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Apr 28, 2010

Urban Racer Coverage of Long Beach Grand Prix

Urban Racer has been covering the “Sport Compact” segment for years, lifestyle to racing to time attack.  One of their recent articles covers the Long Beach Grand Prix, and the multitude of events that make up a Long Beach weekend.  Team Drift , ALMS, World Challenge, and Pro Celebrity race.

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They seemed suprised by the World Challenge series, with its new format.  Three classes of cars, and a Formula D driver Tyler MacQuarrie winning GTS has sparked some more interest in the series.

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Head over to the site to check out the massive gallery of images from the weekend.

Source: Urban Racer

Apr 26, 2010

10 Reasons the 370Z is Better Than the GT-R : Import Tuner

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Carter from Import Tuner wrote in the May 2010 issue of Import Tuner Magazine, 10 reasons he likes the Z34 370Z , more than the R35 GT-R. The 370z is certainly a great sports car, but it does look like a redheaded stepchild next to the GT-R. 

A couple of the reasons Carter likes the 370z.

10. Clutch pedal. Micro-second shifts are for the birds. I'll take my half-assed heel-toe over paddle shifters any day.

6. Curb weight. The R35 weighs in at around 600 lbs heftier than the Z34, or the equivalent of the former cast of Jon & Kate Plus Eight or one and a half The Biggest Loser contestant(s).

4. Price. Can you afford an R35? I sure can't. Take away the fact that I work in print-automotive print, at that-unless I made well into six figures, I'm more likely to score with Olivia Munn than an R35.

Twice in this short post, he mentions Olivia Munn. I think he might have a thing for her.  I will have to ask him. Those three points are all valid points.  The clutch is a sticking point for a lot of people, however for the future the third pedal is going away. Emissions requirements mean taking the shift control away from the driver. 

Weight .  Well…. all wheel drive, twin turbo.  Yes its heavy. Its going to be heavy. If it were smaller, less powerful,slower, and had less amenities, we would call it a Mitsubishi Evo or a Subaru WRX.

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7. Roadster. So this one's a bit of a stretch, I know. But still, the GT-R has not and does not come in an SPF-friendly iteration.

Roadster ? I think Carter might be turning gay on us. Next we know, he will be in a bright pink Miata or a New VW Beetle. I wonder if he sold his Nissan Skyline GT-R ?  Carter has had an R32 and an R33 Skyline GT-R.

2. Tunability. 370Z + Bolt-on modifications = GT-R killer. Proof? Super Lap Battle, November 2009: Our project Z34 (p. 66) spanked not one, but two modified R35s. Let that swirl around for a minute. Two, as in a pair of GT-Rs.

A 370z beating modified GT-R’s at the track ?  More a matter of the correct steering wheel gasket than the car.  The Greddy twin turbo, coilovers, 380mm braked, and Tyler McQuarrie driven Z did a 1:59 at Buttonwillow race 13.  Steve Millen in a stock GT-R managed a 1:56 during one magazines test.  The correct driver is worth seconds and seconds of time. 

Rear wheel drive may be fun, but I like all wheel drive for that grip on the street, and on the track that just can’t be matched.

Source: Import Tuner

Apr 22, 2010

DG-Spec and Scion Win Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

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Robert Stout Drives Number 18 Car to World Challenge Touring Car Victory

TORRANCE, Calif. — In front of one of the largest crowds at any race in the world, the DG-Spec Scion road racing team showed they have what it takes for World Challenge gold.  Robert Stout drove the number 18 Scion tC to a decisive victory through the historic streets of Long Beach.  The win brings Scion their first in the Touring Car category.
The event began with positive signs during the first practice on Friday.  Team owner and driver Dan Gardner was the fastest Touring Car, with Stout taking second position.  Neither driver had ever driven the course before, showing just how fast the two can come up to speed.  Things were looking good, despite Gardner and the 36 car getting drilled by a GT Porsche early in the session.  Most of the damage from the incident proved to be cosmetic, and the team had it fixed in a jiffy.

The second and final practice session of the event would take place on Saturday morning, so teams had little time to make any preparations.  The 18 and 36 cars took to the track, but on the first complete lap on the front straight of Shoreline, something clearly was wrong with the 36.  Gardner looked in his mirrors and saw them filled with a thick cloud of smoke.  He radioed in that he thought the car was on fire, but heard over the radio that it might be oil.  As he pulled his finger away from the fire button, Gardner tried to assess the situation.  Further down the straight, Gardner saw the oil pressure warning going off.  As he limped the car down the straight, he shut the engine off, and coasted past Turn 1 into the runoff.

