Description

After the success of the first American Touge, we conducted an open casting call for US tuner cars to appear in the sequel AT2 to be tested and driven to the limits touge style by Keiichi "Drift King" Tsuchiya and his sidekick Yasuyuki Kazama. 33 cars divided into 4 different classes were chosen to battle it out to challenge last year's "Touge Monster", Comptech NSX. Hotties Kazumi Kondo and Verena Mei co-host the show. ; Cars were divided into NA RWD, Turbo RWD, FR and AWD classes.

Transcript

GT CHANNEL www.gtchannel.com Hot-Version Male Speaker: In 2004, Touge showdown stepped on U.S. Soil for the first time from Hachiroku to Impreza's. Tuners mainly from the west coast gathered to show off their machines. Keiichi Tsuchiya: This is amazing! It's so easy to handle! Male Speaker: Among the participants, the super charge Comptech NSX wowed us with its amazing performance. Male Speaker 1: Awesome. Male Speaker 2: Thank you. Yasuyuki Kazama: This is fun! Male Speaker: Chance lead in drama. Keiichi Tsuchiya: This kid just happened to be here, and he grabs 2nd place. Male Speaker: For the second American Touge a casting car was announced on best motoring internationals website. It overwhelming number of applications arrived. Finally, we were back at the battle stage of the American Touge Willow Springs International Raceway. Tuners from all over the U.S. came to become the next American Touge Monster. Touge showdown special American Touge Two. Keiichi Tsuchiya: Here we are again in American Touge. Yasuyuki Kazama: Yes, we're here. Keiichi Tsuchiya: Hey, why are you here? Okay, you were invited again, huh?Anyway, check out behind us. A touge. Yasuyuki Kazama: Yes, it looks like a touge. Keiichi Tsuchiya: But not exactly, what we're used to. This one is in the desert. Yasuyuki Kazama: Look at all those cars Tsuchiya-san. Kazumi Kondo: By the way, I wanted to announce... Keiichi Tsuchiya: Who the hell is supposed to drive all those cars? Seriously, you expect me to drive all those? Kazumi Kondo: Good luck. Keiichi Tsuchiya: Good luck? Anyway, since it'll be too much for this old man's overworked body to handle, I brought this guy. Kazama is supposedly real famous in the states, next to me of course. Yasuyuki Kazama: Thank you for inviting me today. Keiichi Tsuchiya: This guy couldn't even make it to the D1 finals in December ('05) and he's still popular. Kazumi Kondo: Is that so? Keiichi Tsuchiya: Anyway, Kazama will be driving with me today. Yasuyuki Kazama: Thank you. I'll do my best out there. Keiichi Tsuchiya: So, what were you saying... Kazumi Kondo: Yes, I was saying that I have a co-host this time. Keiichi Tsuchiya: What? Partner? Kazumi Kondo: She's my American co-host, Verena! Keiichi Tsuchiya: Hey, you're calling your friends as if you own this show! Kazumi Kondo: I just wanted to make it exciting. Keiichi Tsuchiya: This is Touge Showdown! It's about the cars. Yasuyuki Kazama: Pretty soon, there's going to be an all girls segment... Keiichi Tsuchiya: You're just here to take over this show, aren't you? Kazumi Kondo: Anyway, I think we should get going. Keiichi Tsuchiya: What? All right, let's get going. Kazumi Kondo: Yes, you have many cars to drive today... Male Speaker: From private owners to well known tuners, we had 33 cars in our final entry lest. Yasuyuki Kazama: I'm here to beat Tsuchiya-san in whatever car I drive. Male Speaker: For today's event, we categorize the entries into four classes. The top rated car from each class will run the final Touge battles. Let's review the regulations by checking out the raining American Touge Monster the Comptech NSX. Engine tuning has no restrictions, full interiors preferred as this is a street car contest. The tires we approved had more grip than what we allowed back in Japan. Street legal radio tires with more than two vertical treads were accepted. The stage of American Touge Two was the Horse Thief Mile course at Willow Springs International Raceway. CLASS 1 NA-RWD Gabriel Tyler: It's a competition drift car, it's meant to be cheap and disposable. This car is completely prepared for grip racing also. Male Speaker: Last year Techno Toy Tuning brought their Hachiroku equipped with an F20C motor, this year they enter their 4AG powered drift car. Keiichi Tsuchiya: I wish the car had a bit more steering information. Male Speaker: Precision of the steering center in handling is something Tsuchiya always insists on. Keiichi Tsuchiya: But I think this car turns-in better than the other Hachiroku. This car just lacks steering information. It definitely turns better than the other Hachiroku with the S2K engine. Overall build of this car is good, except for the lack of steering information. The steering lacks precision, the