In 2006, a vehicle specific race featuring modified 350Zs called
the Z CAR CHALLENGE was founded.
Transforming into the new name, Z-MASTER MEETING in 2007,
TOMEI decides to compete in the RS1 class of the Z-MASTER RACE.
The vehicle of choice is the same used last year,
the ENDLESS / TOMEI POWERED Z33 which had received no major changes;
only an engine overhaul procedure and small adjustments.
TOMEI’s legendary #84 proudly displayed
Official practice begins.
After warming up, the vehicle enters the race track.
The team waits for the machine to come soaring down the straight way,
however, its taking longer than usual.
The blue Z33 finally is spotted making its way back into the pits
with white smoke clouding from under the hood.
Aoki, the driver shouted out to the team that the power steering
may be the cause.
The mechanics rush to find out what the problem is.
Apparently, the white smoke was caused by the power steering fluid
like the driver said,
spewing onto the hot exhaust components.
With the car being taken back to the pits, the engineers frantically
search for the root of the spillage.
Momentarily, it was found ou that a damaged pressure switch caused
the fluid to leak.
Time was ticking away and there were no spare parts for the component
they desperately needed.
The team decides to ask the other competitors to see if they might
have any reasonable solutions.
Soon after, they remember that there was a Tomei employee that was
registered to race in the Z-MASTER RUN race which he brought his
own vehicle.
The only hope left was to borrow the part off of his vehicle.
When the employee was approached, he gladly gave up his involvement
in the race to sacrifice his component to our chassis.
The component was taken care of, the next problem was the power
steering fluid.
Noone had any extra and there was little time left.
But after confirming with several engineers that ATF can also be used,
we left the race track to look for any open auto parts stores.
Since it was still early morning, none of the shops were open to
our disappointment.
Driving and searching, we came across a sign for a private vehicle
emission and safety testing garage.
There, after speaking with the manager, he sold us the ATF.
The next mission was to return to the race before the qualifying.
■QUALIFYING■
The newest model ADVAN Neova tires were strapped on.
Car was ready to go.
Thanks to the swift actions of the engineers, the vehicle makes
it to qualifying
without any further drawbacks.
The time was satisfactory, with 1 minute 4.903 seconds racking
in at 2nd place.
The pole position was given to AMUSE’s time of 1 minute 4.577 seconds.
They were pretty quick since their machine was made and tuned specifically
for Tsukuba.
■FINALS■
Aoki rockets out of the starting position,
passing up the lead car and taking the pole position.
The 1st turn was approached by using the outer radius of the turn.
AMUSE’s 350Z held an advantage by staying in the inside line.
Both cars refused to hold back their spot.
There were some friendly nudges involved which resulted in the
Tomei 350Z
falling back to 2nd, having to chase the lead car.
The race ensued with the Tomei vehicle right on AMUSE’s tail.
An opportunity came up for Tomei at one corner to pass up the opponent,
however it is very difficult to execute at Tsukuba.
The race ended with Tomei in 2nd position.
However, since AMUSE had jumped the light at start,
the win was given to Tomei.
This is the 2nd continuous win for Tomei this season.
It was clearly evident and we were thankful to find out that the other
competitors
were indeed using our products in their machines.
The day ended very well, especially with another win under our belts.
The next scheduled race will be at the Ebisu Circuit on September 15th (sat).
There will be various skill levels available to suit any type of
Z enthusiast.
Check out Tomei’s involvement and support of the Z-MASTER MEETING!
*
Official website 
- 2007/06/14(木) 10:48:02|
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With an open invitation from Yokohama Tires, Tomei Powered
decided to take a trip down to the Yokota Auto Hobby Car Show
in the US Air Force base in Japan.
This event was open only for the military and those
associated within, however, over 1000 attendees were
counted at the venue.
The event followed a certain theme labeled
“Tuned with Tunes”, and it consisted of many modified
cars and bikes, motorcycle riding demonstration, and various
contests within the military personnel.
The tuned cars mixed uniformly with the live band as well
as the music coming from the car audio corner.
It is known that it is very difficult to produce some profit
from these types of venues,
nevertheless it served as a fine podium to present to the
industry the different types of companies available which
are attempting globalization of their image.
The Japanese style of automobile modification is highly
respected and recognized as well, and this event will surely
transcend this unique trend elsewhere in the world.
August 25th and 26th, the US Air Force is expected to host
a 2 day event, with an expected crowd attendance of 13,000
people.
Tomei Powered is still unsure whether to attend.
This event is a win/win situation, it will be enjoyable to
have a booth there or just attend as a spectator.
*We would sincerely like to send our gratitude to Yokohama Tire
for the invitation,
and all the staff members who attended.
Some photos for your viewing pleasure.
Special thanks to Yokohama.
T&E Co, looking good as usual.
This vehicle was for sale.
Clean
Cleaner!
GT-R #1
#2
#3
#4, (there were a lot more GT-Rs)
The blue sky resembles that of sunny California!
Even this is rare in the states.
American muscle.
NATS, automobile trade school.
Another automobile trade school.
Team Toyo.
A Caucasian man checks out the car.
The Endless/Tomei Powered Z33 was also present for display.
Big displacement scooters!
The best mini-bike of the day.
Bikers gatheringcorner.
Audio booth.
Van Halen?!
They were rockin out!
Hotdogs, BBQ, and Coke.
Kids corner.
arise &….
It’s newest driver….
Energetic kid.
Sweet little girl.
See you again in the summer!
- 2007/05/11(金) 16:04:56|
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April 1st, 2007 (Fact, not fiction)
The Hyper Meeting 2007 took place at the Tsukuba Circuit,
which basically is an event solely dedicated to Subaru Imprezas
and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. There was plenty of action
going on inside the venue from racing, many displays,
and products for sale.
