Additionally, Charlie from Top Setup made the haul yet again, but sans the famed hatch this time. He accompanied the owner of a del Sol, ostensibly another TS car, that didn't appear to make the competition but still got track time.
Of course the regular on-air talent was in attendance, namely drivers Keiichi Tsuchiya and Yasuyuki Kazama, as was lovely umbrella girl Kazumi Kondo, plus American model and wrestler Bobbi Billard, we're guessing for some added appeal. In addition to the vehicles and pseudo-celebs, about 100 spectators came out, including the HT staff.
This being another media outlet's event, we didn't get a whole lot of special behind-the-scenes access, and indeed had to absorb the spectacle from behind a fence just like the rest of the audience. We were able to see plenty from our vantage point, however, and Brian Gillespie from HASport and Joe McCarthy from Prototype helped us piece together a picture of how the judging went.
It was a mixed bag of news for Honda fans. After hearing that its entry was "so powerful it's scary" in AT2, and that Tsuchiya couldn't even reach the pedals, which incidentally precluded any judgment, the HASport crew attempted to improve on its 4th place finish from last time. The made-over CRX arrived with a slightly de-tuned motor, aero mods entailing a wing and splitter, front fender flares for wider tires, Nitto meats at all 4 corners, and a seat moved closer to the pedals, but to no avail. Again Tsuchiya couldn't reach the pedals (how short is that guy?), which prevented a fair assessment of the Rex. Gillespie tells us next year the seat will be moved up another 3 inches, plus the car will have a turbo and power steering.
The remaining Honda hero, Prototype's K-motivated Elise, had a decidedly different run of luck. Without giving too much away, it seems both drivers had a kick-ass time in the whip. But was it crowned AT3's new Monster? Guess you'll have to go get the video to find out.