MotorWerks Magazine Volume 10 Issue1 by MotorWerks Media

THE ULTIMATE READING EXPERIENCE VOLUME 10 ISSUE 1 Published by Tree Free Publishing a Division of Webtronic Enterprises

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P u b l i s h e d B y Tr e eF r e e P u b l i s h i n g a Division of Webtronic Enterprises

Ed i t or - i n - Chi e f / Pub l i s h e r Ian Rae EDI T ORIA L We s t C o a s t US A Ed i t o r Mi d We s t US A Ed i t o r E a s t C o a s t Ed i t o r S o c i a l Me d i a D i r e c t o r S c o t t i s h Ra c e Ed i t o r S c o t t i s h Hi l l c l i m b Ed i t o r

No r ma n Ne l s o n Da v i d L e w i s Cr a i g Ne l s o n Je s s e Ne l s o n Glenn Alcock Pe t e r L o c k e

PHO T O GR A PH Y Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer

No r ma n Ne l s o n Mar k C a mp b e l l Cr a i g Ne l s o n Ke v i n Ehr l i c h Jo h n S c r o e d e r A l i c y n Dr e w Di t o Mi l i a n To m Ma x w e l l Ja n i s Ra e S a m Mo o r e

HO W T O RE ACH US

Phone: (905) 467-5148 ianrae@motorwerksmag.com

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CONTENTSAugust

FEATURES

30 Klassic Mini - Norm’s racecar for the road 40 The Bend Track Nights 53 A wee bit Impish - the Classic Minis nemesis 60 Built to Spec - James Houghton’s TSX 68 Road Test, F56 MINI JCW 86 Monster Mini Part 1

RACING ROUNDUP

18 Opportunity Knox - Hillclimbing in Canada 28 Max Attack 78 Why Race a Miata? 96 Motorsport Returns - 2020 after Covid 111 A Very Emotional Weekend 112 The Train Pulling into the Pits Now is?

114

TECHNICAL

108 Cooper RSR - New parts arrive

REGULARS

4 New Products 12 On The Grid 116 Featured Photographer - Max Ronchetto 124 Contact Point - See our advertisers

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NEWProducts Link Engine Management is thrilled to present its latest platform to the market, the G4X. Recently released at the PRI show the latest G4X platform’s updated features include the following *New & Improved Microcontroller

expanded Internal Data Logging which is over 100 times the size of prior versions. All this means the new G4X ECU can log more data, more accurately and be downloaded faster, so you can get back to the exhilaration of unleashing your engine. G4X has 512 megabytes of logging at 32bit using up to 250 channels, each limited to up to 1kHz per channel (by the Operating System), with a maximum of 100kHz. The inputs and outputs have also been enhanced with the frequency range expanded and unified across all the pins, meaning the new ECUs can send and receive even more complex data at a much faster rate. Link’s uncompromising engineering team didn’t stop there, however! Additional advancements come via the smart use of Single Precision Floating Point Formats,

*Expanded Data Logging *Expanded Frequency Range of Inputs and Outputs Developed by Link’s in-house Laboratory of Speed, the new G4X ECU product range boasts numerous upgrades over its predecessor, already a world leader in its class. Headed by a generous increase in Power and Logging capabilities, the improvements within G4X will satisfy even the most demanding users. The power has come courtesy of a new, more powerful microcontroller and a vastly upgraded communications chip, which allows for download speeds of up to 16 times faster than the G4+ platform. With G4X, your engine will run smoother, accelerate faster and act more responsively. Another of the most considerable advancements of the new G4X ECU comes via the heavily 6

Maths Blocks, Asynchronous Injection and reduced Jitter, allowing for greater accuracy in everything the ECU controls including smoother fueling and faster spark timing. All this is controlled by a new and improved version of Link Engine Management’s free tuning software, PC Link. This new version will be available for download from the Link ECU website very shortly via the PC Link Downloads page.

