Cyrious Report: Formula Drift Round 2 Recap

Round 2 of Formula Drift Canada brought the competition closer to home in Toronto and to say it was a tough round for the team would be pretty accurate. All weekend long we were suffering from mechanical issues, which was unusual since our car is very reliable.

During the Friday practice, we had fuel delivery issues and suspected it was the fuel pump, so we rushed back to the shop and changed out the pumps. We only got about 2 laps of practice that night.

Saturday morning, I was feeling good and ready to tackle the competition head on feeling confident we had fixed the FR-S. However first lap out during the first corner, all of the sudden the car lost all boost. The intercooler split wide open causing a major boost leak, resulting in the car not making any power. We couldn't find an aluminum tig welding at the track so I had to send one of my guys back to my shop over an hour away to weld it up. We had roughly 2 hours of practice, a 1-hour break, then moved on to qualifying. It was going to take my guys about 2.5-3 hours to get the intercooler back to the track, so the timing was definitely tight!

In the end, we got the car back together just before my first qualifying run! My first lap of qualifying wasn't bad considering it was technically my first lap of the day. I think the score was a 69. On my second qualifying lap I scored a 73, which put us in 9th position.

Entering Top 16, we were to go up against Jonathan Guitard. He's always been a contender and one to not take lightly, and with our very few laps around the track that weekend (I had done about 5 up to that point) it was tough for us to make a good car set choice. I decided to run as much grip as possible, more than we had run all weekend. I was to follow first. I struggled to stay sideways behind him, I figured Jonathan's car would of been much faster than it was and my FR-S was making a ton of grip, so it wasn’t my greatest lap. On my lead lap I rocketed away from him, and had gaped him about 5 car lengths into the final turn, but then my transmission broke... We lose.

Now back at the shop, we have installed a new transmission, a new clutch, an entirely new fuel system, and a new differential. I’m really hoping this is the end of the mechanical failures for us this season!

Next up for the team, we are off to Montreal for FD Canada Round 3 this weekend. And while we’re getting ready for the race, I'm also moving my shop Cyrious Garageworks to our new 5000-square foot facility (hence the delayed report) so it’s been a busy summer!

Hopefully we’ll have better news to report next time. Thanks for the support!

Photography: Formula Drift Canada

Cyrious Report: Formula Drift Round 1 Recap

Drifting season for the Cyrious Garageworks and Scion Canada drift team has returned! I've been looking forward to the beginning of this season all year long, so it was nice to get back behind the wheel of FR-S again!

Over the off season we have made a few improvements to the car to make it faster and more responsive. I was excited to see how we would stack up against the competition at Round 1 of Formula Drift Canada.

Practice was a bit rough for us. We were fighting a random mis-fire problem in the engine, which took the team a while to figure out, so by the time we had that sorted out, there was only enough time for about 3 laps of practice, which didn’t really give us much time to play with the car set up and they weren't my best laps by any means. But on to qualifying we went!

First lap out I messed up and missed my downshift from 4th to 3rd gear in the braking zone, resulting in my car straightening out, zero score. Do or die lap. This time going into this lap I decided I wasn't going to downshift, just keep it in 4th and see what happens. Well, it worked great and we qualified 2nd!

Top 16 was in front of a huge crowd and the weather couldn't have been better! My first battle was against Stephen Van Sleuwen. We had a decent battle and I was able to edge him out and take the win!

On to the top 8. We were to go against Youri Levesque. He's been around for a few years now and has been one of those drivers with potential. I led first, he followed me closely but made a few corrections and drifted at less angle to stay close. When I followed him, I wasn't as close but my line and angle was better. And while I didn’t have any corrections, he was given the win.

Like all race events, we walk away with lessons learned and know where we need to improve for the next one. I will be driving much more aggressive from here on in, I can promise you that. Next round is finally just outside Toronto, so I look forward to seeing all of you local fans at Sunset Speedway on June 25th!

Thanks for the support!

Photography: Jeremy Alan Glover, Formula Drift Canada.

#iMProject16 update with Kenji Sumino, President of GReddy Performance Products

We interview Kenji Sumino, President of GReddy in California and the man behind our bespoke exhaust made for #iMProject16.

