- 328
"Ti-di-di-di...Ti-di-di-di" Alarm clock beeps, as i woke up in the beautiful morning sunshine.
Hey, wait a minute, i dont have an alarm clock? I looked around and noticed i was in an completely un-familiar japanese-styled room.
Then it hit me, I were on a holiday in japan, and the thougth forced a smile on my face. I remembered clearly now, i came here to participate in the international Toyota meeting at Tsukuba race track.
Later that morning i checked-out of the hotel and walked down to the silent street. You could notice that this is a tourist area, because all the western visitors were still sleeping at this hour.
I walk to my parked car, hop in, and start the engine. Familiar vibration and sound fill the interior, because of the stiff chassis, and lack of any sound deafening. As i pull to the street the beauty of the surrounding area strikes me, and i dig the camera out of my bag and hop out of the door to take a memory of this unique situation. My car in Japan.
It is a long drive to the Tsukuba race track, so i take as comfortable position in my race-seat as possible and slip in a CD to the player. Soon enough the lyrics and notes of my favourite songs fill the cockpit and the journey starts, this is what ive been waiting for the whole time, to get to drive on Japanese roads.
On the highways i saw some interesting cars i tagged along with for awhile.
Japanese highways are filled with lots happenings, racers, accidents, traffic jams
But you never really even get bored in them, you can watch the crazy people singing karaoke in their cars and other activites we westerners could only dream of doing.
Finally i arrived at the Tsukuba race track and saw the collection of different toyotas from different eras, all gathered up in one big group, to celebrate the success of Toyota through out the years.
Then went to the check-in for people who wanted to try their car out on the famous Tsukuba track. "Name, nationality and model of car" the man behind the desk said in a fonny japanese accent "Miro Toivonen, from Finland, and my car is a Toyota Celica 2000GT-FOUR, from´86." I replied with my half-assed english skills. "Welcome, heres your parking space number and it is also the number of your car." He gave me a ticket which said "86", how fitting.
I parked my car and started touring the area.
There were a lots of nicely restored old Toyotas and some crazy Japanese tuning-shops had brought their extreme Wangan and time-out racers there.
As i got back to my car, i saw a few blokes(?) checking it out. "What do you think? Its mine." I asked them. "Yeh, its a nice looking piece of metal, what do you got under the hood? It looks rather stock to me." I started explaining them the specialties and all the work ive put into my car, and it turned out they were from the Great United States Of Americaland, and they had brought their little rice-cups over. Immediately after i told them what i had invested on the car, they started telling me that i should match the looks of the car to the Go-side of the car, by adding some mad-tyte bodykits and huge fart-cans. And flashing underbody lights. I told them no, taht i wanted to keep my car clean, maybe even a bit sleeper-ish. They just told me i had no sence of real-style and taht i would get no respect in the Toyota community.
Soon after that, my number got called and it was time to get out on the track. Before that i had to make some adjustments. I laid down on the ground and crouched under the cars rear-side, and with a little turn of a screw-driver the stock-looking and sounding exhaust had now been fully opened since the restricting flaps werent on the way of the gasses anymore. The silent growling daily-driver had now been changed to a screaming, flame spitting monster.
As i got to the entrance on the track, i realised i was surrounded not by Toyotas, but by different Japanese cars, turns out, the organiser had accidentally put me in with the "other-badged cars". I had nothing to do except to drive with them, but it really didnt bother me as i only wanted to get my car to run on the ah-so-famous Tsukuba race track.
"OK! Now you go round the track slowly first and then you can let it rip, ok?"
"OK!" Answered the drivers to the instructor.
"Well then, GO!"
A mix of different notes filled the air when the six cars blasted out of the pits.
I made it, i was on the Tsukuba track, now i could cross one thing of my To-Do-Before-Dead-List and after this first slow-lap, i could let it rip, and show everyone what my car is capable off.
