The JapShow June 2006 Report (click photos to enlarge)
The first JapShow event of 2006 got off to a flying start, with glorious sunshine, thousands upon thousands of beautiful cars, and some superb action both on and off track.
The JapShow started early for many, with the track being open for a test day the day before the JapShow itself. Run What Ya Brung times set on Saturday would be valid for competition, and this allowed more people than ever to get out on the famous quarter mile and be a drag racer for the day. The Run What Ya Brung top times were astonishingly fast, just going to show what these amazing Jap machines are capable of. The Run What Ya Brung field was by far the fastest ever seen at any Santa Pod event, with the average time being 13.9 seconds!
| Class A Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti |
A306 |
Mark Moseley, Nissan Skyline GTR |
10.424 sec's, 137.20mph |
| Mark has run an absolutely stunning time for a RWYB car! It's no wonder he topped the class! |
| Class B Toyota/Lexus |
B427 |
Justin Moat, Toyota Supra Mk4 |
12.088 sec's, 112.79mph |
| Justin ran a very low 12 to top the competitive Toyota class. |
| Class C Honda/Acura |
C7 |
Ryan Panter, Honda Civic Type R |
12.906 sec's, 113.64mph |
| Ryan played his part as Pro FWD runner-up on Sunday, but was out in the Run What Ya Brung early on Saturday morning, ripping up the track in full road trim. |
| Class D Mitsubishi/Proton |
D393 |
Mathew Goode, Mitsubishi Evo IX GT |
11.392 sec's, 119.10mph |
| Matthew's Evo stormed the track with a low-11. Great stuff. |
| Class E Subaru |
E70 |
Paul Eggerton, Subaru Impreza WRX |
12.224 sec's, 113.59mph |
| Paul fought a massive field of Scoobies to win this close and competitive class. |
| Class F Mazda |
F204 |
Brian Ellis, Mazda RX7 |
12.049 sec's, 125.29mph |
| Brian topped the Mazda class with a very low 12, where RX7s are king. |
| Class G Suzuki/Daihatsu/Isuzu |
G220 |
John Ardis, Suzuki Swift |
14.653 sec's, 101.84mph |
| John is another contender who played his part in the Pro FWD, but got out on Saturday to cut some stunning times in his Swift and prove his place in with the Pros. |
| Class X Non Road Legal |
X466 |
James Buckley, Ariel Atom Turbo |
10.892 sec's, 128.07mph |
| Serial trophy fetishist James has won his class at every Santa Pod event he has attended this year. The only thing non road legal about his Honda Civic-powered Atom was the removal of mudguards over the rear wheels. |
If you went down the strip at JapShow and want to see how your times compare then visit the JapShow 2006 RWYB Timing Data page.
Pro Shootout
Also on track was the Pro Shootout, now featuring separate classes for FWD and 4WD/RWD. The entry list was almost like a "who's who" of Japanese car tuning, but a few competitors fell foul of technical problems even before the first wheel had turned. For a full race report visit the Pro Shootout page.
Show Car Paddock
The Meguiar's Show Car Paddock was a popular part of the show for those more interested in styling than quarter-mile times, and a great variety of cars were represented, from the unusual Scion to the ever-popular Subaru Impreza. Fancy pearlescent paint and chrome wheels turned heads, and big sound systems screamed for attention, but the winners were as follows:
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Runner Up: Luke Borg, Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo
Luke's beautiful candy red 300ZX was factory fresh despite it's age, with hundreds of complex modifications and tasty touches. |
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Runner Up: Claire Miskelly, Mitsubishi Evo 7
Claire's bright yellow Evo was packed with tasteful colour coded features and perfectly proportioned mods. |
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Best Of Show: Robbie Davies, Mazda MX5 Turbo
Hydraulic suspension, flip paint, chromed wheels, custom install and hardtop conversion were all daring and perfectly executed mods. The car even had some well installed performance mods to give it go on top of the show. |
Around Site:
The new and improved drift track provided hours of tyre-frying entertainment, with some of the top drivers in the UK putting on great scheduled shows and solo runs. If you want to see more drifting, make sure you check out the series of drift competitions taking place at racetracks throughout 2006.
The Dynomobile was also being kept busy with enthusiasts keen to see what power and torque their cars could achieve, and put an end to all the pub ammo of nonsense power figures!
Terry Grant did his superb stunt show, and added a bit of spice to proceedings by blowing up the Subaru and crashing the Legend! But y'know, sometimes it takes the odd incident to make you realise it's not as easy as he normally makes it look!
Martin Hill also piloted the Jet car to two earth-shattering 6-second runs! Great stuff.
We hope you all had an excellent day. A massive thanks go out to all the clubs, individuals, traders and racers who made it another superb event. See you back at the Pod in October for the JapShow Finale!
More Photos in the JapShow June 2006 Gallery. |
