Whoever said that the Japanese were funny little people bit his own tongue. Again and again and again. They were no slouches in the war. They bounced back after the devastation that the A-bombs wreaked on their soil. They totally beat the Americans when it came to building cars and automobiles. Japanese bikes are legendary. So you are bound to agree that there is no stopping them. Yet again, they have chosen to pave their own way by starting the Tokyo Auto Salon 2007.

Agreed that the Salon is at a nascent stage as yet, but they are gaining tremendous ground. That too very fast. Maybe it is not as widely publicized as the North American International Auto Show, but it is proving to grow into a very strong competitor for it.

The Tokyo Auto Salon 2007 is more advanced that the one last year saw. This advance can be noticed in organization, sponsors, technology-the works. This time they have a string of illustrious sponsors like ECity of Chiba-a government enterprise and EIDEA Inc.

The main crowd puller to this year’s Salon was undoubtedly the Tokyo International Custom Car Contest-2007. This event saw a spew of very worthy and serious contenders and was a very evident icing on the cake for onlookers.

The other things like car exhibitions, introduction of new automobile accessories and so on were accompanied by very informative and interesting discussions and demonstrations.

All in all, a major coup for the Japanese. From Tokyo.

The second runner up spot in their most recent battle is taken by r33honda, which is a 2000 Honda Accord. It has state of the art fiber glass interiors and shaved door handles with molded fender blades. A smooth lean machine with a zex nitrous engine, OBX radiator and power steering tanks. A worthy winner.

Fighting tooth and nail for first sunner up and managing it, we have NSPAP1- a Honda S2000 model. It is done up with titanium shift knobs and 2000S door panels. Fitted with a neat fiber hood and side skirts, courtesy Air walker, it looks killer. It has a sexy engine with an ARC intake chamber, a large throttle body of 70mm and an ARC titanium strut bar too. The in car electronics are also mind blowing.

And the winner, the mannah of cars, the best- Boosted Soul- a 1994 model of Honda Del Sol. Its interior is done up in Black Swede inserts and it has a Takata harness. The outside looks smashing with shaved emblems and the Skyline r33 tail lights are simply rocking. It has one little mother of an engine with a Greddy type 24 intercooler kit and an STR Fuel rail. The in-car equipments include to-die-for Custom fiber glass speaker boxes and kinky industrial lighting.

We bet just reading about these beauties are revving your engines up!

HINcity’s Competition Winners

Who can deviate attention from motor events whether on the road or appearing on the television channel? Such are the arrangements that organizers make at the show venues. The year 2006 was filled with lots of energy and aggression on the auto-racing front while the new-year is expected to see the introduction of new vehicles and drivers and their new alliances. The following will give an idea about the forthcoming car racing events.

Formula BMW USA Championship

Like any other automaker, the year 2007 will be busy for BMW of North America. It has recently announced its schedule for the 2007 Formula BMW USA season. The 14-round championship will comprise seven circuits, competing in front of the Champ Car World Series and the American Le Mans Series besides both North American Formula One Grand Prix races.

The peak season of the Formula BMW USA Championship will start at Miller Motorsports Park on May 17-18, 2007, with Rounds 1 and 2, while Rounds from 3 to 6 will be run in support of the Canadian and the United States Grands Prix from June 8 to10 and June 15 to17. Rounds 7 and 8 will be held from July 6 to7 at the Lime Rock Park in support of the ALMS. The championship fight will be taken to the streets with Rounds 9 and 10 at the San José Grand Prix from July 27 to 29 with Champ Car, while rounds 11 and 12 will take place in support of the Champ Car/ALMS race event at Road America from August 8 to 12. The 2007 season will conclude at Mosport International Raceway from August 24 to 26.

Auto analysts, who are looking for a dream season, feel that the winner of the 2007 Formula BMW USA championship is likely to be decided in the two final rounds as in the three previous years. Age never mattered for the racing enthusiasts and drivers. The 2006 Formula BMW USA Champion was a 17-year-old Robert Wickens, and 16-year-old Daniel Morad became the 2006 Rookie of the Year. In 2005, 15-year-old Richard Philippe received the Overall and the Rookie championship.

More info here

IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge

The International Motor Sports Association announced, in association with Porsche Motorsports North America and the tyre major Michelin, the launch of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin, a series created for the Porsche GT3 Cup racecars.

The IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge series presented by Michelin will allow amateur and semi-professional drivers, those who do not make their living in motor sports, to compete in a professional environment.

As part of the initiative, Michelin will be the title sponsor of the series, and the tyre giant will be providing the spec tire for all competitors. The association with GT3 Cup worldwide is aimed at Michelin’s commitment to high-performance tires. The association between Michelin and Porsche has helped the tyre company develop ultra-high performance tires that can perform both on the track and the street.

The auto giant Porsche has also spruced up its produces aimed at the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge. Based on the Porsche 996 body style, the specially built cars will have sealed engines and transmissions, providing added energy for close racing.

More info here

There is more to hear from the car racing community apart from the adventure stories. Let us see what is on air about the racing streets.

Dave Senders wins a pro-Subaru STi from DC Shoes

Dave Senders wins the DC Shoes and Action Pursuit Group (producers of Hot Import Nghts and HINCity) ‘drive all day party all night’ prize offered to car enthusiasts. They procured a DC Shoes’ custom Gumball 3000 Subaru WRX STi, a street/daily driver version of their racecars. There is much more about the Subaru STi – it was driven by pro-skateboarder Rob Dyrdek in the villainous European race. Apart from this ‘heavy’ prize, Dave Senders also received a VIP treatment offer for the grand party at all 2007 HIN shows! More details of the news can be seen at http://www.hincity.com/news/.

