Daily Slideshow: Once You're a Champion Everyone Wants to See What You Do

1. Popularity Contest

For those of you with aspirations to build a show-winning stunner, but reservations about the social media presence required to win a series like Tuner Battlegrounds, Gerbie Reyes knows how you feel. He also knows how it feels to hoist the championship trophy. Leading up to Reyes first ever Tuner Battlegrounds Live/Driven event in Calgary, Canada, he was a total social media novice. “I have always piggy-backed on a shared Facebook account with my wife, Kathy, but never had one of my own,” Reyes fessed up. “I had to get my own Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts with the help of others showing me what to do.”

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2. Surround Yourself with Good People

Reyes may not have been the center of the online tuning community's attention, but fortunately for him, his club, Winnipeg's Garage 106, was no stranger to the public eye, with the previous champion Benji Tran (and his Acura TSX) counted among their members. Now closing in on 7,000 Instagram followers, Reyes is an old pro at the social media game. At the heart of his success though is his build, and unlike Instagram, he'd put in years of work perfecting that game.

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3. Put in the Work

Reyes was raised on Hot Wheels cars, in the Philippines, and he emigrated to California just as The Fast and the Furious was stoking car culture far and wide. His first build was a very Furious-like winged 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse with an orange paint scheme. A move to Alaska followed, as did successive Civic, Eclipse, and Evo IX builds, some of which entailed flying in a street tuner, due to the dearth of AWD dynos in Alaska. Flash forward to Reyes' move to Winnipeg, Manitoba and the car you see here.

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4. Pick a Platform

Reyes knew what vehicle he wanted for his next build, all he had to do was find one. “What I was looking for turned out to be sitting frozen and dead on a used car lot, 200 miles south of Winnipeg, in Grand Forks, North Dakota,” Reyes remembered. “The car I had my eyes set on was a silver, bone-stock, 2001 Honda S2000. I saw what most car builders see beyond the broken, beat-up, and abandoned state of a used car: a platform that had a lot of potential to become something great.” That 'something great' naturally started with the S2000's F20C engine.

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5. Force Induction

Reyes pressed Danny Dunning from Speed Factor Racing into service to help with the build he had in mind for his AP1. Boost was a must, so to support the planned installation of a CT Engineering NOVI 1200 supercharger, the engine was beefed up using ARP head studs, a Science of Speed dual valve spring kit with titanium retainers, Injector Dynamics 1000-cc fuel injectors and a Cometic 87-mm head gasket. Other engine mods include an Ultimate Racing intercooler, a T1R dual exhaust, and a Speed Factor custom tune. All the changes added up to 369hp and 233 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels.

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6. Balance It

Shows are not won on engine performance alone, so Reyes hit the exterior with an M&M Honda Racing Hyper Widebody kit, complete with front aero elements, Seibon Carbon Mugen hood, a Voltex Type7SN GT wing, and a
Mugen hard top. Behind the 18x11 front and 18x12.5 rear Niche Mulsane wheels (and BFGoodrich G-Force Rival tires) lurk KW’s V3 coilovers, and an Umbrella Auto Design VRH lift system. Reyes rounded out the build by installing easily-removed-in-case-of-racing modular audio components from JL Audio and Fabian in the trunk of his S2000.

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7. Count the Votes

When competition closed and the tally came in at the 2016 Tuner Battlegrounds championship, Reyes edged runner-up Eric Guerette with 1,898 votes to Guerette’s 1,736. It was Reyes' Instagram scores, together with in-person voting, that carried him over the top. “I would also like to say that this has been one of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever faced,” Reyes effused. “I hope people see that teamwork, unity, prayers, and dedication prevailed through my journey in the Tuner Battlegrounds Championship. Looking back, it was a miracle that I held the first position amongst the giants of the car world and social media. Thanks to everyone who joined me helping push towards the victory!” From being an internet ghost to winning a social media-centric championship in one build, Reyes shows that all it takes is support from the global village... and a life of hard work and devotion.

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8. Parts Count

Engine/Trans
ARP head studs
Science of Speed dual valve spring kit, titanium valve spring retainers, 3-BAR MAP pressure sensor, 3.2-inch      supercharger pulley & drive belt
CT Engineering NOVI 1200 supercharger, air intake
Ultimate Racing intercooler
Comptech FMIC kit
Samco coolant hoses
Tial blow-off valve
AEM in-tank 320-lph fuel pump, EMS Series 2 UEGO, universal inline UEGO controller, digital UEGO/ wideband AFR gauge, multi-function serial data stream gauge
Injector Dynamics 1000-cc fuel injectors
Cometic 87-mm head gasket
P2R throttle body, intake manifold gaskets
Koyorad Hyper V-Core Series radiator

T1R 70R-EM Sparrow dual exhaust system, HPC-coated header, cat delete pipe


Science of Speed Sport clutch 
Honda S2000 AP1 flywheel 
CT Engineering Competition reinforced diff housing

Wheels/Tires/Suspension/Brakes
Niche Mulsane wheels – 18x11 -11 (f), 18x12.5 -11.5 (r)
BFGoodrich G-Force Rival tires – 265/35 R18 (f), 315/30 R18 (r)
APR carbon fiber rotor cooling ducts
Spoon Sports monoblock 4-piston calipers (front)
Speed Engineering directional slotted brake rotors
Science of Speed stainless brake lines
KW V3 coilovers
Cusco ALC0S carbon fiber strut bar
Umbrella Auto Design VRH lift system

Exterior
M&M Honda Racing Hyper widebody kit
APR carbon fiber burn shield cover, Formula GT3 side mirrors, diffuser
Seibon Carbon carbon fiber Mugen hood
Honda Type-R badge, JDM clear side markers
Voltex Type7SN GT wing, swan neck mounts
Mugen hard top 
Spec-D Tuning halo projector headlights
DEPO LED taillights

Ford Shelby Mustang Avalanche Gray paint

Interior/Audio
EVO-R carbon fiber instrument meter dash kit
Science of Speed Rapid shift knob
Z.S.S. Racing Division carbon fiber Type-D steering wheel
Bride VIOS III Low Max seats, knee pads, Type-FG seat rails
HPI 4-point racing harnesses
Intro-Tech Hexomat floor mats
Works Bell short hub, Rapfix II quick release)
Cusco 5-point safety 21 roll cage
Pioneer DEHX8700BH head unit
JL Audio XD6001 mono amplifier, XD4004 4-channel amplifier, 10TW14 10-inch subwoofers (x2), JLC3650 6.5-inch coaxial speakers (x2), 0.75-inch tweeters (x2)

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