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[Nurburgring (North west Germany)] One of the most prominent car endurance race “Nurburgring 24hr race” will he held from 21~22 at this place.
Toyota Shouichirou (58), the president of Toyota Motor participates in the Lexus sports car "LFA".
The participation after assuming the office of the president is for the second consecutive year, is for driving one and a half hours with the Lexus sports car "LFA".
The Toyota president held the steering wheel in the car number 48 for about 1 hour on 21st, and about 30 minutes on 22nd, and finished it on the same day after 4pm by his own driving.
Toyota is participating from the year 2007 with the aim of car development and technical improvement of employee mechanic. The LFA and 86 have participated from the stage of the concept model.
“Delta wing”is the new generation racing car that has participated in the 24 Heures du Mans in 2012 etc., with the engine supplied by Nissan Motors.
Nissan has withdrawn from the project and 2 years has passed now, and the marketing plan has come up to Delta wing. This was clarified by M/s. Delta wing technology on May 28, 2014. The design rendering image was presented to the public as the sales model planned for development, by applying the technology of the delta wing of the racing car.
The design rendering of the sales model presented to the public this time also inherits the basic design. In addition, a practical packaging enabling the riding of 4 persons was also held.
The engine located on the rear side of the body is presumed to be 4-cylinder engine of small displacement. The maximum output is 85~110ps level. The target performance is 0~96 km/h acceleration in 6 seconds, and maximum speed is 210 km/h. The target fuel consumption is about 30 km/liter.
M/s. Delta wing technology is looking for OEM partner, and has floated the concept of moving the Delta wing production as the sales car by granting the license. This company has explained, “The structure of delta wing is 35% light, can be driven with 3~5% less power and 35% improvement of fuel consumption is possible” It is good to publish the image, but I wish they published the image by finishing it to a little more attractive packaging.
How many people will be attracted by seeing this red color body? Though Nissan has stylishly finished it with great pains ~~ I don’t prefer this car…
The participation of the drivers from GT academy of Gran Turismo, the PlayStation software has been decided as the driver who will participate in the Le Mans 24 hours endurance race from Nissan.
There is focus on the driving of the drivers who became the professional racing drivers from the game player.
The GT academy is the racing driver promotion program using Gran Turismo, the software for the PlayStation sponsored by Nissan Europe and SCEE (Sony computer entertainment Europe). The academy has produced 8 graduates from the year 2009 until now.
The driver camp is also in focus, and the race car of Nissan has also become the topic of discussion. ZEOD RC, racing EV developed by Nissan.
This is the machine developed with the concept of the Nissan delta wing to enter the race in Le Mans of 2012, and the participation is from the “Garage 56” frame created for the next generation technology promotion.
In the power unit, the 1.5 liter 3 cylinder turbo “DIG-T R” engine that squeezes about 400 HP with the Nissan Juku as the base, and the motor for the electric power driving are installed. Nissan calls ZEOD RC as on-demand type EV by the method of alternatively driving the engine and motor, and does not use the motor for acceleration assistance like the KERS system of F1. The electric power used by the motor is produced by the brake resurrection during running, and stored in the battery. The charging time is about ten rounds of the Circuit de la Sarthe, the stage for the 24 heures du Mans.
About one round can be made with the stored power, and if you can drive with the engine for about 10 rounds, then you can drive 1 round with the motor. It will be like making irregular driving.
The expectation has increased on the level the drivers from GT academy can rise.
This event is an exciting downhill race of running down the sacred place with the mountain bike, and it was held for the 3rd time in Japan.
This year’s course is composed of stairs and hill road, total distance is 500 meter, 250 stone steps, and a maximum slope is about 25 degrees.
On the event day, about 3000 spectators watched it, 11 participating riders competed with the determined attack and riding technique of this technical course.
On that final day, there was rain and the condition of the road surface became severe.
The huge crowd of spectators were taken by surprise by the splendid technique for running down hill in those sudden drop stone steps.
Normally the MTB downhill race is conducted at the mountain slope, and this Red Bull Holy Ride is conducted at the sacred place.
The first race in Japan was conducted at the Iwashimizu Hachimangu shrine in Kyoto Prefecture in 2010.
The second time it was conducted at the Ishizu-Jinjya shrine in Ehime Prefecture in 2011.
