Innholdsfortegnelse for No 256 April 2018 i NZ Performance Car

I’m going to let you’ll in on a little secret: very few people are paid to race in this country. Usually, it’s the car owner’s bank account that takes the hammering each time the car is loaded onto the trailer for a weekend’s racing. For the most part, these people are business owners who write off a lot of the cost through their own companies. Motorsport, even at a lower level, is an expensive hobby. I get it — I’ve seen it gobble up Lotto millions; send once-thriving businesses into the toilet; lose families; and even put guys in prison, some of who are still sitting in a small concrete box. Funding this obsession is a never-ending hustle, and securing meaningful cash sponsors is close to impossible for most, so…

Craig Hedley has owned this street-legal Supra for the past eight years and has pedalled it to constant 10-second time slips at the likes of Night Speed Drag Wars, where he also took regualar C2 wins. After running as quick as 10.1 a dropped oil line killed the 2JZ-GTE. Three years and a few engine builds later, the car is now looked after by Dtech Motorsport, which has built a brand-new block crammed full of forged components, fitted a new head and Borg Warner snail, and switched out the V161 six-speed manual in favour of a TH400 auto box. The package saw Craig run into the nines, with a 9.2 at Meremere, and the team decided to turn up the wick and take the car to the Masterton Motorplex Auckland…

With a 28-strong field of Pro Drift entrants and a full development series, there were always going to be some big plays made at round three of the Drift South series. It saw not only the regular names in the mix but also a few old heads dusting off their race boots, and the likes of Joel Counter, ‘Mincey’ Mitch Gibbs, and ‘Philthy’ Phil Sutherland bringing along D1NZ comp cars to act as cats among the pigeons. Ultimately, it would be Joel Counter who claimed bragging rights in the Pro Drift class, after qualifying fifth and smashing his way through the battle true to the final against Josh McMillan. That battle saw Josh take a 5.5/4.5 advantage over Joel in the first run. Not to be outdone, Joel stepped up…

MARCH 9-10 D1NZ ROUND THREE / DRIFT SOUTH ROUND FOUR TIMARU INTERNATIONAL MOTOR RACEWAY It’s here, folks: the Link ECU D1NZ National Drifting Championship is heading back south and has linked up with the Drift South series for a mega round of north v. south drifting. Timaru International Motor Raceway plays host to the antics, which will see more drift cars than your heart can handle descend on Timaru in the hopes of adding valuable season points to their respective series rankings and taking home the title of round winner. For more information and ticket pricing, head to nzxms.co.nz. MARCH 16 NZHONDAS.COM NIMM TRACK DAY ’18 HAMPTON DOWNS MOTORSPORT PARK, TE KAUWHATA If you love all things high-revving, lightweight, that go ‘dort-dort’, and are circuit-ready street racers, get a load…

The year was 2006, and February kicked off with the March edition of NZ Performance Car, Issue No. 111 — confusing? Yes, we know — rolled out to servos, supermarkets, book stores, and dairies all over this little strip of paradise we call home. On the cover sat a camo-clad RX-7, which was making its debut to the world. While most of us were busy heavy breathing and drooling over the 20B peripheral-port (PP) of ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett, that wasn’t the car that Carl Robertson was heavy breathing and drooling over in that issue. The self-confessed TX3 nutter had landed on page 76, and the 4WD TX3 that Neil Macfarquhar had constructed to tackle Targa. The widebody TX3 was everything that a young teenage Carl couldn’t afford, from the latest…

While we tend to blow our own trumpets here in New Zealand about how crafty we are, a proud nation of do-it-yourselfers, brought up on a diet of number-eight wire and just making do, the truth is that we are not the only nation on this planet that breeds such crafty buggers. We share this DIY ingenuity with South Africa, so it should come as no surprise that the Beetle before you was built almost entirely in the small Bay of Plenty garage of South African–expat David Du Toit and his family. Unlike the case with a lot of DIY work, though, there is very little on this drag car to indicate that its birthplace was the backyard. You might even have been fooled into thinking it was built by…

