Smike Racing

Winged Warrior VII Charity Event Results

2011-05-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Winged Warrior is a charity event for Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. Its a multiple faceted event with drag runs, autocross, time slalom (in AX), and car show. Each event is worth points for the overall champion in the class. NASA AX sanctioned the event. So classing is a little different than SCCA. NASA does base class then points per mod. Hit a certain number of mod points and your car will bump up to the next class. Classes are Top Gun (unlimited), A, B, C, D, E.

Our cars start off as D classed cars. Good base class. Other cars in D are 98-02 F-Bodys. 4.6 GTs. Saturn Redline / Cobalt SS, MazdaSpeed 3s, etc. Either 250-300hp RWD, FWD, AWD. With the few mods that I have I was still in D.

Day started off hot. By 8am it was in the 80s and humid. T-Storms on the outskirts walking in. D was paired up with E class for the day. Our first event was drag racing. 4 runs. Lowest ET counts for event. We used ORP for the 1/4 section. They added the tack agent to the start line, but after that - it was an ice skating rink. I would have had better luck on an ice skating rink...

Shallow staged, 3000 rpm, walked clutch back - ignited tires. Once I pedaled back to traction, into 2nd gear. Repeat of 1st. Gingerly into 3rd. Walked sideways. Felt like a 600whp monster going no where fast.

Next pass was my best run. I went to the other lane. Lowered launch RPM to idle. And tried to feed in the clutch between shifts as best as I could but with speed. I clicked off a 2.26 60' and 14.17 ET at 100.1 mph. That is slow for the car. Everyone (Evo, Mustang, F-body...) ran .5s slow and 3-5 mph slow. Just one of those days.

Third and forth passes ended like the first. Smoking and sliding. I gave up after 2nd on both runs. 14.17 was good enough for the class.

Our next event was autocross. Back to RWD after years of AWD and FWD cars. Should be fun. And it was. As we staged for grid a massive thunderstorm came though. Sideways rain type of storm. Buckets of rain. Oh...joy...

In-Car Picture Waiting:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110522_121340.jpg

Once the lightning stopped we all re-walked the course and fixed the cones.

Course:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110522_124501.jpg

3 to 4 inches of standing lakes in the track. No drainage. Upside for the Mustang was no low cold-air intake to suck up water like some of the other cars had. And no low front aero to rip off in the water. I have Conti DW (dry/wet) tires. Really put that W to the test.

First 2 runs had downed cones in the slalom from previous run. Both re-runs for me. Third run was clean and I got off a 75.93. Everyone else was in the 78-82 range. Saturn Redline and MazdaSpeed 3 eventually caught up to the 75.x range. Redline got in a 75.91. Then the MS3 did a 74.6. FWD pulls you though corners. In the wet, thats an advantage. I had to be on/off throttle and left foot brake for stability. If I was in FWD, I'd just keep my foot to the floor. Stepped up to my third run. Muffed the box coming into the slalom. Decided to go for fastest slalom time and not worry about the run as a whole. Went for broke on the slalom. Had an awesome tank slapper after that. 360* both feet in. Car still shut down. Stayed in track. Finished with an 88.x. Forth run was for all the marbles. I had to beat the MS3. Had a friends wife in the car. Not always the best time to take someone with me. Not the added weight. Just might scare them. I was going to go all out. Clean run of 74.4. Beat the MS3. All was well until it stopped raining and the MS3 was gridded just right for that. He managed a 74.2 on his last run. Besting me by .2s. Foiled.

Car show as a much of a car show you could have after puddle diving in the autocross for an hour.

End of the day?

3rd place in the drag racing.
3rd place in the slalom.
3rd place in the car show.
2nd place in the autocross.

Overall is still being calculated. I was the most consistant top 3 driver in the day. I hope to add one more trophy to my list of D Class Overall Champion.

Trophies!
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110523_090020.jpg

Not a bad start in a new car :)

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=099rDNdLodo

NASA Mid-Ohio April 9-10 Recap

2011-04-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

Larger Picture of SVTF:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/MidOhioSVTF.jpg

Just settling back into normal life. Here are my thoughts on this weekend:

Great weekend overall. Finally had a chance to run with NASA; should have done this long ago. Over the years, I have done DE events with a half dozen different HPDE/TT/Comp groups. Some good. Some bad. NASA falls squarely in the good.

