Goodbye Nisei Showoff?
It's absolutely true that all good things come to an end. The only question is whether the end is really the end. Michael Jordan, Brett Favre, and New Kids on the Block fans can attest to this, as can anyone who thought subsequent Woodstock festivities would be anything like what went down in '69. Recently, Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district hosted yet another incarnation of its infamous Nisei Showoff: L.A.'s title match among elite Japanese import show cars. This was the tenth consecutive event in as many years as it's been held, and-as Nisei Week organizers broke the news to disheartened enthusiasts day of show-was to be it's last.
If the rumors prove to be true, then it's safe to say the good times went out with a bang. Registration was up so much over preceding years that only the crème de la crème of modified rides were allowed admittance, while an increased number of spectators meant cruising the lot required battling near shoulder-to-shoulder mobs. Dare we say the show was Honda-dominated? The likes of the Fast Autoworks crew, any car sporting a ChaseBays or RyWire sticker, or any with bolts turned by Sheepy and co. prompt us to say so, despite strong non-Honda offerings from teams High End, ar-kan, M2tuning, Hybrid, Infinitwheels.com, and DD Garage. Old and new schools were well represented, along with a little "junior high" student body, by way of a slew of clean DA Integras and EF Civics, and even an RB-swapped M30, courtesy of sister publication Project Car magazine.
As the crowd thinned, the plot of the demise of Import Showoff thickened, as word of organizer Ken Miyoshi's planned Mega Matsuri show began to spread. Set to take place the following weekend of the Nisei Festival, Ken promises this to grow into an even bigger hit-in more ways than just a car show-than his Nisei Showoff ever was. Check back next month for more.
www.megamatsuri.com
FYI Toda Racing In The U.S.
TODA Racing Co., Ltd. recently announced that it has appointed Misano Motor Sports Inc. as its official North American distributor. Based in Irvine, CA, Misano Motor Sports will offer TODA Racing's entire product line of Power engine components and Fightex suspension systems. Misano Motor Sports will be responsible for the distribution, sale and marketing of TODA Racing products to stateside tuners, as well as providing first-rate customer service and support with strong product knowledge.
www.todaracingusa.com
2010 2NR Calendar
With the crap that was the year 2009 finally done and over with, we can all look forward to a clean start, full of fresh promise a new year brings. And what better way to set off 2010 than with an Import Tuner calendar. Brought to you by the carbon-loving folks over at Seibon, make sure to peep the January 2010 newsstand issue of 2NR. Carbon-fiber-themed, it's guaranteed to come packed with 12 of the hottest hotties your thumbtack will ever get its "poke-on" with.
www.seiboncarbon.com
Import Alliance
What started out as a grassroots, forum-organized import meet in rural Tennessee has, now in its fourth year, grown into the biggest import automotive gathering in the southeastern United States. Different from judged shows or lifestyle events, ImportAlliance holds true to its "meet" roots, and remains all about the cars. For only a $10 admission for each vehicle, over 2,000 of the cleanest imports east of the Rockies converged on Nashville Super Speedway for two days of showing, perusing schwag from top industry vendors, tuners and garages, partaking in free time-attack exhibition and competition, and just plain-old kicking it import style. No B-boy battles, foam parties or pounding electronica here (unless you brought your own), just good vibes with miles of imports and the people who drive them. Click importtuner.com for the outtakes!
www.importalliance.com
Honda Records Broken
Motorsports has had a few big days lately, most notably in the Honda camp, with all-motor drag racer Bisi Ezerioha breaking the 150mph trap speed mark with his 17:1 compression, F23-powered Honda Insight, and Doug Macmillan and the Hondata crew breaking three of their old records in the SCTA's G/BGALT (2.0-liter, blown/gas/altered) class, in the very same RSX featured in our Sept '09 issue. Bisi's 9.65 @ 150.3 run marks the first time an all-motor FWD four-cylinder has run a trap speed as fast as those traditionally run by 600whp turbo beasts, while the new 218mph record earned by the Hondata crew beats their previous record by 10 mph-no small feat, in the top speed game.
www.bisimoto.com
www.hondata.com