First mention in a local magazine

Yesterday I received a copy of a monthly magazine called "The Racing Line" distributed by WASCC club, (owners and operators of Perth's Barbagallo Raceway) only to discover a photo of my Honda during Round 8 of the Speed Event Series. 

Thought I'd share :)

- Rod

Look what's coming !!

No one knows if it's an actual replacement for the ever popular S2000 (the source magazine claims it could be called a Civic roadster) but so far we know that it will go into production in as early as 2012 and it will be electric ! Can't wait !

Source : Auto Motor und Sport

- Rod

Who wants a real JDM Type-R ?

Honda enthusiasts !

I'm looking for expressions for interest from people willing to get their hands on this rare JDM personal import (only 1 in WA and maybe one of maybe 3 in the whole of Australia!).

If you haven't seen this car in the flesh here are some photos (Set 1, Set 2) ! If you want to see it with your own eyes email me.



The car has done just under 52,000km in its lifetime (only 9k of those on circuits !!), has had top quality engine and transmission oils changed every 1,000kms (!), engine which has NEVER been modified, car which has been extremely well looked after with loads of real history and it's just a beauty you won't find ANYWHERE in Australia !

The car can be purchased in its current form with its original Honda OEM wheels seen above sitting on near-new Yokohama ADVAN NEOVA AD08s !!

If you're interested in getting my RAYS CE28Ns in custom painted matte black (see below) you can have those for AUD$2.5k. I can even even throw in near-new Yokohama ADVAN A050s semi-slicks (2 sets for the front, 1 set for the rear) for just AUD$1k !

As far as the car is concerned, you'll get a whole bunch of new oil filters (ones sold in Japan only and superior to those sold locally) and some mickey mouse tools and goodies. I have the original Japanese paperwork also plus EXTRAs for added originality :)

The car is registered in WA for another 12 months. Has an exemption from ADRs too !

The spec for the car is here.

Email your genuine, good faith offers to me directly

- Rod

Spotted on the streets of Perth Pt 2

Some more photos surfaced today taken by Vtechnique's Bede Grainger ...

Enjoy !
- Rod

Spotted on the streets of Perth

Here is my car at the JDM WA #4 meet.
(photos taken by their respective photographers)

I'm sure more photos will surface in days to come.

- Rod

Matte black JDM DC5R

Last time I raced at Ebisu's 6hr endurance race I came across this beauty !

It is exactly the same car as mine except it was spray painted in then very popular matte black.

Enjoy !

-Rod

Right place at the right time !

Not DC5 related but still worth sharing ... On sunday I took some photos of the local drift practice held at my local circuit and as luck would have it I was positioned in the perfect spot to take this shot !

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Enjoy !
-Rod

We've gone mobile !

In case you haven't noticed you can now access my blogs through your iPhone, iPad or any other internet capable mobile phone device !

Enjoy !

- Rod

Allstars Tuning Weekend 2011 in Poland !

I normally don't post non-Honda related news but today I'll make an exception ...

Here is a video of the recent Allstars Tuning Weekend held in Poland featuring what Poland is famous for : horses, garden hoses and beautiful women ! Oh and there are a few Hondas in the video too :)

Enjoy !



- Rod

November 18/19th - mark your calendars !

Australian National Time Attack Series Round 3 at Barbagallo Raceway 

http://www.trackbattle.com.au/

- Rod

Rainbow bridge night shot

One more before I call it quits !

This shot was actually taken quite close to my apartment at a fishing berth looking towards Tokyo's rainbow bridge. My photography skills were quite poor then so the result isn't stunning but you get the idea !

- Rod

A little gem !

I was looking through my collection of photos today and found this little gem !

I still had the original Honda wheels and that big advert on the side of the car (by the way if you're living in Japan contact this guy for some amazing custom car graphics !)

Can you guess the location ?

- Rod

We have a fix !

Got the tyre back from my Yokohama dealer yesterday all fixed and ready ! 

The solution was to drill a hole slightly larger than the one made by the screw with a rough edge drill, then insert a rubber plug through the inside and seal it on both the inside and the outside. 

My tyre guy seems to think that it will perform just fine even under heavy braking and cornering. As he put it "I'd have it on my 911 without any issues".

The reason why the plug is sealed on the outside was to prevent moisture and water from getting inside and thus breaking the seal on the inside.

I guess we'll see how it goes next time I'm out there.