My track toy is a 2002 Focus SVT (SVTF). Been track racing for going on 6 years; with faster cars. But honestly, the SVTF is a great tracker. Sure, it’s not a 150 mph car down the back straight car; it does attack each corner with scalpel precision.

Car:
http://forums.focaljet.com/svt-headquarters/646581-2011-season-prep-amsoil-touge-factory-dbrs-autopower-racequip-kirkey.html

Last track season the car still had a full interior and I was running 215/45R17s on my Team Dynamic race rims. Nitto NT01s are great mild r-comps. Talk and predictable. However, I found their limits and pushed them as far as they could go. Previously, the car would understeer at its limit. Suspension on the car is H&R coilovers with 7/8in rear sway bar on full stiff. Corner entry would consist of the following: slight oversteer via throttle lift on corner entry, trail brake to get some more rotation, push though apex.

This season I am going with 225/40R17 Hoosier R6s. Road course r-comp. Pretty much the industry standard. Car is also gutted. No other changes. Note on tires: 225/40R17s are the widest you can fit on the TD rims/suspension. I just clear by 3-4mm. My front fenders are rolled out some.

Car dynamics are completely different now with the new found weight loss. It was sharp before. Scalpel has been replaced with a cauterizing laser. Corner entry, oversteer on demand, apex without understeer. With trail braking and throttle I can pick where I want to go.

Cooling last season was an issue. Now with an 180F thermostat and new Contour housing, in addition to adding .5 in to the rear hood latch (vents hood out back). No more overheating. Got up to mid 70s and my coolant temp did not move at all.

Oil cooling still needs to be addressed. At the end of a 20 minute session, I saw it getting hot. Pressure was good. Some oil blow by in my catch can. Running Amsoil 0w30. Zero fear about my engine. I have an idea for some more cooling soon.

Seats - a must. Trust me. Even with running a DOT harness on my Evo 8 with its Recaro street seats. A full track seat and 6pt harness is more comfortable and holds you better. No more bruised elbows and knees from bracing into the door on turns. And this track had some turns with a far bit of g-force. I can't even speak to how well it felt not having to brace via elbows and knees. Well worth the investment.

Back to NASA. Very well done event. Professional. Clear. Kept to schedule. Very nice people. Amazing array of cars at the event. They started me off in HDPE2. 1 is complete novice. Full-time instructors in car with them. 2 is next level up. Drive without an instructor but share track with 1. 3 are intermediate. Share track with 4 (advanced) and open passing. Since I was new to NASA, they placed me in HPDE2 to start. First session out I was pushing the traffic.

Mid-Ohio was a new track to me; however principles of late braking, smooth turn-in, and thinking about where you want to be a turn ahead of time, etc. Work on every track. And with the EBC YellowStuffs with Amsoil DOT4 fluid that I run on, I have zero fear of late braking after a few laps to gauge my speed. Brakes were consistent and fade free for all sessions. And I drove them home! Actually, my daily pads also. Great pad.

NASA instructors are good. From having being one myself, I know what its like to be second seat with a new person to you (luckily for me, it was with a friend that I've known to be a cool headed driver). We talked about experiences, modifications to the car, etc. The instructor I grabbed for my check ride was also a SVTF owner. He was running TTF in his car. Downside on my part, I went for a check ride on my second session out on a new track. I was still finding the speed for my car. And the track was drying up from some dampness. Instructor watched me for a few laps. Made sure I was scanning my mirrors. Passing cleanly. Not tossing the car. After a few laps he gave me some instructions to take different approaches. Back off and allow others to pass me. Work though some traffic. We then got to some track tips. He had some good suggestions on areas that I could carry lots of speed. Namely corner 7 after the long straight. It looks like you have to slow down more. But you can push the car up the hill can scrub off speed there. I was staying tidy before. After my check ride, he signed off on my ability to keep cool under fire.

On to group 3/4. This is where I am much more used to being - Intermediate/Advanced run group. Passing in open. Cars in the group are almost all full-blown race cars. Vettes, Vipers, Porsches, BMWs. From coming from the Evo. I sort of missed being a higher HP car. Play more with those cars. Mixed into that crowd were some Spec Miata, Integra, Elise, and me. There is a rowdy crowd! We might be small, but we're fearless. I'll have to go over my points and the NASA TT Rules one more time (and get my car scaled). Fairly sure my SVTF is a TTE car. TTF if I down mod some. Puts me right with the Spec Miata crowd. The video I'll show in a moment is from my first session with 3/4 (third of day). Looks like I was running 1:54 to 1:56 in that session. Mostly dry track conditions now. I was playing around with some entry/exits still.