The team would find a severed oil cooler line, and it was time to find out if the motor could be salvaged.  The motor shut-down had kept it from grenading, but other damage still may have occurred.  The team did their due diligence, and all signs were positive.  Unfortunately, when they finally started the motor back up, the gut-wrenching sound of rod knock dashed all hope for the engine. 

The second practice did, however, yield some good news as Stout was now the fastest Touring Car, nipping the RealTime Honda Civic Si by two-tenths of a second.

Huge logistical challenges stood in the team’s way, as their rig was a mile away, and because the track was constantly hot, they couldn’t easily get their spare motor over to their pit in the convention center.  But with the dedicated crew of Brad Allen, Sean Morris, John McNulty, David Fredrickson, and special addition Merritt Johnson, they figured out a way.  A furniture dolly and a lot of pushing took care of the motor, and the great guys at CRP Racing loaned their engine hoist.

The crew’s blood, sweat, and tears took them into 4 in the morning, but they got it done, and the 36 car would be ready for Qualifying, which would take place just four hours later.  (Time lapse video of the motor swap can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uildnwW9m7M.)

Bleary eyed and filled with caffeine, a few hours later the crew began staging the cars for Qualifying.  The entire session had been shortened, as it was to be split, with the GT cars going the first 12 minutes, and the TC and GTS cars heading out for the second 12. As they went out on track, Gardner constantly watched his gauges, radioing back to the crew the status.  Things were looking good, but the entire session was spent with an eagle eye on the dash, looking for anything that could cost the team another motor.

Gardner was working on a decent flier when he caught the Mazda RX-8 of Eric Meyer doing a cool down lap going into Turn 1.  That would put an end to the flier, but the car looked to be in good shape…frustrating, but some good news was to come.  When the results came in, Stout had barely gotten edged out by Nick Wittmer in the RealTime Civic Si.  The difference was the same two-tenths from the second practice, but this time it had gone RealTime’s way.  Still, the team now sat with the 18 and 36 cars, second and fourth on grid respectively.

The race was to take place that afternoon.  The 18 car was looking good, but the 36 showed some minor signs of detonation.  World-Class tuner Shawn Church of Church Automotive Testing sprung into action, analyzing the logs and emailing Gardner a tweaked map for the new motor.  This was to be the final step of the motor swap.

As the race approached, both cars took their starting spots and prepared for the standing start.  The light boxes extinguished and both Scions churned their front tires, boiling a bit, but launching hard forward.  Stout mostly held his line, as Gardner made a move to the inside up against the wall.  He passed a few cars and then situated on the back bumper of the 18 car, on the outside of Turn 1.  GTS and TC cars were now intermingled and it looked like the cars would go 3 or 4 wide into the first turn.  Gardner moved to the inside, and then moments later got rammed by Meyer’s Mazda, putting a hole in the Scion, and tearing off the RX-8s front bumper.

Stout stood his ground and followed Wittmer’s Civic through the mayhem, holding onto the second spot, as Gardner moved up into third.  Coming back around and entering the hairpin, the RealTime Civic got a bad exit, allowing both Stout and Gardner to make a run on the leader.  Stout motored by before start-finish, but Gardner would see Wittmer make his one move hard to the inside to thwart Gardner from getting around.  As Gardner swung to the outside, the Civic made another move down the straight to block that lane, then weaved a bit, until bailing out to go track right in preparation for Turn 1.

Gardner stayed inside, late-braked, bounced of the apex and moved track right.  On the way to the Fountain, Wittmer crashed into Gardner, causing the Scion to lose a mirror, but Gardner stood his ground and took the position.  Stout and Gardner were now 1-2.  The Civic started to slow, and the team would later learn he had flattened his tire after making contact with Gardner.  As the Civic pulled into the pits, Meyer took over third and began hunting down Gardner.  All the while, Stout started to pull away.

A call came in from the crew to the 36 car that race control thought it may again be leaking oil.  Gardner noticed some strange behavior with the oil pressure and became concerned that they may have another motor problem.  He watched the gauges relentlessly, all the while trying to keep the gap between his car and the Mazda.