My only concern was the plug is somewhat sticking out but I guess that's needed once the tyre is heated up to its optimal temperature the plug's rubber should blend in nicely with the rest of the tyre.

-Rod

Race queens keep the blog alive guys !

There have been some changes made to this blog recently and although minor they should help increase its popularity among DC5 lovers, tuners and YOU !

To help me with this effort you'll see some buttons at the bottom of each post which will allow you to share my posts on Facebook, Twitter or otherwise.

Feel free to click on them and share ! It goes a long way !

- Rod

Getaway in Tokyo (re-lived)

Back in 2008 when I first purchased my car I really wanted to put a video together of something which resembled Getaway in Stockholm I'd seen a few years earlier.

Well this video is it ! Enjoy !



- Rod

Next major step(s) in the DC5 tuning process

I've been hoping to hit the track one more time before the summer arrives and before the circuit shuts down for major redevelopment this November but unfortunately due to a last minute and a rather unforeseen tyre situation (see below) I now have an excuse to hang up my gloves and concentrate on further car development.

Here is a list of what's definitely going to happen in readiness for 2012 :

- replace SWIFT springs from 10/12kg (front/rear) to 14/16kg
- minor overhaul of RG dampers throughout
- adjust ride height and revert front camber to a setting I used to have in Japan
- purchase a new front set of YH A050s or Dunlop Direzza 03Gs (not available in Australia unfortunately but extremely competitive and popular in Japan)
- purchase new SD front rotors from DIXCEL
- purchase new set of PROJECT MU Level Max700 pads

then a list of likely but undecided at this point changes :

- bite the bullet on whether to keep the car registered or simply turn it into a dedicated track car and therefore strip out the interior completely
- throw out OEM exhaust headers and replace with a SPOON 4-1 system and get rid of the catalytic converter at the same time
- replace the OEM battery with ODYSSEY racing lightweight battery

and finally a tentative wish list :

- decide on whether to invest in SEEKER's K-TECH engine upgrade 215-SL (Super Lambda) and the associated costs of upgrade, subsequent ECU tuning and benefits of such.

The lists are long and I have until March 2012 when the upgraded circuit re-opens to have these done so plenty of time but at the same time a few decisions need to be made on the future of the car. No I'm not thinking of selling it ! It's a decision on the purpose of the car from this point on : track only or street-track. Time will tell !

Stay tuned for updates

-Rod

New set of suspension wrenches is finally here !

Thanks to Ryo from SEEKER I now have a decent set of wrenches to adjust the ride height of my suspension.
They feel much heavier and sturdier than the original ones.

I'll be needing them soon once my new springs are fitted

- Rod

Photos featured on www.STREET-COVER.com

Last weekend I attended a JDM Meet #3 here in Perth and took some photos of japanese cars.

Today my photos were featured on www.STREET-COVER.com so make sure you check them out

- Rod

One more to spice things up a little

Grab your DC5 wallpapers from here now !

My latest video from Barbagallo

It's been a while since I played around with video editing but today I've been able to whip this up ...

Enjoy !



- Rod

Driving from Tsukuba

Here is another one of my videos from Japan, this particular one shows my drive from Tsukuba circuit back to my apartment in central Tokyo.

Enjoy !



-Rod

Ahhh the memories ....

While I am in a process of putting together a video of my last event here at Barbagallo I thought I'd share one of my favourite videos from when I used to race at Tsukuba.

This particular video always inspires me when I watch it and at the same makes me want to go back to Tsukuba with my car again and this time with my semi-slicks and not the NEOVAs I was on that day hehe.

Anyway enjoy !



- Rod

This friday

Tomorrow morning I'll be heading out to Barbagallo Raceway for what I *think* will possibly be my last tuning day for the year before summer kicks in. The weather is looking good, low 7C in the morning, sunny and calm. This could be my last chance to slash my personal best before the season is over.

Stay tuned

-Rod

Itching to go again !

Haven't been out to a local track with my car for a very LOOONG time it seems.

The weather here has been pretty bad with rainy periods especially on those far and few in-between tuning days at my local track but I'm itching to go again ! I was hoping to change my suspension setup a little bit but at the moment I just can't be bothered and will use the same setup I've had since my last event.

Cold weather is about to end in a month or so !

I'll leave you with a photo I took at a drifting practice event the other day ! Enjoy !



- Rod

S2000 crashes at Tsukuba

A friend of mine sent me this video from a recent tuning day at Tsukuba 2000 !
Ouch !!



- Rod

2nd in class !

