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BigSmoke

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Posts: 844

Location: Indonesia
Occupation: Following Those Damn Trains
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V$: Broke
#156521   2019-06-16 18:44          
......And Another One!










It's time for the second time attack event of the month in a brand new championship! :bananajump:
It has a different class division and running format so I hope I could adapt very well.
But that's not all, one of my cars has received a new dress as well!
Take a guess which one would it be.......while checking out the update below! :D














[11 Jun 2019]
After working on more scientific document translations for the day, I found myself having nothing to do at the moment. To fill my time, I decided to do some planning on mods for my cars. Obviously, the Silver Queen is out from the plans since it has been pretty much finished. My priority was put on the S15......until I'm a bit confused on where to start next. With the basic engine needs done, it's either time to start on the aero works or the handling departement. If I start on the aero works first, I could visualize how the aero will affect the car later as well as making the handling setup easier. But then I don't have lots of money for fancy aero works that is popular and effective these days (though to be fair, neither most of Attack Second class teams). If I start on the handling departement, I could adjust them earlier to my liking, but then when the aero kit comes I have to re-adjust them again (in particular the track spacers), doubling the amount of work.

With that in mind, I started on the aero works first by trying to find a publicly sold widebody kit. This tactic is also used by a Turbo class car in Attack series, namely the Goodride S15 which uses Rocket Bunny bodykit. Justified though as it's also living a double life as a drift car. This caused it to perform not so well in most of their appearances, rarely breaking even the 1 minute mark. Then there's the Garage Mak TA bodykit. The car it's fitted on is a top contender for Second class and has won some of it's outings. But then it's quite expensive(and uh, the S15 mod doesn't have them).After some considerations, I decided that the GP Sports G-Sonic Evolution kit will do quite well, though it's more popular as a drift car bodykit. Problem is, it's not exactly cheap either, being priced at V$12,800 for the complete kit. With this in mind, the S15 project had to be halted again while I'm saving for those :crying:

The ER34 could do without any upgrades at the moment, though I could buy it new valves and cams for extra power......and probably bolt the turbos from the spare RB25 in my garage, courtesy of AJ(RocketBunnyS13). Whether is this possible to do I don't really know, but might worth trying once I mastered drifting properly and needed some more power kicks. My Tico? It's not really my priority at the moment, though non-Type-R Honda D-series engine are cheap as hell to obtain in general. The Mustang? I'm still not sure on what to do with it. The Sprinter is also basically complete at this point, though it could use slightly better brakes. The Silverado? Sourcing parts for it would be a huge pain since it has to be sourced overseas. That leaves me with the 240SX vert, with little to none performance upgrades on plan and simple kyusha style as the visual plan.

Using various kyusha-styled S13 pics(both PS13 and RPS13) as cues and hints, I created my own envision of kyusha-style and ordered some sets of kits to be installed into the 240SX. First off, a simple bumper lip kit from Forcewerkz for VS$300. Most kyusha-styled cars retains stock bumpers or improve them a bit so I decided to do the same. And then I ordered a set of Origin Lab Streamline front quarterpanels for V$310. I don't really need a wide stance but these would add a contemporary touch to the car. Next up is ChargeSpeed side skirts for V$289. They aren't wide as well, and more importantly looks simple and clean to me. Next up, I'm quite fascinated with Canadian-spec optional rear lip for the 240SX there, but being an optional kit, it's rare as hell. So I tried to replicate it by ordering two separate rear valances, each respectively for V$85 and V$109. And to top off the package, I've scored myself another extremely rare piece of kit: The B-Wave rear spoiler, sold for just V$390!

Additionally, despite I'm saying little to no performance parts are required for the 240SX, I still decided to buy camber adjustment kits for it to enhance the looks. So I ordered rear camber kit and front camber bolts kit, both from SCP Performance, each for V$387 and V$52 respectively. With the vast availability of just everything for the S13, as well as their cheap prices and the versatililty of the way of visual modding achievable, no wonder it's the favourite S-Chassis among the others.

Later that day I spent some time with the 240SX vert by tinkering around with the KA24's head and cams for some more power. No, I don't plan to turbo it I should say. I'd like some more kick from the engine though. Probably I'll buy it new valves as well. And oh, everything I've ordered above will arrive in 5 days, or one day after my next time attack event.


