N S X F I E S T A
OCTOBER 18-19, 2003
SUZUKA CIRCUIT, JAPAN
NSX FIESTA 2003 was a blast! From the moment that I stepped off the plane in Nagoya, to the drive to Suzuka Circuit. The next morning, all I could think about was all the fun I would have. I met Hirofumi Tomiyoshi (NSX Club of Japan President) early Saturday morning in the hotel lobby. We waited for another NSX club member (Kye) to join us for the drive to Suzuka Circuit. This was the first time I met these two gentlemen, as we have only communicated through email prior to this event. If you ever visit Japan, you have to meet up with these guys. They are very very nice and always willing to let you drive their NSX :)
We arrived at Suzuka Circuit early and there weren't that many NSX's yet, but as the hours passed it began to fill up. We had a brief group meeting where they introduced the honorary guest as well as the professional drivers. After that we went on our way to the opening parade laps. I got to drive Hirofumi's NSX-R for the parade laps and it was great! I never drove a right-hand drive car but it wasn't hard at all. After the parade different groups of owners got to drive their NSX around the track for about an hour or so, while the rest of us had lunch and checked out the other cars in the parking lot and pits.
After lunch I got the opportunity to ride with a professional driver in Hirofumi's car while they took the wheel and blasted around the track at ungodly speeds. All I can say is BAD ASS! I never knew the car was this BAD ASS! We took turns that made me think we were going to hit the wall but didn't. We drove down the straights super super fast with the car pinned to max speed. We used the brakes...oh wait no we didn't! Or so it seemed. It was simply awesome, something that I'll never forget. Did I mention my driver was a female?!
Later we (Hirofumi, Kye, and I) left to go to the Gymkhana (sp?) event at another part of the track. If you haven't seen or driven in this type of situation you're missing out. It is so much fun, though not too forgiving on your tires, clutch, or brakes. I didn't get to drive, but this allowed me to videotape the whole thing . Although I was just a spectator, I can tell you it was amazing (as soon as I figure out how to transfer the video it I'll put it up). Kye was ripping it up as well as the other owners.
Hirofumi and I left to go to the skid-pad area. We took turns driving around the cones trying to control the car on a slippery/wet surface. It was a good learning experience even though it was for a short period of time. After this it was back to the hotel to rest and get ready for the dinner events. For dinner it was a standing buffet style, which means that you don't sit you stand all night. I think it was like this to allow people to move around and mingle with others, and not just stay in one place all night long. After dinner and the events the NSX Club of Japan members decided to go do some singing/karaoke but I could not join them as I had a splitting headache and went back to the room to rest.
The next morning (Sunday) we got breakfast then went to watch more owners drive their cars around the track. We then went to do some driving of our own at the go-kart track nearby and Kye kicked our butts! Hirofumi over took me on the last lap so I came in last. I was actually driving conservatively as I haven't been on one of these in a while and was scared of flipping over. Next time I'm going all out!
We went back to watch more drivers taking laps, take more pictures, have lunch (Mr. Uehara sat at our table next to me, cool!). After a late lunch everyone prepared for the final parade and to take the group picture in the middle of the track. We took the picture then got in our cars ready for the parade. Groups of cars were led by different professional drivers, as well as Mr. Uehara. It was a very nice way to end a wonderful weekend.
To make a long story short, Hirofumi and I did some site seeing after the Fiesta. He pinned the car on some highway on the way to a temple, more than once! Boy these cars are fast. On Monday we visited Backyard Special before our drive back to Tokyo. When we finally arrived in Tokyo we visited Axle Tuning and Super Autobacs. On Tuesday we visited Phase, MACS (where I saw the Taitec titanium exhaust, it's super light), Advance (but they were closed), and Honda Head Quarters (got some cool stuff there).
All in all it was a very memorable and enjoyable trip, one I won't ever forget. I want to thank Hirofumi for being such a gracious host and for taking me around. You are truly a great friend.
Enough talk...now on to the pictures!