Since the first time i decided to ship this car from Japan, everybody told me not to, "It is slow", "Its AWD?! You cant drift in that!" "It is a hunk o´junk" All my mates back in Finland said, but i kept going, worked on the car through the whole cold winter, waiting for parts that i had ordered from Trial with the car. They included a new motor, which internals had been cleaned and finetuned, new chip, a stage 1 turbo and a large racing intercooler. New suspension set-up and brakes. I lightened teh car by stripping everything unnecessary and then i constructed a Roll-cage for it. The car was ready.
Slow lap is ending, the Mitsu on front of the line slams the throttle to the floor and blasts away, the whole line follows and the race is On.
First corner, hop on the brakes a bit too early but then i hug the inside curve and pass the Impreza, but on the straight he passes by me easily.
Which shouldnt be possible since my car has more then 270hp, but it feels much slower and i cant hear the Turbo whine, i panic and thought i had broken something and stop on the side of the track before the tight hairpin. As im getting out of the car my knee bumps into something, i look down and see the boost controller setted to DD (Daily-Driving) I curse to myself for being such a fool, and snap the settings to "Race".
Now the car feels much more faster and it accelerates on the straights like crazy, tires squeling, almost losing traction. I quickly caught up to the Nissan Skyline Coupe and pass him on the straight.
Now the Imprezza and Mitsubishi Evo battle infront of me. They see me and up the pace, i fight it out with them for a couple of laps, till the EVO slips to the grass and spuns, leaving me with the Imprezza.
Now that i dont have two cars blocking my way, i can concentrate on perfecting my cornering and getting pass the ´prezza. As it quickly turns out the Subaru isnt completely stock and gets away from me on the straights, but on the corners i catch him easily, which on a curvy track like this equals an easy pass. So i leave him behind and head for the two NSX´s far infront of me.
No matter how hard i try, i cannot catch the two Honda supercars, and our track time ends. I get out of the track and head for the parking space again. When i park a crowd of people come to me and say tell me how i was so good at the track.
Then when the event is over, I head to a nearby hotel for a well earned sleep. Next morning i have to get to the airport to catch my flight back to Finland and put my car in the cargo plane to get it back there aswell.
I know the story lacks, my grammar lacks, my pictures lack, its not purfect, but i was bored and its ok, right?
Hey, wait a minute, i dont have an alarm clock? I looked around and noticed i was in an completely un-familiar japanese-styled room.
Then it hit me, I were on a holiday in japan, and the thougth forced a smile on my face. I remembered clearly now, i came here to participate in the international Toyota meeting at Tsukuba race track.
Later that morning i checked-out of the hotel and walked down to the silent street. You could notice that this is a tourist area, because all the western visitors were still sleeping at this hour.
I walk to my parked car, hop in, and start the engine. Familiar vibration and sound fill the interior, because of the stiff chassis, and lack of any sound deafening. As i pull to the street the beauty of the surrounding area strikes me, and i dig the camera out of my bag and hop out of the door to take a memory of this unique situation. My car in Japan.
It is a long drive to the Tsukuba race track, so i take as comfortable position in my race-seat as possible and slip in a CD to the player. Soon enough the lyrics and notes of my favourite songs fill the cockpit and the journey starts, this is what ive been waiting for the whole time, to get to drive on Japanese roads.
On the highways i saw some interesting cars i tagged along with for awhile.
Japanese highways are filled with lots happenings, racers, accidents, traffic jams
But you never really even get bored in them, you can watch the crazy people singing karaoke in their cars and other activites we westerners could only dream of doing. Finally i arrived at the Tsukuba race track and saw the collection of different toyotas from different eras, all gathered up in one big group, to celebrate the success of Toyota through out the years.
Then went to the check-in for people who wanted to try their car out on the famous Tsukuba track. "Name, nationality and model of car" the man behind the desk said in a fonny japanese accent "Miro Toivonen, from Finland, and my car is a Toyota Celica 2000GT-FOUR, from´86." I replied with my half-assed english skills. "Welcome, heres your parking space number and it is also the number of your car." He gave me a ticket which said "86", how fitting.
I parked my car and started touring the area.
There were a lots of nicely restored old Toyotas and some crazy Japanese tuning-shops had brought their extreme Wangan and time-out racers there.