Most of the rest of the race was spent keeping a close eye on GT cars as they pushed their way back up through the TC cars several times.  Gardner kept an eye on the dash, and Stout just drove smart.  Late in the race, Stout would report that the car was wandering on the straight, but he kept in all in check.

Unfortunately for Gardner, on Lap 15, as Turn 9 approached, he turned in a hair early, clipped the apex, and then felt the car go to an evil push condition. Gardner saw the wall at the exit fast approaching.  He turned the wheel harder right, but still glanced the wall.  The incident would unfortunately bend a lower control arm, forcing Gardner to retire.  Stout, however, would hold onto the lead, taking the number 18 DG-Spec Scion tC across the finish line for the big win.

“It’s quite obviously a huge win for the team,” said Gardner.  “We just won Long Beach, and that’s a major accomplishment.  My hat’s off to Robert for a good, clean drive.  I’m a bit disappointed in myself.  It just goes to prove what all racers know…small errors on a street course have major consequences.  It’s my first DNF that’s entirely my fault.  It’s hard when you know you were sailing to a 1-2 finish, but you have to get over it, move on, and go kick some butt next time.”

Stout, at just 18 years old, became the youngest driver in World Challenge history to win a race.  The win brings the team, Stout, and Scion their first TC victory.

“I’m on the top of the world,” Stout said.  “I’m not sure I dreamed of winning a World Challenge race so soon, especially not Long Beach.  Dan and the DG-Spec crew gave me a great car to drive, and I just put my head down to get the job done.  Right now I’m still filled with excitement, but soon it will be time to put the game face on and get ready for Mosport.  Anything can happen in racing, and I’m not going to take anything for granted.”

With the victory, Stout moves into first place in the season points standings with 350.  Gardner holds his fourth place standing, and is just a single point out of third and 18 out of second.  The team’s performance pushes Scion into the lead for the Manufacturers’ Points, ahead of second place VW and third place Honda.

Standings and results can be viewed at http://www.world-challenge.com/index.php.  The race will be broadcast on the Versus Network on Saturday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.  Twenty-four hours later the program can be viewed online at www.world-challengetv.com.  Rounds 1 and 2 of the series can now be viewed at http://www.world-challengetv.com/#/races/161

The team now readies for a double-header at Mosport and the Victoria Day SpeedFest, in Ontario, Canada.  The event will take place May 21-23.  Saturday’s race will begin at 2:50 p.m. Eastern, and Sunday’s race will begin at 12:45 p.m.

The team’s progress throughout the season can be followed at www.scionracing.com and www.facebook.com/scionracing.

The DG-Spec team uses and is supported by:

• Scion-supplied OE parts
• TRD-supplied supercharger and intercooler, front big brake kit
• Jackson-Dawson Communications
• Pilot Automotive HID driving lamps
• Nitto NT-01 tires for testing
• Enkei PF01 17x8 wheels
• OS Giken Super Lock Limited Slip Differential (LSD)
• Dezod-supplied AEM standalone engine management, plug-and-play harness, fuel rail, injectors, end links, and stainless clutch line
• Church Automotive Testing dyno tuning
• Moton Suspension remote reservoir coilover shocks
• Vogtland springs
• DG-Spec Progress Technology rear swaybar and camber kits
• Motul brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, and super coolant
• Racepak IQ3 logger dash and VNET sensors
• AEM sensors, EMS, and dry flow air filter
• Kaminari carbon-fiber roof and composite headlights
• Reflections body work
• America’s Tire Co. tire mounting and balancing
• Racetech Viper head-restraint race seat and 6-point harnesses

• Centerforce clutch and low-inertia steel flywheel
• AIT carbon-fiber hood and hatch
• DG-Spec Wild Pony Motorsports-supplied camber/caster plates
• Goodridge fittings and lines
• Carbotech XP10 and XP8 brake pads
• G-Force  racing suit, gloves, helmet, window nets, and other safety and crew gear
• DC Sports header
• Energy Suspension bushings and motor mounts
• HoseTechniques silicone hoses
• Tri-Mountain Racewear team gear
• NST supercharger pulley, Braille batteries, and shifter bushings
• SquareSkull designs
• Sampson Racing Communications (SRC) radio systems

The World Challenge is North America's top production car-based racing championship. Divided into three separate classes (World Challenge Touring Car, World Challenge GTS, and World Challenge GT) races follow a sprint format and are 50 minutes start to finish. Each race features thrilling standing starts, adrenaline filled door-to-door action, and top-notch drivers. Drivers pilot cars from the world's most popular manufacturers. Race prepped versions of the cars we drive on the streets! The World Challenge is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing and races at North America's premier road and temporary street courses.

