Although its origin springs forth from the innermost circle of the NASCAR camp, the phrase, "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" rings true in almost every market. The thinking is that victory on the racetrack ensures a reputation legendary enough to inspire massive sales of cars and parts. In the United States, millions of advertising and sponsorship dollars pour into NASCAR because that's where the exposure is. The oval track boys have even managed to convince Toyota to play with them, supposedly enticing millions of would-be Charger owners to jump ship and buy a real racecar--a Camry.
Luckily for the sane people of the world, not everything in life is complete crap. Buddy Club, with offices in Hiroshima, Japan, and Ontario, California, has been producing, testing, and developing aftermarket parts on the racetrack for over 15 years. Forget tube-framed, V8-powered, carbureted Ford Taurus', Buddy Club races on the same stuff that you can pick right out of their catalog. The key to developing hardcore race proven parts for general sale is to take production cars into battle. No formula cars, no silhouette bodies, Buddy Club shows up to touring car races in heavily modified versions of carsthat you already know and love, such as this wide-body FIA Super 2000 DC5. The only difference happens to be that this 2005 j-spec Honda Integra Type R is a hell of a lot faster than anything you're used to seeing.
We first heard rumors of the existence of this DC5 through whispered conversations with Kevin Feng, marketing guru for Buddy Club USA. He had given us the rundown--naturally aspirated engine, Michelin slicks, Mugen cage and a Buddy Club suspension. In all truthfulness, we were a little skeptical, it sounded like the same exact car that we had shot in our November 2005 issue ("A Tale of Two Hondas"). Plus, we knew some of ourreaders might be thinking, "Why race another DC5?"
Overshadowed by such media friendly heavy hitters as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Nissan 350Z, and Subaru WRX, the Acura RSX has nonetheless been selling in respectable numbers since the 2002 model year. When it debuted, riding on the wave of Honda tuning popularity, it was often ridiculed for its heavier-than-Integra weight andstrut-type suspension. But to drive even a USDM RSX Type-S in anger is to experience years of Honda race success and engineering. The chassis is balanced and composed, the cabin is quiet and sealed, and the K-series engine itself is worth the price of admission.
For the 2NR faithful, modifications are the name of the game. To step into the realm of the tuned DC5-chassis is to enter a whole other dimension. Honda produced a nice, soft, sedate factory driver, but the DC5 responds eagerly to any changes, transforming into thehard-edged balls-out machine that many owners wish it were. Take Skunk2 Racing's record-setting drag RSX, Spoon Sports' dominating USTCC road racer, or Buddy Club's unlimited monster here; anything is possible with a DC5. Even more so when you start with a Japanese-market-only DC5 Integra Type-R and build it in partnership with M-Tec of Saitama, Japan.
M-Tec, the company behind the Mugen name, builds cars and engines for racing in the Super GT, Integra One-Make Race, Japanese Formula 3, Super Taikyu, and Formula Nippon series. Needless to say, the company knows a thing or two about racing. So whenJun San Chen, the lead driver for Buddy Club, decided he wanted to build a new DC5, one that would be all-out no expense spared, he brought together Buddy Club and M-Tec. In the Asian market, Buddy Club and M-Tec/Mugen have close ties, since Chen's company, AAI Motorsports, distributes both brands.
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