HIN’s car week at Honolulu

Come Honolulu, the paradise of earth. The pretty island of Oahu hosted the annual stop of the Hot Import Nights in December 2nd week. The attraction of the event was the models assembled there from across the world, especially from Hawaii along with the prettiest cars from the mainland. To find more details of the event log on to http://www.hincity.com/news/.

Here is some news about the happenings in the sporty cars’ world. http://news.windingroad.com/ gives you a wide coverage from the track and field of sports cars.

The First Porsche RS Spyder Customer Cars goes to Dyson Racing

It is celebration time for Porsche. Dyson Racing, a famous group from Poughkeepsie, NY, will hoist a pair of Porsche RS Spyder racer from Stuttgart in the 2007 American Le Mans Series LMP2 class. Dyson Racing’s association with Porsche dates back to their earlier venture with 962s in GTP competition, which was held in the period 1985 to 1991. And the team had won 12 events in the series. Chris Dyson, Guy Smith, Andy Wallace, and Butch Leitzinger will spearhead the new 2007 series.

Honda to rebuild Suzuka

The renowned race circuit Suzuka, known for the Japanese Formula One GP from 1987 onwards, will be rebuilt by Honda. Be it the tussle for power, or anything else; this is great news for the sporting community. Remember, Honda had lost the Japanese GP contract to Fuji Speedway, a Toyota-owned company, and for the first time in the modern racing era, Speedway will host the race in October 2007.

With the news about Toyota’s renewal of a five-year deal with Bernie Ecclestone to stage the Japanese GP, likely in 2012, Honda is hoping for a Pacific GP break from 2008 onwards. The last of such a series happened in the period 1994-95.

OEM Sprinter Parts to Convert your Dodge or Freightliner

An unbelievable offer from OEM Sprinter Parts to convert the Dodge or Freightliner Sprinter to their Mercedes counterpart. They do this by offering a conversion kit including one that supplies full Benz grille, a 316CDI grille nameplate, replacement wheel hubs, door decals, steering wheel badges and a Mercedes’ signature windshield decal, etc. These all are the OEM Benz parts, and so try your luck doing it.

Billions of dollars pour in car racing shows around the globe. Carmakers and organizers are in the beeline to make the events more attractive with a battery of related programs. Started as regional events, automobile racing has now become a famous international sport in both amateur and professional levels involving a wide range of cars, tracks and courses. Take a look at some of the interesting events that cheer you.

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – website
The 55th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will be held on March 16, 2007 at Sebring, Florida, USA.

It is more than just a race with Sebring International Raceway who decided to offer more than what the race fans want. It will not be just racing on the track. Sebring’s famous festive atmosphere, with plenty to see and do off the track will welcome the spectators. The new offerings from Sebring International Raceway include several conveniences for fans, new scoreboards, hot showers, shuttle service to a free parking area, etc.

The 2007 Honda Grand Prix – link
The 2007 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be better than the one in 2006. It will be the second race on the Indy Racing League scheduled in April. The weekend will feature a three-hour American Le Mans Series event. The 2006 Honda Grand Prix race weekend had more than 20 hours of on-track racing activity, besides a six hours of concerts sponsored by XM Satellite Radio and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel.

Toyota Grand Prix – website
Associations with strong brands add color to any motor racing event. Recently, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach has announced that Bridgestone, which has played a key role in revitalizing downtown Long Beach, will continue as the Official Tire Sponsor of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the next three years.

The 2007 FORMULA 1â„¢ Australian Grand Prix – link

The 2007 FORMULA 1â„¢ Australian Grand Prix will be a doubly special event with the organizers deciding to provide unparalleled racing action with additional events over each of the four days. It will have Super Car Showdowns, the Dodo Formula 3 Races, the BMW Celebrity Challenge or the Ultimate Speed Comparison.

Other major happenings

The leading automobile giant Honda will surprise the car racing world with the livery for its 2007 Formula One car, though it will start the new season without a title sponsor. The new livery is unlikely to be revealed until shortly before the Australian Grand Prix in March and its ‘interim’ car is presently testing in a striking black livery.

Aimed at enhancing brand visibility, Kodak will compete for the checkered flag in the 2007 Nascar Nextel Cup Series as primary sponsor of the No. 12 Dodge Charger at three major races. Kodak will also sponsor seven Nascar Busch Series races next year, and will be an associate sponsor of Penske Racing’s IndyCar Series.

Springing a surprise to car race fans, NASCAR says the most awaited the Car of Tomorrow will begin in 2007. Teams will use the newly designed racecar for 16 events next season, beginning with the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Car of Tomorrow offers additional safety measures, performance upgrades, cost reduction, etc.

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of AAIW, the SEMA Show attracts more than 100,000 industry leaders from over 100 countries for unlimited profit opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV, marine and RV markets. SEMA Show 2005 drew over 50,000 domestic and international buyers through two million square feet of exhibits. The displays are segmented into 11 sections, and a New Products Showcase features more than 1,400 newly introduced parts, tools and components.

Here are some photos from the latest SEMA car show coverage. The photos were taken from Fourtitude and Thecarlounge.

First off, you may just want to be an attendee if you do not have a car of your own. There is nothing wrong with this, and it may give you some great ideas for the future when you finally decide to get involved.

Another option is to enter your car into a show or event. This way everybody will be able to see the car that you put together, as well as how it stacks up against the competition.

There are hundreds of tuned car shows and events across the country every year. If you want to enter your car or just have a great time at a show, look into the events in your area!

You can find more info about Car Shows and Events if you follow the links bellow:

1. www.carandmodel.com
2. www.hincity.com
3. www.hotimportnights.com
4. www.nightshiftevents.com
5. www.vipautofashion.com
6. www.rcx.com
7. www.worldcarfans.com