In the not too distant past, last Sunday A.D. to be exact, Garage Kyusha held their first official meet. The club brought out their classic J Tin, along with some stuff that was cluttering up their garage and they’d be willing to part with, and took over a corner of one of the parking lots at Cottonwood Regional Park. I found the park easily, having driven past it quite a bit and being caught in a sudden downpour one time. Others not so much, despite numerous maps being posted in the Facebook event page. I blame ALL KNOWING AND BENEVOLENT Google. Most found it though, and good times were had!
In one corner of the meet, tucked between the cars JDM Legends brought out, the Lamely Group was selling some rare Hot Wheels and other collectables, along side Eric who was slinging some JDM Legends gear.
One of my favorites was this Z20 Soarer, which ironically parked next to an A70 Supra. I love Soarers, and really wanted to cut the nose off of a Z20 and stick it on Ronda when I had her. Ahh, what could have been… Anyway, there was a lot to see, which is why there’s a big gallery attached to this post! Enjoy it! And while I’m here, I want to thank the Garage Kyusha guys for organizing a fun meet, that went pretty damn well for it being their first one. Anyway, GALLERY:
While technically true, the 80eighty Scrapefest premeet was a full eight days before Scrapefest. Weird? YOU BET! Well attended? DAMN STRAIGHT! There were a ton of cars in attendance, so many that some resorted to parking in the undeveloped lots near the 80eighty building.
There was a wide variety of cars in attendance. Everything from clean, modern builds
To some classics
A pretty cool rat rod was there
And that was spitting distance from the R8 that Envision wrapped at Autorama. Not for, AT. While the show was going on. Looks good.
And then there was this guy, who kept staring at me while I was taking pictures of his edgy-ass xB.
So kawaii it causes me physical pain…
Anyway, here’s a big gallery of some of the other cars that were there. Saturday we’ll be at the track for the first NASA Utah event of the season, then up at Scrapefest on Sunday.
SEMA was over! Oh glory it was over! We love going to SEMA, but good lord it gets tedious after a few days. You see amazing cars, but you see them sitting still. Static. Yes, you can admire the craftsmanship (or lack thereof in some cases), but you don’t get to see them do anything. Thankfully, there was a VegasDrift event the day after the show closed. Earlier in the week we helped Jason Smith get prepared for the event, so we figured we’d pop in and say hi.
It took a few hours, but we eventually did see Jason. Before we did though, we saw Ian Perri. It was nice to see him, and it was nice to see him drift in person.
Blaize Potts came down, started a small fire, and did some skids.
That’s not Scott, that’s Brandon! Yes, Brandon Wicknick was driving a V8 car. Will he see the light that is low end torque, and not having to wait for the power to come on? God willing, he won’t.
And Forrest Wang is powered by pizza. Anyway, here’s a gallery
Five cars took the grid for GTS2, not a bad number. We had some familiar faces show up back on track, and another 911. Never a bad thing. Unfortunately my favorite Porsche model didn’t take the top spot, BUT my favorite Boxster did. Adam Heller in the 09 Emotive Boxster took home the win in all three races, and walked away with some shiny hardware.
In second place is Tom Rogers, in his E30 3 Series. The old #160 was dead reliable, as far as I could tell, and finished each race on the podium. Quick side note: I don’t know why I want to, but I have this strong desire to spell Tom’s name with an H. Thom instead of Tom. No reason why, but I just really want to do it. Anywell, Tom ran well all day, and all season.
Getting himself the only medal that is man-made (gold and silver are naturally occurring, mankind had to figure out how to make bronze), was Chris Haunold. I’m pretty sure he keeps chatting me up at the events, but I’m not 100% sure. If it is, you’re a pleasant fellow. If it isn’t, then there’s a pleasant fellow roaming the paddock and making small talk. Neither is a bad thing.
Pro Touring E
The sky is blue, the sun rises in the east, and Todd Green (aka Poppa Smurf, aka the unofficially official corrections department of this fair website) won himself another PTE medal. It wasn’t easy, the blue car was willing to go fast, but it made Todd work for it. The hard work paid off, and Todd got himself some more hardware.
Troy Duffin in his Datsun 510 (still packing an L series engine and drum brakes in the rear) was your second place finisher in the class. It’s good to be shooting photos of Troy again, takes me back to when there was NASA sanctioned open wheel racing at our weekends. Good times.
Rounding out the podium was Team Slap Hands in the #158… car? I shot 4600 photos over two days, and I don’t have a #158, which (according to MyLaps) only took part in the first race. I do have some photos of a #58, which was around the cars that the Team Slap Hands car supposedly did. Who is the #58?
PAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLL MITTTCCCCCCHHHHHHHEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Speaking of MyLaps, guess who didn’t run the race that produced this photo opportunity? Yeah, so good ole Paul (who had a rotating cast throughout the weekend) either took home third, or fifth. Regardless, Smilin Joe Sims is listed in 4th. UPDATE: Yeah, it was all Paul Mitchell. The 158 and 58 are one and the same. The Timing and Scoring system doesn’t like having the same number with multiple drivers in a class, hence this whole confusion.
Spec Boxster
Spec Boxster is still a thing, and it’s still occupied by one man. One hero: Mark Boschert. He wasn’t all by himself though. His pace on two of the three races kept him close to either the GTS2 cars, or the PTE field. On East he outran the Spec Miatas by a few seconds, but trailed the slowest Spec Z by over four seconds. Boxsters are cheap, people! Come on! Someone else grab one, and get in on some spec racing!
Spec Miata
It was Williamson and Bond vying for the class win. By taking the first two races, and finishing second in the third, Chris Bond earned himself a much deserved martini. It was close though, Matt Williamson kept close in those first two races, just like he did all season. The TresDuro was a microcosm of the entire Spec Miata season, and it was awesome to watch.
Matt Williamson was knocking on the door all season, but he couldn’t get over the hump. I’m telling you, next season he’s going to clear that hump. Spec Miata is an old class, but it always breeds great drivers and good racing. Next season, spend some time watching Matt Williamson fight for the crown.
Craig Shane finished the day in third. He’s a grinder, he was the only Spec Miata driver to start every race this season! That’s sixteen races! Craig is a lot like the Miata he races: dead reliable. Craig deserves some sort of award for his reliability.
Spec Z
You guys remember when Spec Z was just three cars? I do. You know how many cars took to the tarmac for this year’s TresDuro? 16. Man how this ridiculousness has grown.
Topping this ridiculousness was Arthur Golebiowski, one of the OG Spec Z drivers. Doing this for two and a half years gives you some skills and insight, and Arthur has all of those things rolling around his head. His average margin of victory was over six and a half seconds in the TresDuro, which begs another question: what does he think about while he’s all by himself at the front? Is he like Kimi Raikonen, dreaming of his next nap? Kittens? Arthur is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, strapped into a silver 350Z.
Not an OG, but definitely a long time Spec Z driver, Chad Aalders took home second place! Chad spent most of his day battling another OG, and looking longingly at Arthur’s taillights. Well, I’m not so sure about that last part, but he spent a fair amount of time looking at the back of Arthur’s car.
Rounding out the top three is Tom Kaminski. He spent plenty of time in his retro liveried Z battling Chad, and chasing down Arthur. Tom and Arthur having been battling it out with each other since 2014, and I hope they keep it up for years to come.
Speaking of blasts from the past, we had a Thunder Roadster field! JD Stull came out swinging, and took the win in all three races. Normally I’d stop the Thunder Roadster writing at that, BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER THUNDER ROADSTER!
Yes, there was another! Jihn Han, coming out of nowhere, took home some hardware.
And there it is, the round up of the Lightning group. Looking for the Thunder and/or Time Trial write ups? I’ve got separate posts for them.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
Every year the Utah Japanese Classic Car Community gathers to show off their projects, swap stories, provide support, and occasionally race Hot Wheels. This year was no different. Except that the meet had out grown it’s old location, and had to move to a bigger one. One with a big hill leading to the parking lot…
This year’s meet brought out a wide variety of classics, from the ever popular Datsun 240/60/80Zs…
To the first of the modern Skyline GTR’s to be legal for import.
The meet wasn’t limited to cars, there were a nice selection of off roaders, like this diesel powered Nissan Patrol.
Best Of Show, Best Datsun, and People’s Choice was awarded to Hunter Heller for his orange S30, which he brought from Montana! It was a great meet, on a beautiful day, and the jackassery was kept to a minimum. Can’t wait until next year!
We had a new challenger appear for the J Tin Cup! Joining Nathan Rohner’s RX-7 was Troy Duffin in this Datsun 510. You remember Troy: drove open wheel, got himself some championships, nice fellow. Now he’s back, and in a classic.
I know absolutely nothing about the car, but it’s a Datusn 510 and he won his class in it so it deserves a look.
You can’t say no to this, unless you’re cruel and heartless.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
It was hot. Very hot. So hot, in fact, that some competitors ended up being less than competitive because of it. Andy Moench’s and Mike Bratsch’s TT3 cars were feeling the heat, as were some of the Spec Z cars. Greg Warnock’s E92 M3 racecar succumbed to overheating issues, but he just hopped into his Cayman GT4 Clubsport and got some more laps in. I mean, who doesn’t have a back up race car in this day and age? Speaking of Greg’s race…
THUNDER
That’s where we start our coverage. Surprisingly, it was pretty drama free. At least from where I was. We had one GTS3 competitor, and that was Mayor McCheese himself: Blake Troester!
Byron Smith was back! Unfortunately for him, Darrell Troester was still there. He finished a lap up on Byron, and claimed another GTS4 win.