Despite a frustrating array of issues experienced on the day I walked away with a 2nd place in my class (5A - Road Registered under 2000cc) with a time of 68''40 (just under a second shy of my personal best).

My alignment changes from a week before did make the car drive straighter but definitely slower around corners. This was most likely due to camber angles being reduced by half a degree from what they used to be before. Next step is to revert back to what they were and adjust ride heights once again.

The brakes worked fine on my way to the circuit but on the circuit it was a completely different story. They squeeled and exhibitted judder and despite checking for cracks, warping or worn pads I couldn't get rid of the problem. On my 4th and final run the problem went away but the track had become much slower by then compared to earlier in the day and I just couldn't get a good lap together.

The event started off very chaotic and disorganised. I waited in line of 20 people to sign on. Once signed on I was told to go next door to get a timer. It turned out the timer I got was not the right one for the event and so I was told to go to yet another location to get the right timer. There I was told I needed a competition number which people at the sign-on window failed to provide me with and so I ended up waiting in a 40 people line again just to get the number. Finally when it was all sorted I chased down the guy who handed me the wrong timer and returned it and went back again to another window to grab the correct timer. Had to pay $10 for a bracket to affix the timer to the car also (!).

Following that we all moved to our drivers' briefing where we were all told of the rules. Unfortunately they changed the original plan of splitting people into 4 groups to telling everyone (up to 86 competitors) to line up with people they "thought" were close enough in terms of time. That added to yet more confusion and cars were let out with other cars either much much faster or much much slower than them. I personally was seriously held up in 2 out of my 4 runs by cars slower than me and refusing to give way.

The idea for events like these is to space yourself out at least 7 car lenghts so that everyone has a clean track and an undististurbed run but there were fools out there doing just the opposite spoiling it for the others.

Photo 1

Anyway despite these hiccups the event was good fun and i'd highly recommend it. I am definitely going to attend future rounds at other locations and see how they turn out.

Congratulations to the 1st place winner in my class driving in a Honda Civic EG platform.

- Rod

Good to go

This morning I received a confirmation from the event organisers that my entry for tomorrow's event had been accepted so looks like the only way forward now is forward !

Competition is looking very strong so i'll be trying hard not to come last.

- Rod

Straightened out

Yesterday was a hell of a day !
I had 2 appointments to attend to, the 1st of them was with Wheels World to have my alignment corrected and the new tyres fitted and the 2nd one was with GoGear Racing Services to have my car scrutineered before saturday's sprint event.

In the morning I went to get my car from the garage and it wouldn't start. All I was getting was ticking / clicking sounds but no turning. First I thought it was the alarm system somehow short circuiting my wiring but then I had a quick check of the battery and it was flat ! I hadn't driven the car for over 4 weeks so the bloody alarm drained the battery completely. Not having any means of jumpstarting the car I frantically called my dad to see if he had a charger available and guess what ? He did and so after about 30 mins of charging the car finally started !

I drove to Wheels World and the guy there took over the car immediately and started with the alignment.

The very first thing that struck me was how high-tech their alignment workspace was. They have a dedicated ramp, perfectly levelled and fully adjustable in all 4 corners.

They then attach what I call spiders to each and every wheel, connect them up to each other and the computer system nearby and off they go.

The level of precision is amazing ! The computer display tells them of any change occuring as a result of adjusting any of the angles across any of the 4 wheels until they get it right.

The mechanic there was so experienced that he breezed right through the initial setup and all the subsequent adjustments.

My 'before' setup was strange. First of all my camber on the left side was about half a degree off from my camber on the right. One could speculate that was caused by the height adjustments after the car's journey from Japan to Australia. My toe in front and rear was off also but only marginally.

While all that was happening I was relaxing in their lounge drinking water and watching Daytona on their TV.
After about an hour all was done, adjusted and it was time for the new tyres to go on.

New tyres anyone ? Take your pick !

I had the tyres inflated with air as opposed to nitrogen but from talking to the guys I learnt that when you use nitrogen air pressure is more stable and doesn't flactuate as much with an increasing temperature as normal air. Anyway for $5/tyre it's a steal but not this time.

John, who is the owner of the shop and the sole distributor of ADVAN racing wheels in Western Australia gave me a nice before/after printout of my alignment and charged me a nominal amount for the job.

My most immediate reaction after leaving their shop was 'why is the car driving in a straight line' ? It felt much better than before so let's hope it handles as well on the track where it matters.

