JapShow Finale 2008 Report

Read the report below and view photos from JapShow Finale 2008 in the Gallery.

Despite the severe weather warnings that were forecast, thousands of Jap car fans remained optimistic that the clouds would part and we’d be able to get on with the most eagerly anticipated meeting of the year.

Unfortunately, no amount of optimism could change the reality of the situation, and the heavy rain led to flooding, and by 3pm all hope was abandoned of getting the track open before it got dark, and the event was declared rained-off.

Things started so well on the Saturday test day: The grey skies issued only idle threats, and the track stayed dry and open virtually all day. With loads of Run What Ya Brungers taking to the track, and plenty of car clubs gathering early, things were really buzzing, especially as the HKS Drag Series Pro cars took to the track to flex their muscles in preparation for the planned race day on Sunday. Leon Green was straight into the 8’s in his new car with a very low terminal speed- a great indicator of the potential of his awesome Mk4 Supra. Championship contender Steve Whittaker got a huge wheels-up launch in his Mk3 Supra, and the new car of James Rumsey had everyone talking. This 4WD drag Evo is beautifully constructed and looked very purposeful, but the first few passes were rightly cautious. Andy Barnes also put in a powerful pass, but struggled for traction in his Skyline GTR.

But when the track shut for the evening on Saturday, the rain came in and it didn’t stop until it was far too late.

Many campers on Saturday night were glad of addition of the Pod Palais, which provided warmth, shelter, entertainment and refreshments to those hardcore enough to be planning a weekend under canvas.

There were some winners from the weekend though: Loads of great-looking cars made the effort to attend the Meguiar’s show & shine, and the Run What Ya Brung winners from Saturday still stand.

Best of Show Andy Smith – Nissan Pulsar GTiR. A 100% custom machine, with everything carefully matched. This car had the best of everything- nothing is too good for Andy’s car, and the gold-plated engine packs some real power too.

Top 5 Peter Jakeways – Mazda Eunos. In fantastic condition for a car this age, and loaded with subtle high-quality mods.

Top 5 Dave Wannell – Toyota Celica GT. Not in the slightest bit subtle, but still tasteful, unique and well executed, this car really caught the eye.

Top 5 Neil Marshall – Nissan Skyline R32 GTR. Built from a bare shell, this car was packed with high performance mods, and every nut and bolt was perfect.

Top 5 Paul Patterson – Nissan 350z. A lovely clean car with lots of muscular mods.

RWYB Winners

Class A - Nissan / Datsun Bob Bentley - Nissan Skyline GTR R34 10.9205s at 125.52mph

Class B - Toyota / Lexus Nathan Freake - Toyota MR2 10.7741s at 135.68mph

Class C - Honda Richard Albans - Honda S2000 12.1393s at 118.5mph

Class D - Mitsubishi / Proton Gareth Williams - Mitsubishi Legnum VR4 13.0331s at 103.67mph

Class E - Subaru Chris Warren - Subaru Impreza Type R 11.8554s at 112.9mph

Class F - Mazda Mark Salem - Mazda RX7 12.2434s at 114.12mph

View the full RWYB tables on the JapShow Finale 2008 RWYB Times page.

The freestyle motocross shows went ahead as planned, as did the drifting, the lack of traction doing nothing to dampen the awesome spectacle.

A MASSIVE thanks go out to everyone who made the effort and the journey and gave the Jap Show a chance. Clubs, racers, individuals, traders, performers and staff all deserve thanks for doing all they could in the face of adversity. We hope to see you back at the Pod soon, and it makes you realise that drought and hosepipe bans aren’t so bad after-all.

View photos from JapShow Finale 2008 in the Gallery.

Rain-Off Values for Tickets

The JapShow Finale was adversely affected by severe weather. Although there is nothing we can do to change this, we would like to thank fans of the event for their continued support and commitment to the scene, and we are offering Rain Off values on tickets that reflect the initial purchase price and the level of disruption caused.

Please therefore keep hold of your tickets as a credit value has been attributed to them.

Japanese Car tickets (both weekend and Sunday) are worth £10
Non-Japanese Car tickets (both weekend and Sunday) are worth £15

Credit values are awarded on a pro-rata basis against the amount of an event that has been omitted caused by adverse weather and are at the discretion of the Event Director. Where a credit value has been given, the relevant admission ticket may then be redeemed at a future event for this amount or if the ticket is sent to the ticket office, the value can be redeemed against the cost of an advance ticket. The credit value/ticket will be valid for 12 months against future events up to and including the relevant event affected. No monetary refund. No disputes will be entered into. Tickets redeemed on a 1 for 1 basis only.