[15 Jun 2019]
IT'S RACEDAY! Thankfully unlike the Tsukuba Circuit Trial Series(TCTS) which is put inside a multi-event day, the Eastern Kanto Circuit Trial Championship(EKCTC) is only superceded by JAF A-License workshop and test, thus the event starts after lunch. It turns out Team Magnus Auto Club (TMAC), the host of the championship, also provides A-license workshop, tests, and registration. How about me, you ask? I've obtained my A-License not a long time ago this year from Clever Racing (read it here!), so I don't have to attend the workshop and test. Similar to Clever, TMAC also has an nteresting offer: If you're attending both the workshop and Circuit Trial at the same day, you'll exempt from further driving test and automatically earn your A-license. You don't have to win the event, and no need to attend the entire championship, just arrive and drive. Cool deal, don't you think? And let me tell you this: JAF A-License grants you the chance to race at Japanese top level racing series, such as JF3, Super Taikyu's non-road car classes, Super GT and even Super Formula!

Right back to the topic. Since the seminar and test ends before lunch, I can go to the track way later than usual. The drivers briefing starts after lunch and track action starts at 13.30, so there's plenty of time to rest on the track before the briefing. I'm looking forward to have lunch at Tsukuba Circuit's canteen too! Not much to offer there but it's absolutely delicious. Probably this should have been listed on reasons why you should come to the track :)) Also before going to the track, I refuelled the Silver Queen while I could. Hopefully this won't affect the weight too much though.

11.30
I arrived at the track and receive my race number stickers and timer beacons as usual. Unlike other events I usually attend, today's events only consisted of the workshop and circuit trials, so understandably it's not so crowded as usual and there's only a bunch of local medias on the track. Having the track in near-serene condition is......strangely peaceful and intriguing. Several race fans also attended the track as well, despite no trackdays being held that day.

I parked my car in the paddock, applied the race stickers and the timer beacons, then went to bathroom to empty my bladder and then to locker room to change into my racing suit. I've said this multiple times but I'll say it again: Having nature called you while you're racing is not a funny business.


After changing into my race suit I had some nice banter with fellow racers and enthusiasts, as well as listening to the weather casts to prepare over the circuit trial later. Despite chances of clouds, it's almost confirmed there will be no rain for the rest of the day. Summer has approaching Japan fast indeed! It's the time of the year where there are lots of discounts on shop, ice cream becomes the top cuisine and various juices are on sale everywhere, people going to the beach in groups, young girls running along the beach in their swimsuits and bikinis......okay okay I'll stop delusioning, it looks like the track heat has brought me too far :))

Later on we have lunch together as well. My lunch consisted of shrimp ramen, takoyaki and iced tea. Yeah, I'm a fan of seafood, they're good for your health. Shrimp and lobster are good for enhancing your memory and reasoning capability as well, which is important not only in racing, but also in your general daily life. If you have a child one day, I'd say feed him/her shrimp from at least 8, 9, or 10 y.o. :D And that's all of my health advice of the day :)) Being used to eat with cars surrounding us, the lunchbreak felt more like dining in a campus with almost no cars running around, save for officials car doing the final track inspection.

12.30
With the lunch break over, we told the marshalls to put our cars on parc ferme conditions and walked to the press conference room to go to the drivers briefing session. The format for the event (as well as the championship) is once again different from what I usually race on. For the Eastern Kanto championship, the good news is you have five laps to do your session: One for getting off the pits, three to score your time and one to return to the pits. The bad news? There's only one session to score the time, unlike other events I've attended which usually has two of them. So one mistake here could snatch the victory away from you, let alone a crash.

There are 25 cars competing today including myself. Running order is same as TCTS, where 2-3 cars are racing in a group on the track. Once everyone in the group has done their run, next 2-3 cars replaces them. And the lower class will run first, then the upper classes. Oh yeah, to remind you again, the classes in Eastern Kanto championship are much simpler than in TCTS where there are a total of staggering nine classes (thouugh not all classes are attended usually). Here there are four of them, which are:
NT1: <=1600cc Road cars, including MX-5s of all generation, but no VTEC/MIVEC/Ssimilar sytsem allowed
NT2: <=2000cc 2WD and 4WD Road cars
NT3: >2000cc 2WD and 4WD Road cars, as well as rotary-engined cars
AT: Anything from above-well, pretty much anything with automatic transmission