The name Kenji Sumino should sound familiar. Not only is he the crew leader of Ken Gushi’s drift team, he’s also a two-time winner of the prestigious Gran Turismo award for Best Asian Import at the SEMA Show for Ken’s FR-S Prototype and most recently, for collaborating with Fast & the Furious star Sung Kang and his “Fugu Z”. When it came down to finding a partner to help build us an exhaust for #iMProject16, we knew Kenji would be our guy. While we had his attention, we decided to ask him about the process at GReddy and his involvement with Scion Racing.

Let’s cover the basics. For some of our readers who may not have heard of you, please introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today.

My Name is Kenji Sumino, President here at GReddy Performance Products, Inc. (GPP). I started working for GPP in 1995 in the Research and Development department. Until 2005, I was in charge of the R&D department, responsible for new product development and building project cars to promote GReddy performance products as the R&D manager. From 2006, I started handling more administrative duties while managing R&D, and in 2008, I became president of GPP. I am still very much involved with product development and also our motorsport program with Scion Racing with Ken Gushi in the Formula D series.

Also, I change tires for Ken at the racetrack… Seriously, I really do…. Hahaha…

So how did GReddy get involved with Scion Racing?

Ever since Toyota introduced the Scion brand back in 2003, we have been involved with Scion building their SEMA display vehicles starting with the Super Street x GReddy turbocharged xB. Our partnership with Scion grew from there and we continued to build SEMA display vehicles for all of the new models (tC and 2nd gen xB) that followed. These projects were all “street car” concepts to promote the lifestyle image targeting the Gen Y consumer.

When the 2nd gen tC was introduced, we got the opportunity to build a “track-inspired street car” for Scion’s 2010 SEMA display car. Originally, there were no plans to race this car, but we recognized the potential of the tC platform and proposed to campaign this car in the Redline Time Attack series. This was the beginning of our involvement with Scion Racing but our eyes were already set on the FR-S. At the same time the 2011 Scion tC was released, Scion introduced the FR-S Concept to the world. We felt that the Time Attack project was the stepping-stone for us to be considered for campaigning the FR-S for the Formula D Series in 2012. We needed to show our capability of preparing a racecar and running a motorsport program. And with a successful season with the tC, and a little bit of luck being at the right place at the right time, we were commissioned to prepare the not yet released FR-S street car that was displayed at the North American FR-S unveiling event in LA and a race prepped FR-S that was debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2012. And the rest, as they say is history.

Well it looks like we caught you at the right time again! We really appreciate you helping us with #iMProject16. Can you share a little bit about how you and your team get started designing an exhaust system?

It's a great pleasure for us to work with #iMProject16! Because we have such close relationship with Scion since its launch, we get excited every time a new Scion vehicle is released, so thank you for the opportunity!

When designing an exhaust system on any car, we look at the factory system spec and layout first and figure out where we can improve for more performance and enhance the sound for a “Sport” exhaust system. Then we figure out the piping and muffler size based on the engine displacement and clearance. The last step is finding a way to make it look as cool as possible from the back.

So what did you decide on for #iMProject16?

We routed the new piping to make it more smooth, and made sure to keep good clearance with the chassis/underbody and other components under the car by using stainless mandrel bent tubing and used less sharper turns for a good flowing system.

Thanks we appreciate the effort! But what we all really want to know, will this add power to the car?

While we were not able to put this car on the dyno to measure the power gains, based on our experience with the normally aspirated system, you’re looking at 3-5% power increase.

Excellent! So tell us, now that you’ve prototyped an exhaust for the iM, can we see a production model to come in the future?

Definitely, we’ve already sent the prototype back to our factory. The first sample is due anytime now and we expect to have the production systems available for sale by late spring.

That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the chat Kenji. We can’t wait to see you, Ken Gushi and the rest of the GReddy team at Formula Drift Canada’s World Round in July. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you and YES!! We can’t wait to go out to Canada’s in July and have Ken Gushi spray you guys down with champagne from the top of the podium! We’ll see you guys soon!

Catch up on the #iMProject16 build on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, by following @ScionCanada.

Photography: Josh Chow, Justin Pagtalunan, Takuya TK Akiyama.

Scion Brand to Transition to Toyota

February 3, 2016

Dear Scion customer,

We have always focused on two things: our customers and our cars.

We recognize and embrace our customers’ diverse needs, interests and lifestyles and develop great products to meet those needs. We always worked to keep Scion passionate and ready for your next adventure, while always remembering Scion is “What Moves You,” your friends and your way of life.