After all that at 3pm I drove to have my car scrutineered by Ivan Tan from GoGear Racing Services. The car passed without issues although he suggested something I'd already noticed which was the front disc rotors beginning to crack a little and so sooner rather than later will have to be replaced. He also had some concerns about the seatbelts I've been using but after seeing me sit in my usual racing position he concluded that those JDM recaro seats are actually fine and no issue with the seatbelts really existed.

So...

This saturday from 7am, class 5A (under 2L road registered). Forecast says a few showers and under 20C. My goal is NOT to come last. Anything else is a bonus.

Till then
- Rod

Back of a ute

Here is an aussie motoring icon...a V8 UTE.
These made an appearance on Top Gear at some point in the past but here down under they're everywhere you look.

Enjoy

- Rod

Go karting in Perth !

Last saturday together with a friend of mine we drove down to Cockburn International Raceway to take part in 2x15 minutes go kart sessions.

This place is actually one of the nicest scenic areas south of perth overlooking the Indian Ocean but it was the track that made the BIGGEST impression !

First of all, this is one of the BEST go-kart tracks I've been on ! I know it's a pretty bold statement but there are reasons for it. It has a wide array of different types of corners, it's constantly up-n-down in terms of elevation, it has a very nice back straight with a very fast right hand sweeper (in a clockwise configuration), the track is clean with plenty of run-off (which I dont recommend unless you're willing to part ways with your deposit), a constantly changing camber and a proper style pit lane (pictured above).

The karts are fast, reliable, tyres are in a very good condition and overall very well maintained.

This was my 2nd visit to the track and it couldn't have been any sooner. My friend and I had a few very fast chases around the circuit with a lot of bumper to bumper racing. Unfortunately for us, the earlier part of the session had us battle a slightly wet and cold circuit and so I ended up spinning a few times but the real fun was battling with grip, correcting oversteer and soaking up excees fuel droplets from the kart in front.

In the 2nd part of the day we had 4 amateur racers on the track and so it was great having to negotiate our way around them despite us having to fight against each other as well.

I give this circuit a 9/10. The karts are in a very good condition and differ only very slightly in setup and performance unlike go-karts at many other tracks which are underperforming, sometimes faulty and slow. The track is very technical and physically demanding (especially if you have long legs like me), but it's very very well designed and maintained and obviously it wouldn't be of an international standard if it wasn't.

Oh and my friend and I are now hooked so the next natural step is to buy and race a private kart. Stay tuned !

- Rod

Quiet times

It's been a while since my last post and there's been a very good reason for that...I've been quietly indulging in my "other" hobby which is photography.

Here are some of the recent shots I took around Barbagallo Raceway











There is a lot more on my Flickr account so check it out

-Rod

Tyres tyres and more tyres !

Ok so after 8 tuning days, an average of 3 stints per day and some 10 laps per stint the photo below shows what my Yokohama A050s look like....

As you can see the tyre shown on the right (which was mounted on the front left of the car) took a real beating and rightfully so as Barbagallo Raceway where I spent most of these heat cycles is mostly right hand corners and extremely unforgiving when it comes to tyres mounted on the left side.

Here is another look at the right hand mounted tyre :

and the left ...

Now, the tyres didn't use to be like that before my last tuning day but unfortunately my laziness at the last tuning day made me forget to check tyre pressures prior to going out and under time attack conditions the underinflated left tyre flexed too much resulting in what can be seen above.

TIP for those using A050s especially on an FF car like mine.
Remember to start with about 160/170kPa cold pressure and bringing the pressure up to no more than 200kPa when the tyre is hot. If you start with anything lower than 140kPa by the time you pressure gets to 180/200kPa the tyre will have flexed causing damage seen above. Do a few laps, come back to the pits and adjust pressure as necessary and you'll have long lasting rubber still capable of very fast times.

-

So anyway in my previous posts I mentioned I'd ordered some new tyres from Japan but after checking with a local distributor here in Perth (WHEELS WORLD TYRES and MORE) I concluded that I can have them delivered locally without the need for ordering from Japan and having to worry about international shipment, customs and delivery duration for a mere $50 extra per set !

And so after just a couple of days I have these new babies in my garage !!

The price above also includes fitting and balancing so it's a win/win !

Today I flipped my old A050s over on their rims so that I can use the left on the right and the right on the left for maybe another 1 to 2 events before the new ones go on. I am hoping to have John from WHEELS WORLD do a toe alignment for me as well so I can finally correct that annoying pull to the left.

- Rod