Liz here, and I'm back! Back from where you ask? Japan! Yes, that's right Japan. This past January I was able to travel to Japan with the entire DSPORT Magazine crew. Traveling to Japan is something I dreamt about as a kid. I have always been fascinated with Japanese subcultures such as the Harajuku fashion, anime, video games and cars! This past year I sacrificed a lot in order to make this trip happen. My car was placed on hold which also meant no driving. The trip itself cost a pretty penny but I also did not want to come home empty handed without any rare goodies for my cars! It all paid off and I definitely do not regret postponing my seat time and car. The trip consisted of visiting several popular shops and companies as well as attending Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS). As you can imagine I have so much to share! So many pictures, experiences and thoughts I want to share but can't cram it all into one entry. First and foremost I want to thank the entire DSPORT staff for being so down to earth and friendly! I was extremely nervous considering the trip was about 12 hours long! After talking with the staff my nerves felt at ease. As a car enthusiast you know DSPORT magazine, a very reputable and knowledgable company so it was a bit intimidating talking to them at first. Something that I noticed during several instances on this trip is that as car enthusiast we all have a common language...cars. Once we begin to talk cars everything just clicks. I'll touch base on that later.. Anyhow, below are a few pictures from the flight itself to our view from our hotel.
As you can tell prior to take off I was extremely nervous.
Excuse the crummy picture but I didn't have the window seat so I had to try and capture the amazing sunset while not disturbing my neighbor. This picture doesn't to it justice, it was beautiful!
The little lights at the bottom portion are from the train station. Side note, train stations are awesome! I don't know why we don't have more of them here in Cali.
As I mentioned earlier I will be splitting the trip into a few entries. I haven't even scratched the surface so stay tuned! I'll leave you with a couple of teasers...enjoy !
Nissan Heritage Collection (ZAMA) also known as The Nissan DNA Garage.
Can you guess what facility we visited?
Top Fuels booth at Tokyo Auto Salon. Top Fuels S2000 one of the many favorite cars at TAS. Remember to share the blog!
Woke up on Sunday morning around 4:30am to head out with my wife and daughter to Willow Springs for the first time. We met with a group from our area (Inland Empire) off the I-15 and 138. There were a few Hondas that looked familiar. We waited for about 20 minutes, nobody else showed up, so we headed out with that group. Most of the road was one lane and the group was driving slow, I hate driving slow. The road opened up and a Blue S2000 followed me as we left the group behind. Later on we ran into the black EH Si Hatchback (below) and I decided to take my first rolling shot with my new 16mm wide lens. I really liked the hatch, simple and clean. Then I took another of the S2000. Finally we arrived at a Chevron station, all sorts of track cars where there. We grabbed a bite to eat and headed towards the track. When we arrived at the track there weren't too many people there yet, but slowly it got packed.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere at the event. Everyone came prepared with tools and their spare track tires. It was even more fun smelling the tires, brakes, and the rich fuel from a few cars. When behind the lens you can see the focus and how serious the drivers are. I didn't introduce myself to many people just a few familiar faces and met a few new people. I like analyzing the vehicles from the pits to the track how they move which takes better turns. But also I guess it's all the seat time and practice the drivers put into the track and the time they put into what to do next to the vehicle to improve. I really dig that some Hondas had the cut off rear bumpers to create less drag. What surprised me was the number of females enthusiasts tracking there cars! Not sure how many, but I saw a few. Good to see ladies getting behind the wheel and blasting around the track. I enjoyed my day at SOW hopefully to make it to the next event. Hope you guys and girls enjoy the coverage and like the blog. ^_^
Finally the first round started at the track and I started gathering some shots. What I really dig about track events is the smell of rubber and brake pads. Each car has a slightly different sound, which is cool. Besides that it's the atmosphere! Everyone is in a good mood, people say what's up or introduce themselves. Overall all the "VTEC Club" competitors were awesome at the track.
I didn't get to many shots after this they were all blurry =(
A shot of the FG2
On the way out, spotted this second generation Civic, looks like it needs some minor work.
I wanted to congratulate all the winners at the event. Hope everyone enjoys the coverage, I know it's not the best photography but I enjoy doing it, and I enjoy supporting events like. For you guys & girls that don't know me, im still a shy guy but im a humble and loyal guy. Not here to get famous, just want to support those who support me. #passionoverfame