The mark of a true craftsman is the ability to form objects of great quality with nothing more than a set of simple tools and their own hands. And through extensive practise of their craft, the craftsman may harness their experience to reach the level of a shokunin — the Japanese term for an artisan — and combine both function and aesthetics into an object that not only serves the direct purpose for which it has been built but also expresses the shokunin’s own journey and serves as a new benchmark for those around it. In the words of shokunin Tashio Odate, “Shokunin means not only having technical skill, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness … [an] obligation to create greatness both material and spiritual.” For Auckland-based connoisseur…

400KW 4A-GE While having a car which delivers north of 300kW on tap isn’t the unheard of benchmark that it once was, when you’re cranking out 400kW from a 1600cc motor in a lightweight shell, well that’s pretty damn impressive. Paul Edlin tells us that the goal was always to build a fast street car which could lay down some quick quarter-mile times, and instead of taking his Hachiroku drifting like so many others would, he decided this 86 would receive the drag-car treatment. It’s powered by a turbo 4A-GE that makes use of an AE101 4A-GZE block fitted with MRP forged rods and factory Toyota forged pistons, while the head has been rebuilt to Formula Atlantic specifications using Supertech 2mm oversized Atlantic valves, double valve springs, titanium retainers, bronze…

A recent trip to round two of the local drifting series left me thinking about how the punters watch and interpret battles. It’s a debate that has thrived for years among those who watch and those who are involved with the series, amid continued misunderstanding by the punters of — and outright disagreement with — the judging criteria that the competition is based around. It was clear to see that those who were buying tickets valued proximity during battles over maintaining line and, to a degree, angle, and felt that those who drive aggressively on the lead car’s door should be rewarded for their efforts — evidenced by the absolute roaring from the crowd during the Cole Armstrong versus, well, everyone battles. So, the question that’s been raised time and…

After missing round one in Wellington, series veteran Drew ‘Doni D’ Donovan came in hot at his home-town round in Tauranga to claim his first win within the Link ECU D1NZ National Drifting Championship. Having competed in the series nearly six years, Drew came into the battles after qualifying 18th and took out ‘Philthy’ Phil Sutherland to progress into the top 16. There, he was met by second-place qualifier Vincent Langhorn, who would wheel drop on the teardrop and not fare well for the rest of the battle, handing a win to Drew. From there, Drew would face round-one winner Matty Hill, in the top eight, with Matty spinning on his chase run after ‘one more time’ was called. Drew would go on to beat three-time drift king Gaz Whiter,…

By now you should already know that the Nationals drags — a staple of the annual 4&Rotary Nationals for more than 20 years — didn’t happen over the weekend of January 27–28. Instead, the party was shifted to April, with Saturday 14 the date chosen, to ensure a massive day of straight-line madness. Entries are now open for the packed day of drag racing and roll racing — yep, for the first time at Meremere, the Partmasters Roll Racing series will be run — as well as the return of the New Zealand Burnout Nationals, combined with a massive hardpark. For those wanting to enter the drags, entry will set you back $85 for early bird entry, with an additional $30 after March 28. Burnouts are priced at $70 a…

The second season of our sister title NZV8’s TV show Teng Tools Muscle Garage is a happening thing, and, as you read this, it’s bringing in the thunder each Sunday afternoon as part of CRC Motorsport on Three. You can expect more of the same Kiwi V8 coverage, with all episodes being uploaded to themotorhood.com after they have aired. While you’re at it, make sure to enter the Teng Tools Muscle Garage giveaway, offering the chance to win a weekly $250 prize pack, or the big-daddy grand prize with a value close to $5K — all made possible by the show’s sponsors, Teng Tools, Meguiar’s, Need A Car, and Mount Shop. Episode four — Sunday, March 11 Episode five — Sunday, March 18 Episode six — Sunday, March 25 Episode…

