Top Nissan Finisher at Italian Baja--Diesel Pathfinder

Before being stopped by a stalled engine due to a deep water crossing, Hector Oliveira and the VM Tecnosport team finished 12th in the Italian Baja this weekend.  Prior to the water injestion the team was running in the top 10. Given the Portuguese nature of the team one could expect them to show up at the Baja Portugal event later this year and run the Pathfinder there as well.

45 Entries, 13 Retirements (29% DNF rate), 8 Nissan Entries, 2 Retirements (25% DNF rate)

Nissan results for the event:

H. Oliveira, Diesel Pathfinder--12th
L. Lechowicz, Navara (Frontier) D40--22nd (2nd in T2 class)
A. Rossi, Pathfinder--25th
F. Crozzolo, Navara (Frontier) D40--27th
T. Piec, Navara (Frontier)--28th
A. Abdulla, Patrol Y62--29th
L. Traglio, Patrol Y61--Retired
A. Toro, Patrol Y61--Retired

Italian Baja Website...

Nissan Patrol Running Well at Italian Baja...

Abdel Abdulla came into the Italian Baja in 2nd place overall for the year in the T2 class of the FIA Cross-Country Rally standings and is holding that place through the first two days of the three day event.

Currently having finished Stage 3 of the race, Abdulla is in second in T2 (production vehicles) about 2 and 1/2 minutes behind Seaidan and his LandCrusier who Abdullah is chasing for the '16 championship.

Tomorrow will present two more chances to catch Seaidan, each another 74 kilometers in length along what is a gravelly and water crossing filled course.  Abdulla sits 21st overall out of 45 entrants and is the second placing Nissan so far.  No Nissans have DNF'd to date and other sit as follows:

9th--Oliveira, Looks like a diesel Pathfinder...but unsure of real engine...Running in T1 class
21st--Abdulla, Patrol Y62
27th--Lechowicz, Navara (Frontier) D40
30th--Rossi, Pathfinder LR50
31st--Crozzolo, Navara (Frontier)
32nd--Toro, Patrol
33rd--Piec, Navara (Frontier) D40
38th--Traglio, Patrol

Emil Khneisser and his Nissan Patrol Take Third in Baja Italia

Not bad for a debut effort.  Not bad for a 47 year old driver.  Not bad for a full time corporate exec.  Not bad of this first time in Europe.  It was well done over all and a podium finish despite a flat and a small off is a great result.

Baja Italia was round five if the FIA's Cross Country World Cup and saw 12 entrants in Khneisser's T2 class (production vehicles, not the top of the line custom T1 entrants).  Two of the top three finishers were in Nissan Patrols which are Infiniti QX80 here in the States.  The Patrol has become the deficit go to race vehicle for the rich middle eastern customers looking to go compete with the big boys without going to a full T1.

Story on Khneisser's performance here:  http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/business/qatar-business/347593/kneisser-and-patrol-shine-in-european-baja-debut


And an early video on the introduction of the T2 Patrol below:

If You Aren't Following Classic J-Tin on Twitter...

You're missing out...



Especially if you have an interest in potentially purchasing a classic piece of Japanese automobilia.  It appears to be a Twitter account that searches Craigslist ads across the country and then posts some of the best and most interesting Japanese vehicles.  I never imagined the variety of vehicles that are still out there waiting to be bought, loved and restored.  The best thing is that since these are from Craigslist you generally aren't talking about $50,000 spotless masterpieces.  These are often rusty, broken, used and most importantly--cheap.

If you like classic Zs, Celicas, Supras, Datsun trucks, old Landcruisers, 35 year old Subarus, etc.  This is a great account to follow.

Classic J-Tin Twitter Profile...

Highest Finishing Nissan in Dakar 2014

Well this wasn't really Nissan's finest hour in Dakar history.  They've put multiple vehicles in the top ten and five even in years past.  Their Dakar efforts are currently non-existing on a factory basis and are getting more limited by the year.

This year the highest "true" Nissan finisher (as in, among those vehicles with a Nissan body and Nissan engine) was Denis Berezovskiy of Kazakhstan in the #413 Nissan Patrol.  Fielded by Tecnosport SPA the effort had a stage best finish of 30th place during the 10th stage and finished the event in 37th place among the 62 finishers.  Given that the DNF rate was over 50%, just finishing is a HUGE accomplishment.

