I got in to Australia on Saturday morning. Ian Baker from Superlap Australia has been nice enough to show me around and introduce me to his friends and people in the Aussie tuning/racing industry. There has been no shortage of visits to the pubs either! Australian beer and pub food are excellent. And no, they do not drink Foster's down here. More on this stuff later though.
I am helping Sierra Sierra prep the EVO 8 for battle so I've been spending a lot of time at Eastern Creek International Raceway these past couple of days. All of the overseas “pro class” cars have arrived safely and are in the garages getting prepped. We are the only American team and the Japanese have distanced themselves from us (probably subconsciously) by picking garages 3 doors down. The 4 Japanese cars are all pitted together: Cyber EVO, Cusco/Tomei STi, PanSpeed FD RX-7, and the R-Magic FD RX-7.
The containers were brought over from the bond warehouse via these giant container moving trucks. These are great because then you do not require a loading dock. Why don't we have these in the US?!?!
The first car to arrive was the Sierra Sierra EVO 8. The car was packed up with plenty of spare parts since the FXMD/Cricket NSX could not make it. You guys have seen this car in detail. While there have been changes of intercooler and charge tubing, a detailed technical breakdown of the Sierra Sierra EVO 8 is HERE.
The Cusco/Tomei STi has landed safely and is now getting prepped. Cusco and Tomei have the largest team out of the imported cars with 7 people. I spoke to Tarzan and he says the power is up +50hp to 516hp and the car has been lightened a hair to 1050kg (2310lbs.). Holy shit that is light. More pics of this car later.
Next to arrive was the legendary CyberEvo. The president of Voltex also came along to assemble the aero parts for both the CyberEvo and the Cusco/Tomei STi. Tarzan says the car is making 600hp @ 2.4kg/cm^2 boost on the Apexi RX-6 turbo. More pics of this car later.
Next to arrive and get unloaded is the R-Magic FD RX-7. I don't know all of the specs on the car, but it is supposed to be pretty quick. The car suffered from a blown engine only a week before the car was scheduled to be packed up in the container so there was a mad rush to get it rebuilt. This car, as well as most of the Japanese cars, suffer from not meeting CAMS (the Aussie version FIA) regulations and this car was no different with the fuel cell in the passenger compartment and the driver's harness not being properly mounted.
If you count the amount of fuel pumps, you'll find a quantity of 4 Bosch 044 fuel pumps. While I doubt the car is making 2500hp, the plumbing is very nice. The only problem is that it is located where the passenger's seat would be. Now that is scary.
The driver's compartment does the job with an AIM dash, 4x Apexi gauges, Neko 640 A/F meter, and some other JDM doodad type electronics. It has Tilton pedal assemblies with pedal “extensions” for shorter Japanese drivers (I think). The driver's seat does not look like it is moved far back. That shifter is pretty sweet for the Hewland sequential transmission. The engine is controlled by both an Apexi Power FC and HKS V-Pro ECUs. I'm guessing the PFC is used for idle and boost while the HKS is used for fuel and ignition.
The body work's attention to detail is excellent on the R-Magic car. This car looks pretty crazy from behind. I think it might be a transformer underneath the skin. If the driver hits a button, it will transform and become a mobile body suit Gundam style.
Last to arrive was the Panspeed FD RX-7. Both the R-Magic and the Panspeed FDs are very serious, but the Panspeed's mechanical presentation is simpler and cleaner than the R-Magic car. The Panspeed car also needed far less work to meet CAMS regulations.
The 13B-REW uses an HKS T04Z turbo, V-mount intercooler, and Turbosmart blow off valve. I am not sure about power output, but a two rotor cannot really make more than 600hp and last more than a couple laps so I'm guessing a maximum of 600hp.
Once again, a cleaner presentation. I don't see a dash, shift light, or a tachometer, but maybe they will be plugging it in and mounting it later. The Motec lap time display sits on the steering wheel. This car has the driver's seat and the pedals moved back slightly from the factory driving position. The shifter for the Hewland sequential transmission is cool here too.
One common theme among all of the JDM cars are the super wide track widths. They all have very aggressive offset wheels, wide body fenders, and wheel spacers. The Cusco/Tomei STi was so wide it just fit into the container. There was no easy way to walk beside it to get behind the car.
Anyhow the weather here is shit for the moment and it is off and on rain. Hopefully the skies clear up for the event this Friday and Saturday. The guys from Haltech, Hypertune, and Turbosmart have been great in offering their facilities, dynos, and shops if needed. The Aussies are all very friendly and willing to help whether or not you are using their parts. Anyhow, if you're in Australia, get your ass over here on Friday and Saturday. It should be an excellent event.
