+25) Work Seeker NX, transparent grey polished centre and bronze lip TYRES: (F) 215/40R18 Luccini Buono Sport, (R) 225/40R18 Luccini Buono Sport PERFORMANCE POWER: 161kW When you think back a (fair) few years to your school days, you’ll recall that when you saw an ambulance at school, it was never good. It meant a playground stunt had gone wrong, there was blood flowing, and someone’s parents were about to get that dreaded call from the principal to meet the ambo at the local doctor’s surgery. But when students from WIZ MMF, an automotive training centre in the Fukushima…

It says something about an event that it keeps growing, and, with more than 500 competitors taking part in 2017, the automotive community is definitely embracing AutoFest. The brainchild of long-time enthusiasts — yes, that’s a polite way of saying they’re old! — Alan and Pare Togia of Downtime Entertainment, Autofest set out to give the Waikato its own event with a relaxed family-driven atmosphere. One common observation of events so far this year is that the car-club scene appears to be growing in strength; with 26 clubs registering for this event, it is clear to us here at NZ Performance Car that people are firmly embracing the concept of working together, supporting each other through builds and a shared passion for cars, and then taking advantage of any day…

This year’s V 4&Rotary Nationals presented a few surprise builds for the team at NZ Performance Car, but one really stood out, even though it’s not quite complete — the candy-coated VW Beetle owned by David and Lindie Du Toit. We clearly were not the only ones who took notice of the Beetle’s unveil, as rumours floated around that it was a US import, but, in fact, the car was built right here in New Zealand. It’s been a five-year labour of love, with 90 per cent of the project completed in David’s shed, despite the fact that, when they started out, they had no idea of the rules involved with a project of this magnitude David’s no stranger to building drag cars, having spent his life growing up in…

Just over a year ago, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park launched its GT Membership model — a membership designed to sit alongside other exclusive memberships found at the likes of the very best golf and yacht clubs. While such memberships are very common in the northern hemisphere, they have not been tried in this part of the world, Australia included, until now. Where the motorsport membership model has been successful overseas, the facility has been purpose built, and built to a very high standard. That is also the case at the Hampton Downs and Highlands motorsport parks, which are both owned by Tony Quinn, and where the GT Membership has flourished. In fact, the Hampton Downs GT members are raving about the club, so we decided it was time to catch…

Name: Craig Holland Location: Auckland Age: 40 Occupation: Mechanic NZ Performance Car: Hi, Craig. How did you come to own this beaut of a 1200? Craig: Hi, NZ Performance Car. It originally popped up on Trade Me, so I chucked a bid on it but missed out in the end. Not long after that, I saw it cruising down the road and followed it back to Tony Marsh’s shop — Marsh Jr had beaten me to it. He eventually decided to sell it, and I had already made it very clear that I wanted it beforehand. I ended up paying what I had bid the first time around. Nearly the one that got away. What kind of condition was it in, and where did you get inspiration for its current…

CASSIDY BACK IN GT500 Nick Cassidy, who is perhaps one of the hardest working Kiwis in motorsport right now, will return to the Super GT grid for his second season with Lexus Team TOM’S. Cassidy and teammate Ryo Hirakawa will pilot the new 2017-spec Lexus LC 500, which features a reduction in downforce from last year’s cars in a bid to create less cornering speed. The cars are powered by the same two-litre turbo as last year, making around the 447kW mark. The big news for the team is the addition of Red Bull to the programme. This is the first Super GT car to be sponsored by the global drinks company as it moves to expand its presence in Japan. The team has carried out extensive testing in the…

Stemming from its origins in the motherland, drifting has always been about one thing: expression. Expression of your driving style and talents, and the capabilities of your machine — and doing it all with every ounce of flair possible. The cars are bright, bold, and loud; the angle is huge; and the smoke is pumped out by the arena-load. Our own national series, Demon Energy D1NZ, is no exception, and Jase Brown had already made a name for himself campaigning his trusty SR-powered S13 in the series. However, with the firm goal in mind of stepping up from Pro-Sport to battling the big boys in the Pro series, things needed to change. As Jase explained, “We needed double the power and double the torque — a purpose-built car.” That necessity…