Unfortunately there isn't much more information on this effort other than Mr. Berezovskiy's Facebook page which can be found here:  Denis Berezovskiy's Facebook page

Infiniti QX56 (QX80) and Nissan Patrol Get Minor Updates

 I have to say I like Infiniti's old vehicle naming convention a lot better than its new one.  With the 25, 35, 37, 56, etc. nomenclature I immediately knew what powerplant was under the hood.  Now that they have gone to the 50, 60, 80 and M (? why?) designations, it tells me little about the actual internals of the vehicle.  I suppose I may grow used to it...but not yet.

That said, the Infiniti QX80 (formerly the QX56), still with the VK56 engine found in the Titan receives some minor updates for '14.  As this vehicle is highly similar to the overseas Nissan Patrol--though more upscale and with some lighter, less durable suspension components, the changes are exhibited there as well.  Visible are the new LED headlights and updated bumper/grille.  There are a host of new internal options (steering wheel, seat cover options) and a new "black" package that is seen below with the matte grille.

All in all, very minor updates and nothing mechanical.  At least the Arabs will be happy to have some new options!

Nissan Patrol-R?

Well, you have the GT-R and the Juke-R....so why not take the biggest, heaviest Nissan and dump a high revving turbo engine in IT?  Well, cause it would end up like the Nissan Patrol in this video.  I think my ears are still bleeding from the sound of the engine at full song and I can't imagine that the poor mill is going to be long for this world given the length of time it sounds like its being held at the rev limiter.

The vehicle in question is a 90's Nissan Patrol, not sold in the US.  The engine is a swap from a mid-90's GT-R (skyline), a RB25DET (yup, 6 cylinder, 2.5L, twin turbo pushing well over 4000 pounds of straight axle SUV) making some 280 hp and it looks like little torque.  As silly as the vehicle sounds I sure do wish I had this power in my rally truck!

Australasian Safari 2013--Vehicross, Forester and Sidecar Oh My!

The 2013 Australasian Safari has an additional reason for hype this year as one moto and one "car" entry will win a free entry into the 2014 Dakar based on their performance.  Outside of this, the largest offroad rally in Western Australia is one of the longest and toughest in the Southern Hemisphere. The event has drawn a number of entrants from around the world over the years including ORMHOF (Offroad Motorsports Hall of Fame) member Rod Hall and his team of Hummers in recent years.

While one of the world's classic offroad races, due to its remoteness, like the Taupo 1000 in New Zealand it does draw a number of grassroots and more obscure competitors in addition to those at the top of the industry.  Along with these more grassroots entries comes some of the more interesting vehicles out there racing today.

Example #1--The 1998 Isuzu Vehicross of Andrew and David Travis.  The Vehicross is an iconic SUV of which few were produced, so to see one out racing is remarkable.  I believe this is only the second one I've ever seen in offroad competition and that it is doing so some 15 years after its production is awesome.  Coming into the last day of the event (Leg 7 of 7) the bright yellow Vehicross is sitting 3rd in the event some hour and 20 minutes out of first place.

Example #2--The 2008 Subaru Forester of Robert Herridge and Sam Hill.  The Forester is not exactly your typical offroad racing vehicle but it seems to be holding its own, sitting in 4th place in the event, 2 hours and a half hours out of the lead (25 entries in the "car" class this year).  Given how rocky and sandy sections of this course are, the fact that a Forester (a supposedly "road" oriented SUV) has done this well is impressive.

Example #3--The KTM 525 GPR of Max and Sam Hutchesson.  Yup...a KTM sidecar.  The only sidecar in the event the pair seem to have a great deal of experience as a quick Google search of them picks up numerous photos of them racing and of their various race results in enduros and other offroad motorcycle events around Australia.  Their entrance ends a 17 year absence of sidecars from the Australasian Safari.  They sit some 10 hours adrift but are still in the event and putting on a fantastic show.

Lastly we'll throw in a couple of Nissan Patrols to represent the Nissan's in the field.  There are two Nissan Patrols remaining.  One sits in 6th place three hours and eight minutes adrift and the other sits in 12th, 17 hours back.

One day of racing remains before the event's conclusion.

Condolences are due to the family and friends of biker Ivan Erceg who lost his life on 9/25 during the first stage of the day.  Vaya Con Dios Ivan.

Nissan Wins the Taupo 1000!

 

Well, a Nissan engined vehicle at the least...

In truth Nissan may have won a number of classes at the Enzed Taupo 1000 two weeks back but the New Zealand racing sites don't post the type/engine of the vehicles involved like most sites/series do.  Still, the winning buggie of Clim Lammers was powered by a Nissan V6 as many of the buggies in both New Zealand and Australia are.  The event drew a record 125 entries and were an exceedingly eclectic mix of near the equivalent of Class 1 and Trophy Trucks to your more typical Class 9 buggies to a stock Subaru car and stock Kia Sportage/Suzuki (??) and a number of "Rock Racer" style, short wheelbase SUVs and pickups.

