It’s that time of the year again – spring is in the air, the weather is warming up, and the Honda’s come out to play. This time its at Chuckwalla Valley Speedway for Round 1 of Vtec Club.
Kristian’s EK wasn’t in the competition, but it sure looks fast just sitting there.
This CL7 Euro-R isn’t just another replica; it’s a genuine Spoon Sports racecar, which the owner Will has gone to great lengths to restore and return to the circuit. This car has seen many events in the past and has recentyl spent some time under the knife being prepared for its new life as a competitor in HFF Challenge. Will has documented everything he’s done with this car to prepare it to race, from refurbishing the aging air jack system to redoing the wiring harness, and the result is well worth it for a car with such a pedigree and personality; a sight and sound enjoyable either track side, pre-grid, or on track.
Muoi’s car was keeping a lower profile with a change in decal layout. Seeing this car’s evolution the past year has been pretty exciting, and she landed a podium finish at Chuckwalla. Not bad for the first event of the year.
Running the same day was Narita Attack Challenge presented by Narita Dog Fight. This event aims to bring the Japanese style of time attack to the states, with only a few laps per session to get times in.
It’s uncommon to see this generation of Prelude these days, and it makes it all that much more interesting to see this car at Chuckwalla. Prepared by the famed Honda outfit Hasport Performance, this Prelude ditched its factory power-plant in lieu of the ever-popular K series. Not stopping there, however, Hasport also equipped the car with a turbocharger. This car made the rounds a few years back with a magazine feature, and its always a pleasure to see what can be done on the path less traveled.
We love seeing the new Type R at Vtec Club events. The Spirit of the Type R is well and truly alive, as these cars tend to have some of the quickest times!
Kristian’s car is always a favorite, and seeing it in this more complete state after a long hibernation was well worth the wait. The rare Truth bumper complimented the aggressive Weds/TE wheel set-up well, and the addition of the Mode Parfume lip at the bottom gave the front end an aggressive look, bringing the car’s already low stance even lower.
Featuring a K swap, a fully reworked chassis, and a Hybrid Racing livery, this car has gone through quite a transformation.
We’ve seen Phillip’s Pandem EG Civic before at Year 10, but its real home is here at the circuit. It’s a driver’s car through and through, with form and function in perfect harmony. Unlike the plethora of Pandem and Rocket Bunny-equipped cars in existence, Philip went the way of Pandem as the next evolution of his Civic as a pure race car.
We’re still waiting to see this car hit the virtual racetrack in Gran Turismo. With the car having recently been scanned by the team at Polyphony Digital, that could be any day now…
Hasport’s Brian Gillespie and Philip Robles; Two legends of the sport.
I spy with my little eye…
Thomas Van competing for his first time with Vtec Club, laying down a solid time of 2:03.09, landing him a third place podium finish in Group N. An impressive result after having just recently been shaken-down after a long build process.
Joel Etrata from team Topak hit a solid 1:59.973 borrowing his old car from the current owner Dexter.
Jonathan reminds us that a focused, sensible approach in modifications coupled with seat time will always amount to more confidence and better lap times.
John piloted Goldy in a class primarily filled with S2000’s, and more than held his own with a PB of 2:01.470 on Nankang’s newly released AR-1 tires.
It was great to see the guys from Vtec club again, as well experience Chuckwalla for the first time. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season and what it has in store for new and seasoned competitors alike.
Photos: Rudy Lopez
Article: Giovanny Barragan
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