As i got back to my car, i saw a few blokes(?) checking it out. "What do you think? Its mine." I asked them. "Yeh, its a nice looking piece of metal, what do you got under the hood? It looks rather stock to me." I started explaining them the specialties and all the work ive put into my car, and it turned out they were from the Great United States Of Americaland, and they had brought their little rice-cups over. Immediately after i told them what i had invested on the car, they started telling me that i should match the looks of the car to the Go-side of the car, by adding some mad-tyte bodykits and huge fart-cans. And flashing underbody lights. I told them no, taht i wanted to keep my car clean, maybe even a bit sleeper-ish. They just told me i had no sence of real-style and taht i would get no respect in the Toyota community.
Soon after that, my number got called and it was time to get out on the track. Before that i had to make some adjustments. I laid down on the ground and crouched under the cars rear-side, and with a little turn of a screw-driver the stock-looking and sounding exhaust had now been fully opened since the restricting flaps werent on the way of the gasses anymore. The silent growling daily-driver had now been changed to a screaming, flame spitting monster.
As i got to the entrance on the track, i realised i was surrounded not by Toyotas, but by different Japanese cars, turns out, the organiser had accidentally put me in with the "other-badged cars". I had nothing to do except to drive with them, but it really didnt bother me as i only wanted to get my car to run on the ah-so-famous Tsukuba race track.
"OK! Now you go round the track slowly first and then you can let it rip, ok?"
"OK!" Answered the drivers to the instructor.
"Well then, GO!"
A mix of different notes filled the air when the six cars blasted out of the pits.
I made it, i was on the Tsukuba track, now i could cross one thing of my To-Do-Before-Dead-List and after this first slow-lap, i could let it rip, and show everyone what my car is capable off.
Since the first time i decided to ship this car from Japan, everybody told me not to, "It is slow", "Its AWD?! You cant drift in that!" "It is a hunk o´junk" All my mates back in Finland said, but i kept going, worked on the car through the whole cold winter, waiting for parts that i had ordered from Trial with the car. They included a new motor, which internals had been cleaned and finetuned, new chip, a stage 1 turbo and a large racing intercooler. New suspension set-up and brakes. I lightened teh car by stripping everything unnecessary and then i constructed a Roll-cage for it. The car was ready.
Slow lap is ending, the Mitsu on front of the line slams the throttle to the floor and blasts away, the whole line follows and the race is On.
First corner, hop on the brakes a bit too early but then i hug the inside curve and pass the Impreza, but on the straight he passes by me easily.
Which shouldnt be possible since my car has more then 270hp, but it feels much slower and i cant hear the Turbo whine, i panic and thought i had broken something and stop on the side of the track before the tight hairpin. As im getting out of the car my knee bumps into something, i look down and see the boost controller setted to DD (Daily-Driving) I curse to myself for being such a fool, and snap the settings to "Race".
Now the car feels much more faster and it accelerates on the straights like crazy, tires squeling, almost losing traction. I quickly caught up to the Nissan Skyline Coupe and pass him on the straight.
Now the Imprezza and Mitsubishi Evo battle infront of me. They see me and up the pace, i fight it out with them for a couple of laps, till the EVO slips to the grass and spuns, leaving me with the Imprezza.
Now that i dont have two cars blocking my way, i can concentrate on perfecting my cornering and getting pass the ´prezza. As it quickly turns out the Subaru isnt completely stock and gets away from me on the straights, but on the corners i catch him easily, which on a curvy track like this equals an easy pass. So i leave him behind and head for the two NSX´s far infront of me.
No matter how hard i try, i cannot catch the two Honda supercars, and our track time ends. I get out of the track and head for the parking space again. When i park a crowd of people come to me and say tell me how i was so good at the track.
Then when the event is over, I head to a nearby hotel for a well earned sleep. Next morning i have to get to the airport to catch my flight back to Finland and put my car in the cargo plane to get it back there aswell.
I know the story lacks, my grammar lacks, my pictures lack, its not purfect, but i was bored and its ok, right?
