This week's update will be separated into two parts since there are a hell lot to tell and even more pics to show!
For the first one here, we have yet another crossover episode with some forum bois!
Additionally, you can also help me pick a new personal tow car, which I'll explain later.
What are we waiting for? Let's jump into the update!

April Foo-I mean, paycheck time! Yet another V$750 landed to my wallet safely. To be fair, I'm not really the one that celebrates April Fools anyway, particularly since there are a lot of hoaxes and scams flying left and right in the vast land of the United States of Internet these days. Some of the are so convincing it feels like April Fools came earlier. Not that I've got one of them, mind. But the point is, as technology marches on, the line of truth and lies has almost dissolved in the virtual world. For us young'uns and grown-ups, this won't be a problem since we're all educated enough by all means to distinguish which are true and which aren't. But then, it's not only us who uses the internet these days......right, we've gone too far, the conclusion from my earlier blabber should be clear and perhaps even trivial. Let's get back to the track shall we?

After a week of break from competitive scene, I decided to kickstart the month by entering another one. And this one is quite a biggie: I'm entering Tsukuba's very own Time Attack Championship, which is called Tsukuba Circuit Trial Series. The championship itself is a part of Tsukuba's main car championship weekend series, the others are Tsukuba Super FJ championship (Tsukuba's Formula Jedi UK equivalent, performance are similar to F4 cars) and Tsukuba Touring Car Series (1400-1600cc touring car championship). All these series are acknowledged and supervised by JAF as a regional series. Compared to these two, the Circuit Trial series has less strict rules and basically more open to everyone. All series are going to hold 5 rounds this year, with the 1st and 3rd round hosted by Victory Sports Club (VICIC), 2nd round hosted by Brains Motorsports Club (B-Sports), and 4th as well as the final round join-hosted by Team Magnus Auto Club (TMAC) and JASC, with JASC being a sub-division of JAF.

If you're interested about the grand series and the main rules of each series, you can download the document here in Japanese. Or to save your effort, I'm going to explain the rules for the Circuit Trial Series. Welp, prepare for a long haul boys.

First off, the basic rules. The format of the championship is 2x15 minutes of Super Lap, which means it's a one-shot shootout run. One lap to get off the pits, one lap to score your time, and one lap to get back to the pits. One small mistake could shake up the results table significantly. Drivers are eliglible for the championship if they at least attend 3 of the 5 rounds, and there will be a bonus prize money if they could attend every single of them. Being used to the free run format, this is a fresh challenge to me. This also means I'm moving up from clubman level racing to sanctioned regional level in just two events....how cool is that?

Moving on to the class segregation. In general there are 3 classes that is held in the championship: B, PN and AE. B class has 6 sub-classes, and PN class has 2 sub-classes, which brings the total class into staggering NINE classes, plus one overall championship. There's also one additional, non-championship points eliglible class which is called Closed class, intended for specially-built racers such as Attack and WTAC-spec TA racers or open wheel formula racers. Talking about the sub-classes, they're separated based on the car's engine capacity and their eliglibility to be registered and converted for national level racing usage. Turbo and supercharged cars capacity are multiplied by 1.7 and rotaries are multiplied by 1.5 to make them easier to be classified and segregated. For all classes, brands and types or tyres used is free, but no full slicks are allowed.

Now, let's delve deeper into the sub-classes and the examples of cars being eliglible for each classes:

- B1: <=1600cc road-legal cars, e.g. EK9, EF, EG6, MX-5 NA and NB, Cappucino, Caterham Seven 160, Honda Beat, old Alto Works
- B2: <=1600cc road-legal cars that can be FIA/JAF-certified for racing use, e.g. base MX-5 ND, base Swift, S660, N-ONE, March Nismo, current Alto Works
- B3: 1600-2400cc FF road-legal cars that can be FIA/JAF-certified for racing use, e.g. top-range Swift, current Corolla
- B4: 1600-2400cc FR road-legal cars that can be FIA/JAF-certified for racing use, e.g. 86, BRZ, top-range MX-5 ND
- B5: 1600-3500cc 2WD road-legal cars, e.g. Civic Type-R EP3 upwards, Silvias, Skyline non-GTR, RX-7, RX-8, Z33, Mini JCW, 208 GTi, non-turbo 911, Cayman, non-supercharged Lotus
- B6: Any road-legal cars that doesn't satisfy B1-B5, e.g. WRX STi, Lan Evo, Skyline GT-R, Ferraris, McLarens, Lambos, Golf R, turbo 911.....basically 4WDs and supercars
- PN1: <=1600cc FIA/JAF-certified racers, see B2
- PN2: 1600cc-2000cc FIA/JAF-certified racers, see B3 and B4
- AE: Fully electric cars with power output under 40 kWh, e.g. Leaf, e-Golf, i3 without range extender. No Teslas, sadly