Of particular interest to me were the number of Nissan Patrols entered (still wish we had these available here) and the modern V6 Cooper Tires Nissan Pathfinder of Jared McGilvray.  Really up armored and impressive for its heft and "stock" nature, Jared and his Pathy would finish 4th in class and 31st out of 125.

Also of note here is that despite these photos, which were all taken near the finish line, the course was actually single track for the majority of the race, heading through tight forests and mountain paths.  Truly beautiful territory.  And one to which I have a standing invitation to race in during the 2015 edition of the Taupo 1000 (an event held only once every two years).  World class in nature the Taupo runs 1000 kms for the top competitors and is recognized as being in the same class as a Baja or Dakar or similar top flight event.  The Taupo Facebook page is where the results and TONS more photos and videos can be found.  Video shown here is a cool, rearview shot so you can see the conditions and terrain.

Chinese Modified 6x6 Nissan Patrols??

Looks like someone (evidently someone who doesn't want to be public) in China is taking old Nissan Patrols and heavily modifying them.  I don't necessarily agree with the writer of the linked article that these were built by someone with military engineering background.

Nor do I agree that all of these are Nissan Patrols.  The bottom vehicle in the snow is clearly a Toyota (you can read the Toyota faceplate in the pictures on the linked wiki page) and I believe most if not all of the others are Toyota Land Cruiser's as well.  Nor do I believe these vehicles are winning every contest (hill climb and otherwise) in sight as noted either.  These vehicles do not possess roll cages or other serious equipment needed for real competition.

The author of this article appears to be merely a backer of anything Chinese and trying to put out there how great these homemade Chinese vehicles are.  If this is Chinese auto journalism, Motor Trend can sleep soundly.

6x6 Nissan Patrols??

Nissan Patrol "Safari Edition"?

This is not a production model...but then again, in Dubai, anything goes.  Looks like someone chopped the top off the previous generation Nissan Patrol and turned it into a "Safari" style vehicle.  The work looks good but I wouldn't want that open top with all the delicate electronics and interior accouterments the way they are.  That will last about 15 minutes on a real safari.  It does look like it has come straight from the shop that did the work however as there is still plastic wrapping on the headrests.  Ahhh...the benefits of FU money...

Couple Photos from the Twizel 250

The Twizel 250 race down on the South Island of New Zealand they are racing some unique vehicles and a number of Nissans.  I'm trying to track down some results or at least some entry lists but haven't come up with any as of yet.  For now?  Enjoy these three quick photos.

Nissans in the 2012 Australasian Safari...

Inspired by the recent article in Dirt Sports Magazine on the Australasian Safari and a beautiful 260Z that was running in the event I went looking for what other Nissan/Datsun vehicles might have been involved as this was one major offroad event I hadn't really looked at the results of in 2012.

In brief the Australasian Safari is like the "Dakar" of Australia, a multiday, offroad race.  A Rally-Raid, more than a "rally" but a "rally" more than something like the Baja 500.  It crosses some of the toughest and emptiest terrain in Western Australia over a number of days and thousands of kilometers.

Unfortunately the beautiful safari style 260Z here evidently was totaled during the event and DNF'd but the #115 2004 Nissan Patrol finished third in the event.  The pictures look awesome and someday...someday, I'll get to see this beautiful land...

Australasian Safari...

8th Internext Rally Vsetín: Four championships' conclusion

Cross country rally Vsetín is the only Czech race that has survived for more than two years. Since 2003, when the first edition took place instead of another cancelled race, "Vsetín" became extremely popular amongst drivers and fans. This rally is very specific and is more sprint than long-distance rally. Special stages are usually 10 kilometers long with eight or nine timed sections.

This year’s edition of "Vsetín" has been hit hard by bad weather. Five days of heavy rain has made part of the track very difficult to cross and organizer had to skip this most attractive part of the race. Nevertheless the race didn’t suffer from lack of competition or thrill. The stakes were high, Czech and Polish international championship titles were still in games as well as FIA CEZ Trophy.

In previous seven years only two men shared the title; Miroslav Rís (2003-2005) and Miroslav Zapletal (2006-2009). Now two pilots had a chance to become new Czech champion; provisional leader Zdenek Porízek and Viktor Chytka. Under normal circumstances Chytka with T2 Mitsubishi Pajero wouldn’t stand a chance against Porízek’s X-Raid-produced BMW X5 CC. But with last-minute change for state-of-art Hummer H3 Evo Chytka’s chances rose significantly.