DG Spec is a line of parts designed and endorsed by National Champion Scion road racer Dan Gardner. Gardner draws up the specifications for the parts himself. The parts are then tested and proven on the track. The goal of DG Spec is to provide enthusiasts with parts that have been developed on the track and that have significant performance advantages at an honest price. Parts are offered either in hardcore track trim, identical to what Gardner and his team race with, or in Gardner-specified standards more appropriate for enthusiast use on the street. www.DanGardnerSpec.com

Apr 21, 2010

Guess Who Turns 21 Years Old 8-21-2010 ?

R32 -21 years old Cake
If you guessed R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, then you would be correct.  21 years old. Legal to drink in the US. Cars don’t drink though. Well, nothing that makes them drive funny, unless by funny you mean fast.

So what does 21 years old really mean, when we are talking about cars ?  Not originally imported cars ? 
http://vehicleimport.blogspot.com/2008/12/overview-of-vehicle-import-requirements.html


1. Vehicles 21 Years Old Or Older
If the vehicle is at least 21 years old, there are no EPA compliance requirements upon importation. The age of the vehicle is determined by subtracting the calendar year of manufacture from the calendar year of importation. If the calendar year of manufacture is unavailable, the importer may substitute the model year or year of first registration. For instance, to qualify in 2001, the vehicle must have been manufactured in 1980 or earlier. The vehicle must be in its original unmodified configuration. Vehicles at least 21 years old with replacement engines are not eligible for this exemption unless they contain equivalent or newer EPA certified engines.

No approval or Customs bond is required by EPA. The importer must also prove to Customs, as required, that the vehicle or engine was manufactured prior to EPA regulation. Documents such as a title, or letter from the original manufacturer may be used for this purpose.The importer must file with Customs, upon entry, an EPA Form 3520-1 and declare code "E" on that form.

However , as with many other things government related that make no sense, you still must meet DOT, FMVSS requirements.  Well, at least until its 25th birthday, then you are also DOT exempt.  AND yet another HOWEVER, is California requirements, if you are in California.

Senior ICE Attorney Guilty of Accepting Bribes from Immigrants

LOS ANGELES -- A senior attorney with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was found guilty Tuesday of three dozen corruption-related charges for taking a series of bribes from immigrants who were seeking documentation to remain in the United States.

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Constantine Peter Kallas, 39, of Alta Loma, was found guilty of conspiracy, six counts of bribery, two counts of obstruction of justice, seven counts of fraud and misuse of entry documents, three counts of aggravated identity theft, nine counts of making false statements to the Department of Labor, four counts of making false statements to obtain federal employee compensation and four counts of tax evasion, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Kallas has been in prison since August 2008, about two months after he was arrested by FBI agents at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland.
Kallas and his wife accepted a bribe there from an immigrant, according to government prosecutors.

The attorney allegedly offered immigration benefits in exchange for payments of up to $20,000.

 

Source : KTLA.com

Apr 20, 2010

Thunder on Pine Avenue: World Challenge Weekend

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We had a chance to participate in the Thunder on Pine Avenue event during the World Challenge Weekend .  Pine Avenue is closed down, and the race cars are displayed, along with Indycar pitstops, and motorcycle jumping.  We got to drive the cars up Pine Avenue to Ocean, Pacific, to Broadway with a police escort.  That was fun.

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Apr 19, 2010

Stout Youngest World Challenge Winner, Gives Scion First TC Win

LONG BEACH, Calif. -  Robert Stout, of Brownsburg, Ind., won the Touring Car class race at the Toyo Tires World Challenge at Long Beach Presented by Long Beach. Eric Meyer, of Indianapolis, finished second.