sūsa HyperFlow Engine Oil Filters Just like Setrab ProLine oil coolers, these extremely high-performing oil filters are engineered to balance performance and flow for your street or track vehicle. Quite possibly the best oil filter ever made High flow volume, low pressure drop, 30 µ absolute filtration, and a strong rare-earth magnet combine to deliver unmatched performance and protection. The HyperFlow Oil Filter’s surgical-grade stainless-steel mesh media filter element captures all particulates above 30 µ, leaving no doubt about the oil reaching your engine. The improved flow characteristics of the HyperFlow Oil Filter reduce restrictions on the oiling system. Less restriction on the oiling system means less power is spent pumping oil and more power reaches the wheels. Nothing larger than 30 µ gets past this fine mesh filter. A cleanable filter element offers convenience and longevity. Precision CNC-machined billet aluminum body with titanium-color anodized finish offers a knurled non-slip grip surface and a hex boss for easy removal. Standard sized hex boss is pre-drilled for safety wire. No tools are needed to disassemble the HyperFlow Oil Filter. Simply push the filter element into the body and twist to remove, clean, and reuse.

The GRIDLIFE Spring Kickoff saw the first official weekend of operation for TOMO Coaching by our friend Tom O’Gorman who formally ran with the LAP Motorsport team in a LA Honda World TCR Honda Civic. He forwarded a press release to us before the GRIDLIFE opener at Gingerman Raceway in Michigan to explain the options available to drivers looking for affordable coaching at the track. “TOMO Coaching has officially launched and it will contain much the same type of driver coaching as I’ve done with many of you in the past, but in a more focused manner, I’m happy to help with data review, video review, offer driving demos in your car, etc. to anyone in Time Attack, GLTC, or HPDE. I’ll have a computer set up trackside for quick review, or review between days, and have extensive experience with MoTeC & AIM data, limited exposure to other programs, and hopefully well documented experience in a variety of cars at GingerMan and other tracks. Cost will be $100/session, and I’m happy to do quicker follow-ups with anyone who signs up. Contact me on Facebook via PM or at tomo. racing94@gmail.com to discuss your driving history, your goals and to reserve your place for any upcoming events!

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Nine Lives Racing now offering Tegris splitters Buford, GA based Nine Lives Racing is known for being the home of the Wang. They started out producing affordable race car wings from extruded aluminum, before progressing into carbon wings or as Johnny Cichowski prefers to call them Wangs. With the Wangs producing rear downforce he did not ignore the front end of the car and developed

lightweight CNC cut birch splitters to balance the overall aero package. Now they are pleased to announce that they have the availability to produce splitters in Tegris, a thermoplastic composite that is cheap, recyclable and tough. Produced by Milliken & Company, world’s largest privately owned chemical and textile research establishment. The firm’s innovative research that combines textiles and chemistry created Tegris whose properties make it an attractive alternative to (or composite partner for) carbon fiber, and it’s already proving to have wide ranging applications in the automotive, military and sporting industries, with NASCAR being one of the motorsport leaders. The splitters are CNC routed just like their birch versions. In addition to routing the outer profile the Nine Lives team programmed in a groove for the air dam to sit in, reliefs to match front diffusers if the customer requests them and some weight reducing reliefs in non essential areas. In most cases the splitter is built in two sections for easy shipping. Aluminum mounts to suit standard applications are available. 8

The second most requested Wang kit ever is the S550 Mustang. Kits are now here. Pack your Mustang with all American made downforce! For pre-order sale pricing click below. https://9livesracing.com/discount/QGZKBD299HFR… The sale in effect until 8/14/2020, but remember only one use per customer. Give your Mustang that Big Wang GT3 performance! The Big Wang is here! These Airfoils can produce incredible levels of down-force without killing top speed. Exactly what racers are after. Extruded aluminum wings are developed, patented, and built for a prototype project. Nine Lives Racing Takes the raw material and makes them readily available to the public as a working part. Best wing in class. 15.2:1 Lift to drag ratio, nothing else comes close. A built-in gurney flap relief for downforce adjustments in seconds.