In Canada since 2010, Scion’s role was to be a laboratory to develop new products and new ideas to better reach our customers. We thank you for joining the Scion family and allowing us the opportunity to serve you. Now we will put those lessons to good use as Scion transitions to become part of the Toyota brand. We understand that you’re looking for fun-to-drive cars with distinctive styling that also embody Toyota’s renowned quality, durability and reliability. We hope you’ll join us as Toyota continues to develop cars that meet your needs.

Whether you bought a boxy xB when Scion was brought to Canada in 2010, raced to your dealer to get an FR-S sports car in 2012, or just drove off the lot in our new iM 5-door hatchback, we value your Scion purchase and look forward to expanding our relationship with you through Toyota dealers. Beginning in August, the FR-S and iM will be available as Toyotas through your local dealer.

For current Scion owners, all customer services, including service and repair parts, will continue to be available for you at your local Toyota dealer.

If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to your local Toyota Scion dealer or contact us directly at 1-866-9-SCION-1 or scion_feedback@scion.ca.

Best Regards,

Cyril Dimitri

Vice President, Sales and Marketing

TOYOTA CANADA INC.

Introducing: #iMProject16

With the start of a new year, comes brand new projects, and there’s nothing more exciting than a project car.

Our newest member of the family, the Scion iM, is the perfect canvas to create an auto show masterpiece. With your help and assistance from Formula Drift Canada’s “Drifter of the Year” Pat Cyr, we’ll work together to get this 2016 Scion iM ready for the Canadian International Auto Show. Introducing: #iMProject16.

If you’ve visited us at the auto show, or attended one of our events, then you know we love a customized Scion. From Pat Cyr’s winning FR-S to the rare Rocket Bunny tC, we hope our cars inspire you to put your own personal touch to your Scion, whether it’s a simple accessory or turning it into a full blown race car.

For #iMProject16, we’re going to start with a few simple modifications. The Scion iM is a great platform for us to work with. It’s versatile, well-priced, and comes loaded with features like an aggressive lip kit and LED running lights.

We’ve partnered with some of the world’s leading after-market manufacturers such as GReddy, Rays Racing and RS*R to source parts for #iMProject16. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to let us know what you would do with your Scion iM, and cast your vote to help us make decisions on things like wheels, suspension and livery. We hope you’re as excited as we are and we can’t wait to hear from you. Stay tuned!

#iMProject16

Cyrious Report: Season Recap

Formula Drift Canada's biggest round of the year was set to take place at the home of Canadian drifting, the place where it all started for me, Autodrome St.Eustache!

The track is about 30 minutes outside of Montreal, and over 10,000 people came out to watch. The fans are truly the best in the world, very vocal about what they like by cheering loudly or chanting one more time when there is a close run. It's quite an electric feeling at St. Eustache, and one that I look forward to attending each and every year.

Going into this round we decided to freshen up the tune in our 2JZ-powered Scion FR-S, so Sasha from Onpoint Dyno came in and together we were able to get an extra 80lb-ft and 40hp. We also changed our alignment settings to get the maximum amount of mechanical grip possible. The car was as strong as it could be for the weekend.

Practice day was on Saturday. We did a few laps working on our set up, but the rear gearing wasn’t right. I always come to events with 3 differentials with different gear ratios, so we decided to swap the one that was in the car for what we felt was a ratio better suited for the track. Unfortunately we had some problems installing the new differential, so we didn't have a chance to test it out that day but we would be ready for battle the next day!

Qualifying day. The track layout we were running is one of my favorites. Despite the lack of practice the day before, I was confident that we would be able to get the hang of it quickly. We started our second day of practice strong. Our rear end gear choice was spot on! For the rest of the day I pretty much ran the same lap. Placing the car in the same spot every time. My first qualifying lap was pretty good. Typically on the first qualifying lap, I drive with a little bit in reserve and pulled off a good run with a score of 85. On my second lap I went all out and put down probably my best lap of the weekend! That gave me a score of 91 with a final qualifying position of 3rd place!

The competition was set up as a top 32, and our first battle was against Riley Sexsmith. Riley and I are good friends off the track so it was a bit disappointing for both of us that we had to go against each other in the first round. I was to lead first. I ran a lap very similar to my qualifying lap, Riley kept up but made a few small mistakes in the follow position. When we switched positions, I stuck with Riley through the course and was awarded the win. Next up, top 16…

The Top 16 ceremony was pretty cool. I rolled out with my fellow Scion Racing driver Fredric Aasbo. It was my birthday that day as well so the crowd gave me a loud "happy birthday" after my introduction! After the intros were done Fredric and I did tandem donuts while Lisa with Scion Canada rode in my car shooting live on Periscope! You can check out the video below.

