I specifically went to GTA Super Lap Battle this year just to hang out with the guys from Spoon Sports USA. They’ve been pretty supportive over the last few years and have been pretty generous in allowing me to just hover around them and watch them do what they do. I don’t think they initially expected anything in the beginning when I first started walking around with my GoPro but then I think I ended-up producing a pretty cool Vlog about their journey to breaking the Unlimited FF record a few years ago. Since then I’ve always been around their team during SLB time and this year’s was perhaps the most relaxed one yet. There didn’t seem to be any real pressure. They had broken the record before and knew that it would probably be a long-shot to capture the title again with all the crazy developments in that class. FF cars are getting faster and faster while the guys from Spoon have been patient and not doing anything too crazy to the FD2 Civic Type R that originally came from Japan. Dai Yoshihara has been amazing behind the wheel but I think the car has peaked at its current state. It ran the fastest lap time it ever has at Buttonwillow but guys in that class are just making so much power now. I think everyone just wanted to go out there and have a good time. They’ve also been busy developing parts for the new FK8 Civic Type R as well and even had the head R&D guy from Spoon Sports come over to the U.S. to work with Aaron and team…

My purpose at SLB was just mainly to capture video, and hopefully you guys have seen that Vlog by now. I think it is a good one. In the off periods when I wasn’t covering their adventures via GoPro, I took some photos as well and that is what you guys are gonna see today. There aren’t a whole lot of photos, they are just some shots I took for fun. If you guys didn’t watch the video yet, the Spoon Sports FD2 is actually going back to Japan for display and exhibition. Spoon is having their own event out there during Tokyo Auto Salon time so it’ll be good to see the car back out there again. It’ll probably be out there for a few months before it comes back home to the U.S….

Enjoy…

The brand new Spoon Sports USA FK8 Civic Type R ran a pretty great time of 1:58.xxx at its first ever competitive time attack event. The engine is still completely stock and they’ve just recently prototyped some new parts for it including some chassis braces, a complete Rigid Collar set, and a custom center-exit straight-pipe…

Dai Yoshihara took turns piloting both this FK8 and the center-drive FD2. I asked him if it was odd going back and forth and he said it was actually more difficult adjusting to the FK8 since it was a brand new car…

Forged Titan7 T-S5 wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan A052 tires…

The famed Spoon Sports FD2 Civic Type R with a new front splitter for 2017…

Spoon-fanatics have an insane amount of desire to have these Motul/Type One decals…

Not a whole lot of changes to the trusty K20A engine. Just an updated Gen. II Garrett GTX3576 turbocharger…

The custom center-drive layout within the Spoon Sports Civic Type R…

KTuned shifter assembly mounted to the left of the center-mounted MOMO race seat…

MOMO steering wheel connected to a custom steering shaft with a MoTec digital display mounted to it. Gotta have the Spoon Sports horn button of course…

Lots of Yokohama Advan rubber for the FD2R…

Concave Titan7 T-S5 with new Brembo brakes…

All hands on deck at Super Lap Battle 2017, including head of Spoon Sports Ltd. R&D, Daisuke Jomoto, who was working on the brakes before the final session of the day…

Always calm, cool, and collected is Dai Yoshihara, driver of the Spoon Sports cars at SLB 2017…

Cool down period in-between sessions…

For whatever reason I thought this was the coolest photo I captured at Super Lap Battle…

The crew collected around the Spoon FD2 after the final session of the day, where it finished with a 1:44 lap time, a personal best for this vehicle at Buttonwillow Raceway Park…

Perhaps no better final photo of the Civic before it heads back to Tokyo…

Aaron from Spoon USA actually grabbed my camera for this photo while we all hung out trackside…

That’s a wrap. Thanks for looking…