Track:
http://www.trackpedia.com/mediawiki/images/f/fc/MidOhio.jpg

My run though on the track. You come into corner 1 at the top of 3rd gear in my car. Given running a slightly smaller diameter tire means I've lost some top end out of the gearing. Lift, tap brakes late under the bridge. Apex for me was the start of the yellow pit entry guard on the left. Car will slide some out to the right side (and with the under bridge area covered from the sun - it was damp. You will slide some). It’s full throttle from entry to the end of corner 2/3. Lots of people lifted before the end of 2. 1-2/3 is where I caught a lot of drivers.

Keyhole (corner 4/5) has an apex way out at the end. Come in middle of the road and dial it in over the turn. Push out to the left under WOT. Straight is long. Topped out 4th gear at the rev limiter by the 300 ft markers into corner 7. Late brake here. Again, many did not do this. Caught up some here. Enter early with speed and let the car push up the camber/hill into 8. Thats a "balls" corner. You find it, you accept it, you just do it. 9/10 are normal. Come in and get them done. 10 is blind setup for 11. Stay tidy on 10 and WOT into 11.

Early into 11 and push out to the left. Line up for 12. Hugging the living daylights out of the wall. Apex into 12 at the first candy stripes on the left. Car will drift out to the right on WOT. Aim straight into wall for 13. Brake short and hard. Middle track turn into 13/14. Dial in at end of 13. WOT over candies on left in 14 onto front straight. Rest, rinse, repeat. Just my thoughts on how I was doing it.

Enough talking, eh?
Here is the video:

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMdOrqctkjs

Sunday started off great. Only got 1 session in before the header collector decided it no longer wanted to be connected to my cat assembly.

Broken Exhaust
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110410_142649.jpg

That ended my day there. I found a coat hanger and a worm clamp. Got it together and limped her home. Hey, that’s racing.

Once back, I was able to fab up a bracing bracket to hold it together. And welded the hell out of that area reinforcing with U exhaust clamps. Tested after it cooled off and it held up to a brief but hard drive around the block.

Fixed:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110410_172153.jpg

Happy Racing,
MG

2011 Season is a Go!

2011-03-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to Amsoil products from vendor apagan01, HJC AR10II from Mike at Touge Factory, Numbers and decals from DBRS, AutoPower NASA spec 4pt cage from I/O Racing, Racequip 6pt harnesses, and Kirkey Intermediate Road-race seats (and a ton of bolts, hardware, and time).

Huge thanks to buddy Otter, best friend, and brother for their time in hel...I mean wonderful experience doing the prep work with me...over three days...for seeming not a lot of work...which it was....a lot of work.

SVTF is on her third season with me. Now as the full time track toy. I have the room to make the car more fun and safe on the track.

New for 2011, I am retiring my old HJC M05 "Aku" helmet. Going to a cage. And a longer time coming SA helmet. I went with the HJC. Love my other helmet. The AR10II does not disappoint. Tight fit right now. Once worn in some. Like butter. Light weight. Good fit. Great price SA10. Great choice for motorsports in my book. Again, thanks to Mike at Touge Factory for it. Super fast shipping and on-point with customer service.

Amsoil though-out. Running the 0w30 in the motor. DOT4 in the brakes. MTG in the trans. In all the abuse I put my cars though. Zero issues with these fluids. apagan01 is top notch with any questions about his product line.

Like I said, does not look like a lot of things to do:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110319_130710.jpg

Hoosier R6s on my TD race rims. Was the only thing not done in house that weekend.

On the docket:
Engine/Brakes:
-Fresh Amsoil 0w30
-Fresh Amsoil DOT4
-2 new ABS sensors
-Replace t-stat housing unit with Contour unit (beefier, and more important, not cracked)
-Space hood for more air flow out of the engine bay

Interior:
-Gut car
-Install AP 4pt cage
-Install seats
-Mount harnesses

There where a few outsiders that I was thinking about. But with time and part availability, not able to do right now.