From humble beginnings, the V 4&Rotary Nationals has now spanned two decades, with this year’s event taking a different path. One thing remains constant, though: the annual V 4&Rotary Nationals is still the biggest date on the calendar. As is the tradition, the unofficial day one of the three-day bender kicked off on Friday for those placing their creations on display. For anyone interested in the scene, this is one experience you can’t miss — we strongly suggest hopping in the passenger seat of a mate’s car to take in all the glory of rolling through those doors and being greeted by the sensory overload caused by the exhaust fumes and noise of 300-plus cars piling into one massive echo zone — not to mention getting that first glimpse of…

New Zealand — yeah, it’s a lovely place to live, what with our endless coastlines, killer mountain ranges, and thriving rotary scene. But what the brochures fail to disclose to you is that the weather can be somewhat of a pain in the arse, especially during those summer months. It’s almost like someone is trying to mess with us, with rain seemingly showing up whenever the big events roll into town. Events like the 2018 running of REunion at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo. With a record number of entries (380), new builds, old builds being dusted off, and the promise of the biggest rotary-only event New Zealand had ever witnessed — and, right on cue, the rain started to roll in heavily the week of the event, with…

The drag racing scene in Japan was white hot from the mid 1980s to the end of the ’90s. The drivers were brave, and many of the machines they built are now the stuff of legend. During this time, the tuning scene was all about big power, drag racing, and 0–300kph trials. However, evolution within the scene saw many tuners cross over into time attack and drifting, while zeroyon, which refers to drag racing in Japan (with the word meaning ‘zero to four’, or ‘0–400m’) slowly saw only diehard fans come out to play. This really meant drag racing had its back up against the wall, but, despite this, a small group of dedicated racers is unwilling to let the sport grind to a halt and is working on that…

NZ Performance Car: Hey, Alex, sweet Crown. What was your first car? Alex: It was a Honda Civic with the mighty VTEC-E! Rubbish power, but very economical, so it was perfect for a student at the time. And how did you end up owning the Crown? I imported it through my company, Moonlight Racing, and wanted to learn how to adjust and use the factory air suspension. It was a hard decision between this shape and the UCF31 Celsior, as they’re both pretty similar underneath. It just so happened that the auction I won on the day was the Majesta. Both great choices. How did you go modifing the air ride? It was easy, I installed a Data Systems height controller, which intrercepts the signal between the factory air ECU…

For time-attack cars, Tsukuba Circuit in Japan is the benchmark for fast. Post a solid lap time there, and you’ll have ultimate bragging rights, which is why tuning house HKS has stopped at nothing to reclaim the record, they last held with the CT230R, developing the TRB-03 (Tsukuba Record Breaker), based on a GT86. HKS has spent 13 months testing the TRB-03 on and off the track, making multiple modifications towards its target. Of note was the change from supercharger to turbo on the 2.5-litre 4U-GSE heart. Previously, the TRB-03 had been equipped with an extensively modified HKS GT supercharger kit, but that has been binned in favour of an HKS GTIII-5R snail that helps to make upwards of 600kW at the wheels. It also features a ton of aero…

Since the loss of the Slipway Facility in Wellington, the local drift scene has been lacking a fulltime, dedicated drift track. We’ve managed by repurposing local circuits, such as Hampton Downs and Meremere for the upper North Island, Taupo for the lower, and Ruapuna and Timaru raceways for the South Island. However, when we caught a whiff that plans were underway to bring back a dedicated drift venue, we were all over that noise. The brainchild of former D1NZ Pro series driver Sky Zhao, Evergreen Drift Park is a tight and technical circuit, approximately 1km long, that focuses on low-speed drifting in which big power, or the need to carry lots of momentum, is not necessary — but if you have it, a damn good time is sure to follow.…

