Super GT 2010 Round 8 @ Motegi: A New Champion is Crowned and its Powered by VTEC

The 2010 Super GT season came to a close at the Twin Ring Motegi race track. Round 7 at Fuji Speedway could not take place due to a devastating tsunami and mud slides that wiped out major roads around the circuit area. A special Fuji Event will take place later this year as a big thank you to all the fans for their support.

Which brings us to Round 8. Both the GT500 and GT300 championships were still up for grabs, in what has to be the most tightly contested season in the history of the series. The Weider Honda HSV-10 led the GT500 class by a single point over the charging Eneos Lexus SC430. The drama began as the green light fell down on the race, with the Eneos SC430 being given a 20 second penalty stop for passing a red light as it exited the pits on its way to the starting grid. This made the Eneos team’s chances to win the GT500 class almost impossible and relieved a lot of the pressure on the Weider team. Or so we thought. The Honda would battle the Petronas Tom’s SC430 for the entire second half of the race, in one of the most exciting duels in recent Super GT memory. The Weider team drivers, knowing that a 2nd place finish would secure the 2010 title, were in full attack mode. Both cars bumped each other on a number of occasions, which resulted in Weider team orders being given to make sure they finished the race and not end up in the gravel. In the end, the HSV-10 made one last run at the finish line, but the Tom’s SC430 held off for the win. Even still, this was enough to give Honda and Team Weider both the Drivers and Manufacturers Championship. A huge accomplishment for Honda’s new machine in its first year of competition against the proven SC430 and the mighty GT-R.

The chase for the GT300 title was also up for grabs by the fan favorite Corolla Axio APR GT and the Tomica Z. And just like in the GT500 class, another early incident would play a huge part in deciding the new GT300 champion. On the third turn of the first lap the Corolla Axio ran off course and into the gravel, signaling the end of their season and championship hopes. This gave the Tomica Z full advantage, as the bright orange Nissan dominated the entire race without any challengers, taking the win for the day and the GT300 championship.

It was the culmination of one of the most exciting seasons ever for Super GT and even the previous JGTC series. In the GT500 class, the dominant GT-Rs and SC430 proved strong all season, but inevitable dethroned by the new Honda HSV-10. A car that was sent to rest before being released to the world as the next NSX, only to show once again that when it comes to world-class racing, just like past Formula 1, when Honda aims to create a powerful RWD car, it tends to surpass the expectations of not only its competition, but of its own designers as well. We just hope that Honda hears the prayers of their fans and finally decide to release an iteration of this car in future production form.

And in the GT300 class, fan favorite team RE Amemiya could not find their groove all season, giving way once again to Nissan and its iconic Z to take this years championship. 2011 might be a little bit of the same. But then again, as we reported months earlier, rumor has it that Honda is planning to enter the GT300 class with none other than the new CRZ, but in RWD format. Can Honda replicate this years magic in the GT500 class with their new sport-hybrid? We shall see.

Thanks goes to all the teams and sponsors for making this the most exciting seasons yet. And thank you, the fans, for all of your support.

See you next time!!

The K20A: Honda’s Current and Maybe Last 4 Cylinder Masterpiece

The Honda K20A. A masterpiece of engine design and arguably the best NA( naturally aspirated) 4 cylinder ever built, with the other being another Honda wonder, the S2000’s F20C. While only having 2.0 liters of displacement, what makes this engine such a weapon is the current iteration of Honda’s famous VTEC system. The K20A from the last Type R, the FD2 Civic, uses variable valve timing for both in intake and exhaust valves. Its ultimate configuration is found in the limited Mugen RR, which still keeps its 2.0 liter displacement and pushes 240 Hp and 159 lbs of torque, with a race like redline of 8400 RPMs.

Mated to Honda’s excellent 6 speed manual transmission, many auto enthusiasts have found the K20A to be one of the best powerplants to swap into their cars, which in turn changes a daily commuter into a weekend racer. You will see many EG and EK hatch Civics with a K20A swap, in addition to some family grocery getters like the Honda Fit. But this engine is not limited to Hondas only. Other car enthusiasts have discovered the high potential of the K20A in vehicles such as the Toyota MR-S and the Lotus Elise, with the Honda engine being even better suited than the supercharged Toyota powerplant that comes stock. The original Ariel Atom also used a supercharged K20A for its European model.

So now that Honda has ceased manufacturing of the last Type R this past August, the fate of this gift to the automotive world is unknown. For now, let’s have some fun and relieve the glory of the K20A in a tuner battle to see which car is the perfect match for the Honda screamer.

Super GT 2010 Round 6 @ Suzuka: Back to Back Wins for Honda and the HSV-10

Momentum has shifted to Honda and their NSX successor, the HSV-10. In only its first year of competition, Honda has managed to score three 1st place finishes in 6 races for 2010. The 3rd came at Suzuka as TEAM ARTA finally scored their first win of the season.

