World Time Attack Challenge

Posted on April 28, 2010

Last week my tickets for the World Time Attack Challenge arrived in the mail, quickly followed by a new Class 10 memory card for my GF1 camera. Time Attack is a sport that I have a soft spot for, having created Circuit Battle – which was the first time attack event in Australia – back in 2006. Since then, TA has grown at a phenomenal rate and is being embraced everywhere around the world.

Hi-Octane Racing has been one of the biggest supporters of TA here in Australia; first as a sponsor of the Berry-Newman GT-R (that holds the Circuit Battle record) and now as event organisers themselves. Last year they held their inaugural time attack event known as Super Lap, and this year they’ve stepped things up a notch (or ten) with the World Time Attack Challenge.

Kudos to the guys and girls working behind the scenes (Ian, CT, Allen et al) as bringing so many overseas cars to our neck of the woods is a massive task. The above pic is one of the local cars that will go head to head with the big boys in Pro Class. So if you’re in Sydney on the May 21-22 weekend, make sure you head down to Eastern Creek! You can check out the star-studded line-up here.

New driving shoes

Posted on April 25, 2010

Last week some new shoes arrived. Puma’s 917 Mids caught my eye as they don’t look like Speed Cats (I hate how driving shoes resemble bowling shoes) and are more akin to Chuck Taylors. I ended up picking a pair in plain white and in the Mame colourway.

Bendable soles were exactly what I wanted.

There’s a dip in the back collar to prevent chaffing when you’re driving, but it’ll still rub against your skin if you wear low-cut socks.

First look: Volk Racing’s TE37SL

Posted on April 23, 2010

Kubo from RAYS Wheels Japan made a quick trip to Sydney and today he popped by the office to talk about their new Volk Racing TE37SL. The TE37 is arguably their most famous wheel, and to celebrate its 15th anniversary they’ve produced the SL, which stands for Super Lap.

He had one of the rims in the boot of his rental and the first thing I noticed was how light it was. I had a set of TE37s on my S2000 way back in 2003 but these felt significantly lighter than what was already a featherweight wheel. Kubo told me that not only are they some 400 grams lighter (for 18×10, meaning you’d save a 1.6kg of unsprung weight), but they’re also cheaper than conventional TE37s.

Considering how popular their limited edition Time Attack TE37 was (matte black with red lip), I’m sure the TE37SL will cause quite a stir. Kubo wasn’t able to tell me exactly how long it will be in production for so if they tickle your fancy you better get your hands on a set quick smart.

RAYS have also binned their clunky English website and replaced it with a new one, which you can visit here: http://www.rays-msc.com

That’s really the end.

Posted on April 20, 2010

Today was probably the last day the ASM team would be together in the office. At noon all of the boys came in to sign the 150 Limited Edition copies but before any work started we headed to Rockdale for some Viet food. This was the first time in almost a year that I rode shotgun with Papz behind the wheel (he just got his licence back) so it was certainly a weird feeling! I think the last time I was the passenger in his Accord Euro was when we were held up at gunpoint in Redfern.

With bellies full of pho we crowded into the boardroom to begin the signing process. Having all of the magazines in a stack made us quickly realise how big a task it was. 150 doesn’t sound like much but I tell you what, it’s one towering pile.

Only 149 to go. All up it took four hours, but it was awesome to catch up on what everyone had been doing.

Before we signed any magazines we tried out a couple markers to ensure the ink would stick properly. To this day Kula thinks my signature reads ‘Alex’, while Papz says it’s ‘Hes’. So I drew them a diagram. They still couldn’t see it. (BTW this is an abbreviated sig; my full signature is even worse).

About time

Posted on April 19, 2010

Issue 85’s deadline was painful enough; there was a seemingly never-ending stream of problems that popped up during deadline. And taking delivery of what is Auto Salon Magazine’s final ever Issue was equally stressful. First there was the tragic accident on the docks, which meant every container coming into Sydney was ground to a halt. Then there was not one, but two, major gas leaks that required the docks to be evacuated.

It seemed like fate didn’t want Issue 85 to happen!

Well finally it’s here. Our distributor is in overdrive, rushing the magazines to all corners of Australia and should be on sale by this Friday. Meanwhile, five ominous boxes arrived at our doorstep this afternoon. Each contains 30 copies of the 150 Limited Edition versions that have been pre-sold. Tomorrow all of the old crew are coming in to sign them before they’re shipped off to their lucky owners.

