JTuned™ Automotive Form | Function Magazine » EVENTS. http://www.jtuned.com Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:54:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 2010 XDC REMIX Award Tour: Irwindale http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2010-xdc-remix-award-tour-irwindale/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2010-xdc-remix-award-tour-irwindale/#comments Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:35:37 +0000 JTuned Staff http://www.jtuned.com/?p=1405

Snaps»Jerry Truong

On March 20th, XDC returned with up and coming car show series, REMIX to Irwindale’s House of Drift for round one of the Pro-Am series. The XDC is a feeder series to Formula DRIFT. So if you happen to hear about these events, you definitely check them out. These young drivers will be the future pro driver of Formula DRIFT. The favorites Forrest Wang, Dave Briggs and Quoc Ly are expected to were going all out driving speeds near what you would expect from the pro FD drivers indicating the Pro-Am drivers are becoming much more competitive. At this event Canada’s Dave Briggs in his S14, proved the victor over Quoc Ly. This is going to be an interesting year for XDC and REMIX. Round Two hits Sin City, Las Vegas on May 22nd. We’ll be there to cover the event and see who could this year’s XDC champ.

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]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2010-xdc-remix-award-tour-irwindale/feed/ 0 2010 Formula DRIFT Tech Day Coverage http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2010-formula-drift-tech-day-coverage/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2010-formula-drift-tech-day-coverage/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:01:31 +0000 JTuned Staff http://www.jtuned.com/?p=1359

Snaps» John Pangilinan | The ID Agency

On March 27th, Formula DRIFT held their annual Tech and Preview Day at UTI in Rancho Cucamonga. This is the first time in 2010 that fans could see the new cars of the FD season and meet the teams and drivers. During the competition vehicle inspection, Samuel Hubinette Racing debuted their Dodge Challenger, and Nitto Tire introduced their entire team including Alex Pheiffer’s C5 Corvette, Joon Maeng’s Full Tilt Poker backed BR Mazda RX8, Matt Powers’ S14, Mike Essa’s fresh 335i, and BMI’s Quad rotor RX8. Looks like Nitto is stepping up their game to compete against the Hankook and Falken Tire teams in 2010.

In the rumor mill, APEXi looks to be developing a new car for the season, but they had their tried and true Hankook FD out for inspection. We may have to start snooping around their facility soon to see what they actually have up their sleeve. Like it is every year, the teams are racing against the clock to ready the cars for Round One: Streets of Long Beach. It’s anyone’s guess who will be displaying their cars and not entering the first competition round. Round Two typically sees the competition heat up as most the teams will be dialed in by then. We’ll be at the Streets to see who will be candidates for the championship grab this coming April.

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]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2010-formula-drift-tech-day-coverage/feed/ 0 WekFest 2010 Coverage http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/wekfest-2010-coverage/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/wekfest-2010-coverage/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:30:49 +0000 JTuned Staff http://www.jtuned.com/?p=1341

Statics by» Jeff Cabacungan | Chad Freeman | Arlin Wong

If you missed Wekfest 2010, you simply missed out. If there ever was a “you should’ve been there” moment, this was it. Hundreds of cars, thousands of people. The Fire Marshall ended up shutting it down. Yes, it was that big.  So since 90% of west coast showed up to this event, we’ll won’t write up a well laid out story. Without further adue, below is the massive photo collection from the event. Again, it was huge. Don’t miss the next one.

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]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/wekfest-2010-coverage/feed/ 1 Supra Appreciation Day at SPE http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/spe-meet/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/spe-meet/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:20:42 +0000 JTuned Staff http://www.jtuned.com/?p=1292

Photography By Jerry Troung

SP Engineering, a premiere southern California based tuning facility, made headlines years ago with the Supra 7. For those who haven’t seen it, the Supra 7 was an FD chassis that was re-engineered to house a 2JZ powerplant. It was one of the cleanest examples of cross manufacture engine transplants we’ve seen, even to this day. After the massive amounts of press the Supra 7 received, SP Engineering was officially on the map as the top destination for Japanese super car tuning. Dozens of the best Supras have been built and tuned by the talent at SP, many have which have graced the covers of every magazine in the county.