Quite mind-boggling aren't they? Let's straight to the point then: I was placed on B6 class with my Silver Queen. After all the car's document were specified, I paid V$205 for the registration. I'd really like to attend every single race in the calendar, but chances are I'll miss the second round at May. But why? Well I can't tell you yet.... All that matters is the Silver Queen has joined the server again and this time, moving her way up to an upper league

2nd gen Toyota Estima 2.4L Petrol - 1600 kg
+ Has captain seats for 1st and 2nd row seats, good for relaxed driving
+ Quite powerful and big NA inline 4 engine
+ Being a Japanese car, spares would be easy to find
+ Looks cool for an MPV I should admit, and blends easily with traffic
+ Can be easily sourced inside Japan, obviously
+ I've ever driven one!
- Quite heavy for an MPV, hence needing big and powerful engine
- Uhh.....it's an MPV
- Visual tunability is limited, admittably
- No turbo option. There are bolt-on turbo kits and TRD-issued OEM superchargers, but would I need them?
- Driving experience might not be suitable for spirited driving


Volvo 850 Base/Turbo/T5 Petrol - 1600 kg
+ It's a Volvo, cool and B R I C C factor ++
+ Has inline 5 engine so it'll be a smooooth sailing driving one
+ Being an European car, can be sourced outside Japan for even cheaper
+ It's an estate, certainly cooler than an MPV
+ Has racing pedigree thanks to Volvo's popular BTCC effort with 850R at mid-90s
+ Could adapt quickly between relaxed driving and spirited driving
+ It's a Volvo, so it's a mobile safe haven and as strong as a tank and B R I C C
+ Actually lighter than the Estima!
+ Some people here owns or have owned 850s at one point
+ Visual tuning options is vast and variable
- It's a Volvo, B R I C C styling might not look good for some
- Being an European car, spares might be difficult to find inside Japan
- Inline 5 engine could be rather hard to maintain
- Might actually need to be sourced outside Japan, rarely any Volvos under V$1000 in Japan


Audi A6 C5 Estate 2.5 TDi - 1800 kg
+ It's an Audi Estate, cool factor ++ and time-proven design
+ V6 Turbodiesel engine means BLACC SMONK time and a hell load of torque
+ Turbodiesel engine means tuning is easy, even chip tuning would do
+ It's an estate, certainly cooler than an MPV
+ It's a VAG product, spare parts are abundant, at least around Europe
+ For all reasons above, it's a spectacular tourer that can carry lots of load
+ Could adapt rather quickly between relaxed driving and spirited driving
+ Visual tuning options is vast and variable
+ Can carry slightly more than 850 or Estima
+ Some people here owns or have owned 850s at one point
+ Visual tuning options is vast and variable
- Does Japan urbanites accept BLACC SMONK these days? Not sure if they do
- Being an European car, spares might be difficult to find inside Japan
- V6 engine could be even harder to maintain
- Has to be sourced from UK, no estate models in Japan under V$1000


1st Gen BMW X5 3.0d - 2300 kg
+ It's a BMW SUV, smug and luxury factor ++
+ I6 Turbodiesel engine means BLACC SMONK time and a hell load of torque, as well as smooth delivery
+ Turbodiesel engine means tuning is easy, even chip tuning would do
+ It's an SUV, obviously fit for the job
+ Shares the same platform with 3rd gen Range Rover, certainly feels at home when off-roading
+ AAAAAAALL WHEEEEEEL DRIVEEEEEEEEEEE
+ Being a SUV means guaranteed safety and comfort
+ Can carry even more than all of the above cars
- Visual tuning options is limited to none
- Does Japan urbanites accept BLACC SMONK these days? Not sure if they do
- Being an European car, spares might be difficult to find inside Japan
- Being a SUV, could spell trouble in smaller roads
- Being a contemporary era SUV, you can't bring it for spirited driving or else it'll literally roll upside down
- Has to be sourced from UK, literally no X5 diesel in Japan under V$1000
- Most of those under V$1000 has electrical or engine damage, so has to be fixed on site first when picked up

Speaking of the Demio, finally it has a buyer! Jimmy/Buzz(Buzzsaw) has agreed to buy it at full price, which was V$1500. He told me he has sold his PS13 that he brought to my crib back then for quite a high price, at V$18000. Staggering, I know, but actually can be justified since the one who bought it was a car collector who's impressed with Buzz's concours-level car maintenance and detailing skills. Boy that James May-rivalling detailing skills does worth a lot!