Last year saw the Cook Motor Racing (CMR) team complete a successful Bonneville campaign, taking home records in both the Nissan NX coupe — which became the first saloon car ever to achieve 200mph (322kph) and also set the G/GCC (194mph [312kph]) and G/GALT (191mph [307kph]) records — and the 2.0-litre Synergy Power V8- powered ‘Wairua’ Streamliner, which ran into the 200mph range with Reg behind the wheel, resetting the G/GS record at 261mph (420kph). For 2018, the team is excited to announce that Wairua will have one screaming 14,500rpm heart switched for another, as the 2000cc Synergy Power V8 will be pulled out and replaced with a V10 Judd 3.0-litre updated 1998 Formula 1 (F1) engine. Yep, it’s based on a legit F1 engine, and has been updated with…

The formidable Honda K-series engines are, without a doubt, one of the masterpieces of modern automotive engineering; even in their factory straight-from-the-junkyard Accord, CR-V, or Odyssey form, they make many highly strung four-cylinder race engines throw a rod trying to compete. The four-valve design makes upwards of 150kW in factory form, and an off-the-shelf parts haul will see you able to extract the likes of 340kW. However, that is still not the limit, as American-based 4 Piston Racing has proven, extracting an astonishing 387kW with nothing more than atmospheric air pressure flowing into the Kinsler throttle bodies. Luke Wilson and Josh Klein have been in the Honda engine game for a very long time, constantly pushing the boundaries of what we all thought was possible with these four-bangers. This 2.7-litre…

Whenever you meet someone new, there’s always that awkward period of small talk that ensues, when you both attempt to figure out what each other is all about in the shortest amount of time possible. So, when one car person meets another, almost instantly the same question arises: “What do you drive?” In turn, responding with “A Honda” ccan evoke different thoughts depending on the person asking the question, but what they’re best known for is being rapidly fast and endlessly revving front-wheel drives, and, of course, pioneers of that variable valve timing all-time favourite — VTEC. But what most tend to forget is even a member of the Honda family is a perfectly over-engineered, rear-wheel-drive, front-engined oddity that seemed to come out of left field back in 1999. We’re…

NZ Performance Car: Hi, Shane. Your RX-8 isn’t quite the example you’d normally see on our pages — what do you use it for? Shane: Hey, guys. This was my attempt to build a car that would get the younger guys into ‘street stock racing’: it’s basically racing and drifting in one, and you get to hit the other guys! Forever, the class has seen mostly Holdens and Fords go at it, with a handful of Soarers and the odd lone model Euro — it’s mainly down to a few rules that limit cars at 4.8-litres carbureted (two-barrel) or 4.0-litres for fuel-injected motors and the barring of forced induction. So, I thought why not enter something rotary powered like an RX-8? They’re cheap to purchase and parts are readily available.…

DROP-IT With all the hype surrounding the recent release of the Honda Civic Type-R FK8, you knew it was only a matter of time before performance upgrade components were released. Xtreme Clutch, the performance and racing division of Australian Clutch Services, is ahead of the game. It’s dropped a range of performance clutches to suit the Type R, all specifically designed to improve throttle response and increase torque capacity. With organic, ceramic and carbon options available in single and twin disc configurations, there’s a kit for all types of applications. For more information about the Xtreme Clutch range of products, please contact your nearest BNT branch or email info@bntnz.co.nz. DON’T GET COOKED Heat surging through your engine because of a coolant temp spike is almost guaranteed to cook something, and…

NZ Performance Car: Hey, Nic. Tell us how you got into cars? Nic: Hi. It would have been just growing up around friends who all had a passion for cars, and I always dreamed of owning a low clean-looking car as a kid. My first car was a ’80 KP60 Starlet, which I owned at about 14/15 years old — [I] swapped it for a Honda CR80 motorbike, which, at the time, I thought was a good idea, until I brought it home and got an earful from the parents and [was] forced to sell it two weeks later. That’s the age to make dumb decisions though. Have you had many cars since? I’ve had five cars since I got my licence but, hands down, this Corolla has been my…