D1 GRAND PRIX (AUG. 1st) – Chicago, IL

D1 GRAND PRIX USA DRIVERS SET TO BATTLE IT OUT IN ROUND 3 & ROUND 4 OF THE 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS SERIES

- D1GP USA Preps for Third Round Action at Chicago’s Famed Soldier Field -

After an impressive Round 1 and 2 of the 2009 Championship Points Series, D1 Grand Prix USA looks to Soldier Field and Englishtown Raceway for the final of four scheduled events. The battle for D1GP USA Champion is tightening as competitors from around the world try to catch the points leader and reigning champion Daigo Saito. This round will be the most explosive event yet with new international drivers joining the circuit, as well as the return of fan favorite Nobushige Kumakubo after his Round 2 absence. Round 3 will be held Saturday, August 1 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

“Since our inaugural event in Anaheim, D1GP USA continues to grow with a new field of drivers, creating a greater level of competition,” said Rich Goodwin, president of D1GP USA. “We are also excited to see additional sponsors partnering with D1GP as well as an increasing international fan base.”

Round 3 in Chicago marks the D1GP USA debut of Canadian drivers Tania Bourbonnais, Carl Nadeau and David Briggs. Staged under the lights, the Chicago event will be the first night drifting competition in the 2009 series and will also feature new on track course markers.

Round 4 of D1GP USA will be held on September 5, at Englishtown Raceway in New Jersey. Englishtown will also take place under the lights with a variety of off-track entertainment.

As D1 Grand Prix USA heads into the final two scheduled events of the season, the top 16 drivers vie for the final spots in the Championship Points Series. The current point standings are as follows:

1. Daigo Saito (Japan) – 50
2. Kazuhuro Tanaka (Japan) – 29
3. Takahiro Ueno (Japan) – 24
4. Harri Hokkanen (Finland) – 23
5. Chelsea Denofa (USA) – 22
6. Ken Nomura (Japan) – 21
7. Toshiki Yoshiaka (Japan) – 21
8. Nobushige Kumakubo (Japan) – 21
9. Forrest Wang (USA) – 19
10. Quoc Ly (USA) – 14
11. Russell Walker (USA) – 13
12. Ross Petty (USA) – 12
13. Aaron Losey (USA) – 10
14. Will Parsons (USA) – 10
15. Estie Falero (USA) – 7
16. Kelvin Arreola (USA) – 7

For more information about D1GP USA and the upcoming Chicago and New Jersey events, please visit www.d1gp.com. You can also follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/d1gp.

For media inquiries or to obtain media credentials for these events, please contact Matt Danenhauer, DRIVEN Media Communications
matt@drivenmc.com | (951) 461-2429 | www.drivenontheweb.com

1st August 2009
CTSR DYNO WARS
DYNOTECH
Goud Straat Brackenfell Cape Town

This is the next event that followed the OPD dyno day where CTSRcrew is hosting the first installment of the CTDRcrew DYNO WARS,

Which car club has the most power???

All different classes, prizes announced at the day and at the end of the series, kiddies face painting, playstation games, food and more. Come put you car on the dyno to see HOW MUCH POWER YOU HAVE!!!

Hot Import Nights Pleasanton, CA July 25th
ProAm Drifting from Austin
Don’t forget, Hot Import Nights is coming to the Bay Area NEXT Saturday, July 25th (4PM – 11PM).

We’ll be at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton CA for a return visit with our bigger, badder and better show. This year, we pulled out all of the stops by adding motorsports and/or drifting to each and every venue. Buy your tickets online on our ticketing site.

For Pleasanton, you’ll want to check out the drifting action in the NOS Human Horsepower Zone with performances by Chris Fosberg and other professional drivers. Local drifters are encouraged to participate, but there will be a 14-driver cut-off limit. Contact nate@hinevents.com for more information. The driver’s roster will be posted at hinevents.com/cars

For our travelling Nor-Cal drifting fans, you’ll want to plan ahead for our December 12th show at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, AZ (near Phoenix.) This will be the final round of the Formula D / Hot Import Nights ProAm drifting series for 2009. The contestants will be invited from all of this year’s previous events held around the country. The finalist from our event will get an invitation to participate in the professional Formula D series next year.