Otter and I went to town. Vasty different styles, which is why we took different areas. Basically, if it needed to be saved, that was Otters area. If it was brute destruction - well, thats my speciality.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110319_193615.jpg

Mocking up the driver seat took the most time. Have it right now where my arms are comfortable on the steering wheel and lefts are slightly bent. Seating is now 4-5 inches lower than the OEM seats. OEM seats were always my biggest gripe about the Focus. Seating is light like a recliner chair. Good for comfort and visibility. Bad for racing. Just too high up. Legs too bent. Very little side bolstering. I had Schroth DOT 4pts. They helped a lot, but still found myself bracing with elbows and knees in the door.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110320_205505.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110319_193620.jpg

Finished product. 3 long days. 2 on interior. 1 on the rest.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110321_154558.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110321_154630.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110321_154652.jpg

And this seasons look:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110321_154535.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110321_154546.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110321_154523.jpg

April 9-10 is the first event at Mid-Ohio. Looking forward to it!

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/IMG_20110321_155001.jpg

MG

2011 Mustang v6 Performance Package

2010-12-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

About 4 months ago I started my hunt for my new daily driver. Requirements - great handling, good pick-up, good braking, clean, simple, fun daily driver. I have a 02 Focus SVT that I race. This car did not need to fill any racing shoes.

I wont run down my thoughts and feelings on all of these cars listed. I drove 370z, 350z, Camaro, G37, base v6 Mustang, California Special 5.0 Mustang, and a few others. Evo X and Ralliart where on the maybe list, but never driven (I've been in quiet a few of them...). At the end of my furry of car test drives I had nothing that I was head-over-heals for. Until I heard about the performance package Mustang from my good friend otter. Did some research. And on paper, was really impressed with the Frankenstein car that Ford SVO had cooked up. Told my local dealer that if they had one show up, call me. Sure enough a base version showed up a few weeks later. Drove the pants off of the car. Instant grin. I was sold. And for the last 2 months I have been pretty hush-hush on my new car.

And neat factoid -- Ford still allows custom ordering of cars. Just like the COPO cars of the 60's. Working with my dealer, we sat down and drew out my one-off package. My name is even on the window sheet and build ticket. Very cool.

She was delivered early this week to my dealer. Dressed up and parked center stage on their showroom floor. The Sales Manager and my Salesman both kept joking with me on how many people came in and asked how much to buy my car. Even with the sold sticker in the window. Even when I went to pick up my car -- 2 guys where standing over her oogling every bit.

I have been traveling heavily for work. Flew back this weekend special to take charge of my new car.

2011 Mustang 200A 67B "Performance Package"
-Performance White with Saddle/Black Leather

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF1426sm.jpg

200A
-305 hp / 280 tq
-3.7l v6 with Ti-VCT Intake and Exhaust
-7000 redline
-6sp (shared with GT)
-No rear wing
-Shaker sound system
-Leather interior

67B "Performance Package"
-A 3.31 rear axle ratio
-Mustang GT coupe front and rear stabilizer bars
-Mustang GT front struts and rear shocks/springs
-Shelby GT500 rear lower control arm
-19-inch wheels
-Pirelli Extreme Summer 255/40/19 tires
-Mustang GT front and rear brake calipers with Performance Friction pads
-A strut tower brace for increased body rigidity
-Unique electronic stability control calibration with Sport mode for performance driving
-Unique badging (I ordered without badging or stripes).

Impressions
Absolutely awesome! I have put on about 175 miles at this point. Car goes like stink. And I still have half a tank of gas left. Nimble feeling for being a bigger car. Engine sound is great at the upper band. Brakes are fantastic. Lots of driver feedback. Positive feel. Steering is precise and direct. Very easy to drive the car. I am still getting used to the dimensions. It is much like being back in my 1976 Corvette. Driver position is low and there is a bit more hood in front of you. The Evo and my SVTF both have very different seating postions. SVTF is much higher up for view and the Evo was in-between where the Mustang is and SVTF is.

Few points that I'll be addressing. When I was building it was that I could not get the factory HIDs without the full Navigational Package. 113-118mph limiter. Not enough in-car exhaust note.

My fixes - 4300k HID kit sitting on my work bench. ECU Programmer (~20 hp gain, no rev limiter, adjust fuel curves, 2-step launch program, etc.), and axle-back exhaust system.