Stout scored a big win for Scion in front of a "home" crowd. Mark Weber Image
Stout’s Touring Car win made him, at 18 years old, one month and 16 days, the youngest winner in World Challenge. The youngster started second in class in the No. 18 DG-Spec/Scion/TRD/Lucas Oil/Scion tC, but had grabbed the lead from polesitter Nick Wittmer by the first time past the line.
By lap seven, Stout’s lead was stretched to over 10 seconds and he raced to a 19.666-second margin of victory.
“I felt like I got off to a decent start,” Stout said. “I worked my way around Nick [Wittmer] a lap or so after the start. I heard he had some problems over the radio. I knew I had a pretty good gap over second place at that point and I tried to take it as easy as I could.”
Even with the big lead, the end of the race had a couple of nervous moments for Stout.
“With about 10 laps to go, I started to have some problems with the left rear,” he said. “I didn’t even know if I was going to make it, so I really tried to take it easy through the right handers. But the car came through and we made it through with a first place finish.
“There are so many Toyota representatives here at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the support for Team Scion has been amazing. This is one of the biggest races in the world. I couldn’t ask for anything more than to win at Long Beach.”
Stout was followed across the stripe by Eric Meyer, of Indianapolis, Ind., in the No. 32 XOWii/Samaritan’s Feet/Delvira Mazda RX-8. Meyer battled with Stout’s teammate, Dan Gardner, in the No. 36 DG Spec/Scion/TRD/Lepper&Associates Scioon tC for the first half of the race, but inherited the second position for good on lap 15 when Gardner’s day ended after a brush of the wall.
Montreal’s Nick Wittmer, the younger brother of GT race-winner Kuno, recovered from an early flat tire after contact with another car to finish third.
Stout’s win allows him to inherit the Touring Car Drivers’ Championship lead with 350 points. Meyer (281), Todd Buras (264), and Gardner (263) trail Stout after three of 12 races.
The race from Long Beach will be broadcast May 1 at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) on Versus.
The World Challenge Championships return to action with a doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway, May 21-23.
For more information, please visit www.world-challenge.com
Follow World Challenge on Twitter @WCRacing.
Source : World Challenge.com

Apr 13, 2010

I Bought Something Today : RB25DET

Not just any RB25DET.  An RB25DET, Automatic, and all wheel drive.
RB25 Auto AWD-3
Its been up on eBay for a while. The price had been steadily dropping from $1299 down to $1099 recently. A while ago I offered the guy $1000 for it.
RB25 Auto AWD
I tried him at $900, but he came back at $1000 shipped. Its a decent enough price for something that I don’t really “need”, so I bought it.

Now the question is going to be, what am I going to do with it ?  I am not even sure which automatic transmission it has. If its something I can even do anything with.  The transfercase looks familar. 
The RB25 oilpan rail bolts are at a little different location than the RB26, so I will have a look at that. I have made some fun of the non- RB26’s in the past, but I actually like the ones I have had a chance to play with. The response due to the variable intake timing, makes them come up quick.
I have some ideas, have some plans.  Just need to find time and money as usual.  Maybe I can find someone to help me out with some parts ?

Apr 8, 2010

RB25DET Powered Triumph TR-6

Personally not a huge fan of Triumph’s, but here is one way to improve one 1000%, throw an RB25DET in it. Ridelust posted this eBay find a 1969 TR-6.

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It looks pretty decent in the pictures. Tidy, clean. British racing green. Good wheels, the rear fitment is a bit much, but just needs some more fender flare.

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Looks pretty clean, missing the PCV vent tubes, other than that pretty tidy.  It should make that little TR-6 get up and go.

Source: Ridelust

Nissan GT-R Spec M Rumors

Motor Trend is reporting more on the Nissan GT-R Spec M rumors that have been floating around the interweb.The R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R had a MSpec or “Man spec” version. It had softer dampening in the suspension, and leather interior. Less boy racer, more grand touring car.

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The Spec M is supposed to take a spot above the Spec V with a sticker price of around $210,000 when it goes on sale in December. Only 30 cars are supposed to be built, making this a very limited production car for a company like Nissan.  One would almost wonder why they would even bother.

The Spec M interior is supposed to get upgrades with higher quality leathers, alcantra, and carbon fiber. Perhaps Nissan is looking at the Lexus LF-A, and trying out the market.

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Other upgrades include a 15hp bump over the standard car, Spec V Carbon Ceramic Brembo brakes, new wheels , new gear ratios, and an extra oil cooler.

Don’t expect to see anything like this in the US.  The carbon brakes are a no, and enough people complain about Nissan dealers service on a $80k car, let alone a $200k car.

