Team JDM Envy

So, everyone has gotten home and now we are going through pictures, making video’s and trying to figure out how to hire lawyers for remote states as necessary. I got the GT-R back, and took the AP off, then drove around with my girl for a week before finding time to drop the car off for service.
Seems like the car is running fine, but OMG I just got the service bill. I think this will be the last time I do a trip like this with this car. 6,750 miles required a transmission fluid change and that just cost me over $1,500…. All said the 6k service is running me about $2,000… Running the GT-R is as a daily driver might be possible, but NO WAY economical.

I figured I would post a few pictures here and links to some video’s and other picture sites:

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Drifting a double stacked school bus around a darkened racetrack, was hilarious…

Doing it all while sitting on couches in the back after the driver has had about 8 shot…. AWESOME!!!

You can see a wider selection of pics here:
http://flickr.com/photos/arader/sets/72157607220028977/
http://s432.photobucket.com/albums/qq49/aceshigh56/AKA_08/

And here is the trailer video Spock has up already.

AKA Rally 2008 Teaser 1

I will be posting up some more pics and links as they come out.
Needless to say an AWESOME time was had by all…. CAN’T WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR.

Peace

Well we have been having a great time the last few days. We drove from White Plains to Columbus and then to Hasting, NE
We hit the track up at MPH Motorsports Park and let me tell you. There is nothing like seeing a F360 SCREAMING down the straightway. Even better was watching the 2 Cayenne’s race around the track. It was amazing.

The GTR is holding up real well and we had a few instructors take it around for a few laps and they were impressed as hell. 1 even came within 2 seconds of the track record. He says a few more laps and some race tires and he would have definitely had it.

The track day proved a few things, Vette’s are fast, but in a tight technical course they will not be able to keep up with AWD. We also found that the perfect Rally car (BMW M5) is NOT the best car for the track as the brakes suffer from overheating really quickly.

So we are back on the road and trying to avoid the police hassles we got yesterday. Wish Us luck
–B

Well, we are here in Tarrytown Enjoying a cacophony of noises as the drivers finish the first drivers meet and everyone prepares to hit the local watering hole for some after dinner drinks.
I have been very impressed with the roll-call this year, lots of very nice cars and it looks to be a great group this year. (About 1/2 are AKA Veterans).

So Far I think the field looks like a mostly German group with a dash of Japanese and the occasional American Muscle car.

BMW M5 (x4)
BMW 135
BMW M3 (x2)
BMW M4
Porsche Cayanne (x2)
Porsche 997
Volvo
Audi
Mazda Rx8
Ducatti
Nissan GTR (x2)

Nissan 350z (x2)
Ferrari 360
Corvette C6Z06
Corvette C5
Acura NSX
Volkswagon Rabbit
Corvette (Hertz Special)

Plus a HUGE truck on a lift kit and few more I can’t remember. I understand we have about 27 vehicles at this point. A number of people were unable to attend due to either vehicle problems or family issues. We wish them the best and hope things work out. They will definitely be missing a GREAT week of driving, events and partying.

I will post more pics after tomorrow’s Drivers meeting, needless to say there are still people putting graphics on, installing LaserStar devices and even a few working on new wheels, brakes or clutches in the parking lot as we speak. Everyone is pulling together to get everything done and ready for tomorrow’s start.

Rally On everyone.

Alright, I have been pretty busy this weekend with my official work, but I have been meaning to put together a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for all you modded car guys out there.

Last week we lost one of our AKA Rally cars to a disastrous fire. Luckily the driver and passenger were able to get out OK and safely away from the car before the tank exploded. Here are some pics he posted on the AKA Rally site:

RIP Lotus Elise

I think there are a few take aways from this experience:

First: ALWAYS carry a fire extinguisher in your car. In this case he had a built in Fire Suppression System (FSS) but it was focused on the engine and passenger compartments. The fire is believed to have been started on the fuel cell. So there was a high probability if a hand held system was available, it might have helped to put out the fire on the fuel cell.

Second: if you are using any type of aftermarket harness, PLEASE be sure you and your passenger know how to use it in an emergency. Better yet, if you drive on the street, be sure to get a DOT approved 4 point harness (with anti submarine feature built into it). This gentleman said it took him a bit longer then he expected to get out of his harness under stress, and was VERY glad his passenger was in a stock seat belt as it would have taken even longer to try to get the passenger out.

Lastly: Always be aware of your surroundings. He saw the fire very early on out of the back of the car (Lotus is mid-engine design), and was able to make an emergency lane change and get onto the shoulder quickly so they could get to safety. He was aware of everything around him and stayed in control.