EBC graciously shipped me over a set of BlueStuff pads for testing. And I am working a suspension company to develop some new parts very soon.

The Goods
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF1418.jpg

20% tint all around
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF1410.jpg

The desktop wallpaper
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF0067.jpg

Interior
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF0028.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF0026.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF1407.jpg

Gratuitous Shots
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF0034.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF0062.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/smikeevo/DSCF0022-1.jpg

2000 mile update. Rocking out 24 ave mpg and 30-31 highway ave. And I am still not trying to get good mpg. If I can hold myself to hypermiling one of these long trips, Ill report on it.

HIDs installed - awesome night driving. Very clear, not blinding others.

MRT sold the exhaust they had put aside for me to pick up. Annoyed with their lack of organization and ability to remember orders. Cancelled and drove over to Summit Racing. Got the Flowmaster Force II Axle-back. Could not be happier. Easy install. Great sound. Not annoying in cabin - just the right note for the engine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QATBnB5YhgA

Hallett Raceway HST Day

2010-08-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

If there ever was a brake test, this was it. Really impressed. Oklahoma is hot... Really pushed the limits of cars and brakes. You could say that I have a tendency to really late brake. Loads of confidence all day. Session after session. By far the best pads I have ever run on a car. If there was a day to fade or boil fluid, that would have been it. Bottom line - when you are confident in your car, you drive better.

Temp: 105F+ outside, 50-60% humidity. Track temps of 115F+
Track: Hallett Raceway OK, 1.8 miles, hard track for brakes and fluid, open class test/tune day.
IR Gun: 1200-1400F post cool down.

Braking rundown:
Coming off 10 onto the front straight I was redlining 3rd at 7200 RPM (~95mph). Tap brakes sub 100 feet and dive into the corner (over stripes). Back up to redline in 3rd coming into 2nd. On clear laps, I was diving well into 200s on full brake. Deeper than everyone else that I was running up to on the track. Light tap in 5 to set the car. 6 was another late apex. Braking was done well at the end of the stripes on the right. Wide open up to 7. No braking up and over 8 wide open over the hills. And dive deep into 9. Again, deeper than everyone else I saw in car. Pull though 9 to straight on 10. Didn't touch brakes to stripes on left.

Session:
Hottest HPDE I have ever done in 4 years. OK has some heat here. 105F ambient, humid, track temps even hotter. Full driving gear. Shedding water weight like it was my business. Car coolant temp was in the red at the end of every session. Oil was hot. Pressure was maxed. Tires where hot. Was running mid-to-high 1:35-40s.

Brakes were flawless. 5 15-minute sessions and the video attached here was me running 9/10ths v. a E36 M3 (who was also an available instructor for the A group). Thats 240hp v. my 170hp. I was able to out brake and corner him in 1, 2, 6, 9, 10. Had some looks at inside lines (not allowed to pass in corner). His torque pulled him better out of the turns. Then I was able to reel him in again in braking. Even forcing some errors.

Full Video:
http://www.vimeo.com/14334555

Detroit SCCA - Oscoda, MI

2010-06-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Great event!

Ran the SVTF with my brother co-driving. Other DSP car did not show because of the weather - slacker. Bested my brothers times by 1.5s on the first 2 sessions. On street tires in full wet, he was able to get to within 1s of my times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4t7o0gEcI4

Off PAX by 4.9s. DSP indexing really kills this car. Might move to another class if I run more SCCA events.

SVTF with COMSCC

2010-06-02T02:40:00.001-07:00

What a weekend! Got cleared for my TT License with this group (first event with them and first track day with the SVTF). Sadly, it does not matter. I am moving away from the area.

At the end of the first session, coming off 10, my car lost all power. I thought my trans blew, since I just fixed the clutch. Then I realized, I had no motor - nada. Glided into pits thinking great...time for a new car. These motors are impossible to find/fix.

Got the car restarted. Ran very flat. No smoke, all oil was fine. So I knew I had an ignition issue. Checked sparks, checked wires, got my OBDII out and found a coil code. Looked at my MSD Ignition - the little 3 prong tab that connects the power to the unit had snapped off. :violent: My buddy was there, we start calling auto part stores. AutoZone actually had an ignition coil for my motor and wires. We ran over, got a set, ran back to the track. Missed one session, but was able to get the car back together for 3 and 4.

