I thought it was bad enough when Modified ordered the designers to photoshop out AutomotiveForums.com logo from their GTR race car in '05 but Super Street one-upped them by not allowing them to race this year at all!
I’d like to hear all about the details how that HKS EVO is considered a “street car” considering it just clobbered the record by 5-seconds (held by JIC S15)
Last time I was in the car was at this same event exactly a year ago. However, as Victor, our manager on the U.S. side, began to arrange for an entry into the event, it seemed that some politics began to get in the way. Victor was in touch with Elliot Moran from Super Street and he was told that we could run the car, but they will not provide it any coverage in the magazine because my company AutomotiveForums.com, the sponsor of the World Challenge GT-R is their “competition.” When Victor told me I began to laugh since Primedia has no significant automotive message board and AF is the #1 in the world by membership – over 540,000 worldwide. If anything, it seemed that covering our participation on our own website would be great free press for them and their event. Regardless, I still thought it would be great to attend since my friends from here in Japan, like Tarzan Yamada and Daijiro Yoshiahara were going to attend, along with Steve Mitchell and I am sure many other familiar faces. But of course, the biggest reason was to take the ol’ GT-R out on the track and feel the rush of 650 hp.
Then a few days later, Victor calls me while I am in New York city for Ad:Tech, an internet marketing convention, and tells me that now Elliot told him that we cannot attend the event at all because the GT-R is a “race car.” So, I got in touch with Elliot Moran and had him tell me the same thing. His explanation is that race cars entering their time attack have an unfair advantage. Considering the fact that he mentioned that he had just gotten back from the track with his own race car, it seemed absolutely crazy that he would not understand – cars specifically built for the time attack would obviously have an advantage over race cars from series with sanctioning bodies. Our GT-R has been built from the ground up to meet an entire book of regulations to ensure close competition between a variety of cars and to minimize the costs. On the other hand, cars built for the time attack are no less of a race car, but have no rules restricting them – they can have any engine modifications, and chassis structure, any aerodynamic devices, and… you get the point. I let him know that this rule is completely irrational and that their entity is going to loose a lot of credibility for pulling a stunt like this. The winning car of the time attack, which would have been in the same class as our GT-R, unlimited all-wheel-drive, was a purpose-built race car with an appearance of a Lancer Evolution, which ran a 1:44 time at Buttonwillow – about 5 seconds faster than a fully prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racecar with an ace driver behind the wheel. This winning car weighs around 1100kg (2400lbs) and has a better power to weight ratio than the Japanese Super GT500, the fastest GT cars in the world par none. This car is as much a Lancer Evolution as I am a monkey.
The editors at Modified didnt give two shits about the Automotive forums car and the lettering but Rob the owner did since he was in competition with them so really can you blame him for not wanting to give his competition free promotion? Its a shady thing to do but from a business standpoint it makes sense.
And this whole HKS car moping up the competition at this years finals…yeah it was unfair and race cars should be able to run at this event but Elliott is just one guy running the show and when a half a million dollar GMG Porsche race car shows up last year and bruises some egos (read: complaints galore), Elliott had no choice but to ban them and unfortunately in doing so a bunch of other cars including the GTR got cropped in.
Trust me people had some complaints about the HKS EVO being at this years event, when you know you cant win then what fun is it going to an event and many competitors knew that. Watching that car run and seeing it up close and personal was worth it though and I think many of the drivers enjoyed that. And who could say no to HKS bringing their Tsukuba record holding Time Attack car to a US Time Attack?
This series is still in its infancy so there will be alot of hiccups, hell look at Speed World Challenge, you think there arent teams favored? Dollars and cents still play a big role in ALL race sports, Im not saying the HKS car bought its way in because it didnt but the lure and exposure of it in US magazines will ultimately mean money for Source interlink and i hate to say it but thats what its all about.
Yep you know I love the politics Like the time they asked me to leave the SS Time Attack when helping the NX team in '04 but just happened to work for Modified Mag.
Usually some hero tryin’ to be the big guy. This was Elliot’s call? LOL I’m sorry thats just too funny.
Yo u forgot to mention how Rob wouldn’t even let you wear an AutomotiveForums.com jersey when Igor gave it to you because you were cold. And ya I did have a problem with him scrubbing the logo because if Igor didn’t show there would be 2 cars at his Time Attack.
I’m tired of everyone hating on Igor just because he is a 21 yr old self-made millionaire. He is a good guy, we work together, we’re going to hang in Japan and the rest of the world I swear is just out to get him. WTF?!
Lots of ppl mistakenly think this is the HKS TRB-01 all carbon tube frame silhouette EVO - it’s not.
This car has the steel shell intact which I agree is ideal for Time Attack rules. But there is not much street about it. Love those carbon fibre windows you can prolly make out basic shadows through them LOL.
The beef I have is the R34 VSpec II Nur is a street car and Igors AF N1 GTR is using much of that equipment. Full shell, stock N1 engine and components, stock head, stock cams, stock displacement. It doesn’t even compete in World Challenge anymore.
So yeah if the HKS EVO is allowed then so should be the slower GMG Porsche and AF GTR - period.
I could be wrong but I thought the TRB-02 was like under 2000lbs. There is lots of carboon in the new chassis too but loads more metal as well in the CT230R.
And this is what makes the japanese race and car culture So much better then the north american one; it’s not about the racing here, it’s about money and politics… Any credibility that TA series had is gone. The whole thing is a joke
That’s what I thought. Cause I read that the red one is still all carbon. However, it was the black one that broke the record with 53.639 seconds or something.
it was just redesigned after the crash and painted this time round
when the car was all carbon it broke and held the record at tsukuba
then when they re-developed it into this car, they broke their own record
from the article…
"It’s back. Little introduction is needed for this legendary car, as it is without a doubt the fastest circuit racer in Japan. Previously known as the HKS TRB 02, or Tsukuba Record Breaker, this full-carbon bodied Lancer Evolution 8 is back with a vengeance. "
“With Taniguchi thankfully unhurt it was back to the drawing board. It took HKS almost two years to bring the car back to its former glory, and oh man did they do a good job. Shown for the first time at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year, the new vehicle now sports a catchy new paint-scheme and in typical Japanese fashion, a totally new name. Behold the CT230R.”
“With almost two years at their disposal since the crash, HKS has had plenty of time to fix things up in the bodywork department. Reusing all of the old molds from the TRB 02, every single body panel was recast in dry-carbon and then painted in the new red livery.”
Like the time they asked me to leave the SS Time Attack when helping the NX team in '04 but just happened to work for Modified Mag.