Expo 7, thrown by the Integra Type R Club of America (ITRCA.com), took place June 11-12 at the historic Virginia International Raceway. VIR located right on the Virginia/North Carolina border, wasn't too far for us South Carolina boys to make the four hour trip. The event brought cars from states as far away as Washington, Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska! There was even a K20R-powered Ariel Atom from Cambridge, England, in attendance. Now if that's not some worldwide participation I don't know what is!
On Monday there was a lunchtime "Victory Lap." All of the ITRs in attendance lined up by color and took two laps of the track for photo ops. It was also a chance for the non-registered drivers to get out on the track and experience what it feels like to drive on a piece of American history. The sight was breathtaking. It was an honor not only to be able to take pictures at such an event, but to be in one of the lead cars looking back on 67 ITRs. I was in pure awe when I went around VIR's historic oak tree. I will look back on these pics a lot and think of what that feeling felt like!
After the racing for Day 1 was over, everyone gathered at the on-site hotel for a banquet that included a prize give away and an awards ceremony. There were over $5,000 in parts given away. The most prestigious "Ricer of the Year" award went to David Bowlin in honor of building his track masterpiece for the Honda-Challenge series.
In all, two days of racing, banquets, drinking with the fellas and ladies, switching brake pads, helmet swapping for ride alongs and the nonstop sound of VTEC conversion cannot be summed up into just a few words. It's an event that all need to experience, even if it's just to watch.
This photographer, along with everyone who attended the event, would like to thank the ITRCA and all of the sponsors for making this event possible.
Also, thanks to all of the event organizers for putting in a lot of work for this event. Hopefully next year some of you who are reading this article will get the chance to be a part of the "Expo Craze!"