In the top 16 I went up against Dean "karnage" Kearney in his Dodge Viper. I led first, and once again ran the same line I had been running all weekend. Dean stuck with me through the entire course until we got to the last clipping point, where he got too close, bumping into me and causing me to spin. When I spun around he proceeded to drive over my right front wheel, damaging my steering. We rushed back to the pits to assess the damage. The steering rack, rack spacer and inner tie rod was bent. The judges declared Dean at fault, so we were given about 25 minutes to fix my car. We scrambled to get it straight, I had a spare inner tie rod and spare steering rack but there was not enough time to do the rack. So we bashed it straight with a hammer the best we could. Time had run out and my car was far from perfect with the front toe being out almost 2 inches, but I wasn’t ready to back down from this battle. I pulled up to the line first and the crowd cheered very loud. I was a bit worried about what my car was going to do in the first corner when we initiated drift, but Dean slowed down a lot more than I expected and I straighten out. I spent the rest of the run trying to catch up. The Judges called for "one more time". But as I drove back to the pits my clutch started to slip really badly. I had hoped it was just over heated and that during the tire change it would cool off enough to do our next run, but it didn’t. The car wouldn't move at all, which meant that our weekend was done.

Overall it was a great event. Everyone was saying it was the best drifting they had ever seen me do and the support and love from the fans made it one of the most memorable weekends of the season. I am really feeling at one with my Scion FR-S and we're only going to get better in the years to come! We’ll be racing again soon and our clutch is out getting rebuilt so it won’t be long before I’ll be sideways again.

Thanks so much for the support!

Scion Life

Some newbies out there might think of Scion as just another automotive manufacturer spewing out small gas saving cars designated by variations of 2 or 3 letters with alternating cases. For those who really know, it’s much more than that. Scion owners are a breed of enthusiasts that cannot be duplicated. Their passion for Scion is unparalleled. It’s not a hobby, it’s a life. It’s the Scion Life.

When the first xB was unveiled in North America back in 2003, Toyota took a risk to start a new brand and bring over their rolling box 
into our market. The quirky styling of the first generation Scions were different from anything available at the time. Were people ready for the xB? You bet they were. In the first year, almost 100,000 Scions were sold and hit a chord with every demographic. In the blink of an eye, you would see xB’s and xA’s being represented by tuners, fabricators, racers, hip hoppers, families, old people, and young people. It was at this point that everyone recognized the Scion Life and the industry would never be the same.

Fast-forward to present day and you can’t drive one city block without seeing a Scion, either stock or fixed up. In Vancouver, Mati Ma of 604 Scion saved up his money for nearly four years in order to buy the xB that he always wanted (that’s a lot of top ramen lunches and dinners). Mati enjoys the west coast cult status of Scion but sees it spreading quickly through Canada on the eastern borders. Canadians will have no trouble customizing their rides according to Mati, “There are tons of companies making parts for Scions in a gazillion styles so it’s easy to start fixing up your car right away, customized to your own style.” His rapidly expanding group provides support, event coverage and meet-up details to BC owners and enthusiasts.

There are thousands of diehard Scion owners that devote their lives to a brand that fully embraces their supporters, which is rare in this day and age. I guarantee that if I grabbed 100 Scion owners off of the street, their descriptions of the lifestyle would have miniscule variations, if any at all. In fact, we chased down a couple more Scion owners just to prove that point.

Martin Trujillo reminisces about his first encounter with Scion as “funky, cool, and different. Like nothing I had ever seen before.” He’s met so many people by modding up his Scion that he couldn’t get out of the Scion Life if he tried, not that he wants to. When we asked Kirby Quinto what set Scion owners apart from the rest, he said “We don’t steal from each other. To me, Scion owners are how automobile enthusiasts should be. We show togetherness and embrace any new owners that introduce themselves in the scene. It’s not about how your car looks or how fast. It’s about you as a person showing love for the Scion brand.”

Scion Life is more than just a trend, it’s a worldwide movement. And if you’re lucky enough to be reading this from the front seat of your new Scion this new world will soon open up to you in time. Just remember to continue spreading the Scion Life to everyone that you come in contact with to ensure that the daisy chain will never end.

Scion Life was originally published in Issue 3 of Scion Magazine. To read more, visit scion.ca/magazine