With the PS13 gone, he needs a small daily runner that can bring him zipping around the crowded and narrow streets of Tokyo, which I've experienced once earlier this year. The Demio isn't as small as a Kei car, but it's small and agile enough for the job. And as I've mentioned back then, it shares the same platform with Ford Fiesta, so that magical and fun handling traits is also possessed within the Demio, and perhaps it also shares the rallying potential owned by the Fiesta R2 Excited by the news, I went to my garage and cleaned the Demio inside-out once more to keep it clean, as well as polishing it to give the car that showroom-fresh look.

Speaking of car polish, I found out a brand called Mitchell and King co. which offers variants of luxury-level car waxes to polish your cars with. One of them used to be the most expensive car wax in the world, which is the Gold Rush variant. As the name suggests, it contains real gold(!!) which is visible when you apply them on your car. That's one hell of quality assurance I should say. But would I really need them though? Also, the current record is held by Goldfinger Goldwax polish. Quick, pick one: A brand new Corvette, or the Goldfinger polish?

There are also another news: Muza(Niatross) and Mackay's good old friend, Franklin has decided to move to Tokyo after spending a long time in Osaka. Originally I was supposed to meet him at Tokyo at 02 April, but well I was occupied with Circuit Trial and tow car hunt stuff. Turns out he won a car from an auction, which said car was owned by a Japanese cartel and his cars were seized after he got busted. One of them is a GT-T, which Franklin successfully bid on. Dang, really wish I could join the fun. But I have a plan for that........

At this point Buzz picked the Demio up. After some cups of coffee and all the papers were sorted in my crib, the deal were sealed. But before Buzz went back to Tokyo, I talked to him about Franklin's coming to Tokyo, and decided it would be good if we have Franklin as well in the trackday session. Sso we discussed it with Franklin via video call, and we agreed Franklin would borrow Buzz's brand new S2K for the trackday.
To be fair, he could use his GT-T as well, but uhhh......at this point it's too precious to be spawned into a racetrack. In other words, Franklin needs some more tme to get acquainted with the car, as he has just (a)moved to Tokyo, and (b)bught the GT-T for less than 48 hours. It won't be funny if some mishap happened to his GT-T shortly after he bought it. Franklin does have other cars as well, but at this point they're still being prepared to be moved from Osaka to Tokyo, which is actually quite far away.

With trackday plans sealed and maps containing directions to Tsukuba Circuit handed to both Buzz and Franklin's phone, I gave the Demio's keys to Buzz, and he went back to Tokyo as sunset blurs my view of him and the Demio. I know I owned the Demio for less than a month, but I do wish the Demio will bring happiness to Buzz. And more importantly, my wallet gets healthy again

It's trackday time! I don't really have to worry about the others since I've handed them maps, so after shower and breakfast I don my jacket, denims, racing gloves and boots, as well as preparing my helmet to bring to the trackday. Relatively speaking, it's been rather long time since I have a regular trackday instead of a competitive weekend, so it's kind of refreshing to have a no-pressure trackday again Ii set off from my crib at 9.30am.

To be really honest, I was planning to have a full mental and physical rest, both for myself and the Silver Queen until the championship opener at 07 April. But Buzz convinced me to have a trackday with him. Given that his could be a good training session for both of us, I can't really say no to him. And I do want to see his S2K in person, which he nicknames Tango. It looks quite nice and fit, sitting on Integra DC5 wheels.

It also reminds me of the Silver Queen when she came for the first time here. Both cars are pre-tuned and priced quite similarly. In this case though, Tango's mods focused on the performance side, while Silver Queen leans on the handling side back then. This worried me a bit since S2K's are known for being tail-happy on stock form. Drop your concentration a bit and you'll be surprised by the trigger-happy F20C engine and Aisin transmission lurching the car, probably off the road. Combined with short axles at both sides and fairly skinny tyre treads, if you can't control the throttle well at corners, most of the time you'll be exiting with a flurry of oversteer.

Once you get used to it though, it's a trackday dominator. I mean, some of the famous TA car of Japan are S2Ks, particularly the lime green Arvou S2K, the orange Fura S2K and of course, the one that ruled FR NA cars at the moment, the white and red ASM S2K. The ASM one in my opinion also utilizes less dramatic aero works compared to those installed in Fura's or Arvou's. So I'm quite intrigued to see how Buzz and Franklin would cope with a lightly-modded S2K......

I arrived at Tsukuba Circuit at 10.15am. The track is already rather crowded with people......I assume some, if not most of them are also going to enter the Circuit Trial championship.

And finally, 10 minutes later, Buzz arrived with his Tango with windows and roof down, looks like he's already enjoying Tsukuba's gentle breeze on sunny days. When you have a convertible car, I'd say it's rather mandatory to do so