Apr 4, 2010

Quickest 1/4 Mile Times on Stock Turbos : Worldwide

The quickest known times on stock turbos on Nissan Skyline GT-R’s. This covers the US, Australia, and Europe. The source is the GTR.co.UK forums.

I don’t recommend try this hard on stock turbos. Eventually the ceramic exhaust wheel breaks off, and you have a normally aspirated Nissan Skyline GT-R.

 

1. R32 11.36@125.63 / XKLABA (SAU) / 1.71 60ft
stock ceramic turbos
ces dumps
turbo back exhaust
twin plate clutch
apex'i power intake, PFC , z 32 AFM's
standard intercooler, standard injectors, standard cams, cam gears, spilt fire coils
HKS EVC @ 19 psi = 290.1 rwkw
Shell V-power

2. R33 11.45@118 / godzukid_gtr33 / 1.63 60ft
stock ceramic turbos
power Fc, clutch, cams, JUN oil pump Nismo Fuel Pump and intercooler

3. 11.57@117.89 in Australia (1.71 60ft, ½ track - 7.41 sec / 94mph)
240 rwkw

4. R32 11.61@122.4 / RH9
-stock engine, turbo's, dump pipes (elbows), injectors.
-single plate clutch
-RSR front pipes
-HKS cam gears dialed in for torque
-Trust TR 90mm exhaust (no cat)
-EVC III @ 1.3 bar
-HKS pod filters
-1460kgs with driver (1380kg without) - had a few items removed for weight reduction.
105 octane

5. R32 11.74@120.5 / Eddie
pump fuel
stock ceramic turbos / stock head / stock cams
Link G4 plugin tuned by infomotive.
720cc injectors.
road tires

6. R33 11.76@116.27 / Cliff J / 1.64 60ft
Standard ceramic turbos - running 1 bar
Standard cams
Standard 444 injectors
HKS EVC V boost controller
Blitz induction
Exedy twin plate clutch
Apexi Power FC - mapped by Abbey motorsport
R888 tyres (285/30/18)

7. R32 11.81@120.9 mph / United States
with 1.5 bar of boost

8. R32 12.0@119.35mph / N I B (SAU)
stock R33 Turbos
Wolf ECU
Bigger cooler kit
Apexi exhaust with stock dumps
Nismo clutch
338rwhp

9. R32 12.5 / Adam Kindness
standard turbos 0.9 bar

RB26DETT Myths and Truths

Sierra Sierra Evo Goes 1: 43.2 At Buttonwillow

Buttonwillow Configuration 13CW. The US time attack measure of performance.  The previous quickest time was held by the HKS CT230R.

Sierra Sierra EVO 8 Time Attack car beat the long standing HKS CT230R's record of 1:43.523 set back in November 2007. The record breaking occured this past weekend at Redline Time Attack's first event of 2010 (and first event under new ownership) at Buttonwillow Raceway using the 13 clockwise track configuration.

Head over to MotoIQ for Eric Hsu’s write up on the Sierra Sierra Evo, and some of his responses to the haters out there.

Source : MotoIQ

Apr 3, 2010

Patrick Mordant 2009 Season Video

Patrick Mordaunt completed his second season as a professional driver in Formula Drift in 2009.
Pat talks about how he got into drifting, his 2009 car - his 450/whp Nissan s14, his top 3 highlights of the season, and his plans for his third pro season in 2010.

Patrick Mordaunt 2009 Season from Will Roegge on Vimeo.

Apr 1, 2010

Too Cool : MiataBusa : That Is What You Are Thinking

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Dave Coleman is my hero. He always gets into some cool, wacky, weird stuff. I have known him for years since the Sport Compact Car Magazine days.  Smart guy, and a wacky guy, heres his new project.  Mount a Hayabusa 1300cc engine in a Miata.  Aka Miatabusa.com.

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You know what makes it really cool? “Its 99 lb-ft toruqe output is nearly a dead match for the original Miata's 100 lb-ft, but its 171 hp (or 197 if you drop the big bucks on a 2008 or newer engine) will give the Miata the longitudinal urgency it so desperately needs.”.

Dave has come up with a way to mount the Miata transmission to the Hayabusa engine in a very right, very wrong way. I can’t wait to hear the Miata at 10,500 rpm. I think they really need to go all in at first and just turbocharge it. A 400 whp, 10k rpm Miata. So wrong, so right.

Head over to MotoIQ for a full writeup on the Miatabusa.