Compass360 Racing and its trio of Skunk2-sponsored Civic Sis claimed the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner championship title October 4 at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and went on to nab First Place in both Driver Points and Manufacturer Points categories. The win marks the first championship for the Skunk2-backed C360R team as well as for Driver Points champ Christian Miller and Manufacturer Points winner Honda.

After 10 races across eight states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada, and nearly 2,000 miles of racing completed, the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge ended its 2009 season on VIR’s 3.27-mile, 17-turn course. After all was said and done, the C360R team closed out 2009 as the top-finishing Honda at all 12 races, scoring every point possible for the title manufacturer. A four-hour combined Grand Sport/Street Tuner class race, the season-closing Bosch Engineering Octoberfest was the first of its kind. Miller, who co-drove the C360R No. 74 Civic Si along with Randy Pobst, entered Sunday’s season finale with a 31-point lead and a total of five podium finishes, including victories at Homestead Miami Speedway and New Jersey Motorsports Park where the team clinched a three-way victory earlier this year.

Miller qualified seventh in the No. 74 Skunk2-powered Civic Si and only needed to complete 30 minutes to earn his, Compass 360’s, and Honda’s first Driver, Team and Manufacturer titles, respectively. And Miller did so handily, hobbling the Si in with a broken axle after more than an hour on track—more than enough time to secure the victory. “My hat’s off once again to the team. Every single race this season Compass 360 has given me a flawless car,” Miller says. “’Don’t crash the car’ was the message I’d been given repeatedly.” Despite the broken axle, Miller was still able to flash a smile after picking up his first series title.

“Absolute reliability.” That’s what Miller, who finished the season with two victories and nine top 10s, says about the Skunk2-powered Civic Si. “Everybody—Honda, Skunk2, Compass 360—every single person involved with this team made this happen.” We only won a couple of races early in the season, and every single race, the car has been flawless. We’ve stayed out of trouble and we were able to go the whole distance without scratching the car.”

The Mazda / Mazdaspeed 3 is one of the most affordable, fun and tuner friendly vehicles on the road today.  In its turbocharged setup, it’s got plenty of power to go along with it’s amazing handling.  GTSPEC has just released a Trunk Cage System that will take this Mazda / Mazdaspeed 3’s performance to the next level.

GTSPEC’s Trunk Cage System consist of four (4) braces:

• Rear strut tower brace
• Two (2) cross linkage brace
• Rear floor brace

The cooling system is a vital component of your 2009+ Nissan 370Z operation. The radiator needs constant airflow, with minimum turbulence, to be as efficient as possible. Unfortunately, gaps in the structure around the radiator allow air to escape, resulting in lost efficiency.

Password: JDM has designed the PWJDM Dry Carbon Fiber Cooling Plate for the 2009+ Nissan 370Z to eliminate this problem. By preventing air to escape over the top of the radiator, these cooling plates allow a maximum amount of airflow directly to your radiator, resulting in reduced coolant temperatures during aggressive driving.

Not only will you gain cooling efficiency with the PWJDM radiator cooling plate, you will also clean up your cluttered engine bay. Unlike the other cooling plates out there, ours is super light, often more than twice as light as other carbon versions.

AEM is proud to announce the release of their popular line of Tru-Time Cam Gears, High Volume Fuel Rails, High Volume Fuel Filter and Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulators in a new black anodized finished at a more affordable price.

