bnizzle87

Thanks, Chris! Can't wait to see what you'e done with your F. We gotta meet up soon!

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

bnizzle da chizzel the czhizzle lolz

bnizzle87

Kody, you da man! Bustin rhymes, creating pop up IS F block parties in the middle of streets, and always bringing some bomb sandwiches. See you at the next one, brother!

Meraki Autoworks

iTrader: (8)

wtf? hahah!!

hilarious day, felt like a fast and furious scene, just missing the coronas.

bnizzle87

My thoughts exactly, Josh. I'm already plotting potential locations for the next shoot and cruise. Most likely our next meet will take place following the Lexus of Westminister meet. It gives the guys time to sort out their summer plans first, in case of family or vacation plans.

stangd1909

absolutely beautiful man, one of my Favorite IS-F's

bnizzle87

Much appreciated! You guys are mod heavy over there. Looking forward to checking out the scene when I visit.

bnizzle87

Auto season is in full effect. Car shows, meets and gatherings, and open houses pretty much start around this time. And no surprise, the largest all Toyota family meet is how I kickoff the first weekend of May.

The 20th annual Toyotafest held at the Queen Mary Park in Long Beach is once again the place to see all the heritage from the Toyota, Scion, and Lexus lineups. It's always great to walk around, check out the builds, discuss products and trends with the vendors, and get a sense of the history that makes up this great family of automobiles. And now, onto the pics....


A bonus from arriving at the venue location that early is the open road to get a shot along the Long Beach Grand Prix route.




Toyota's racing heritage on display




The past meets the future.




I still don't know, if or when it comes into production, whether this can live up to the worldwide popularity of its predecessor. Right now, FT-1 < MKIV, and my personal approach is that it won me over for its elegant, minimal design. It wasn't the Fast and Furious franchise that made me want an MKIV, but rather the feelings I experience whenever I see one. It's just one of those cars...







Embracing the future, but never forgetting the past




Part two is doubly sweet for me...

bnizzle87

There are three things I really look forward to when I check out Toyotafest- 1) the Lexus booth and all of its vehicles on display, 2) friends new and old and their builds, and 3) interacting with patrons who might not know a lot about me or my Lexus. My affinity for Lexus and essentially all things Toyota comes with a passion for the company. I'm not a fanboy. There is no sense of entitlement when I drive my Lexus. The brand, the corporation, the culture- all of it attracts me. The perspective of Lexus shifting to a more sport perspective, all the while retaining its luxury reputation, is something that intrigues me with each new model released. Seeing the variation within its lineup is why I care so much about this brand and what it offers. And it's always nice to have people asking questions about particular models because it gets them thinking about a future purchase and understanding what the brand can do for them.

#Instabuilt RC F...Yes, I've seen this car many times, and it still looks and sounds unbelievably sexy. Great work, VIP Auto Salon! The kid posing knew which one to check out. It simply looks amazing inside and out.




Beyond Marketing's Rocket Bunny RC350 F-sport. So much attention to detail, and the rear is super hot. A good widebody always attracts the eyes, though I wish it was a complete widebody and not just rivet parts.




A beautiful example of the Toyota heritage. Iconic, daring, and still highly coveted. Toyota Sport 800




Two decades apart, and you can see how much times have changed in producing both of these Lexus coupes.
-1994 Renaissance Red SC 400 and 2015 Infrared RC 350 F-sport




And lastly, two of my good friends, Brian (blisiono) and Richie (r0shiro) took the highly coveted 1st place gold medals in their modified categories; SC and IS respectively. Congrats you two!






It was great meeting some new faces that I usually correspond online, whether here, IG, or facebook, as well as the men and women who took an interested in my IS F on display. Another one is in the books, and, while I got burnt to a crisp, it was just as great as last year's. Already looking forward to next year's...

bnizzle87

After Toyotafest concluded and watching the most boring fight of all time, it was lights out for a little bit for me before venturing with Chris (chris07is) to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Even having attended a few track events prior, I still wanted to learn more about my car, its capabilities, as well as gain some more knowledge with regards to this particular track, its lines, and how to go about pre-, during, and post-track day practices.




Jeff (quarius) graced us with his presence early in the day and stayed throughout our sessions. It's always fun to have the F family together, especially one who has previously ran the track and can add his perspective on certain technical areas of the track.

bnizzle87

It's not about owning a high-performance vehicle; it's about learning its capabilities. I did not find it a struggle to keep up and maintain with other high performance cars out there, but that was not my intent of this track day. I wanted to learn my lines and continue with the track etiquette, something that many of the attendees disregarded and it was quite a shame for those who had to endure. Going fast on the streets is vastly different than the track, but that was no surprise to me. The dynamics are different, the mindset is changed greatly, and honestly, there is more autonomy. It's just myself and the car. No cross traffic, no need to worry about tailgaters or cops, no blind spots. And because so, it gave me the freedom to enjoy the car more. Certainly there is a level of comfort when I'm in the car and I'm at a red light or simply just cruising around town. But a track environment is where you hone your skills. There shouldn't be an ego check, and if there is (and sad to say it did seem like there were some who needed a boost when Chris and I went), a track is not where you get your boost. If anything, it is a humble realization. Smaller, more nimble cars with less HP will win out, and that's fine. I'm here to learn and enjoy my time with the F and make sure I don't regret anything. I pushed the car pretty hard- the few instances I glanced at my tach on the Roval (Turns 1 and 2), I was at 140 consistently. Could it be pushed harder? Yes, but truthfully, it was my first time on the track and I just wanted a better understanding of the course layout.

Having searched on the forums about what to do and expect out of a full track day experience, and remembering what I experienced in previous events, I tried to keep checking on fluids, pressure, and making sure I remained hydrated and ate properly. Having a garage helped immensely, as Jeff and Chris both knew what I was doing at the time. The only thing that I would have changed about this particular track event is testing out the car with its OEM wheels and tires. My wheel set up worked well on the straights and I honestly didn't feel it had issues with turning or understeering. Learning more and more with each track day is something I can take from the track and directly apply it to the street application. It was another fun experience, highly informative, and a success because neither Chris nor myself spun out, overheated, had issues with the car, or needed mechanical or medical aid. Another one will be in the works for sure to anyone who is interested in wanting to really experience what fast is like.

Meraki Autoworks

iTrader: (8)

unf, lookin good.

bnizzle87

And it felt good. Planted on the straights and it didn't feel like the car was understeering on the turns. It was such an invigorating feeling to really push the car hard and know she has plenty more for the next time out. It would be nice to test the car on more technical tracks, but we'll see. It's an ongoing learning process.

chris07is

iTrader: (10)

Awesome run brian...gopro look sick as well...

bnizzle87

I'm having troubles uploading our final run of the day, so I'm working on it right now. But it does eat up a good chunk of time uploading onto YouTube.

Caravan info has been posted for SGV/LA members to Lexus of Westminiter, so I better see you there bro!