Editor's note: Since we couldn't make it out to Tsukuba day, we sent resident Beatle's fan Greg Emmerson from eurotuner to cover the Yokohama event. With a newfound love for the Mazda Miata, he might be turning more than just Japanese:
This is one of Japan's better known motorsport facilities, although we'd be using its shorter track for this exercise. Our hosts seemed nervous we might spill into the vegetation at high speed, so the short track meant top speed was limited to max revs in third gear for just the briefest moment before jumping on the brakes.
For our delectation, Yokohama had amassed a tantalizing selection of machines, including stock and modified version of the Toyota Yaris, Mazda MX5 and Nissan 350Z, as well as a BMW. Yokohama also brought out D1 drift racer Takahiro Ueno to show us how it should be done. He provided an effortless and memorable demonstration in the T&E 350Z. Not only did it highlight his impressive car control but even after such punishment, the tread blocks on the S.drive tires were barely scuffed. These Yokos will last a lifetime under normal use.
The T&E 350Z was perhaps the most intimidating car to drive. Tuned for extra hp and with an open exhaust, it could spin its tires out of every corner on the circuit. Fortunately, the brakes were very strong, but the loud exhaust meant everybody heard your mistakes. Power was instantaneous and your responses had to be sharp as the Z tried to swap ends at every opportunity.
The T&E car was more impressive than the supercharged HKS 350Z. Despite an extra 50hp, the fluffy fuel delivery seemed to dull its power delivery and spongy brakes (in comparison to T&E) meant you had less confidence in the chassis. The HKS 350Z was a great car and would be fun on the street, but at Tsukuba T&E reigned supreme. HKS also brought a modified Yaris and while it wasn't going to scare anybody, the chassis and engine work created a tidy little car. The grippy S.drive tires helped to minimize both understeer on the way in and torque steer on the way out of corners, making it a decent track car.
The most entertaining car of the day was the AutoExe Mazda MX5. Engine work was limited to an intake and exhaust, with a chassis upgrade, which made the roadster turn in to corners like you were carving through butter. Initially this was unnerving because you couldn't quite feel the rear grip, but everything was so balanced that it simply absorbed any punishment and powered on to the next corner. You could drive this car with one hand-it required absolutely no effort and steering precision was uncanny. We could have driven this car all day if we'd been allowed. Combined with S.drive tires, this is a guaranteed party in your pants.
A Wong Way Jonathan Wong
I Might As Well Live In A BubbleAs a germophobe, I consider flying one of the top 10 things that I wish I weren't doing but I have to do anyway, so I might as well stop bitching about it. I can drown out the SOBs who moan and whine about how long it takes to get through security at the airport, and I can forgive an airline company for filling the plane with old hags instead of the beauty queens that Singapore seems to attract. However, my bitching goes far beyond that; I tend to panic when sitting in an uncomfortable and confined space without fresh air and-as this last trip to Japan proved-soap in the lavatory dispensers (not once were they refilled!). I just barely learned to accept having to take all of my contents out of my travel bag for inspection, but now it's mandatory to remove shoes, even if they're tennis shoes. In Korea, security politely gives you ample time to pass through the metal detectors so you don't feel like you've stopped the space-time continuum. You're even handed a pair of slippers to use as your shoes go through the X-ray machine. It's service with a smile, I tell you. I used to laugh at people who wore SARS masks on the plane, but they really do work great. People don't come near you and you don't need to down Airborne every 30 minutes to avoid catching the flu.
But what really gets me is the sheer lack of soap in Asia, or warm water for that matter (although I'm sure this wouldn't be the case during the summer). For countries that are so radically advanced when it comes to technology, I'd expect soap oozing out from some sort of robotic dispenser in the form of a woman's chest, or space age hand sanitizer that can only be found in a place like Japan because it smells like stripper or melon soda. Nope-nothing of the sort. (At least Koreans leave bars of soap out, and if they weren't cluttered with thick and curlies I'd use them.) Really, how hard is it to fill a plastic container with soap? I suppose until that happens, I'll have to stick with my JDM SARS mask, keep a travel size Purell in my pocket and purchase stock in Airborne.jdmwong@superstreetonline.com