Ken Gushi
Still working out the kinks of his drift tC, Ken qualified 18th in Jersey, missing the Top 16 due to low speeds. Like Steve Urkel in a bar fight, all Ken needs now is some more power...
Honestly, I don't think our car has EVER run this good in its short life! For the first time, I had complete confidence while driving it. Hiro Sumida's mechanic, Koji, had the rear differential mounts fixed, since the old ones were cracked and vibrating. Another big improvement was horsepower-we have more of it! The RSR crew decided to shoot nitrous oxide in the lower- and mid-range to help produce more power between 2,000 to 4,500 rpm, helping the car take off much quicker than before. Up until this event, I was having a hard time getting the car up to speed. I love nitrous. It's the best creation ever.
Thursday's practice was a chance for all of the drivers, including myself, to learn the new track. After walking the course for the first time, I got to tell you-I was scared. The entry for this course was a blind 90mph left turn into a long right-hander. It was scary at first, but after a few runs, the line became like second nature. I felt good going into qualifying on Friday; and scored an 89 my first run, only three points behind the legendary Orido. During the second session, Robbie Nishida and I made a deal to place higher than Orido. Robbie got a 94 and I ended up with a 93! Woo-hoo!! So top Qualifying was Robbie, then me, then Orido; team Japan, with a 1-2-3 finish!!
Saturday's qualify session was much more strict. Even with a similar run from the previous Qualifying session, I only scored an 88. I qualified 14th for the Top 16 and was paired with Rhys Millen, going into competition. On our first run, I noticed his Solstice was much faster than the RSR Scion tC on the straight. As soon as I hit the entry, I pulled right up to his door and tried my best to keep up with him through the course. The score was 10-9, my lead! On my lead lap, everything was going smooth until the very last corner, when I lost all power, 7-0, Rhys. Ouch! What happened? The intercooler piping came apart and I lost boost. If it would've held together for another few meters, I would have been in a better place. But even with the early defeat in Vegas, we still remain in 14th Place overall and back into the seeded group. Please, let this be the last bug we need to fix in the tc.
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