If you plan to attend Pleasanton as a car competitor, you will need to pre-register on our ticketing site. The show floor has limited space, and since it always sells to capacity, you’ll want to act soon. If you have a group of 12+ cars, contact our car coordinator nate@hineve! nts.com for special arrangements.

If you have already registered, look for your roll-in instructions in your email box. If you have 12+ cars in your crew, contact nate@hinevents.com to schedule your roll-in.

Special Showtime Events
Here are some of the many things we have planned for this event.

On our main stage we have dance performances, B-boys, Battles, & Hip Hop Performances by “QWES,” DJ Rocky Rock and 17 Hertz Studio Presents FNM, San Quin, Big Rich, Mistah FAB, The Jacka, and Dem Hoodstarz! In addition to our regular GoGo dancers, Miss HIN Competition and this time, a very special LolliMe Bikini Fashion Show featuring beautiful models strutting their stuff and showing off bikinis designed by Nicolette Lacson from www.lollime.com

Bring your copy of the August 2009 issue of Import Tuner. It features as its cover model Alanna Kolette, Miss HIN 2009. Capture a photo with Miss HIN Alanna Kolette @ Model Central. Import Tuner and Super Street Magazines will have staff at the event looking for future feature cars and cover models; look your best!

Don’t Miss These!
FREESTYLE MOTO-X – World-class FMX demonstrations by a breathtaking team of past & recent X-Games champions!

RIVALRY NIGHTS – Hot Import Nights has officially joined the Rivalry Nights 2009 tour. Seven special events are scheduled around major college football events; this tour kicks off on September 11th in Columbus Ohio. Sign up for our newsletter at hinevents.com to stay informed.

HIN GEAR – Purchase exclusive HIN fitted caps, shirts & girl apparel at our travelling merchandise booth.

HIGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION SHOW – HIN TV will be filming live for an upcoming production.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – MOVIE RELEASE “Check out Fast & Furious on Blu-Ray Hi-Def and DVD July 28th.”

GIVEAWAYS – Receive items such as auto parts, posters, photos, hats, shirts, towels, lanyards, key chains & many more. Be sure to visit each sponsor, vendor and/or club on the floor to take full advantage.

NATIONAL GUARD UNLIMITED CAR COMPETITION – The only touring car competition with over 2000 awards, $120,000 in prize payout & 1 National Guard Ultimate Unlimited Title belt!!! (Valued at $2,600) Cash & Awards.

EVENT INFO:
Alameda Fairgrounds (SF)
4501 Pleasanton Ave.
Pleasanton, CA 94566

ModBall House, Orange County, CA – May 2009 – It’s the only American rolling party anyone with a modified car needs to know about. The 2009 ModBall Rally USA leaves the start lines of Chicago and San Francisco with 100 cars each on Saturday October 31st Team entries for the 5-day ‘Modified Gumball Rally’ are booking up fast, do not be left out. This is history in the making.

Heralded as ‘The most bonkers road trip around’ by Max Power magazine, the ModBall Rally is the ultimate road trip for anyone with a modified car and a desire for partying all night, for five days straight.

The 2009 route will see 500 die-hard car fanatics travel from two different start lines, Chicago on the east and San Francisco on the west, joining up for a final party showdown in Las Vegas.

West coast route starts in San Francisco then on to Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas partying at every stop along the way.
East coast route starts in Chicago then on to Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas for the final awards ceremony and party!

The days are filled with driving, stops at racetracks, sexy car washes, and top-secret events. The mayhem and malarkey turns into city-centre partying in the evening, where ModBallers will be entertained with special shows and VIP access to some of America’s finest clubs and venues. Previous years have played host to the naughty Fuel Girls show, Playboy Bunnies and the even naughtier MTV Dirty Sanchez boys, alongside top-name live dance and music acts.

