2008 Mitsubishi Evo X - The Orange Monster

Tsukuba SLB lap time: 58.368 seconds There are a few noteworthy players who have cemented themselves as the grandfathers of JDM, and Susumu Koyama-the man who until early last year was the vice president of JUN Auto, one of the most respected tuning shops and parts manufacturers-is one of those men.

Koyama-san was the man who helped JUN become what it is today, the brains behind all the crazy projects the company has undertaken over the years-from the 249-mph Bonneville Z32 300ZX to the Hyper Lemon R33 GT-R and the 4WD Z33 350Z (to name a few). Back in 2005, a collaboration began between JUN and Team Orange, where Koyama-san was entrusted with building Kumakubo's controversial RWD Impreza. He then became Team Orange's chief mechanic, which led him to create the RWD EVO X that was used in the '09 D1 Championship. It was during last year that Koyama-san decided to leave JUN and head north to Nihonmatsu in Fukushima-ken, the home of Ebisu Circuit, as a permanent member of Team Orange. Until last December, that is

Out of nowhere, Koyama-san showed up to the Rev Speed Tsukuba Super Lap Battle with a creation built by his new venture, the Koyama Racing Labo (KRL). The brand-new EVO X was intriguing from the start, putting down a solid 58.368-second lap in the car's first shakedown test.

This car is all about pushing the boundaries of development and taking a car that was originally deemed untunable (because of its all-aluminium engine) and proving everyone wrong. Koyama is no stranger to the EVO X and its new 4B11-he built the JUN EVO X time attack car and Kumakubo's D1 Grand Prix RWD EVO X-so he knew exactly what he needed to do when jumping into this project. The KRL EVO X is set to become not only the fastest CZ4A in Japan but will also be shipped off to China later on this year to take part in the 57th Macau Grand Prix endurance race in November. Needless to say, it not only needs to be very powerful but also strong and bulletproof to take on the demands of endurance racing. A few months ago, Koyama started this project with a bare EVO X shell. A lot of time was spent prepping the chassis for the build, which included heavy doses of spot- and seam-welding as well as welding in reinforcements to high-stress areas. A custom rollcage was fabricated and fitted into the stripped-out interior, which does away with any kind of trim from the standard car, including the dashboard that was replaced by a simple carbon-fiber piece. Air jacks have also been installed to help the pit crew get under the car easily and change wheels quickly. The interior is kept minimalistic with only a driver-side carbon-Kevlar Recaro SPA bucket seat. The center console houses a custom switch panel and a Blitz boost controller and is tilted toward the driver to make the controls easily reachable when strapped down with the HPI racing harnesses. All stock instrumentation has been binned and replaced with a Racepack IQ3 dash unit and data logger, a very advanced piece of equipment that allows the driver to flick through a multitude of engine parameters.

Exterior-wise, the car may look familiar because it's fitted with pretty much the same M-sport kit that Kumakubo's D1 CZ4A runs, albeit with a few minor alterations. The M-sport front bumper features a more aggressive contour with a bigger gaping front grille, helping to force feed fresh air to the intercooler and radiator. Carbon canards and a carbon underspoiler help generate more front-end downforce to keep those front tires nice and planted around the twisty bits. M-sport side skirts and front fenders help enhance the EVO's profile while the carbon front and rear doors from Top Mix help shave weight from the body. M-sport also supplied the rear bumper, which introduces side air ducts and an aggressively styled rear diffuser. The Top Mix carbon trunk lid is joined by a carbon Sard GT-wing to keep the rear end planted at higher speeds.

By Dino Dalle Carbonare

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