Shop Feature – Inside Opak Racing And Spoon Sports USA
By Joey Leh, Photography by the author
In the frenetic world of tuning Hondas, the name Spoon Sports needs no introduction. Founded in Japan by Tatsuru Ichishima, a Honda road racer himself, Spoon Sports is a Honda aftermarket company that focuses on producing parts and cars that are fun to drive on the street and the track.
While their tuning power gains may seem small, Spoon parts are notorious for reliability and for proper optimization. You won’t make a zillion horsepower looking through the Spoon catalog but you’ll be able to do well in your next six-hour endurance race.
Spoon’s official United States distributor is Opak Racing in South San Francisco, CA. Having competed in the 25 Hours Of Thunderhill endurance race numerous times, as well as taken the championship in the United States Touring Car Championship, Opak Racing is well versed in the art of road racing. They’ve tangled with factory road racing teams, raced against competitors with twice the horsepower, and even ran a little Honda Fit for 25 hours straight.
Jump off the highway and proceed through a quiet industrial area of Northern California. You’ll soon find yourself in front of a discrete brown two-story that you wouldn’t give a second glance to. Contrary to the drab exterior, inside rests some of the most famous and successful Honda road racing cars in the US.
A Japanese market Honda Accord Euro-R, Integra Type-R, and Civic Type-R, all built by Spoon Sports in Japan, sit ready and prepped. All three have seen proper racing action and have held their fair share of professional drivers. One thing is for sure, the distinctive yellow and blue Spoon Sports scheme is undeniably attractive, perhaps even more so in person.
Customer cars sit ready on lifts, receiving cams, exhausts, and suspension changes. Right outside the door rests examples of media coverage that Opak and Spoon have gathered in the US over the years.
Having worked with the team at Opak for many years, we remembered precisely all the tests, races, and photoshoots that are plastered on the walls. Ah, memories.
But the real treasure lies further inside. Once past the front doors, customers are greeted to a large lobby and display area. Inside rests more Spoon Sports goodies than any self-respecting thief would be interested in taking.
Placed within glass cases, Spoon Sports thermostats, car models, brake calipers, valve covers, catalogs, and clutch kits sit cleanly on display.
On the walls hang T-shirts, merchandise, used driving suits (who knows what history these suits have – Ed.), and exhaust parts. It’s quite literally enough to blow the mind of any Honda tuning or road racing enthusiast. And that’s not a bad thing.
Contact
www.opakracing.com
www.spoonsports.us
It is sad, but Opak Racing is going out of business. Lets hope the next Spoon US distributer (IL4???) carries on the tradition.
Bought some suspension pieces from them a couple years back. Too bad to hear, looks like a great place now and hope they come back.
Since 1999 Inline Four Company distributed the Spoon Sports product line! IL4 is your number one source for Acura/Honda tuning.