car doesn't react to the driver well. Maybe the gear ratios could be refined as well. The gears are too spread apart now. Gabriel Tyler: Thank you. Thank you. Male Speaker 3: What you think about the comments on the steering, you really didn't like it? Gabriel Tyler: The car needs a little bit of work it's going to be used a lot so. Male Speaker: Next up is the privately owned Miata. Hey, are you going full throttle why so slow? Keiichi Tsuchiya: This is the slowest Miata I have ever driven in my life. This car doesn't even have a shift knob. If the owner's happy with it, Hot Version has no more to say. Male Speaker 4: As far as no power, I am just limited by what I can do in classic, I can't do much in live unfortunately. Male Speaker 5: With this car, I want him to kind of see the were kind of built on thing as all around exceptional balance and feel, so I think it's really reliable, I hope so I hope people like to. Male Speaker: The third entry is an AE86 from full function, since the car is powered by an F20C it might be pretty fast. Keiichi Tsuchiya: This is fast! This car might mark a pretty good lap time. The F20C is a great match with the Hachiroku. The gears are connecting well on this car. The car is good, but there's a lot of under steering ... corner entry speed in a time attack tend to be slow. It wouldn't matter for drifting, but for time attacks, the under steer is a major weakness especially at corner entry. The overall balance of the engine, and the entire car is pretty good. I give it an 83. Male Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean it's setup primarily now feel a little bit more just specific so, I understand that a time attack you have to come up with throttle probably a little bit more. Male Speaker: Another privately own Miata entering the contest, hope this one is better. Keiichi Tsuchiya: The engine power is something you'd expect from a Miata, but the front suspension is a bit too sensitive. This car would wear the driver out on the street, unless the handling was set up milder. It's a difficult set up for a novice driver. The Miata should be left with a somewhat dull handling feel, not too dull, but not too sensitive. Male Speaker 6: They are doing pretty well, the modular driver, I didn't have much time to see that, but that is fun. So, I am happy. Male Speaker: Our fifth entry with the largest displacement in this class is the 350Z in Japan, PowerHouse Amuse has proven the cars potential let's see how this car does. Keiichi Tsuchiya: It's a bit too soft. Honestly, the engine power feels like stock. It needs more power. Yeah, the car lacks power. It just feels like a stock 350Z. I don't think this car's been modified that much maybe just a lowered suspension. Male Speaker: Let's hope we find a car that will get Tsuchiya excited soon this M3 looks souped up and promising. The fact that the interior strip down is a big minus in today's event but the car is running strong. Keiichi Tsuchiya: It's a bit tough without an LSD. Wait a minute, this car seems to have an LSDD, it's just slipping. Overall, the car is built well. It's very easy to handle. The car doesn't make you sweat. I think this is a very good setup for an M3. The only problem is power, meaning the lack of it. No, not enough engine strength. If this car had more power, it would be a well-balanced car. It's a lot of fun to drive. Male Speaker 6: He thinks this is no power ride, but we are doing to do this, but it a little bit heavy type, still we will try to do better, okay. Male Speaker: The last entry in class one is the privately tuned MRS focus of tuning is to the suspension. Keiichi Tsuchiya: Not bad at all! Male Speaker 7: Show some emotion. Male Speaker 8: Wow. Keiichi Tsuchiya: The suspension setup is very easy to handle. The engine lacks power, but it's a well-balanced car. I can recommend this car's setup to our viewers. The car is easy to handle, very easy ride. This is a good car. It doesn't have much power it's almost like stock. But the car handles well. I think the car's suspension setup is equivalent to top level tuning in Japan. How the bump stroke and bump speed is set up makes it a well-balanced car. Male Speaker 7: Okay so what did you think? Male Speaker 8: Well he like the driving feel and that's basically what I - what I tuned it or I know that it lacks power and that's one of the project that's next. I mean being a poor college student it's real hard to add a lot of power and it's so tough being on a tight budget, but I am really glad that he like the feel with the car and that's one of the - one other thing that I really, really built the car for - I'm glad that he explained it like that. GT CHANNELS CAR VIDEO NETWORK Visit GTChannel.com for more car videos!