Session 3:

Returning after a full course yellow and pit in for clean up. I was playing with the high HP line and different approaches to some of the turns prior to coming in. Most resulted in "nah, don't like that". I thought this was a pretty good line.

In Car:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftwb7gU08O8

One lap from the stands:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xMA4i12mBQ

I was timed in session 4 at a consistant 1:31-1:32. Not bad for a full weight SVT.

For reference the Spec Miatas (also in my class) run about 4-8 seconds faster in the TT events. If I shaved all the dead weight in this car, she would be near their times.

The Corvette couple (matching Vettes - that's a wife ;) ) were very nice people. They were amazed that I was going so fast in the turns. On the last session, I was going 9/10ths. Line and braking was nailed down. The faster cars would pill on the straights. Then I would catch them braking and in my turn in speed. They were joking about how they'd pull away for a bit. Then I would come flying up onto them in the braking zone and in my corner speeds. Instructor was impressed.

One funny story - a 95-99 Mustang GT prepped car was on my butt in the front straight. Reluctantly, I let him pass me (ya, I know he had more power to go straight). Soon as he made the pass, we got in line for turn 1. I can take that much faster than he could. I was returning the favor for riding me on the straight...just through the turns. He apparently did not like that...or my late braking into the turn, sucking way up into his rear view mirror. ;) Right after turn 1/2a/2b, he allowed me to pass him. My instructor had a good laugh.

Last session was cut short. I got 13 minutes in then (if you watched the video) that red M3 race car blew a hose right after passing me on the straight. Soiling 1/2a/2b. That clean up killed our time.

Overall, I thought COM did a great event. Instructors were top notch. I got great feedback from him on this car. Wish it was not raining today, or I would be back out there running the TT session. :( No rain tires, my street tires are too played out for rain racing.

Happy Racing,

Winged Warrior VI (5/8/10)

2010-05-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

First Event of the Season:

Just got back from WW6. G

reat event as always. Epic drive this year to the event.

Friend from CT came with me for co-driving, video, and camera work. I left work at 3PM Thursday, got to CT to pick friend up at 6:30PM, then to OH at 3AM. Crashed for a few hours then back up to prep cars and off again. We arrived in Indy at 7PM for tech and to meet up with all the other racers.

MSU Racing Crew Well Represented:

The SVTF in Race Form:

Brother in his LS6 Z28:

Video of SVTF Run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5lNXhm9NVY

Results:

2nd in Domestic Heads-Up Drags

3rd in AutoCross

7th in Car Show

4th Overall in D Class

Z28 took 3rd overall in C Class.

The Drive:

NH to OH to IN to OH to NH: 32.4 hours, with traffic, gas, and good stops. 36 solid hours.

Distance Covered:

2020 miles

2010 Season Prep

2010-04-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back!

New car survived winter.

Some odds and ends needed to be fixed and replaced - one passenger-side wheel bearing, one clutch master cylinder, and 2 snow tires added in there. All-in-all, not a bad winter.

Over the last month, with spring quickly approaching, I have been ordering and sorting through parts. Parts ordered - Nitto NT01 tires, strut mounts, Amsoil oil and DOT4 brake fluid, new headlights and fog lights, HID kits for both (5k and 3k respectively), and Porsche GT3 brake ducts - yes, I said Porsche.

Car is shaping in big time!

Old and busted:

New and hot:

HIDs in action:

That there is some light:

Porsche GT3 Brake Ducts:

Season Wrap-Up

2009-09-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

9/27/09 NE-SHO @ Devens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xl7tJwDLw8

Well, the end of the season is wrapping up. Even taking most of this summer off from racing for work and other side projects, I still got in an OK amount of events. More importantly, seat time in my new car.

Winged Warrior V - 1st Place A Class (Evo)

MSU Racing Club/SCCA - 1st Place DSP (SVTF)

NE-SVT - 4th Place FWD (SVTF)

NE-SHO - 1st Place FWD (SVTF)

This winter will be spent upgrading and tweaking the SVTF to be a solid car in DSP. I hope to be running a pretty full season in SCCA and working up the NASA HPDE ladder.