The full range of splitters and wangs can be viewed on their website at https://9livesracing.com.

C17media becomes Canada’s RacingOptics dealer

TMR Customs Aluminum and Steel plates for custom brackets

Our friends at TMR Customs are now retailing

12”x12” plate for customers to build custom brackets out of. Tim Rogers of TMR said, “We have been asked for raw material quite a bit; customers are fed up being hosed for material by the metal stores and it just made sense for us to come up with a solution considering we have the material in-house anyway.” The material is available for purchase online at their website, www.tmrcustoms.com with three material being available. Mild Steel which is commonly used for custom brackets, mounts, etc. Available in 1/8”, 1/4” and 3/8” thicknesses. AR400 steel for use on skid plates, pinion guards and areas of high impact/abrasion. Available in 1/4” thickness. And aluminum which is commonly used for body panels, floors, etc. and is available in 1/8” and 1/4” thicknesses.

C17media has long been the place to go to in the Toronto and GTA areas to get your race car wrapped to showcase your sponsors. Being racers themselves they understand the motorsport industry and recently they announced they have become Canada’s Racing Optic dealer. Chris Pereira, C17media President who is also the Director of Operations at the Canadian Sport Compact Series was pleased with the announcement, “Supplying RacingOptics is just another string to our bow, allowing us to service our racers with quality products from one location. Many of our customers are Pro teams who run in Endurance series and Racing Optics multilayer laminated-tearoffs have become a fixture in professional and competitive racing alike, championed by legends like Tony Stewart, Ricky Carmichael and countless other winners. Racing Optics tearoffs have been used in F1, IndyCar, NASCAR and most endurance racing series across the globe for a number of years. The 4 layer racing application is great to avoid pitting and chips in windshields during racing but are also the solution to protect lexan from swirls marks when trying to clean it. Racing Optics revolutionary new 3 layer application is catered towards street cars and weekend warriors and has been proven to protect windshields from stone chips and cracking in some cases. Email Hello@C17media.com for more details.

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DriViNG PASSiON

MOD. 27 CUT

SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR ENDURANCE GT RACING, THE MOD 30 HAS A 320MM DIAMETER WITH ANATOMIC GRIP TO ENHANCE CAR CONTROL. THE FLAT BOTTOM DESIGN IS IDEAL FOR QUICK DRIVER CHANGES IN ENDURANCE RACING. THE MOD 30 IS AVAILABLE IN SUEDE WITH OR WITHOUT THE THUMB HORN BUTTONS.

A GREAT ACCESSORY FOR A WIDE RANGE OF MOMO RACING STEERING WHEELS ALLOWING A PERSONALIZED POSITIONING OF ADDITIONAL TOGGLE SWITCHES AND BUTTONS. 100% CARBON. 2.5mm THICKNESS, THE CARBON PLATE IS PREDRILLED FOR EASY INSTALLATION SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE HUB AND STEERING WHEEL.

POPULAR FOR ITS DSHAPE, THE MOD 27 PROVIDES EXTRA LEG CLEARANCE GIVING ADDITIONAL COMFORT WHILE RACING. ITS ANATOMIC GRIP WHEEL SECTION AND ITS TWO DIAMETER OPTIONS  270mm AND 290mm  CONTRIBUTES TO OPTIMUM COMFORT ENHANCING DRIVING PERFORMANCE. THE MOD 27 IS ALSO AVAILABLE WITH A TOP CUT VERSION FOR ECU/LCD DASH INSTALLATION.