Despite going spin cycle early in the race, Gerry Shear (who gets it) got everything straightened out and took home a GTS5 win.
NASA Utah’s own BFG, Bob Evans, took the Snickers Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup High Downforce Prototype to the top of the podium in ST1.
J.R. Smith, proving that good things can be made better with the addition of an LSx, claimed another ST2 win.
Benevolent Overlord Matt Guiver hopped in the Minion (or banana mobile) and out drove five of the Ford Performance Racing School Mustangs. Five! That’s a lot of Mustangs to beat out.
In the Super Unlimited class, Pirate Supreme Les Long threw down some blistering laps and took home the class win. Could he take home the overall win?
Well, no. Makes & Modesl had their Huracan Super Trofeo back on track, and Derek was a man on a mission. Despite rising temperatures setting off alarms, he managed to claim the GTSU win AND the overall race group win. Speaking of that white, German/Italian super-weapon…
TIME TRIAL
Brendon Stewart hopped in the driver’s seat for the TT sessions and threw down a best time of 1:35.580 to take the TTU win.
TT1 saw a few Vipers. Definitely not a bad thing, especially given the news that FCA will be killing the big snake after 2017. Topping the podium was one of those snakes, the one driven by David Gilliland. He slithered around the East course of UMC in 1:41.8.44
Shawn Murphy wasn’t there that long on Saturday. He had a wedding to go to. I suggested someone Facetime him in, but that one didn’t fly. My brilliant idea didn’t fly, but Shawn did. And in the crowded combined session to boot. His best time in his “street car” was 1:40.988.
As mentioned earlier, Andy and Mike’s cars were feeling the effects of the heat. The heat didn’t seem to be a problem for James Pasquier, and his reliable as the sunrise 993 911. He set his best time in the last session of the day! Clearly we should all get 911’s, and be immune from heat.
Darin Beaudoin barely escaped the day with a win in TTB. He had Stephen Martin hot on his heels. Stephen posted a best time of 1:47.795, which was so close to Darin’s time. Darin, in his Honda Miata, posted a 1:47.760.
For those keeping score at home, Porsches have claimed five wins on the day so far. After this, they will have claimed six. Max Dufford, in his Boxster, ran a 1:48.977 in TTC.
Todd Green, listed in the #60 which I don’t have a picture of nor even see, took home the win in TTE. He posted a best time of 1:47.335 in the second TT Storm session. I don’t have a photo of that car, but I do have a photo of the mythical beast that is L’oreal! I MEAN PAUL MITCHELL!!! Speaking of things that you could hear about later…
LIGHTNING
Things got a little spooky, then kinda violent. Some Spec Miata drivers got too close coming out of Release, and one spun. Later in the race: a couple of Spec Z drivers got together, sending one into the dirt. Aside from those events, and another Spec Z losing an engine over the course of the race which left the car stranded at pit in, the race was fairly straightforward. Let’s start with Spec Miata, where Chris Bond returned! He took home with win, and managed to stay clear of any sort of shenanigans.
Otto Silva wasn’t the only 944 Spec driver this weekend! He was still the winner, but he wasn’t alone!
We haven’t had any open wheel races this season, which has meant that the usual drivers have been doing other things to occupy their time. Apparently one of those “other things” for Troy Duffin is getting a hold of a Datsun 510 racer. He brought it out this weekend, and took home the win in PTE.
Here we see the GTS2, PTB, and Thunder Roadster winners, all at once! Tom Rogers got himself a win in GTS2, Nathan Rohner in his RX7 (which was originally built as an autocross car) got another PTB win, and JD Stull took the win in Thunder Roadster. This was JD’s first race, and it was great seeing him out in competition.
We had one, lone GTS1 competitor: Steve Burns. He and Chris Bond had a solid battle all race, which was great to watch.
And in Spec Z, we had the #42 DXDT car, driven by David Askew, atop the podium.
PHEW! What a day! On to some miscellaneous stuff:
Todd Green usually dominates PTE, except this race. Why? Because he had a dead battery. He got a push start, but ended up being two laps down. Wouldn’t know it by the way he drove.
The Spec Z that lost an engine was the #46 DXDT car, driven by James Burke. It was smoking on every downshift from what I heard from some of the other drivers
It was Kyle Schick who wound up in the dirt. Can’t quite remember who hit him though, but I do have footage of the contact!
I ran around and slapped some CAM stickers on to some competitors cars. If you’d like one, shoot me an email and have some space on the passenger side of your car clear.
For those of you who want to purchase photos: go to here
And that is that! We’ll be back for Round 6, and the 6 Hour Enduro on August 6.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
Listen, Clint Stoneham’s Z still had an inline six made by Nissan. It just wasn’t necessarily what came in the car originally. But that’s no longer a concern, because he’s throwing a turbo V8 into it. Because why not keep the orange sled ridiculous?