The first to hit the road on Saturday Chytka fully took the advantage of a clean track. He stormed the selection with stunning 24 second advantage on the second Wlodzimierz Grajek (Mitsubishi Pajero MRT). This section was repeated twice and while almost everyone improved its time only Chytka and Grajek were slower due to much dirty track. The second portion of the race consisted of three gravel specials across the forest. Chytka utilized the familiarity of home track and maintained his lead. Chytka is the only one to take part in every “Vsetín” since its creation. Relatively quietly Porízek moved up the order, he overtook Zoli Garamvölgyi (Nissan Pathfinder) and Károly Fazekas (BMW X5) and was only 4 seconds behind second placed Grajek.

The last part of 8th Internext Rally Vsetín happened on the same track but in reverse order. Chytka gave Hummer the second win in Vsetín after last year Zapletal’s triumph. On the very last special Grajek failed to keep Porízek behind and lost the second place. Six minutes behind the winner Dariusz Zyla (Mitsubishi Pajero) finished the race on eighth position to get third place in Czech championship.

Legendary five time Dakar winner Josef Machácek (Yamaha Raptor) came to Vsetín to get his first national title and he succeeded. Second placed youngster Václav Bazika (Yamaha Raptor) tested new machine from Machácek’s production. In thrilling fight for the third place Vlastimil Tosenovský (E-ATV 690) lost to Rudolf Sajan (Gas Gas 450 HP) but kept trio of Polish rivals behind. The only woman behind the handlebars of quad was only 17-year old Sandra Ulrichová.

Note: Cup of Slovak Republic was running concurrently with Czech championship with the same race schedule and classification and thus with the same results.

Final standings of Czech international championship - cars:
1. Zdenek Prízek / Marek Sýkora 85 points
2. Viktor Chytka / Zdenek Ulehla 75 points
3. Dariusz Zyla / Malgorzata Zyla 62 points
4. Juraj Ulrich / Daniela Ulrichová 44 points (1st in T2 class)

Final standings of Czech international championship - quads:
1. Josef Machácek 100 points
2. Klaudiusz Rostowski 82 points
3. Vlastimil Tošenovský 49 points

Thanks to slightly different points’ distribution four pilots were supposed to fight for Polish title; Porízek, Chytka, Zyla and Grajek. Chytka as an event winner took maximum of possible points which shifted him to second place in general ranking of RMPST (Rajdowe Mistrzostwa Polski Samochodów Terenowych) just one point ahead of Grajek.

Note: Rumors that last event of RMPST, planned to take part in Sopot, would be cancelled turned up to be true. This made Zdenek Porízek Polish champion, too.

Final standings of Polish international championship – T1 class:
1. Zdenek Prízek / Marek Sýkora 24 points
2. Viktor Chytka / Zdenek Ulehla 20 points
3. Wlodzimierz Grajek / Rafal Cieply 19 points

Final standings in Polish international championship – T2 class:
1. Juraj Ulrich / Daniela Ulrichová 17 points
2. Zbigniew Wieclawek / Ryszard Wieclawek 12 points
3. Grzegorz Szwagrzyk / Piotr Brakowiecki 8 points

Final standings in Polish international championship – TH class:
1. Robert Lyzwa / Michal Krotiuk 6 points

For second year cross running country rallies have their own Central European Zone Trophy. Premiere edition was won by Balázs Szalay. He had the best conditions to regain the trophy but decided to skip “Vsetín.” So the doors became open for a whole bunch of others. Károly Fazekas was provisional leader, Zdenek Porízek was two points behind, Dariusz Zyla another three and Viktor Chytka with 20 points also had a chance to replace Szalay. At the end Porízek managed to outrun Fazekas and took the honors.

Note: Last round of CEZ Trophy, Baja Montenegro, was called off again this year.

Final standings of CEZ Cross country rally trophy – T1 class:
1. Zdenek Prízek / Marek Sýkora 34 points
2. Károly Fazekas / Péter Maurer 32 points
3. Viktor Chytka / Zdenek Ulehla 30 points

Final standings of CEZ Cross country rally trophy – T2 class:
1. Juraj Ulrich / Daniela Ulrichová 57 points
2. Grzegorz Szwagrzyk / Piotr Brakowiecki 32 points
3. Zbigniew Wieclawek / Ryszard Wieclawek 25 points

Final standings of CEZ Cross country rally trophy – TH class:
1. Robert Lyzwa / Michal Krotiuk 30 points
2. Dávid Czirkelbach / Péter Szász 18 points