AEM Tru-Time Cam Gears

• Increase horsepower and torque without any cam changes and are ideal for heavily modified engines
• Six-point hex bolts stand up to repeated adjustments and feature an integral washer flange for greater load distribution
• True laser-etched markings on the leading edge of the gear allow for quick, accurate adjustments

AEM High Volume Fuel Rails

• No additional parts required for installation
• Specifically engineered for each application
• O.E. fuel pressure regulator or AEM adjustable fuel pressure regulator mounts directly to rail with no modifications

AEM High Volume Fuel Filter

• Fits in stock Honda/Acura location or as a floating application on any vehicle
• Large hexes machined into top and bottom for easy disassembly
• No additional parts required for installation (Honda/Acura Only)

AEM Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulators

• Adjustable from 20 psi to maximum fuel pump capacity
• Interchangeable discharge ports match regulator output to output of any fuel pump
• CNC-machined from 6061-T6 billet aluminum

The Progress Group, Inc. has developed a new rear anti-sway bar for the new  2009+ Acura TL.  This simple upgrade will dramatically improve driver confidence, the handling capability and chassis balance of this awesome new Acura platform.

The 24mm solid steel alloy rear anti-sway bar features two adjustment holes for tuning the chassis balance.  The kit includes all necessary hardware for a complete installation including low-deflection polyurethane bushings, brackets, reinforcement plates and special bushing grease.  All Progress anti-roll bars are precision-cold formed and manufactured in-house, and feature an attractive dark-gray metallic powder coat finish.  The bar is designed to work with the OEM end-links.

To enhance the tunability of its most dynamic performance car ever, Hyundai has teamed up with GReddy Performance Parts to manufacture products for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe.  These high-performance parts will be displayed on the “GReddy X-Gen Street Genesis Coupe” show car at SEMA 2009.  The vehicle from GReddy is designed for the enthusiast looking to make modifications for daily driving or a weekend at the track.  All of the GReddy parts designed for the Genesis Coupe are planned to be released as a production kit and available for enthusiasts everywhere.  The vehicle will be on display at the Hyundai booth at the SEMA Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center from Nov. 3 – Nov. 6, 2009 (Booth # 24387).

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T will follow the GReddy Total Tune-Up theme that will not only increase the performance of the engine, but also improve handling and braking.  The finished car will blend reliable street performance with a powerful driving experience.  The initial performance targets of the GReddy-powered Genesis Coupe will be 350 horsepower and 320 ft/lbs of torque with a 0-60 time under six seconds.  Following SEMA, GReddy plans to make additional engine modifications, pushing horsepower to nearly 500.

“The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is a perfect car for the automotive enthusiast and the GReddy products are designed to maximize the performance capabilities of the vehicle,” said Kenji Sumino, general manager, GReddy Performance Parts.  “The Genesis Coupe is the ideal car for SEMA and we are building upon the overall concepts originally designed by Hyundai engineers and are looking forward to developing a must-see car at this year’s SEMA Show.”

Mechanically, GReddy plans to include a GReddy Performance Products Turbo Upgrade Kit, large front-mounted intercooler kit, a SE Spectrum Elite cat-back exhaust system, MX racing downpipe, Type-S fully adjustable coil-over suspension and numerous other modifications.  The vehicle will also feature GReddy six-piston front and four-piston rear brake calipers.

“The performance parts from GReddy allow enthusiasts to capitalize on the rear-wheel drive Genesis platform,” said Michael Deitz, manager, product development, Hyundai Motor America.  “The modifications made by GReddy to the Genesis Coupe 2.0T will highlight the performance capabilities of the vehicle that can be achieved in a real-world setting.”

Styling modifications to the GReddy Genesis Coupe will include an Aero lip spoiler, carbon fiber hood, aggressive rear spoiler, Volk Racing G2 wheels and Toyo performance tires.  The unique vehicle graphics will be designed and completed in collaboration with artists from Hyundai’s North American Design Center in Irvine, Calif.  Inside, SEMA Show attendees will find Sparco racing seats, modified gauges, boost controller and a turbo timer as well as a remote switching system.

StopTech, a leading manufacturer, supplier and innovator of world class brake components and brake systems for production-based race cars and high performance vehicles, is rolling out Big Brake Kits (BBK) for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS.