Unlike other car rallies, the ModBall is inexpensive and is made up of real people with real cars and a real passion for partying. The ModBall is not a race; it’s all about having fun, and this year’s escapade will once again culminate with a spectacular awards ceremony and monumental party on the final night in Las Vegas.

The ModBall USA 2009 looks set to be a truly memorable event with a few key surprises along the way. Places are limited to 200 cars (100 east route 100 west route), so be quick – go to modball.com to book your team.

See you there!

I just bought a 97 Firebird last week, and the rear brake pads needed to be replaced. I didn’t know how to replace brake pads myself, so I enlisted my automotive-genius father-in-law to help me change the brake pads.

First, we took off the wheels. We unfastened the lugs and removed both rear wheels. That exposed the brake system, which includes the rotor, caliper, brake pads, pistons, and brake lines.

Picture of the Brake System

Next, we removed the brake caliper. The caliper houses the brake pads and is connected to the brake lines, and the caliper’s function is to clamp the brake pads against the brake rotor when you hit you brakes. So to access the brake pads, we needed to remove the caliper assembly. It’s connected to the rotors with a couple of bolts.

Removing the Brake Caliper

We then needed to empty any brake fluid out of the assembly. There is a small spigot you can open to release the fluid, but it won’t come out unless you squeeze the assembly and “squeeze” it out. You can see we used a pipe wrench to do it. You apply pressure as shown in the picture, then loosen the spigot to let the fluid out, then immediately tighten the spigot afterward to prevent air from getting in, and then after the spigot is tightened you can release the pressure on the brake assembly.

Removing Brake Fluid

Then it was time to change the pads. To be sure, you should look at your brake pads to see if they need to be replaced. If the ‘pad’ part of the brake pad is even thickness or less thick than the ‘backing’ part of the pad, then they should be replaced. It’s a little tough to see, but if you look carefully you can see that my pads were less than even thickness relative to the backings, and needed to be replaced.

Picture of Old Brake Pads in Caliper

It turned out the pads were extremely simple to remove. On the bottom of the pad are two little L-shaped springs. They sit inside a rectangular groove in the caliper. You push each pad downward into the groove, then slide it inward (past the respective locking mechanisms) and it just slides right out.

Then you take each new brake pad and put it back in the same way. I went with Powerstop organic brake pads. I wanted something as close to factory as possible. My new brake pads had a pad with more than twice the thickness of the backing of the pad.

Push down on the pad so that the springs are compressed into the rectangular grove, and slide them under the locking mechanisms on each side, and let go, and it gets locked into place. Keep in mind the outer and inner brake pads are different within the caliper, so be careful to match up the pads correctly.

Installing the New Brake Pads

Now the caliper is ready to re-attach to the rotor. Before you do that, you may want to take a moment and clean your brake parts. You can brush the rust off your rotors, like we did here.

Brushing the Brake Rotor

Then fit the caliper over the rotor, and bolt it back in using the same two bolts from before. Now you can put the wheels back on. It’s up to you, but you may want to put a lubricant on the threads before you slide the wheels on, just to make sure they don’t seize up.

Applying Lubricant to Prevent Seizing of Threads

Also, when you put your wheels back on, make sure you know which wheel goes on which side. On my Firebird, the tires are directional, and the ‘arrow’ shape in the tire should be pointing forward.

Making Sure the Tires are Facing the Right Way

Now the brakes were ready to test. This is very important: before you go driving on the road, pump the brake pedal several times. The first couple times, the pedal will go all the way to the floor. This is because of the brake fluid drained during the process. Pumping the brake pedals gets the fluid flowing through your brake lines again.

After you start to feel normal resistance in the brake pedal again, then you’ll want to put the vehicle on the road and try to really heat up the pads. What we did is take the car around the block 4 or 5 times and at each stop sign, we’d floor it and accelerate really fast, and then stop really hard at the next stop sign. This is an effective way to heat up the pads and break them in.

After you’ve broken in the pads, you’re all set to drive with new braking power. I was amazed how easy it was. It took about an hour from start to finish.