Please take this to heart and if nothing else carry a fire extinguisher if the need arises to help your fellow motorist.

I thought I would put a little teaser up here from our trip up to Philly last weekend.
Thanks goes to Dirka for this:

AKA Rally 2008 BBQ from M DeTurck on Vimeo.

you can get the link here: GT-R Video

And this is his M5 after some ‘personal’ customization:

e39 m5 Straight Pipes from M DeTurck on Vimeo.

the direct link is here: Straight pipe M5

So I am finally getting some of the pictures from last weekend.

So here are more pics of the graphics: Graphics

And here are some more: Nice M5

As you can see Durka and his new M5 were doing what they love to do: Smoking Tires
It was almost as funny as Durka’s ‘Uh-Oh’ moment in the Japanese Steakhouse later that evening. ROFL

I was convinced by the group that we should shoot some video in a tunnel to try and show off the launch control in the GT-R. Unfortunately I was not able to get it worked out as I failed to remember you needed to have the car in Manual mode, NOT Automatic.

I expect there to be some video shortly to show the drive up and the tunnel launches. As soon as I get it I will post it here.

It was a great drive back, even had some guy in a Celica try racing me on 95 somewhere in NJ…

So I thought I would give everyone an idea of what goes into planning to attend a Rally. While I am sure this list will not be anywhere near as exhaustive as someone going on the Cannonball or Gumball, this should give you a good idea of what someone going on a long rolling party should expect to need.

I have decided this year, to keep things a bit more organized in the car and easier to locate when the need arises, to pack everything in a series of backpacks or small bags. I have labeled them so, if someone needs to grab something they can just find the bag and everything should be there for the taking. Another reason to keep multiple bags is that it’s easier to pack the car and if someone’s car breaks down you can cross load your stuff into multiple vehicles.

Cleaning Supplies: Of course you need to have some basic cleaning stuff as the cars will get pretty dirty between the long driving and occasional trash scattered around the car.
Microfiber detailer towels
Small bottle of Exterior Detailer
Box of Interior Detailer wipes
Car vacuum (in case we hit the salt flats)
Drying towel

Maintenance Bag: The GT-R has a 1-800# so if anything goes wrong they will come pick it up, but some small things should always be carried and can be useful to others that breakdown.
Basic set of wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets and Allen wrenches
Bag of various sized Zip Ties (Great for tying up flapping parts after you hit furry critters)
Couple of rolls of painters tape (also useful for securing lose bodyparts and protecting paint)
Torque wrench (for double checking your lug nuts before and after track sessions)
Lug Nut socket (or locking nut tool)
Disposable Shop towels for any fluid changes
1 - 2 quarts of Oil specific for your vechicle
6 bottles of Octane booster (This is IMPERATIVE if you have a boosted car or a vehicle which requires 93 octane fuel. Once you hit the mid west, there are stretches where the best gas you can find will be 89 octane, and while going through the mountains with the altitude, you will need the highest octane possible.)
Shop gloves to keep the grime off your hands and thereby the interior of your car

Inside Car Stuff: This is miscellaneous stuff that you want easily accessible in the car at all times
Small whiteboard (great for quick messages/taunts/friendly insults to other cars while driving)
2 way radios (MUST HAVE to keep in contact and talk smack to the other nearby drivers) I suggest having at least 2 in case one breaks
Charger for the 2 way radios
Lots of extra batteries for the 2 way radios
Road Atlas (very critical in case your GPS goes down and VERY helpful if you find the immediate need to start looking for alternate back roads…)
Portable GPS (if your car does not have one built in)
Radar/ Laser Detector (if you do not have one installed in the car)
In car charger for cell phone (always handy in keeping in touch with people outside of the 2 ways range
Water Balloons (you can fill up at gas stations as appropriate and great fun around town)
DVD’s
CD’s or iPod ( I highly recommend a satellite radio as FM reception sucks travelling x-country)
Hat
Sunglasses (make sure these are a good set, but maybe not something you would not care if get lost/broken.)
Sunscreen (very important for any track events and that one arm you hang outside the window. )

Miscellaneous: For the Rally this would be track related stuff
Racing helmet
Appropriate footwear (no sandals or open toed stuff)
Long Sleeve shirt & pants (or Nomex racing suit if you have one)
Racing gloves if you so desire

Clothes: Keep in mind your activities. We will be driving cross country so comfortable is key. But we are expecting to attend a # of parties and events so also need dress clothes. I will be packing 2 small bags to help keep the distribution of bags easier.