This is TOMEI's 3rd year participating in this event,
and this time a sales booth near the 10 lap battle entry area
was acquired. There, TOMEI continued to pass information
and sell various products to the public.
It was no surprise that the majority of the products sold
were applications to that of the Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi
Lancer Evo.
Amongst the spectators, most focused their attention on
the EJ20 DERIVE PHASE 1 complete engine. This complete
engine assembly is widely known for its extremely precise
build up completed with careful consideration of the most
ideal components. The result was a complete EJ engine that
overcome all the tribulations that a stock unit currently
suffers with. The tune mainly consists of improving the
positive characteristics of the base engine as the foundation.
The arise Impreza is equipped with this engine and by 1st
person experience, words nor number can describe the pickup
and response of this powertrain.
Mated with the engine are bolt-on camshafts (PONCAM) which
brings high efficiency and outstanding turbine response and
the 4 Throttle System that produces big power and overall
response.
In addition, the 4G63 complete engine was on display along
with the best selling EVO 9 camshafts (PONCAM) with the oil
pan baffle & cutter combo (SLICING BAFFLE). Many spectators
displayed an impression that they were very enthused about
our future goods.
By experiencing many feedback from the show-goers, this
proved that the Impreza/Lancer Evo popularity remains
overwhelming in the industry. Their sincere support and
positive gestures in regards to our products will surely
push our company into producing more and more components
that pleases the enthusiasts.
Thank you all for attending and most of all, your support.
THE 10LAP BATTLEThe story of the day is the 10 lap battle. TOMEI decided
to enter this race with assoiate collaboration with PROVA,
in the arise Impreza. Three years of research and development
has been poured into this machine, and everyone was anxious
to witness the outcome.
The machine awaits for battle.
The cockpit awaits its driver, Yoshida.
Yoshida arrives, ready for battle. Since Yoshida is a
immensely popular character in the world of Subarus,
there was only a short period of time left for a
preliminary meeting. However, Tomei were confident that
the machine will perform up to par, or even better than
its competitors because of the many hours of research
pertaining to the EJ engine for the 10 lap battle.
With a significant amount of fate, the team firmly
believed that the fully balanced tuned platform should
not let them down. According to the previously acquired
data, their creation should hold an advantage in this race.
The other machines were only tested and built to perform
at their peak as well, however, only for a single lap.
Unlike TOMEI, their machines had hardly taken into
consideration an overall balanced setup
(power / performance / reliability) which gave them
an advantage in these types of races. In order to stay
ahead of the competition while still maintaining our
tuning style, the Tomei R&D team struggled on how to
stay ahead.
After many trial and tribulations, Tomei had developed
the completed EJ engine which this race will serve as its
true test of potential as well as capability. Before the
race, a bit of anxiety and confidence were present in the
R&D team.
Off for a practice run.
The Impreza enters the course, motivated not to fail.
After a few shake down laps, the machine comes back into
the pit area for inspection. Nothing unusual from the
outside.
The team checks with the driver about the basics once
again. Everyone knows their duties and what must be
accomplished here. The only thing they are after are a
set of numbers that serves as results.
An anxious moment.
A moment before the race.
The proving ground awaits the action.
Very soon, this engine shall do what it was created for.
20 minutes before the race.
The calm Yoshida jokes around to ease the nerves of the team.
The vehicle enters the track, accompanied by Mr.K
Final inspection on the starting grid.
The machine is placed at the inside of the 2nd row.
The popular Yoshida harly has any time to rest.
The race begins!
Because of the traction loss during launch, the start was
not optimal in comparison to the others. The machine enters
the first turn in 2nd place. Soon after at the S turn,
the vehicle lines up with the pole positioned car, and
proceeds to pass him. TOMEI is now in first place at the
1st hairpin area. However, the car is involved in a
collision before the Dunlop 80R turn. Yoshida points the
vehicle into the pit area.
Yoshida gestures to the team with his hands.
The crash did not seem to affect the vehicle so the team
jumps back in the race after only missing 1 lap.
While in the pit, the drivers surround Yoshida to see if
he’s ok.
“You’re quick!”
“Its no fun if you’re too quick”
The red flag is raised, and the race proceeds into the
2nd heat which was a 5 lap battle. Team TOMEI was once
again placed at the inside 2nd row at the starting grid.
Finally grasping the launching characteristics of the vehicle
after a first failed attempt, Yoshida shoots the machine
into the 1st rank. Following very closely behind was JUN’s
Evo. JUN excelled at the straightways, however TOMEI held
the advantage at the infield section. The intense battle
ensues.
Yoshida managed to hold back JUN until the last lap, there
is no way we can lose now.
The team look on with full confidence of their creation,
counting on the engine’s lively response and power that
was designed specifically for this race.
At the infiedl area, we hold the advantage, and this
advantage is the key to winning this battle.
Final lap, final turn.
Assured of victory, Yoshida waves on.
The checkered flag appears.
The staff members engulf the pit area to the arise Impreza.
Three years of hard work has finally taken the shape of
the most prized object of every team’s desire.
Engine builder Mr.K
Chassis engineer Mr. O
Every staff member proceeds to shake Yoshida’s hand in
joy while modestly displaying appreciation.
Every one at that spot wished that this moment would last
forever. The sweet taste of victory.
The staff gather for a commemorative photo.
The busiest of the staff members such as the engineers who hardly even have time to crack a smile, were ear to ear this day.
HYPER MEETING 2007
TUNED CAR 10LAP BATTLE
#2 TOMEI POWERED & PROVA ariseCHAMPIONThe endeavors of the TOMEI POWERED arise Impreza does not
end here.
The battle continues…
- 2007/04/09(月) 19:27:46|
- EVENT
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