We're constantly bombarded with invitations to take free tours, but with our reply we always have to give a cc number in order to get "instant access now!" The invites we received from Enkei, Power House Amuse, and Tein did not come with an obligation to buy anything, and they didn't pepper our monitors with an endless loop of pop-ups-not that we know anything about that stuff.
Check out our notes from our field trip to Japan.We managed to keep our heads, arms, and legs inside the bus at all times, packed plenty of clean underwear and Lunchables, and we never strayed too far from the group. This was way better than that summer we spent at Kamp Krusty where we wet the bed the first night-just one more piece to complete our set of emotional baggage.
Ricky Gets Teinted: Maruwa Auto Land Nasu (Rally X)
The day after the Tokyo Auto Salon led us to the Maruwa Auto Land Nasu (Rally X course). Tein's big boss, Yoshio Fujimoto, has won more rally championships than we can even imagine. That's what makes this visit so fitting. Considering that we've never been to a rally course in Japan, we had no idea what to expect. It was actually quite interesting, kind of like some primitive irrigation system. Walls three to eight feet in height with a one-lane-wide track to race on. Oh yeah, there was mud, and plenty of it.
The Tein crew had seven of its top drivers and cars lined up, five of which we would have the honor of riding with. To be quite honest, this is the first time we've ridden shotgun and thought we were going to crash into the wall. Not that the drivers weren't skilled enough, because they sure as hell were. That's just the way the course is set up. There was more slipping and sliding going on than you could find at a Double D mud-wrestling match. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to drive the cars ourselves. That's probably better for Tein anyway because we'd more than likely crash.
Ebisu Circuit
The clock reads 4 a.m. and we're just about ready to hit the sack in our traditional Japanese-style hotel. It was a long night of fine cuisine, hot springs, and Yamz' magic juice (Greg Yamamoto not included). Just past 5 a.m. we hear a knock at the door. As much as we try to ignore it, like when our dad tried to wake us up to go to school, it is impossible when Senr Philippe Chavez flips on the lights and tells us to get ready.
It's cold. Really cold. But that's just how it is when you're at the Ebisu Circuit in early January. We know our destination is reached when we see the Falken Porsche, AS Sancha FC3S RX-7, and DRFT chop top S15 Silvia lined up next to the track. We're scheduled to get hot laps in these cars and then drive the Tein equipped 350Z, RX-8, WRX STi, and Evo VIII on the track later. Hopefully much later, because we're still a bit dazed from our shenanigans the night before. In fact, we're feeling a bit queasy at this moment and the fumes from the kerosene heater aren't helping the situation one bit.
During the practice session, the FC3S experienced some problems on the track and had to be shut down for the rest of the day-nothing new when it comes to a rotary engine. That's one down and two to go. Our first two laps are with driver Hironori Takeuchi and the Falken Porsche. With the FC3S out of commission, our next bout is in the DRFT S15 with Akinori Utsumi behind the wheel. Both rides could only be paralleled with the sickest Wally World ride that we could imagine. Speaking of sick, does anyone know where the bathroom is?