In addition to these things I had a clear bra put on (Venture Shield) was a great option for protecting the front and paint areas that are most likely to incur damage. I am also installing a K40 w/Laser diffuser. And Laser Star has provided us with some cool laser jammers /parking sensors that will be installed to assist in the GT-R’s defense…All of this will be done in a week or so during the first maintenance and I hope to provide some pictures of the install.

So till next time,

AKA ALL THE WAY!!!

So after flying back from Cali on Thursday night/Friday morning. I wanted to get something to put on the car to help protect the paint from rock chips and other miscellaneous damage during the rally. For those that know my past history with the Rally, I was considering mounting a cattle guard on the front, but I figure this year to keep one of the M5’s in front of me at all times to take the brunt of any critters I may hit!

I chose the Venture Shield system as they have pre cut templates for the GT-R already and will not have to cut anything on the paint. Locally I had a shop called Lucent Protection do the install. Alan and Steven understood I had a tight schedule as I had to be in Philly the following morning to put the graphics on, so agreed to work with me late Friday night. I was impressed with the complexity of the install, but they kept at it until they were sure it was set correctly. We noticed some issues with the hood bubbling, but were running out of time, so to be sure it is 100% perfect, they will redo the hood after I complete the Rally. Definitely a good company and looks like a great product to protect your vehicles paint.

The Result, you can barely see any lines:

I met up with the Ginger kid on 95 the next morning and we start on our way to Philly. The drive was great, the GT-R was really settling in to it’s pace and it feels like it will be a great touring car and has enough power to keep the M5 on its toes… We did notice the GT-R attracted a bit more rapid attention from the Nissan fans which caused me to get pinned in at times by people taking pictures.. LOL

Arriving at the new AKA Rally offices just north of Philly I noticed it was a German Fest in the parking lot.

Man, they must breed like rabbits.. haha. It was good to see the guys/gals again and meet some new faces of the AKA.

Some of us started to put the graphics on the GT-R while Dirka was playing next door with his new M5. You have to love the smell of burning rubber in the afternoon! We really need to call him Smokey from now on.

We had a good time while hanging out with some old friends and new ones while having a few burgers, drinks and working ourselves up with old Rally stories and planning new ones.

The car looks really good with the Graphics Alicia came up with. The two tone CF on gold looks great and matches the brakes and overall paint scheme.

I understand after dinner there might have been some video shot of the two M5’s and the GT-R… I bet you can expect to find it on uTube somewhere soon.

OK, so I figured since I have done the AKA Rally a few times now and managed to bring a different car each time (through no fault of my own) I would try something different this year. This year I decided that both of the cars I had run previously were not up to snuff for the 2008 AKA Rally. Knowing we needed a reliable, somewhat comfortable (trust me Lotus seats are not known for Comfort and sleeping on the side of the road in bucket racing seats was not that hot either) performance oriented vehicle I started looking for something new in December of 2007.

After looking into a # of options, including Maserati and Aston Martin, I decided to try to get my hands on the new Nissan GT-R. The performance #’s were reported to be pretty damn amazing, the ride quality was reasonable and the pound for $$$ was great. The problem being the car had never been in the US before, so a release date was unknown. I figured I would wait and see what my options were closer to the Rally date.

Well while attending a Nissan 350Z event in Fontanna Dam, NC (known affectionately as the ‘Tail of the Dragon’) Nissan was kind enough to bring out one of the US Spec Test GT-R’s. I have to say the pictures did not sell the car to me, but once I saw it in person it was really different. The lines, and stance, the whole car just looks aggressive. And knowing that every line on the car is there for an aerodynamic reason shows the car is meant to be driven hard, not just for looks. The interior was really nice, much like the Infinity and how a lot of us really hoped the GT-R would be finished.

We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak with a representative from Nissan’s performance division and he really took the time to explain the car, some of the process behind its design and even answered some questions we had about modding, as most of us at this driving experience were known to do. After spending some time around the car and hearing from others how well it was handling all the turns I knew I had to find one.

I found the GTR automotive forums and read up on the cars’ specs while learning about the unique buyers process for the GT-R. I really have to thank all the guys on www.NAGTROC.org and www.MYGTR.com for all the assistance in educating me on everything about the car, its maintenance and technical advancements. I then spent a few weeks shopping around all over the country until I found a good deal (Thanks to MC for helping me a lot in this manner) at Crown Nissan, NC.

Unfortunately for me the car I ordered would not be here in time for the Rally, so after some further research I was able to find a car through a friend in the Maryland area. The car would arrive in time for us to put in the break-in miles and get the first service in time for the Rally start in NY on the 18th of August.

And here is the result