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D1 Round 1 News - In My Gz20 Soarer


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Hi everyone, I'm a relative newbies to the Lexus Owners Club, due to me buying an old school soarer by accident back in January (2006) basically this is the story of my car & what I've been up to over the past few months.

I built the car all by myself from a bog standard GZ20 Soarer, all within the space of only a few weeks earlier in the year. The car is competing into the D1 Drift Series & it's proving popular with the crowds as quite frankly no-one has a got a clue what it is! :blink:

Here's a not so quick run down of how we got on & some piccies too.

January I arrive back from a month in Africa on the Plymouth-Dakar Rally, needed to buy a drifty car asap as my previous chariot an MX5 Turbo was no longer up to the job.

eBay reveals an oddball Toyota with two turbo's, manual, RWD badly in need of a new clutch....... which I ended up buying as you do

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I spend the next week or so stripping her out, removing heaps of lard, stripping the doors down to lose weight, fixed the windows up, lost the cat too. Fitted a new clutch & uprated hilux pressure plate. Had a rollcage fabricated up & fitted it myself fully welded in job, 6 pointer doorbars the lot (pain in the arse job!!!!)

Welded the diff up & fitted some graphics, modified the springs & shocks, added some castor, modified the rack for more lock, fitted a plumbed in fire extinguisher & electric cut outs & some FIA seats.

One week to go before the D1 Licensing day at Donnington

Quick trip to Surrey Rolling Road after fitting a bleed valve only (I know I know!!) reveals 258bhp & running nice & rich, far too rich in fact. Thats the limit before the boost cut stops play. Safe as houses though.

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Wednesday before D1 weekend & the first time I get to drive in anger

I sneak in a half day of testing at Lydd Circuit in Kent, yes its a kart track but one that 80mph is quite easy to achieve & yes she does sideways all right!!!!

The weekend has landed, D1 here we come or not & mr Kazama is judging

Me getting nervous queued up ready to go for a top weekend of slideways fun with 5,000 punters looking on

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Flat out in 3rd in to the first corner a left hander, by the end of the day I was starting drifting 120m before the corner

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First clipping point was on the outside of the first corner on a short straight section, it was the grass verge close as possible, clip it and you in for spin or in the gravel or the wall

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Second corner was the chicane complex and onto the main straight into 4th gear down the straight sideways, got a telling off for manji'ing the straight at 100mph ooops

End of weekend & the results

Fingers crossed

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I managed the 7th highest score of the weekend, no spins or mishaps all weekend - gaining me a full D1 licence to compete in the championship woohoo

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Round 1 Rockingham

Ken Nomura is judging --- he's a very funny bloke & only about 5ft tall if that!

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Qualifying - Highest scroing 16 drivers will go through to the Tsusio "Twin Drift" Scored on speed, angle, clipping point accuracy (within a foot is the target) less is more points.

Circuit is into turn 4 on the big oval & big run up to the section - up to 3rd gear just on the rev limiter for me (about 95mph) just as I hit the start point, flick the car left sideways starting tight aginst the wall

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Down the banking flick right still on the limiter past the clipping point, back up the banking towards the wall

flicking the car to left & brake drift into it, tight to the wall as possible scores you more points, like this !!!

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Decelerate down to 2nd gear mid drift change, into sharping left-hander back down the banking clipping point on the inside edge kerbing

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To fast 2nd gear right hander clipping point around the corner on the late apex point.

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Great fun, technical & also risky, as a few people found out by hitting the wall

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So results from the mornings qualifying.....

I only went & managed the 6th highest score so I'm through wooohoooo now for the scary stuff!!

First up again Poland's Marceij & I manage to beat him eventually after 4 runs as Nomura could'nt decide who should go through. I'm now through to the top 8 yippeeee

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Next I'm againt the SVA 350Z with double the horsepower of my car - ooohh nooo

How close can we get then? all that power eh?

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Managed to beat him on the first run, we had 4 re-runs it was that close, then I ball'sd up & span out. So top 8 for me I'm afraid. But considering....not bad.

Along for the day was Tiff Needell in a 590bhp Soarer - on C5's 5th the show after the football

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Next weekend Saturday 16th of June is round 2 at Silverstone, then Sunday the top 16 go against 16 of tthe Japs D1 boys !!! oh my it's going to be a stonking weekend.

NEWS: Dave at Prolex has kindly offered to help me out where he can, so Wednesday the beast is off to have a new exhaust system fitted, full system all the way through to at least bring her up to somehwhere the noise regs :lol: then it's off to Surrey Rolling Road for an FCON fitting & setting up. Maybe shy of the 300 mark....??? I'll keep you posted.

If anyones thinking of coming along on the weekend your more than welcome to pop along & say hi, pitcrew always welcome!

Declan

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Welcome Declan :D

Watched you at Rockingham :winky: Congrats on getting your licence.

Looking forward to watching you next weekend too (fingers & toes crossed for you :lol: )

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Off to Silverstone for the weekend

D1GB on Saturday www.d1gb.co.uk

D1GP on Sunday for which I hope to qualify & get to go against the japs.

Should be a stonking weekend

The Prolex exhaust has been fitted & she sounds wonderful, a little write up coming shortly & of the weekend no doubt

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