JapShow 2017 Report / Gallery / Video

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JapShow 2017 Highlights Video

JapShow 2017 Report

Showcasing power, performance and perfection, JapShow showcased the fastest and finest ensemble of automobiles from Japan.
It was a Japanese feast for the eyes; from the Pairing Lanes to the Show Paddock, Club Displays to Live Action arena, everywhere you looked these legendary icons tantalized our taste buds from modified classics to peak performance masters. The weather was on our side with a glorious sunny day; the track was busy all weekend with high octane, show-stopping racing and JapShow enjoyed an energetic and exhilarating atmosphere paying homage to Japanese machinery.

Fighting off some tough opponents and putting those driving skills of speed and precision to the ultimate test, the first trophy of the day went to reigning champion Dmitrij Sribnyj in the Handling Track Competition; in a new car this time, Honda Civic SCR, he completed the circuit in an impressive 27.49 seconds - well done Dmitrij!

Handlimng Track
Winner - Dmitrij!

The Show Paddock hosted the Autoglym Show & Shine competition. With a vibrant and varied congregation of immaculate Japanese machinery, it was a very tough decision process for the judges with some very high-spec vehicles on display. However, after many turns around the paddock, I’m sure you’ll agree, the winners were as follows:

Top 5: Del Milnes – Grey 1991 Nissan Skyline GTR 32 – GTR interior, stunning custom engine bay – tidy and clean all round.

Top 5: Andy Boyle – White 2000 Honda Civic – Engine from 2003 Integra Type R with smoothed and tucked bay with a stunning exterior and equally stunning, stripped out interior to match.

Top 5: Peter Kewdall – Deep Marine Blue 1997 Nissan Skyline V.Spec Series 3 – Outstanding features including engine bay, body kit including rear diffuser.

Top 5: Matt Desroches – Black 2002 Honda Integra – Subtle mods on this Integra means it didn’t stand out but on closer inspection revealed a complete customised engine bay and pristine exterior accompanied by Recaro seats on the inside.

Best Bike: David Farns – Silver 1978 Honda CBX 1000 – Built from scratch with full restoration by David himself.

Best Retro: Chris Wait – Black & White 1986 Toyota Corolla AE86 Trueno Sprinter – Very cool! A stunning car for its age with the complete package inside, outside and beneath the bonnet.

Judges Choice: Yousaf - Brown 2000 Lexus – Custom colour, custom arches, custom wheels, air ride suspension, bucket seats, boot built, 4 litre engine and detailed breaks.

Best of Show: Marcus Kent – White 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C – Immaculate! Clean all over! This car had the whole package! Carbon seats, clean underneath, on top, inside and out, rare Enkei wheels and rare STI Japan parts.

The ¼ mile played host to some fierce and hard-fought competition with Round 3 of the FWD Drag Series and the RWYB competition, seeing some very impressive runs on the dragstrip.

As we headed into the FWD eliminations rounds we were down to 5 competitors. Kiel Priestman met Philip Reeves in round 2 of eliminations, with Paul Atkinson running a bye. Paul scored a solid position in the final despite a few nail-biting moments going sideways on several runs! We understand this was down to not having fourth gear. With 0.08 of a second in it, Kiel and Paul stormed ahead to the final seeing Kiel taking the event win with a 9.554 @142.52mph as well as being top qualifier with 9.4318. Well done Kiel!

FWD Drag Series Round 3 WINNER: Kiel Priestman RUNNER UP: Paul Atkinson

RWYB took centre stage seeing with some cutthroat competition throughout the classes; we witnessed a dynamic array of Japanese machinery hit the track with some very impressive ET’s. The results of the RWYB competition were as follows:

Class A – Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti – Bob Bentley – Datsun GTR – 10.2272 @ 143.91mph

Class B – Toyota/Lexus – Simon Paul – Toyota Supra – 11.9362 @121.44mph

Class C – Honda/Acura – Chris Lincoln – Honda S2000 – 12.9488 @ 113.35mph

Class D – Mitsubishi/Proton – Ged Jefferson – Evo 8 – 10.1125 @ 142.98mph

Class E – Subaru – Adam Henvest – Subaru Impreza STI – 12.1711 @ 111.81mph

Class F – Mazda – David Ganney – Mazda RX7 – 12.9807 @ 114.33mph

Class G – Suzuki/Daihatsu/Isuzu – Emma Fitzpatrick – Daihatsu Copen – 19.1247 @ 70.25mph

Class H – Jap Bikes – Ray Spone – Suzuki GSXR K51000 – 9.4377 @ 145.70mph

Class X – Non-Road Legal & Non-Jap – Winesh Akbe – Honda Integra Type R – 10.1210 @ 141.69mph

Over on the Live Stage, DJ Richie Don, MC Stallion and SEL provided us with the perfect soundtrack for JapShow, with DJ battles and beatboxers keeping us entertained over in the Show Paddock all day long.

The Live Action Arena played host to a trio of breath-taking stunt shows and diverse displays. First up was the thrill-seeking Michelle Westby in Santa Pod’s own Nissan Skyline GTS; next up was a performance from top freestyle motorcycle stunt rider and British Stunt Bike Champion, Lee Bowers as he wowed the crowds with his jaw-dropping motorbike stunts; Team Maximum Lock left us mesmerised with their compilation of synchronized, close formation drift displays – driving perfection and one hell of a show! 

We were lucky enough to have not one but two jet-fuelled masters from the FireForce fleet. The morning run saw Martin Hill pilot his FireForce 3 Jet Funny Car, tearing down the strip in 5.9429 @ 271.34mph; the FireForce 5 Jet Dragster was the weapon of choice in the afternoon with a speed of 273.02mph in an astonishing 5.5367 seconds!

As one of the biggest Japanese car club displays in the UK, we would like to say a big thank you to all the clubs for their continued support each year - we marveled at the pristine machinery on display – see you next year!

We would like to thank everyone who attended JapShow 2017 and from all the Santa Pod team, we hope you had a great day! See you at JapShow Finale.