Happy Racing,

New Car, New Class, Same Results :)

2009-08-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

Oontz. Not a trophy mug this time, but a trophy t-shirt works too. :)

First run with my new car - the SVTF. 1st week of owning the car. 1st event. I talked my brother into a friendly game of who would be faster on a new car. The car is very well prepped for DSP. My race rims are bare at the moment. They will be mounted with a nice fresh set of V710s come spring.

So we ran this event on my Goodyear Eagle GT All Season tires. Ill explain the neat part about that soon.

Car performed amazingly. Its nimble and loves a good flogging. After the first run I got a really good idea on what the car could do. In the video you will see those changes in my attack. And well, I figured out the traction/stability was interfering with me too - so the last few vids of my brother and I have that system turned off...big difference :)

The gearing on this car and lack of noise, yes, it is too quiet, took a run to get used to. In both our first runs, we upshifted too soon and could have used more of the RPM band. This car makes peak HP very late, and it like the upper RPM range.

On my second run, I pretty much ran 1st the whole track with some sections in 2nd. Much better, used all my RPM band.

By the end, it was as if I had been racing the SVTF for a long time. Very comfortable in it.

Results - my PB: 46.01. My brother: 47.46. 1st and 2nd for DSP

. Other competition was a 89 GTI on A6s but not having a good day - 50s range runs.

FTD for the day was 41.x, set by a nationally prepped ESP Mustang on 4-315 Hoosier A6s. I was 5.x seconds off FTD with my 170hp, FWD, and ALL SEASON tires!!! That am I most happy about. Take off 1 to 1.5 if I was running a good set of extreme summer tires, and maybe another 1-2 for r-comps and I think I would be right there in the hunt for FTD!

Great day, very happy to finally get to play with my new car.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f9HCav6_Js

SmikeSVTF?

2009-08-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

Yep, you heard me right - SVTF. 2002 Ford Focus SVT to be specific. Great car, from a MSU Racing buddy.

Engine/Drivetrain Modifications:
- Torsen T-2 LSD
- Clutchmasters Lightweight Aluminum Flywheel
- Clutchmasters Stage I Clutch
- VF-Engineering Driver Side Motor Mount
- VF-Engineering Passenger Side Motor Mount
- VF-Engineering Lower Motor/Tranny Mount
- FocusSport Under Drive Pulley
- FocusSport Cool Flo Intake (ITG)
- Steeda Short Throw Shifter
- MSD Screaming Demon Coilpack
- Massive Spark Plug wires

Suspension Modifications:
- H&R coilovers
- 7/8" 3 way adjustable rear sway bar
- Prothane Front LCA Bushings
- FocusSport Chrome upper front strut bar
- Moog front sway bar endlinks
- Euro Ball-joints

Wheels/Tires Modifications:
- EBC Redstuff Brake Pads
- Technafit SS Lines
- 17x7 Team Dynamics Pro-Race I Wheels w/Kumho V710 215/40/17 R-comps
- 17x7 SVTF Wheels w/Goodyear Eagle GT 215/45/17 A/S

Interior/Exterior Modifications:
- Focus Central Shortie Antenna
- Schroth 4pt Harness

Future Modifications:
- ECU Reprogrammed (just a little)
- Camber Plates
- Adjustable Rear Control Arms (for camber)

Performance
- 170hp / 145tq
- 15.3 @ 91 mph
- 2750 lbs

I'll be racing her in DSP next season. And also getting my NASA HPDE License in this car. I look forward to getting some seat time in my new ride.

Stay tuned for new pics and videos!

Evo Sold - What Will The New Car Be?

2009-07-25T03:39:00.001-07:00

Tic-tock -- I will be picking her up shortly!!!

Evo For Sale?!?!

2009-06-23T13:20:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I have not been posting up on more events raced this season.

I actually have been moving this summer to a new state. In between working, moving, traveling across the US - I just have not had time to race at all :(

Here is the link to the official for sale thread. Wait, what? How can I be selling her? Well, not a lot of time for me to race, driving 700+ mile trips constantly throughout the year, and well, time to try a new car out.

Official For Sale Thread Here

Feel free to post a comment if you want to get ahold of me. Please leave an email address and I will get back to you.

Winged Warrior V (5/9/09)

2009-05-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

To start this out, big thanks to Kevin Butterfield for organizing such a great event for the Cheer Guild and Riley's Children Hospital. By far, one of the most fun events I run all year. Great people, great fellow racers, and great spectators.

