Let’s get right back into our deep-drive of the 2019 Attack Tsukuba event, featuring some of the fastest time attack competitors in all of Japan in one place. Prior to all this, I’d only seen photos of it through the lens of Sean from Narita Dogfight and had no idea just how big this event series was getting. I personally think he’s much better at covering this type of stuff because this is more his forte but it was cool to be there at the same time as him to see just how different our perspectives would be of the event. He actually has his own coverage going up simultaneously so if you guys are into it, make sure to check out his as well and see Attack Tsukuba from multiple viewpoints…

Other than Super Lap Battle and some VTEC Club events, I haven’t really been to very many other time attack events here in North America. Gridlife is great and getting bigger, and I enjoyed my time in Atlanta for that a couple years ago but I don’t really think you can compare Attack to anything here. If I had to compare it to something, I guess I’d put it up there with the World Time Attack Challenge in Sydney, Australia. It isn’t as big obviously because WTAC is a bit of a spectacle in Australia but in terms of competition and competitor cars, this is probably one of the best events I’ve ever attended. Honestly I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to take the job to cover it for Vibrant Performance. I thought there would be some cool cars there, just because it was in Japan, but boy I had no fucking idea how crazy this was going to be. By the end of the practice day I saw the ASM S2000 appear, a hoard of extensively-built FD RX-7s, a Civic from Garage Work, and hell, even the ESCORT Evo showed-up. Fire Ando is one of the fastest guys ever in Japan and he was competing at Attack. I thought I was gonna just see a bunch of Civics and S2000s racing. My mind was blown…

Part 2 picks up right where 1 left off, with more of the cars getting some practice laps in and me running around the paddock area shooting everything in sight. If you like what you’re seeing now, wait until you see the rest of the photos because even more showed-up for competition day and there was just amazing build after amazing build rolling around Tsukuba. I thought I was in some sort of Japanese automotive dream land filled with cars I never thought I’d get to see in person…

See for yourself, enjoy!…

As I’m typing this out I still can’t believe that I got to see the Yellow Factory EG in person. You’ll see much more of this car as we continue on with the coverage…

Cool down after the first session with Will Au-Yeung and the Vibrant Performance/PZTuning Civic…

The Hardrace/JDMYARD Civic in-between morning sessions of practice day…

Will analyzing data and making adjustments on his laptop…

TS Factory S2000 on its way out to make some laps on the famed TC2000…

The ASLAN NA K-powered EG one week removed from the Osaka Auto Messe event…

Kanagawa Engine Works K24  engine with TODA Sports Injection…

Ryo Kaneko’s driving gloves, helment, and Hans…

One of the more subtle FD RX-7s we saw that weekend with an aftermarket front which name escapes me currently (FEED?), silver Volk RE30s and a Voltex rear wing…

Will’s 9th generation Civic coupe coolin’ at the paddock…

As many times as I’ve seen the ASLAN EG, this was actually the first time I got to see it outside being that it was always either at ASLAN inside that shop or inside a venue of a car show…

BNR34 Skyline GT-R with a Nismo Z-Tune front with additional N1 ducts and canards being pushed back into its spot in the paddock…

Ryo Kaneko checking tire pressures before his next session began in his full Dunlop Direzza race suit…

Tuning Garage Full Stage RX-7 with really aggressive custom aero throughout running a naturally-aspirated 20B Rotary engine tuned using MoTec electronics…

I guess the word “subtle” would be an understatement for this FD considering the Full Stage RX-7 above it…

The Yellow Factory EG runs an 18-inch gold Volk CE28 wheel up front wrapped in a shaved 295/30 Yokohama Advan A050…

I saw this RE Amemiya-equipped FD on SSR Type-C pull-up and thought it looked incredibly familiar…

…and then I remembered that I had seen it just a month ago when it was parked at Daikoku Futo…

Towards the end of practice day I also watched a trailer cruise by carrying the ASM S2000, one of the fastest S2000s at Tsukuba and a race car that I had only seen one other time when I visited ASM Yokohama back in 2015…

The PZTuning Civic entering its first turn at TC2000…

Not too far behind was this BNR32 Skyline…

The widened magenta-toned Evo VI with the titanium roll cage that I posted some photos of in Part 1 heading out onto the track…

On-site repairs being made to the Naito S15. Check-out the removed center-exit titanium straight-pipe just sitting on the ground…

Tomiyoshi’s Fura S2000 with the ‘R1 Titan’ Amuse decal on its hood in homage to the original orange Amuse S2K…

The GNR Racing EK9 Civic made its way down to Tsukuba from the northern-most part of Japan, Hokkaido. Here you can see it being worked on by a familiar face, Sonoda from Impact…

The GNR Racing CTR is powered by a K24 engine built by Impact paired with Kinsler individual throttle bodies…

Takanori Seyama’s ADMIX R32 Skyline GT-R getting warmed-up and ready for competition…

A closer look at the front end of the RWD-converted GT-R and its passenger-side exit exhaust…

One of the best-looking time attack cars ever, the SCOOT-prepped Auto Rescue Izu FD3S RX-7…

While walking around I also spotted Masumoto Shoichiro’s R32 Skyline on the trailer…

Adam Casmiri and the JDMYARD K24 turbo Civic…

Yellow Factory Civic on its alternate wheels, another 18-inch CE28 but of the Club Racer variety, also wrapped on 295/30 Advan A050…

Fura S2000 heading out. Love the color-matched Craftsquare mirrors…

The two foreign invaders of Attack Tsukuba lined-up and ready for battle…

Fire Ando and the ESCORT-built CT9A Evolution is one of the fastest-ever to compete at Tsukuba, running a personal best of 51.119 that weekend, less than a second slower than the all-time record of 50.366 held by Under Suzuki and SCORCH Racing…

Mildly set-up, widened S15 Silvia getting some air in its tires…

Auto Rescue Izu FD going through final preparations before practice runs…

Kiyotaka and the Top Fuel Racing FD3S RX-7…

13B engine powered by a classic HKS T51R turbo…

Out of nowhere appeared this old school Suzuki Cultus 1.3GTi at the gas station located within Tsukuba…

Soon after, this FD pulled-up and caught my eye. I looked a little closer…

…and realized that it is from the famed Mid Night car club…

Canada meets Japan with the Vibrant Civic lined-up in front of the Seyamax ADMIX GT-R…

While William was busy breaking lap records, the guys from JDMYARD were hard at work installed a new head gasket onto their Civic…

I really had no idea what the hell I was signing up for when I decided to go to Attack Tsukuba. I thought I’d just be walking around shooting Hondas and then the ESCORT CT9A showed-up…

ASLAN EG taking in some cold air…

There was a bit of everything at Tsukuba, including some classics like this Datsun Sunny…

…and let’s not forget the Endless FD RX-7 with classic livery and all…

Atsushi Shimaya, driver of the Endless RX-7…

Top Fuel Racing RX-7, no relation to the Top Fuel us Honda heads are familiar with, but incredibly awesome nonetheless…

The ASM S2000 getting in on the fun…

The Auto Rescue Izu FD is just stunning, seriously…

Shoichiro waiting patiently for his turn on the grid…

A bit of maintenance work being performed on Naito’s S15…

…and we end Part 2 with one more of the ESCORT Evolution on the grid…

Still so much more to come so please come back if you’re enjoying all this Attack Tsukuba goodness. Thanks for looking!!!….