The second time it was conducted at the Katsuou-Ji in Osaka Prefecture in 2013.
This is the downhill race by MTB under the beautiful scenery of stone pavement and stone steps of the temple and Shinto shrine more like a typical Japanese place.
The event sponsored by Red Bull fascinates the viewer by fulfilling the fascination that cannot be seen elsewhere like the ingenuity and cheerfulness.
Nissan has decided to returns to the 24 Heures du Mans from the year 2015.
Indeed, Nissan is returning to this race after an interval of 16 years.
In this return to the race, it has also announced the name of the machine that will participate in the race as “NISSAN GT-R LM NISMO”.
It is extraordinary that Nissan uses the name of "GT-R", as an expression of self-confidence and determination. Nissan cannot allow losing in the name of “GT-R”!
From this, we can understand the level of seriousness of this time return to 24 Heures du Mans race.
Nissan has also added a happy comment.
“We promise to make the machine that will remain on page 1 of the history. This machine will not only win the 24 Heures du Mans, but also achieve the role of linking the success in the circuit to the success in the stock car, and will be the machine that will be remembered for a many years.”
The other brands that are competing here like the Porsche, Audi, Toyota, and particularly the Porsche that returned this year is a leader of the endurance race for a very long time, and they are not the opponents who can be easily defeated.
I would like to see the level of seriousness of Nissan from next year early.
2015 Honda return to F1
2015 Nissan return to 24 Heures du Mans
The remaining ones are
Toyota return to F1
Mazda return to 24 Heures du Mans return with rotary engine
Return of Subaru and Mitsubishi WRC
Japanese manufacturers have slowly started to get energetic.
A stylish present from M/s.Colnago supplying the road bike to Yukiya participating that race from Europe car!
Yukiya Arashiro
This is the only special machine in the world painted with the “Japan” and “Yukiya Arashiro“ in the Japanese syllable called as Kanji in the pink frame which is the color of Giro d'Italia.
The “Yukiya Arashiro x Giro d'Italia“ version of C60, the 60th anniversary model of M/s.Colnago.
So far Colnago C59 JAPAN
The C59 Japanese champion color model that made the debut in the 6th stage of Tour de France in 2012.
Colnago C59 KIZUNA
Yukiya fractured his left hand and neck by falling from the road bike, and is now recovering from the fracture. This road bike was given to him when he attended the All Japan championship that is the final selection race of London Olympics. The special road bike with the characters of “Yukiya Arashiro” and “Bond” in the Japanese syllable called as Kanji. The intimacy between Yukia and Ernesto (Founder of M/s.Colnago) would not be known unless such a special machine was prepared and given.
Mr.Ernesto Colnago
It would be happy that we could soon see Yukia riding this road bike from the 4th stage on 13th.
If you say “Lotus” in Europe then it is Elan, but if you say “Lotus” in Japan then the first thing that comes in mind is “Europe”
The reason is that the cartoonist / manga artist Mr. Ikezawa satoshi made a comic series from the year 1975 to 1979.
Hero who appears as wolf in circuit
The beloved car of Yuuya Fubuki is Lotus Europe.
The story is, Yuuya Fubuki is the hero who drives his beloved car Lotus Europe, starts as the street racer of lone wolf, and the competition with rivals unfolds in the public road and the circuit, and grows up to a professional racer.
A lot of famous sports cars all over the world like Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Nissan, Fairlady Z, Chevrolet Corvette, and Toyota 2000GT etc. appears as the rival in the cartoon series.
This become the spark of the sports car boom in Japan, the boys at that time were nor grown up as adults, and it is not an exaggeration that the majority of them are driving the sports car in Japan. The long aspired car of those persons will be Lotus Europe. Moreover, some cars were faithfully reproduced as the car that appears in the carton.
I wish to write about the super car boom in Japan in the blog.
The people who were the child in those days are now holding the steering wheel of the sports car. The sports car of Japan has developed! The adults who love the Lotus Europe of Japan keep chasing the sports cars for over 40 years, and they have an eye on the TOYOTA 86, that was developed for anyone to buy and any one to be happy, and is not only a visually appealing car but also the sports car that can be enjoyed for long time!
TOYOTA 86
It is possible to press the accelerator firmly even when driving the mountain path/pass. How about selecting a sports car for yourself!