The Rotary Power Of Idlers

It was my mission to come away from Sunday’s Idlers Club event at Tsukuba Circuit having explored totally new angles.

Given that this was the second Idlers ‘Sprint’ race I’ve attended at Tsukuba this year, I decided to look deeper and showcase some of the aspects you probably wouldn’t associate with the event. Because contrary to what you might think, it’s not all about RWB Porsches.

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Rotaries at Idlers? They’re quite possibly the last sort of cars you’d think of when imagining Nakai-san battling it out on track with his friends, but yes there are.

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Granted, there were only three examples – and all FD3S RX-7s – but each was different and worthy of a closer inspection.

I’m going to kick off with the rawest of the trio, an RX-7 so obviously and wholly devoted to function that it instantly brought back memories of the first times I covered Japanese time attack events.

That scene has evolved greatly in the years since, to point where some privateer builds are rivalling professional builds when it comes to execution, presentation and of course the aero component.

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But the “I don’t care” approach this grey FD3S exuded really appealed to me. It has a brutal presence.

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I never managed to get a look at the engine, but from the way it sounded as it screamed down the Tsukuba straight it obviously runs a single turbo with external wastegate and has plenty of power. Back in the pits, its brap-brap-brap idle hinted at a generous bridgeport.

One quick glance into the stripped-out hatch/trunk area revealed an oxidized aluminum surge tank and some fuel big lines.

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The exterior features a mishmash of aero parts, including pumped FRP fenders to contain a wide wheel and slick combo.

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Looking at the way the wing stays used a couple of extenders, the owner probably realized that the more unpolluted airflow the rear wing gets, the more effective downforce it can generate.

Balancing downforce at the front end is a carbon fiber splitter and a pair of universal-fit canards to complete the conversion.

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A few pit garages up I found a lighter grey FD; this was a far more involved creation that was recently pieced together from a stripped-out shell.

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During the morning, the RX-7 was running a series of test and setup laps, its crew carefully checking over the engine and suspension every time it came back in. Like the first FD3S I showed you, this one’s also on full-slick racing tires, something that’s quite common in the more extreme classes of this event. It’s an obvious advantage on any track, but at Tsukuba the extra grip makes the cars visibly quicker around turn one and through the infield hairpin.

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Of course, more grip means braking can be used more effectively, and with this build that’s also possible thanks to StopTech calipers and Project µ slotted discs.

There are telltale signs of the seriousness of the build and prep work, from the one-off cage gusseted to the pillars, to the shift lever that operates the sequential transmission.

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As a dedicated race car headlights aren’t required, and that’s made good use of on the right-hand side where a duct feeds air into the engine bay.

Specifically, right into the mouth of a large Trust turbo running an HKS Super Power Flow filter housed inside a custom airbox that seals once the bonnet is dropped and locked in position. The obligatory v-mount ensures the pipework is kept as short as possible, and the idle of motor also hinted at a ported 13B.

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Last but not least is this white FD, this time a sought after RZ model running amongst more street-oriented competition.

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That of course makes it far more simple in execution, but there’s no denying that even a lightly tuned RX-7 can be potent in the right hands.

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The sequential turbo setup remains, but the original airbox has been ditched in favor of twin HKS filters. There’s also a v-mounted intercooler and radiator setup, which on top of making better use of air flow through the bumpers and out of the vented hood shortens the piping from the turbo compressors to the intake plenum, improving response.

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With modern day coilovers and a decent wheel and tire package, and this is a car that will make many contemporary performance cars look slow around Tsukuba.

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This rear shot ends my quick post on the rotaries of Idlers. Next up, we’ll take a closer look at a side of this event that’s rarely talked about – drifting.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com

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1

nice side skirt on last one

2

Sometimes, it's best to leave your work unpainted to show off the various materials and modifications.

I humbly submit Exhibit 1.

decom_b0f7ec2784174fdce2f2de20d3941d96_5b1b266daa9dc.jpgdecom_b0f7ec2784174fdce2f2de20d3941d96_5b1b266daa9dc.jpg
3

I humbly ask, how is that picture relevant to anything in this feature?

4

Use your imagination.

Author5
Dino Dalle Carbonare

LOL I get it

6

Why does almost every car in Japan use blue silicon hoses, and not other colors? Yes, I see one vehicle with green couplers, but thats a rarity.

7

Red silicon hoses = cheap eBay ones :P

8

Bulk availability. Working at Napa, our 'bulk' heater hose in silicone is blue, regardless of size. But I am also in Canada so I am unsure if it would be the same in Japan.

Bulk is also 'usually' cheaper than purchasing a different colour from another source. So it may be as simple as cost effectiveness / ease of availability.

Author9
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Because that's the way it's always been done, so why bother changing it. That's pretty much Japan's approach to anything haha. Seriously though, it's one of those things, hoses mean blue and unless you specify some other color then tuners will just run what they've always used

10

Oooh man, that thing is B.A.! I love it.

11

Is at a curtain in the last RX? (maybe a towel hanged there but seems more like a curtain from that angle)

The 1st and 2nd are more or less "similar" and i like the wild aggressive look but the 3rd is the car i'll take, it would be fun to drive it on closed roads/circuits and used daily on the roads.
Hope they find a new way to bring the RX back.

12

It's a racing suit

13

the brown one on the side window (driver window) not the white suit on the back of the car

Author14
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Fire retardant t-shit some guys wear under the race suit. Must have been soaked with sweat as it was a hot and sticky day

15

Aha, that's good.
I know that a curtain "does not fit" in a racing car but it's JAPAN i'll never guess what's next up there and it was the best way to describe it.

16

What wheels are on the 2nd RX-7? They look very similar to an Enkei PF01 but with a lip and the spokes don't appear to be as round.

17

Looks like some variation of the Work emotion Kai-R

18

Edit:
Work Emotion CR2P

19

Dino,
First thank you for always posting a lot of good articles. I have a question. How can I find out about upcoming Rotary events or any Japanese classic car events here in Japan? Thank you in advance.

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