As you can guess at this point, I will enter the NT3 class, which means going against the likes of RX-7s, Imprezas, fellow Evos, and R-series cars. Not really a problem, since I usually take on them as well in the TCTS. This though is a brand new battleground as well, so everything still remains to be seen. And oh, there are 10 NT3 cars, 8 NT2 cars and 7 NT3 cars participating today. There weren't any AT class cars for uhh......rather obvious reasons. The race session starts at 13.15 and I'll be the 16th car to run for the day. After the driver's briefing was done, I returned to my Silver Queen and go inside to cool myself down.


14.00
After a long time of waiting and several yellow flags, finally it is time to rock and roll! I drove my Evo to the pitlane and have myself queueing there. Track and air temperatures are starting to drop thankfully so I don't have to suffer from the sauna torture like I did in the last event.

Some time later, I arrived at the pit exit, so I turned off my AC to get ready for the start. Seconds later, lights went green and we're off for our only chance to score a time as we did our warm-up lap.


Albeit there are clouds near the track, it's been confirmed it'll be a dry day for the rest of the session, so there's no need to worry about chances of rain during the session. Also, because my session was near the end of the race day, there are a lot of rubbers I can use to my advantage on the track. Track starts gaining some dust as well though, so that might not be absolutely true.


As usual, as I approach the final sector, I calmly prepare myself for full attack as I pray as long as I could. Welp, here goes my only attempt for the day......
START!!


I was going for maximum attack on T1 but uhh....I overcooked it and locked up for a while. Thankfully I recovered quickly and this allows for a late apex at T1. But I can tell you, that split moment I thought I'm goign to lose my Silver Queen. And possibly myself as well.

The rest of the lap was clean, fortunately. The ride was quite enjoyable as well surprisingly, despite being in a competitive environtment. Never I've spent an afternoon this intense. And despite the lockup earlier, Silver Queen just shrugs it off quickly and continues to amaze me with it's gripping capabilities.


Lap 1 finished with one mistake, but no dramatic marks fortunately. And I'm still alive and running as well. It is time for........
Lap 2


T1 entry luckily was much better, faster and cleaner than lap 1. I don't want to grate my tyres further, obviously. This also means faster but slightly wider exit. Hope I could cut some miliseconds off there.......


Lap 2 felt faster and more concrete as the result of that nice T1 entry. I have more confidence to push the car more as well as some of the dust is now swept by the wind off the track. I think air temperature has dropped further as well, keeping my engine healthy and generates power much better.


That lap was fast and concrete enough to be put int the final standings, but as long as there is chance to improve then I'll try to use it well. It is time to start........
Final Lap

With lesson learned, I entered T1 a bit slower, but in a much smoother manner. I hope this would result in even more shaved seconds off my lap time.


As the sunlight slowly starts dying a bit, the track has been fullfilled with rubber almost everywhere. Silver Queen continus to grip on and hugs the apexes tightly as if they're its long-time lost lover. The fact that it's still working brilliantly as a daily driver after multiple times driven on the ragged edge amazes me deeply. I think it's still able to soldier on for, oh I don't know, hopefully next 10 years.




After a fast-paced three laps of time attack session, I've crossed the line. It is time to end the session, yield to others and go back to the pits.


I wonder how fast I did in this kind of condition? But honestly, that was one of the most satisfying runs Ii've ever done in my life. I'd say I'll definitly apply for Round 3 and continue to drive in this championship competitively, despite my chances to be in the top spot are already low enough. Sometimes it's not about winning indeed......as long as you can enjoy the ride and enlighten yourself on the run, life is good ;)


I and other cars behind me gave way to the next running group, then we all enter the pitlane and went back to the paddock.


15.15
Finally, everyone has ran on the track and finished their respective sessions. With the session officially over, I went to the stewards room to return the timer beacons, then to the bathroom to empty my bladder once more. But unlike in usual occassions, I don't sweat much today, so I didn't have another trip to change my clothes. I still feel comfy inside my race suit somehow, only need to remove my helmet and gloves.