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]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/spe-meet/feed/ 0 SoCalEvo 2010 Kickoff Meet http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/socalevo-2010-kickoff-meet/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/socalevo-2010-kickoff-meet/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:09:02 +0000 David Rahemi http://www.jtuned.com/?p=1050

Photography by Jerry Troung

On January 24th SoCalEvo, a popular online community and Huntington Beach Mitsubishi joined forces to hold a massive meet to kickoff a fresh decade. Over 300 of the freshest EVO IIX, IX, and X’s in the Socal area rolled up to represent. One of the highlights of the meet was the JUN Auto EVO X that was on display in the  showroom. JUN Auto has opened up shop in the states recently. For anyone that has been in the scene for a few years, JUN’s infamous Hyper demo cars have broken more records than we care to count.

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“One of the highlights of the meet was the JUN Auto EVO X that was on display in the  showroom. JUN Auto has opened up shop in the states recently. For anyone that has been in the scene for a few years, JUN’s infamous Hyper demo cars have broken more records than we care to count.”

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The two hour long raffle was definitely the highlight of the event. HB Mitsu pulled up a van full of parts including downpipes, exhausts systems, and Lo-Down springs to name a few. One lucky raffle winner took home an XBOX360 and a copy of FORZA. Huntington Beach Mitsubishi has always been one of the most tuning community friendly dealerships on the west coast. If you’re in the market for a new or used EVO, they’re definitely worth checking out.

Links:

Huntington Beach Mitsubishi

]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/socalevo-2010-kickoff-meet/feed/ 0 2009 Singapore SIN http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2009-singapore-sin/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2009-singapore-sin/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:51:31 +0000 David Rahemi http://www.jtuned.com/statics/2009-singapore-sin/
Singapore, SUPER Import Nights, loosely based on the show we all know in the states was a unique experience from a unique country full of friendly people. Expecting it to be the same extravagant light filled spectacle filled with wild customized cars, I walked in to something reminiscent of a small scale SEMA type show. The halls were neatly lined with Vendor booths filled with their demo cars and company reps waiting to hand out flyers and brochures. It seems that the entire world gets their styling cues from Japan so the style seems to be what we see in the states circa 2006, a few years behind the trend. Carbon look vinyl wraps and one off customization seems to be the cure to the limited availability of large body parts but car the cars are generally well executed with distinct themes to each.

You would think that the attendees are all there to check out the cars and products but Singapore being a relatively conservative country the main attraction became the models. Each vendor booth was equipped with their selection but ultimately overshadowed by the models invited by the event organizers themselves. Coming from countries such as Thailand, Taiwan, and USA, the models were presented every few hours on stage to a crowd of fan camping at the front to get the best shot. Never have I seen so many 1D’s and big white lenses outside of the sideline of a professional sports event all point straight at the stage. With all this equipment, the crowd remained surprisingly respectful and left the models alone when they’re walking about off the stage instead of chasing them down like a hungry mob of paparazzi. Overall,
the SiN show was an experience truly reflective of the Singapore culture.

Written and Shot By Aaron Wang of Go Tuning

Links
Go Tuning Unlimited

]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2009-singapore-sin/feed/ 0 Formula DRIFT and JTuned Auto Gallery At Irwindale http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/formula-drift-and-jtuned-auto-gallery-at-irwindale/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/formula-drift-and-jtuned-auto-gallery-at-irwindale/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:45:45 +0000 David Rahemi http://www.jtuned.com/?p=787
On October 17, JTuned and Formula DRIFT converged at Irwindale Speedway otherwise known as “The House of Drift”to hold what was one of the largest Formula DRIFT events we’ve seen in years. There was definitely a refreshing amount of excitment in the air. Over 40 pro cars were attempting to qualify for the top 32 and chase was on for the championship. Chris Forsberg clinched the points chase at the event, bringing the 2009 FD Championship home to the NOS Energy Drink x Maxxis Tire race team.

JTuned held its final Auto Gallery of the 2009 season. Some of the cars that we were happy to see come out were the Datsun and Mazda guys. It was dope to see all the attention they received from the crowds. Typically FD spectators aren’t exposed to the Japanese classic car scene so we we’re happy to host them at the event. Since, it was our last show of year, we decided to give our friends, Far East Movement, a call to see if they could perform at the event. Cooper Tire was generous enough to loan us their mobile stage for an hour and the show was on. It easily looked like the entire crowd at the FD event surrounded the stage to enjoy the show. Some of the usual suspects such as Billy Shea and his HKS and ARC decked out IS300 and the AutoFashion & ShowOPT crews were out displaying their cars. One of the cleaner Lexus’ on the scene right belongs to AutoFashion. The all metal blister fender kitted burgandy GS is definately a testament to AutoFashion’s attention to detail. Air Runner came out and offered booth support at the JTuned Auto Gallery as well displaying David Huang’s VIP Infiniti M.

