GT Live is back! All the original cars, teams, sights, sounds, and the one of a kind JGTC All-Star race that marked motorsports history back in 2004 at California Speedway touched down in an exciting weekend filled with...err...heat. Okay, so actually, NONE of the original cars, teams, sights, and sounds of the original GT Live event made it to Phoenix. Paramax (the folks behind GT Live) decided to switch things up a bit by signing on with the Grand Am and Rolex Cup Series, which, when combined with XDL and Stunt Riding Champions from around the US, form the new face of GT Live. Like many different aspects of the vastly accelerating motorsports industry, change can be a good thing. But with regards to timing and attendance for this particular GT Live event, timing was not the best thing for many aspects of the event. However, what we can say is that for all of those fans not in attendance, a truly spectacular weekend of motorsports goodness was there for the taking.
In an effort to reach out to the original JGTC market, GT Live brought over several of Japan's fastest Time Attack cars including the ZERO/SPORTS BTZ601R Impreza and the Sun Automotive CyberEVO, piloted by Yasushi Kikuchi and JDM Superstar Eiji &Tarzan& Yamada. Alongside these purpose built speed demons would be the HKS Toyota Aristo and RS*R Nissan S15 Silvia drift machines, piloted by Nobuteru Tanaguchi and Manabu Orido. Fans were treated to XDL Drift and Stunt Bike Riding demos throughout the weekend while various other activities enthralled guests willing to bear with the intense heat. The Grand Am Cup and Rolex Cup series races were fast, furious (yes, I said it), and right down to the wire, with nearly nonstop racing action on the infield filling up both days of GT Live. It's certainly a shame that these racing series do not get more recognition from fans, as the breakneck speeds, dangerous passes, and full lineup of diverse entrants certainly has all the right ingredients for a tremendously exciting formula.
We certainly look forward to the next GT Live event in Virginia sometime around October and hope that the weather is a bit more forgiving around that time of year. In the meantime, enjoy the gallery of GT Live images from Phoenix International Raceway!
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