StopTech’s Big Brake Kits provide shorter stopping distances, better brake modulation, firmer pedal feel and less brake fade resulting in stronger, more reliable performance on and off the track. The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS BBKs from StopTech comes with a pair of slotted or drilled floating directional AeroRotors with billet aluminum AeroHat, billet aluminum mounting brackets with stainless steel hubs, DOT-compliant stainless steel braided Teflon brake lines, high performance street pads and forged, high performance, patented calipers.

The rear kit (part # 83.193.0057.xx) features ST-41 four piston calipers and 355×32 rotors, while two front kits (83.193.6700.xx and 83.193.6800.xx) feature ST-60 six piston calipers with a choice of either 355×32mm or 380×32mm rotors, respectively.

The first Camaro debuted in 1967 and the car remained in production for the next thirty-five years, until 2002. General Motors’ fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro hit the streets earlier this year, ending the iconic muscle car’s hiatus from production.

Fans of the prior Camaro generation can get StopTech front BBKs for the 1998-2002 model years. One kit (part # 83.193.6700.xx) features two ST-60 six piston calipers with 355×32 rotors, while another (part #83.183.4600.xx) features a pair of ST-40 four piston calipers with 332×32 rotors.

StopTech is the ultra performance division of Centric Parts and was the first to offer balanced brake upgrades for production cars. The ten year old company remains the worldwide leader with more than 700 platform offerings to dramatically improve overall braking performance. StopTech’s industry leading technologies and materials, from rock-solid calipers to ingeniously efficient heat-handling rotors, have earned four patents that result in shorter stopping distances, better brake modulation, and less brake fade.

For most of the 2000’s, Toyota has been missing…something.  Sure, the new Camry is amazingly reliable and looks pretty from all angles.  Yeah, the IS-F packs a ton of power – but who can really afford one?  The Celica and MR2 Spyder were carrying the ’sports car’ flag at the turn of the century, but those were shadows of their previous incarnations and just didn’t pack the same ‘umph’ or ignite the same passion as Toyotas of old did.

The Supra.  The All-Trac. The AE86.  Now THOSE were exciting vehicles.

Fast forward 10 years from when the last Supra rolled off the showroom floor.  With a little help from Subaru, a new generation of Toyota Sports Car is born: The FT-86.  Powered by a Subaru sourced 2.0L boxer four powerplant and a rear wheel drive configuration, the FT-86 has everything going for it.  Since it is still only a concept, not much more is known.  But Toyota is confirming there was a focus on keeping weight down, keeping handling crisp and making sure it comes is just north of $20,000.

The Nissan 370Z is a true tuners’ car: Stylish, Powerful and Mod-Friendly.  HKS is the tuners’ tuner: Innovative, Cutting Edge and Always Quality.  So it should be no surprise that HKS has chosen the Nissan 370Z as its most recent Muse.

The newest addition to the ever-growing catalog of parts for the 370Z is the HKS Hi-Power Exhaust (32009-BN004).  As with all HKS Hi-Power exhausts, this 370Z Hi-Power is inspired and designed from endurance and GT racing in Japan and can be used on both naturally aspirated and turbocharged applications.

The HKS Hi-Power Exhaust for the Nissan 370Z is a full dual system made from 304SUS piping measuring a massive 60mm, includes the crucial H-pipe and comes fully polished to a mirror finish.  The Titanium Tips that crown this masterpiece are not only beautiful, but allow for adjustment of length – which makes this a perfect match for any rear bumper.

No, we’re not worried about the winter cold – it’s the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement that would like a word with your Nissan Skyline.  It seems that ICE agents have descended on California in search of illegally imported Nissan Skylines and have already impounded a few.

GTR USA Blog reported that cars registered under SB100, which allows for “kit” cars to be built and driven on US Roads, have been red flagged and nabbed.  Does this mean ALL owners of Nissan Skylines imported into the United States need to be concerned?  Even those brought it by “official” importers like Motorex?  Who knows.

If you’re not familiar with the MotoRex Fiasco, check out the article 0-60 Mag did on it: MotoRex and the North American Skyline Fiacso