What is it that defines you as a car nut? Is it the constant grease under your fingernails, the empty bank account, the fact that you have shined your wheels for the fifth time this week or spend most nights as a recluse in your shed, pouring every last spare moment into your project? When it comes to ’Naki engineer Brady, we reckon it’s his devotion to perfection, the one-man pursuit of which has seen his RX-2 sedan remain in an almost constant state of evolution over the past eight years, and it’s a pursuit that Brady openly admits may never stop. “I picked it up as a uncertified, no reg, no WOF car with a standard 13B motor with an injection set-up. The day after buying it, I pulled…

Walk pit lane at any round of the Demon Energy D1NZ National Drifting Championship and you will not only be greeted by a wash of colourful liveries fighting for your attention — dig a little deeper into the engine bays of the beasts, and you will find a weird and wonderful array of solutions to the same exact problem. Following the worldwide trend/evolution over the past 13 seasons of our national series, power figures have continued to rise, now reaching extraordinary levels. This season, the average power for a Pro-spec car is 471kW, which is why drifting is touted as being the most powerful tin-top motorsport on the planet. Now we’re past the midway point of the season, we decided to take a closer look at the power plants of…

ENGINE: B18C, 1797cc, four-cylinder DRIVETRAIN: Five-speed INTERIOR: Factory, K-Tuned Short Pro-Circuit Shifter EXTERIOR: USDM-facelift front and rear bumper, Type R front lip, OEM optional sideskirts WHEELS/TYRES: 16x9-inch (+10p) Work Meister S1R, 195/45R16 Nankang Noble Sport NS20 SUSPENSION: BC Gold coilovers NZ Performance Car: Hi, Taylor. There’s something different about that bug-eye front from what we’re used to seeing, what is it? Taylor: Hi, NZ Performance Car. It started life as a prefacelift bug-eye, but I really wanted to change it up with subtle differences after buying it from the previous owner in immaculate condition. It now has a full USDM-spec facelift front and rear That’s it! How did you get the USDM pieces? Well, I searched around for months trying to find what I needed. Obviously there are plenty of…

Name: Jody Thompson Age: 28 Location: Christchurch Occupation: Welder/fabricator ENGINE: Mazda 13B, 1300cc, twin-rotor; S4 RX-7 block, 3mm slotted S5 rotors, unbreakable apex seals, extended ports, T4 turbo, 60mm wastegate, custom manifold, 50mm BOV, Bosch 044 fuel pump, four Injector Dynamics ID1000 fuel injectors, Aeromotive fuel-pressure regulator, Microtech LT10S, Bosch coils, Microtech ignitor, alloy V-mount radiator and intercooler, Gizzmo boost controller, K&N pod filter DRIVETRAIN: S5 RX-7 five-speed, Exedy five-puck clutch, Cusco mechanical 4.1:1-ratio LSD, R32 GTS-T four-pot front calipers, R32 GTS-T two-pot rear calipers, hydraulic handbrake INTERIOR: Sparco driver seat; Recaro passenger seat; Momo steering wheel; Auto Meter oil-pressure, water-temp, volt, and boost gauges EXTERIOR: Nissan 180SX front bumper, Origin Labo 55mm 180SX front guards, Origin Labo 55mm rear guards, Origin Labo 180SX bonnet, ducktail wing WHEELS/TYRES: (F) 18x9-inch…

TRIBUTE TO A LEGEND There are some absolutely insane pieces of racing history tucked away in Kiwi workshops and garages, but getting your hands on a genuine Katayama RX-3 is damn near impossible here — or abroad, for that matter. So Wade Henshaw decided that he would simply build his own, based on the Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC) ’76 winner — undertaking an almost 20-year labour of love to collect the parts required. That would firstly see a Mazda Factory Race (MFR) 13B peripheral-port (PP) with flat side mechanical injection packed into the bay and after running a similar set-up in his RX-7 S1, which pumps out 276kW, Wade has developed his own billet alloy plates — just to ensure his desire to push 291kW out of the PP…