Can a company that manufactures body kits also dominate the race circuit? Just ask the 2002 Japan series champions, Rando Sports.
The Japanese language can be tricky at times-shit, I'll admit it...it can be downright frustrating. For all of you that ask if those funky translations (i.e., "We are very wonderful in fight over mountain super speed") on company logos and catch phrases are accurate, I can honestly tell you they're usually pretty damn close. Verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives... screw all that. When you're translating Japanese to English it's like trying to decipher the matrix codes on the computer screen, going from one Kanji to another, and mixing up the verbal garbage to finally produce a comprehensible English sentence. That's how I feel, anyway. My true test of deciphering the Japanese language came to me via a phone call from Jiro Adachi, vice president of Tanabe USA. Adachi-san informed me there was a rather unique FD3S RX-7 available from Rando Sports for an article write-up if I was interested. I sat there for a few seconds pondering the true definition of "Rando". I became unsure that he'd pronounced the word correctly, so I had to ask him one more time.
2NR: Ehh nani?! [What?!] Bando Sports?Adachi: No, Rando Sports.
2NR: Oh. What does that mean?Adachi: Ahhh... well, it's two words put together but they don't mean anything.
2NR: Ehh nani?Adachi: They are two words that aren't supposed to be put together in the Japanese language, but they ARE ANYWAY.
2NR: I'm not sure what you mean, but it sounds good to me!
Rando Sports Theory: Total BalanceTrend setting has always been a way of life in Japan and the import scene. Even today, the whole JDM craze continues to storm the U.S. market as manufacturers and shops profit by selling factory parts only available on Japanese-spec cars. Rando Sports, based in Neyagawa City, Osaka, Japan, has been in the automotive business since 1996. If the name doesn't sound familiar, their products might. The company's authentic body kits have been used on many famous tuning project cars in Japan such Signal Auto and JMC, to name a FEW. Rando Sports combineD its knowledge in aeroware and sport tuning to produce circuit-winning vehicles that dominated the Gymkhana (autocross style) tracks in the 2002 season.
What's Gymkhana, you ask? Gymkhana IS like circuit racing, drifting, Solo I and Solo II all mixed together in one event. With cones setup on the track, cars slide and drift around turns at high speeds while using grip techniques to maneuver the tight radii and banks. Rando Sports campaigns a number of demo cars in the import lineup ranging from Integra DC2s to Aristo JZS161s, for a total of 12 cars in the company lineup. The FD3S was selected as Rando's flagship car in Gymkhana racing for number of reasons. The company was attracted by the Mazda's rotary engine, its excellent weight distribution, light weight and premier styling. It was a no brainer to campaign the FD in what was to become Rando Sports' finest year in dominating the Gymkhana circuit.