Feature: Project Import S2000

During my time at GTA, I really wanted to look for cars that spoke to me. Cars that spoke to my passion for time attack in the same way as the cars in Japan. So, when I stumbled across the Project Import S2000, I was pretty excited to see what times it would be able to put down. Little did I know that team behind this year’s effort was none other than the boys behind Battlecraft. Everyone in the track scene (or wider Honda scene) around SoCal knows Battlecraft for their many in-house products such as shift knobs, collaboration products with tuning shops in Japan and so on but many may not know of their deep mechanical understanding of these cars or just how well they can drive them. With Kristian (@studytuned) as driver, Jay (@jjthongcharoen) as tech and a myriad of other talented hands working on the car, there was no doubt that car was capable of a new PB at Buttonwillow.

This car brought an energy few others had. Many came around to check it out while being tech inspected which makes sense considering the number of famous tracks its seen over the years and plethora of content online. The bright orange livery against the desert backdrop of SoCal really popped in contrast to the many black, white and greys of other cars.

While standing around and staring at these machines is fun, what I really appreciated was the amount of help everyone wanted to give to one another. At the end of the day, everyone wants the next person to succeed. In a way, watching someone break a new record or personal PB is a small shot of dopamine for everyone. It’s what makes this sport so addicting compared to the contemporary understanding of motorsports; the self-pursuit of a goal and the storylines behind it.

I think what’s most fascinating is this car still retains the stock F22C engine that came with S2000’s from factory (albeit heavily modified). In a world full of K-swaps and easy power, its refreshing to see the engine paired with the car it came in. The P.I. S2000 makes a comfortable 700 horsepower and sits near 2900 pounds. With leftover tires from its Pikes Peak run, it clocked a very comfortable 1:47.068 on Saturday’s runs.

Gallery: GlobalTimeAttack Buttonwillow 2024

Earlier this month, I attended my first GlobalTimeAttack event while simultaneously shooting media for GTA which was quite the experience to say the least. What started as a 4am adventure from LA to Buttonwillow turned into a blur of meeting people, fast machines and thoughts of imposter syndrome. To say I learned alot from this day would be an understatement, both for photography and personal growth. Yeah… event coverage in your city is fun and I appreciate it very much, but nothing excites the mind or challenges your skills like capturing the fastest cars from around the US or beyond with the backdrop of the California desert. Before I begin to post specific feature blogs on the cars I liked, an all-encompassing gallery felt right to kick the vibes off. Enjoy!

Gallery: Honda’s Cars, Bikes and Coffee

After the major success of Honda’s first Cars and Coffee event in October of last year, the subsequent events following have been nothing but amazing curations of community members, brands and celebrations on all things Honda. I’ve been holding off on making a post on just one of the events as Honda seems really enthusiastic about showing off their heritage museum, switching car layouts, exhibits, and art as well as inviting a handful of well-known community brands such as Spoon, Hasport, and Real Time Racing. One event post just wouldn’t have done it justice. At this moment August was the last month on the schedule for Cars and Coffee so hopefully it wasn’t the last because I genuinely enjoy going to the American Honda Headquarters as an event space. With that being said, enjoy this collection of pictures between 3 different events.

Gallery: The Chronicles Cars and Coffee

Hondas hold a special place in my heart. Many know Joey (@Stickydiljoe) as one of the best curators of Hondas within the community. So, when he announced the first Chronicles Cars and Coffee of the year, I knew I had to go to see some of the best Honda builds in SoCal. Unfortunately, the meet was ended early by an angry property manager, and a couple days later was announced to be the last Chronicle meets to be hosted at their headquarters. Many say all good things come to an end, so for now enjoy this gallery of cool ass Hondas.

Wekfest LA 2023

Wekfest is an event deep rooted in all aspects of car culture. Stance cars, Track ready builds, pinnacle dream builds and everything in between. Where most shows we go to for nostalgia of bygone times and appreciation of the classic cars on our bedroom wall, Wekfest shows us what present day car culture looks like.

While I didn’t take as many pictures as I’d usually for an event, I cycled through the event in circles looking for things that I personally found interesting. The tightness of convention center packed with all these cars made it fairly hard to find shots for every single car…

Saying Wekfest was attack of the GR86 would be an understatement. There were so many different 86 and BRZ builds including this tastefully done BRZ on Volk TE37.

In keeping with the topic, we also had an Exceed x Battlecraft collab on this 86 at the Battlecraft Booth. Rocking Battlecraft parts, Exceed exterior goodies and so much more, one could say this 86 stood out from the rest at this event.

One car in particular that really caught my eye as soon as I stepped in was this Porsche 935 slantnose. Arguably the coolest car there in my opinion, one of which was not getting the attention I thought it deserved. It’s not everyday you get to see a 935, especially in this fashion. Sporting a Race Service livery, this car is owned by the creative director at Race Service located in Culver City.