The ARTA HSV-10 was out on a mission in Round 6 in the GT500 class. It started the race from the pole position strongly, building a 5 second lead early on in the race. It had a small brush in when it ran into a crowd of GT300 cars, which caused slight damage to the left rear of the car. This didnt slow the ARTA HSV-10 at first, but it caused a massive delay in its first pit stop while the crew worked swiftly to remove the damaged parts. By the time the HSV-10 when back to the track it had been passed by its second place rival. Once all the cars completed their pit stops, the ARTA HSV-10 fell to 4th place.

But it appeared that fate was not to be denied, as a dramatic pit stop by the leading Epson HSV-10, whose rear tire came off while leaving the pits costing it precious seconds, allowed the ARTA HSV-10 to regain the lead, which it held onto for the rest of the race. This was the first win of the season for the ARTA TEAM. Now the race for the championship is really heating up, with the 1st Place Eneos Lexus SC430 and the Weider HSV-10 only separated by a point with 2 races to go. This is proving to be one of the most exiting seasons in Super GT history.

In the GT300 class, the R&D Sport Legacy GT started the race 11 positions back, but steadily rose throughout the entire event and finally took first place and the win with only a few laps to go. TEAM ARTA scored a second place finish with the Garaiya, while the popular Corolla AXIO APR GT finished 3rd.

While the Legacy GT scored its first win of the season, the second place finish for the ARTA Garaiya gives it a 5 point lead over Team RE Amemiya and the RX7, which failed to place in the podium, with only 2 races left. Overall, both GT300 and GT500 ARTA machines had a strong showing at Suzuka. Next stop, Round 7 @ Fuji Speedway.

Action below:

Source: Super GT http://supergt.net/en/

Super GT 2010 Round 5 @ Sugo

In what could go down as the most dramatic final lap in the Super GT series, the KEIHIN HSV-010 scores its first win for 2010 in the GT500 class and the second win in 5 races for Honda and the would be successor to the NSX.  In GT300 action, the Apple K One-Shiden ended the race the exact same way they started it. In First.

See all the highlights of all the crazy action below.

Original Source: Super GT http://supergt.net/en/

Honda, Where Art Thou?

Honda was once a passionate company. They engineered pieces of magic for the everyday driver that shared a passion for cars as well. Nothing embodied this Spirit that Honda once had more than the NSX. It was, when introduced in 1989, a technological tour de force. The first production car to feature and all-aluminum body and it also introduced the world to the most potent 4 letter acronym the automotive industry has ever known. VTEC. People who don’t even know what VTEC means know that there’s something special under any Honda that has those letters grace its engine bay.

While the S2000 and all the Type Rs that followed all introduced new technologies and vehicles that appeared to defy the laws of auto physics, with lowered powered VTEC models outperforming higher powered vehicles on the Circuit, the NSX was the genesis that started it all. And now that the last great Type R, the FD2 Civic from Japan, is set to be discontinued this August, Honda wont have any performance models available to the people. Regardless of what anyone says, the CR-Z is not a performance vehicle.

The people at Format67 share this same sentiment, but took it one step further. They made their own, what can be called, tribute video for the NSX with none other than Arton Senna commentating throughout. Senna won 3 Formula 1 championshiops with Honda powered F1 race cars, until his tragic death in 1994. With all that being said, there’s only one thing left to say.

Honda, Where Art Thou? When Will Thy Passion and Spirit Return?

Super GT 2010 RD 4 @ Sepang

Nissan scores another win with the GT-R, as team Calsonic Impul and MOTUL AUTECH GT-Rs take the top 2 spots in the GT500 class. In GT300 action, fan favorite Team RE Amemiya and the immortal RX7 score their second win of the season. Action below.

Super GT 2010 RD 3 @ Fuji

Toyota teams dominate Round 3 of the 2010 Super GT series as they take the top 4 spots in the GT500, with the MJ Kraft SC430 taken the win. In the GT300 class, the Corolla Axio APR GT take first place, in what was one of the most dominant weekends for any of the big 3 manufacturers. See all the action below.

Super GT 2010 RD 2 @ Okayama

The Weider HSV-10 entered the race on top of the pole and never relinquished their lead the entire race. It was a dominant performance by the Honda powered machine, which sent a clear message to the SC430s and the GT-Rs of the GT500 class that the soul of the NSX is alive and it means business in 2010. In the GT300 class, the Mola Z executed a perfect game plan to get their first win of the season, while the Team Amemiya had to endure steering problems with the Round 1 winning RX7. It was an exciting race, but don’t take my word for it. Check out the highlights below.

Super GT 2010 RD 1 @ Suzuka

A new season and round 1 of the 2010 Super GT series begins just like it did last year, with a GT-R taking the win in the GT500 Class. The highly anticipated Honda HSV10 placed 3rd. GT300 saw once again Team Amemiya scoring a win with their potent RX7 driven by D1GP favorite Nobuteru Tanaguchi. See the video review with orignal JDM commmentators and all. Enjoy.