While waiting for the final results, I had snacks and another banter with fellow drivers and fans. This is what I love from these kinds of events: No boundaries, no bitter rivalries, no cut-throat professionalism, just you and fellow like-minded people competing in a friendly anf fun environtment, as well as being able to connect with fellow enthusiasts ;)

16.15
The results are in! Let's see how well I did in this event..........

Lap 1: 59.932 (due to that locking experience)
Lap 2: 59.335
Lap 3: 59.342 (ah so close to topple Lap 2 record!)

Yup, Lap 2 time is my best lap time and it goes as my final time for the event. The good thing is it's actually enough the secure 5th place, both in class and overall! And with this I've earned 8th points in both the class and overall standings, where now I'm placed in 10th and 14th place in respective standings.

And not only that, I'm also rewarded medals and memorabilias from TMAC, which would be a nice addition in my bedroom and lounge as I could carry them home straight away. There's also monetary rewards as well, V$500 for finishing 5th in class and V$800 for finishing 5th overall. Unlike the medals and memorabilias, these will be transferred together along with my next paycheck.

With the podium ceremony over, I went to the bathroom for one last call of nature, then went home. I guess I love my life as a time attack racer already :)) Admittably though I still need a stable, monthly paid job.

[16 Jun 2019]
But before all those monetary rewards come to my doorstep, there are some other stuff that landed there first: It's uhhh.....everything I've ordered earlier for the 240SX vert! So with jack, spanners, rivets and everything else on the hand, I giddily worked on the vert along the day. I've said it earlier and I'll say it again, now I understand why people love S13 among other S-Chassis: Lots of mods for it even until now, as well as it can be turned into everything you want it to be, from a humble daily ride to a show-stopper street car, from a slidey drifter into a hardcore racer, from an uhhh......ruined car into a tasteful show car, etc. etc. etc.

Some hours, some swear jars and a bleeding finger later, here's the final result! Granted they're not painted yet but just look at it! Gorgeous isn't it? I can feel the 80s-90s kyusha vibes already. And oh, not pictured yet, the final product after the camber adjustment. That'll be later, don't worry.


Later that day, I drive to VS garage Tsukuba to have it painted. They've done a great job painting my HR34's rear spoiler, so I trust them in painting my vert. Along the trip the vert feels much more sprightlier than when I drove it in USA. And being a vert aids me a bit on overtaking fortunately, so this car being LHD isn't really a problem with open top, thus broadening my road vision by some degree. I can picture myself cruising inside with my good friends or some girls as the sun sets and G-Funk tracks playing in the background........though personally I'll pick this one

I arrived at the VS garage Tsukuba while they've just finished their late lunch so uhhh.....no pizza for me sadly :)) Anyways I and the crew spent some time discussing on S13 mods of the yesteryears (mainly 89-93 era) before having my car going into their paint booth. Indeed, some would say the 90s is the golden age of JDM tuning and while it's not always the case, I would agree in some circumstances including this one.

As the vert is driven onto the paint booth, the crew said it's going to take 5 day for the whole painting process, and it'll cost V$800. It's okay though, I have my Silver Queen still rolling around and this time I can pay for the paint :)) But do you want to see the kits painted to match the car or do you want to see it in another colour? Let me know!


And finally before I close my update for now, a small reminder that I've still got stuff to sell and now there are two more of them!

FOR SALE!
SOLD!!





Nissan 240SX/180SX Stock Wheels + Tyres (1 set)
15 inches, 4-lug pattern
V$ 500, Bargains Welcome

Nissan 240SX/180SX Front Quarterpanels (1 set)
Taken from US-spec 240SX Convertible (MS13 Vert)
Would fit MS13 Hatch, MS13 Coupe, MS13 Vert, RS13U, PS13, PS13 Vert, or RPS13
Great for RPS13 restoration or Onevia conversion!
V$ 300

Nissan S13 rear wing
Taken from US-spec 240SX Convertible (MS13 Vert)
Would fit MS13 Coupe, MS13 Vert, PS13, or PS13 Vert
Great for PS13 or MS13 restoration!
V$ 200

Pictures (CAR IS NOT FOR SALE!):















Yep another update done and one of my car having a great progress!
Let's see how my wallet survives after both the TA and kyusha mod shenanigans:













That's all my updates for now, thank you for stopping by and see you soon!

This post was edited by BigSmoke (2019-07-05 18:50, ago)
Still following the damn train since 1992

Visit my RP HERE!