What event doesn’t have an S2000? The formula is tried and true. Track ready setups, hotboy wheels, hardtops, Japanese bodykits. S2000’s are simple and when done right can’t be beat.

Although this show had more crazy stance cars than pinnacle builds, the Toyo Tire booth was packed with amazing cars including this RWB 993. It’s not everyday you see an RWB Porsche in LA, even at the Porsche events so to see this was very interesting in person.

Rounding out the P cars is the creme de la creme of P car track use. 991 GT3 Cup Evo from Art of Attack. For a Cup car, you don’t need to do much if anything for it to be ready for the track but some aero from RSfuture and Art of Attack love and this thing is ready for any and all time attack events. Maybe we see it at Global Time Attack next year?

Rounding out this quick coverage, my favorite car of the show was this Mugen x Spoon inspired Honda Del Sol. Very seldom do we see clean, well taken care of Del Sol’s, especially one with so much thought put into it. It’s very obvious this owner loves Honda, and one could see that with the quality of parts equipped to this little beast. B series engine, Koyorad radiator adorned with Spoon Type One stickers, spoon overflow catches and piping, and lastly Mugen airbox. The moment I saw this car, I fell in love with it and began to wonder why more people decide to ignore them.

JCCS 2023

JCCS (Japanese Classic Car Show) is just one of those events ya know? A can’t miss event. The epitome of car events in Southern California. From the location, atmosphere, car selection, and people, it’s just an all around perfect experience which I attend annually.

I started my morning honing in my camera settings accounting for the foggy morning and decided to use this really clean S14 as a testing shot. Ironically its one of my favorite shots from the day. JCCS is tradition and as such I have a predetermined route I like to take as my first pass through. I always start off with the corner dedicated to Hondas.

This DC2 Integra really caught my eye with a decked out Spoon inspired engine bay and Sprint Hart wheels

Integras and Civics were out in full affect

Who doesn’t love a clean, well put together CD7 Accord owned by @seedy.7 on Instagram!

Making your way around, the middle sections of the lawn are inhabited by companies like Toyota, Mazda and Nissan showing off their heritage, motorsport or enthusiast vehicles which never disappoint.

Mazda did not shy away from bringing some heavy hitters which change every year. The year prior we saw a 787b in the orange and green RENOWN livery we all have come to know alongside a slew of FD RX7. I always look forward to the Mazda showcase since it always blends heritage and motorsport whereas Nissan and Toyota typically like to show off their newer enthusiast models.

Within JCCS was JCMS aka Japanese Classic Motorcycle Show presented by Motul. Vintage bikes mostly Honda and Kawasaki, even the new Honda Moto Compacto showed up for a bit parked next to its older brother the Moto Compo.

Amazing Kenmeri Skyline owned by one of the Team Wildcard members sitting on the smallest watanabes known to man.

GR86 and R32 Skyline GTR owned by Larry Chen. (I should’ve asked for a sticker)

Absolutely love this R33 Sedan sitting on LMGT4 wheels

The S- chassis population was also quite large with either full stock or full street style cars.

My favorite thing about curated events is watching other people studying a car and capturing that moment.

Sinister NSX paired with another NSX near the entrance attracted many eyes.

A closer look into the engine bay of this Mugen inspired CRX with a couple Twincam accessories.

It’s safe to say within the Honda section, Mugen inspired builds ruled them all. Understandably so, Mugen kits and wheels transform the look of any Honda without being too over the top.

Pair of FC RX7 next to the Mazda booth attracted the attention of many of the older attendees.

A lonely Top Secret Supra. Yes, that supra…

Had to end this with my favorite car of the show. A simple, clean DA integra track ready, tastefully equipped.

It all begins with a dream

Let’s start with where I’m currently sitting. 2002 Acura RSX, bone stock with one attainable dream to end the year. Attend an autocross event with a simple setup. We have alot of work to do in terms of bringing this humble little machine to a slightly higher level.

What are the ingredients for a daily driver to retain its comfort and easy road going while also being a tad more fun in both the performance and aesthetic department? Wheels, tires, suspension (and maybe factory aero depending on the car). Well after part hoarding for over a year we have exactly that... kinda. For suspension, we’ve opted to keep drivability above all while also going a bit towards performance. See the DC5 chassis is a finicky one, it doesn’t like to be super low to the ground due to its McPherson setup. With that in mind, we chose the DC5R struts to give us a simple plug and play action. This should only lower the car roughly .75 inches while also giving us a slightly stiffer than normal ride. Among other little things like body work (thanks unaware Amazon driver), painting factory aero and other cosmetics, the goal is to slap some 17inch wheels on wrapped with a 200tw tire and make my way to Corner Exit ‘s local autocross before the year wraps up. Plenty of work and motivation to look forward to.