All in all, the final round of Formula DRIFT was a huge success for the fans and the industry. It’ll be interesting to see what cars debut next year. There are already a ton of rumors and spy shots flying around online. JTuned will be there to drop the news whenever it breaks.

]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/formula-drift-and-jtuned-auto-gallery-at-irwindale/feed/ 0 HIN LA 2009 http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/hin-la-2009/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/hin-la-2009/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:00:02 +0000 David Rahemi http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/hin-la-2009/

We found some archived images from the first Hot Import Nights at Anaheim Stadium earlier this year. It was a promising event given that Digital Age purchased the brand from APG. Event attendance was way up and there was an excitement in the air that had been missing for some time. In any case it was a great event and we hope to see HIN survive these tough economic times and thrive. As one of the oldest brands in this industry, let’s hope it has the staying power to survive this economic slump.

Links

Hot Import Nights

]]> http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/hin-la-2009/feed/ 0 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2009-tas/ http://www.jtuned.com/event-coverage/2009-tas/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:10:18 +0000 David Rahemi http://www.jtuned.com/?p=862

Surprising JDM Gems at TAS 2009

Tuners in Japan still turn out hot new JTUNED rides in the face of a down economy.

For the first time since 1997 I contemplated not going to the annual mecca that is the Tokyo Auto Salon. Having been disappointed by last years event and just being jaded by the changing laws and lack of uber cool J-Tuned rides I thought it wouldn’t hurt to pass up a year. After all I had been going for the last 12 years in a row. Faith intervened and another endeavor in Asia routed me through Japan right around the annual gathering of Japans’ finest tuners so luckily for me I got my yearly fix of Tokyo and TAS.

Even with the global economic melt down, one that has affected the already recession hit Japan – I was pleasantly surprised and glad to see that a select few had still decided to believe and invest in their company’s future. The R35 Skyline was still a standard affair most on the show floor featuring simple mods such as a lip kit, exhaust, intake pipes, wheels, suspension components, and a retune. With the ECU literally linked and monitored by Nissan Japan that is likely not to change and in all honestly not much needs to be done to that car to make it even more kick ass than it already is. Power Enterprise was one of the few brave souls that tried to produce more aggressive tuning components developing twin rotax-style superchargers to aid the twin turbos that are already mounted to the powerful yet sweet V6. Estimated HP was at 600 but I have a feeling they are still sorting out the bugs on that kit. Wald and Zele Performance also braved a new aero tuning direction by offering full bumper replacements for the GTR with Wald being the aggressively style kit and Zele being the clean carbon fiber option.

The Car That Took The Show

The performance car of the show was definitely the 370Z. Though fairly new in Japan there were a number there that sported complete kits, suspension and brake tune up packages, and performance upgrades. When the new ZED debuted here in LA I couldn’t stand looking at it but the more I see them tuned the better I like them especially when the stock front fascia is replaced and the fangs that are there are deleted. The best examples came from Zele, Rays, SunLine Auto, and Impul. Dai Yoshihara tells me that the new ZED drives impeccably better then the out going model and feels that it is easily a champion contender if built correctly and put in the right drivers race mittens. Bottom line is the new Z is even more of a driver’s car than it’s predecessor so keep an eye out for many of them to pop up on the street and the track.

There were also a good number of Evo Xs and STIs that were much more tuned than the ones shown in 2008. The yellow JUN Auto STI looked ready for Track Battle while ChargeSpeed presented a full aero kitted Evo and mega wide Body STI that would look mean on any street. RE Amemiya also had a complete concept car styled FD that was well, different and original, but too much of a design study for me. He lost the relationship to street tuning in that particular project but if he was trying to push the design barrier than he definitely achieved it.

Personal Favorites

The two cars that peeked the most interest though would definitely be the Mugen NSX RR concept and Ueno’s BMW Drift Car with it’s 2JZ power plant. For me the NSX RR was the car of the show – bar none. It blows away the Spoon GT Concept both in form and function and was just a sight to behold. I was drooling for days. Ueno raised more than a few eyebrows with his DTM/JDM hybrid and it will be interesting to see what he can do with the E92 3 series that is powered by the same engines found in his iconic Soarers in the D1 series. Maybe he’ll finally win a championship?

The Verdict

All in all, I was surprised to find more aggressively tuned rides at this years salon and I am thanking the heavens that I didn’t miss out on this annual mecca.

Links
Motorworld Hype

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