Last updated January 6th, 2012

Cylinder head valves normally will not just bend unless the engine has experienced some sort of trauma. Bent valves can occur as the by-product of a timing belt failure, as the valves strike the pistons. Depending on what bent the valve, there may be damage you can’t see, and won’t until the head is off.

The SoCal car scene has never skipped a beat, and it is still going strong. Although it’s Motion Auto Show’s first event, they’re the same group of people who have brought you this show for the past four years (just under a different company name). Always held at the Long Beach Convention Center, on exhibit were a wide variety of compact cars, luxury sedans, and sport cars.

We all face our own battles, but do you ever wonder what it’s like to go up against something that is beyond human control? Time is a component that is challenged every day by all living objects and cannot be controlled, stopped, or harnessed. It is a fundamental structure of the universe, with each unit of measurement expressed in seconds, minutes, and hours. In motorsports, it can be said that technology challenges time, where man would build the fastest mechanical vehicle in terms of velocity or course lap time. The best paradigm that exemplifies this theory is the time-attack or Super Lap.

Amazing and unknown facts on Eric Hsu:

Although the term may come across as daunting upon first glance, its definition is a very simple one: self-education. To be an autodidact is to be a person who learns a subject without a teacher or a formal education. They believe that the best way to learn how to do something is to simply get in there, get their hands dirty, and just figure it out as they go. They learn by teaching themselves. Chris Shuemake of Fresno, CA, is exactly that kind of person, and the story of how this beautiful blue WRX came to be is a perfect example of that philosophy in action.

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Tattoos?
A butterfly on my hip and “Sippy Sippy” behind my right ear

Formula Drift prepares to finish off its eighth season and final competition for 2011 at the “House of Drift”, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale CA. The championship race has come down to the narrowest of margins with the Top 5 drivers coming all within striking distance to take home the championship. Follow along as we recap both Round 5 and 6, leading to the final FD Irwindale event while we wait to see who emerges the Formula D 2011 champ.

When you add 10 years to 2004 you get 2014. While this ’04 Infiniti G35 isn’t 10 years old yet, it has been 10 years in the making. A vehicle of this caliber takes not only time but also style, and to develop a relevant sense of style takes time. It is evident by the product that this build took its fair share of both.

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Although Toyota denies it (we totally understand the need for manufacturers to keep secret projects completely hush-hush), rumors are floating around the industry on plans for a ’14 Supra MK5 release. We’re not sure if this is going to be a concept version or more, but we’re excited at the possibility of one of Japan’s legends coming back to us. Toyota will also be releasing the Scion FR-S—hopefully in the next year. The FR-S and the new Supra would tie the gap between the FR-S and the LFA, giving Toyota three rear-wheel-drive cars in its lineup. In the meantime check out the renderings that Bullfinch Visuals mocked up on their site.

After drifting in three continents, Dai Yoshihara decided that in-between Round 6 and 7 of the stateside Formula D series, he’d take a little break and go compete in a couple of drift events in Europe. First arriving in Ireland, Dai drove a unique SR20-powered Toyota Altezza at the Mondello Circuit. He was only able to finish in Fourth Place, being knocked out by fellow Falken teammate D-Mac McNamara. Up next, Dai headed to mother England to drive Driftwork’s 2JZ-powered Nissan S15 (man, they sure love cross-manufacturer swaps over there) at the Drift Allstars European series at Wembley Stadium. Dai went on to finish Eighth in this event.

Married couple Doug and Miriam Macmillan of Hondata recently came out to the Bonneville Salt Flats and once again broke records with their Hondas. For the fourth time Miriam took her 1.5L turbocharged ’90 CRX to a new record of 220.258 mph. Although, she actually went a top speed of 234.6 mph, the results are calculated from an average speed over two runs.