Hons and I have also spent the last week finding secure packaging that will - hopefully - prevent the postman from creasing your copy.

Hello little friend

Posted on April 16, 2010

While dusting off the shelf in my office I noticed this butterfly which was relaxing on a B18C conrod. He wouldn’t budge so I let him be; I wonder if he’ll still be there on Monday.

Bridgestone’s Formula 1 Media Guide

Posted on April 15, 2010

Received Bridgestone’s 2010 Formula One Media Information guide in the mail. Unlike the usual PR stuff that gets sent my way, this was actually entertaining. It’s layout is fantastic and is more magazine than PR spiel.

Jam-packed with interesting articles for Formula 1 anoraks like me.

Also came with this miniature 2GB USB stick.

Doing the rounds

Posted on April 14, 2010

This afternoon I headed west to pay a visit to JDM Yard. Even though owner Zi is still AWOL in Malaysia (apparently he spent the weekend racing around the Sepang circuit), the 40min drive was worth it as his business partner Yonas is a good friend of mine as well. As I pulled into the driveway it didn’t surprise me to see him working on his beloved EGK24A; this time he was removing the tints for an upcoming photoshoot with an American magazine.

Nearly a year has past since we last met up, and boy has his EG changed a lot. The last time I saw it the Civic was in full drag mode, with over-fenders and massive drag slicks. Having accomplished what he wanted to on the quarter mile, Yonas has now converted the EG for circuit. Lightweight 949 Racing semis are its new shoes. Although it’s still being set up, this street driven Civic has done a 1:07 around Wakefield.

Quite aggressive offsets when you consider it’s wearing semis. Yonas spent quite a lot of time rolling and pumping the guards so the rims would sit flush without any fouling when he throws the Civic over a ripple strip.

Here’s what Yonas’s EG is famous for: it’s NA K24A powerplant that has claimed the scalp of many dragstrip heroes.

Apologies for the crap Photoshop work but I didn’t want to show the whole number just in case.

Wire-tucked engine bay means the individual components really stand out.

Most Honda geeks would drool over TODA Fightex coilovers (I had them on my EG and they were impressive). But they weren’t good enough for Yonas, who replaced them for a set of custom Tein Super Racing coilovers instead, complete with remote reservoirs. Kind of scary when you’re spending more on the shocks than what an entire EG costs to buy!

Just like old times

Posted on April 13, 2010

Pakula popped by today for lunch and to have a squizz at our advanced copies of ASM #85. We took him to Ratu Sari (one of the many Indo restaurants on the Anzac Pde strip) as he hadn’t been before.

Coke.

We’ve walked by Ratu Sari many times, but we never went in because it looked, well, kind of expensive (which makes it a tough choice when it’s surrounded by cheap and great eateries). But their prices aren’t fancy like the decor - lunch was around $10 - and the serving size is decent too. Here’s the bumbu bali that I ordered. The only thing is that I prefer thigh to breast as I hate dry, thick chicken. Unfortunately they said it was impossible to get two pieces of thigh rather than one of each; I even offered to pay extra but to no avail.

The end of the embargo (ie: another post on sushi)

Posted on April 8, 2010

Whenever I return from a trip overseas, I’m turned off that country’s food for an indefinite period of time. Since my January visit to Japan I’ve cringed whenever someone suggested sushi for lunch or dinner. Nuh uh, not yet. Well now the cravings for Japanese are back so I made a beeline straight for Makoto.

These guys make some good sushi. Better even than what I’ve had in Tokyo.

Beef Tataki.

While my appetite embargo usually fades in the months after a trip, for some reason I’ve been put off Korean food completely ever since my visit to Seoul - which was in 2008. Strange.

First look: the final Issue

Posted on April 7, 2010

Today I arrived back from a meeting to find the first copies of ASM #85 on my desk. These are the preliminary copies that are air-freighted to us, so before you ask, we only have two copies of each edition. They all look f*cking fantastic; even better than the proofs.

Here’s the alternate version, with Issue 1 - 85 covers.

This is the sinister limited edition version (150 copies) which sold out in a matter of days.

Because the covers are so glossy it was a bit difficult to photograph!

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