I am physically exhausted right now writing this all out. In 4 days time I have driven ~1800 miles, totaling 30 hours of highway driving.

I had some hiccups in prepping my car for the race. UPS lost one of my custom valved Bilstein HD front struts. So I had to run my old KYB struts up front with my Swift Spec R springs. You will notice in the 2nd run a popping sound - the passenger KYB gave out (it was supposed to be a band-aid till I got my HD's back...I guess the bumpy AX course did it in (or the jumps on it ;) ))

But all that was well worth it!!!

Car preformed great. Just absolutely fantastic to drive. The Kuhmo V700 tires were night and day different than my Dunlop Z1* tires I ran last season. The levels of grip you get in the turns resulted in a grin ear to ear under my helmet.

The Swift Spec R's were rock solid (aka awesome). The car transitioned smoothly and with the increased levels of grip from the tires, I could feel the car bite into a turn. Even with a blown strut, the car handled on par with cars with expensive coil-overs. I would say this is the best handling car I have ever driven. It was point and shoot out of the turns. Very controllable and easy to rotate.

Onward to the photos and video:

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMuOwkZ_yYs

And the results???

Me standing with Rob (Otter). He won 3rd overall for F Class and 1st in Drags with his 2004 RA. What's that I am holding? Well...

1st Place Overall A Class!!!

Prep Work for Season

2009-04-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

To the people who help make everything possible! Thank you for your help and support!

-----

Spring is finally here, well at least enough time to be outside for a few hours -- OK, for most of the day. One important aspect that people really don't think about is the prep work that goes into racing. The finished product is the track or autocross day. But it takes a fair amount of work to get there.

After a fun 10 hour drive back to the Midwest - home of all my tools and supplies. I awoke early in the morning to start the jobs. One of the interesting parts to the Evolution is the amount of fluids it requires -- note the sarcasm. On the docket: transfer case fluid, rear differential fluid, oil change, transmission fluid, bleed the brake system (plus clutch line) ((done at my friend Otters in MI)), wash (first time all winter), apply all my sponsor and other vinyl graphics, and wax.

Several hours spent under the car pumping fluids into where they needed to be with the help of my father -- all where done. Minus the brakes, which I did at Otters via a pressure bleeder. Then onto the graphics. Finishing everything with a good wax.

The final results!

One race-ready Evo VIII

My Backup Helmet - Repainted Too!

2009-04-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well after I painted my helmet, word leaked and one of my students asked if he could paint my second backup/passenger helmet. Some ideas came up. I gave him the green light to do whatever.

I like it, some pretty cool elements. Now lets test your history knowledge. Theme is there, what was the artist after?

Ah, Blackbeard - correct!

New Helmet Paint Job

2009-03-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

Been thinking about doing this for some time. Had the free time to get some paint today. One of my favorite characters is Aku from Samurai Jack (one of the best cartoons - ever ;) )

Muhahaha New Tires!

2009-03-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Let the games begin! Time for serious tires.

Here they are - my "new" Kuhmo VictoRacer V700's, 255/40/17 fitment.

These babies have 4-5 AX's on them from their previous owner. Basically, heat cycled and shaved all

for me :)

I have been doing a lot of reading on these bad boys - they can be run to they are corded. Which I

plan to do.

Here is a photo comparing them to my 245/45/17 Dunlop Z1 Star Specs

Ya, I'd say they are a bit wider.

More to come soon!

Welcome All

2009-03-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog!

Over this season I will be keep track of new products I will be running/testing, events entered, and general news.

Not much is up here yet. But soon the 2009 season of SCCA Autocross and HPDE days will start. Much is needed to be done before the season begins.

Some of my previous reviews and write-ups:

Swift Spec R's Reviewed:

http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-tires-wheels-brakes-suspension-sponsored-tire-rack/389272-swift-spec-rs-reviewed.html

Bilstein HD and Swift Sport's Reviewed:

http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=337211

Swift Stabilizer Bars Reviewed:

http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=342041

Brake/Rotor/Pad/Duct Thread:

http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-tires-wheels-brakes-suspension-sponsored-tire-rack/390163-brake-rotor-pad-line-fluid-duct-thread.html

I have also left posting open for people to come here and respond to my posts. Feel free to ask questions!