To find out more about MOMO Tuning and Racing products visit our website

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MOMOMOTORSPORT

Hurst Releases Short Throw Shifter For 2016-2020 Camaro LS/LT! The Heritage of Hurst® is back with the latest version of the Billet/Plus® short throw shifter for all 2016-2020 Chevrolet Camaro LS, LT with 2.0L, 3.6L and LT1 6.2L engines with a TR3160 6-speed manual transmission. Designed to put the “feel of performance” back into shifting, this quality crafted precision shifter is a must for the serious Camaro performance enthusiast and delivers a 40% reduction in shifter throw. The shifter internals features a precision hardened steel pivot ball, CNC machined housing, an isolated handle resulting in minimal vibration and a super durable MIL-Spec black anodized finish. Designed for the enthusiast who wants to retain the factory shift knob for a stealth look, but upgrade to all the performance benefits that this shifter delivers. This all adds up for a classic look and a firm performance feel for your ride, and it’s backed by Hurst’s Lifetime Limited Warranty.

manual transmission. TR3160 6-speed manual transmissions can be identified by Reverse gear being located in the upper LEFT side of the shift pattern (left of 1st gear.)

NOTE: Must reuse factory shift knob, no shifter knob included. Designed for use with TR3160 6-speed All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

Announcing the new Advan Apex® Mr Gasket expands tool line up tire from Yokohama with an electric transfer pump You want a high performance tire. But it also needs to remain civil. Provide precise handling. Oh, and it should last at least 25,000 miles, too. Sound like a tall order? Not for the all-new Yokohama ADVAN Apex®. Built upon the legacy of the A008, AVS Intermediate and the AVS Sport. 100 years of experience rolled into one tire designed to conquer the U.S. roads—introducing the ADVAN Apex®. An all-new Y-rated ultra-high performance tire worthy of its name, and your respect. Yokohama designed this award-winning max performance summer tire specifically for American roads and American drivers. It’s quiet, yes, but also grippy in all the right places. How grippy? Enough for a 280 treadwear rating. This isn’t an all-season tire wearing a fancy badge. It’s a proper summer tire designed for today’s highperformance cars and the people who love to drive them. This summer, get the driving experience your vehicle was built to deliver. For more info visit the website https://www. yokohamatire.com/tires/advan-apex

Mr. Gasket has expanded their tool lineup with this awesome new transfer pump! The perfect solution for racers using 15-55 gallon drums for storing fuel, this electric powered transfer pump plugs into any 120V outlet and outputs up to 4.2 gallons per minute. The suction pipe telescopes from 33.5 to 49 inches allowing one pump to be used on metal or plastic drums; it’ll even fit some IBC (intermediate bulk container) totes! Compatible with E85, ethanol, methanol, diesel, DEF (diesel exhaust fluid or AdBlue), kerosene, washer fluid, detergent, water (non-potable), water based media, agricultural chemicals and light oils, this pump is not just for getting fuel into the racecar. Use it at the shop, on the farm, in the yard or wherever else you need to transfer fuels! The discharge hose is 6-1/2 feet long and it has a full control nozzle with easy on/ off switch. Ditch those hand crank pumps! A bonus harness with clips is included for use with any 12v battery, in the event you’re stuck without a power outlet. Gone are the days of stopping at every station for E85! Get your self an electric drum pump today! NOTE: This pump is not compatible with acids, alkalis, corrosive media, solvents, acetone, lacquer, mineral oils, turpentine, heavy oil or drinking water.

Hooker BlackHeart Wants You To Make Some Noise With Your Mustang GT Or Porsche 911 Holley is pleased to announce the release of new exhaust systems for 2005-2009 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L models and 20022004 Porsche Carrera 911 3.6L Models. - Hooker BlackHeart knows late model performance and more importantly, how to make your late model vehicle sound as good as it looks. BlackHeart engineers have been hard at work expanding their impressive catalog with a new 3” exhaust system with x-pipe and mufflers for the 05-09 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L. They didn’t stop there, going on to design new equal length headers for the 2002-2004 Porsche Carrera 911 and a complete cat-back exhaust system for the ‘98-’04 Porsche Carrera 911!

Find more info at https://www.holley.com/brands/hooker/

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OnTheGrid BMW CCA Club Racing announces Time Trial competition.

The BMW CCA Time Trials program offers a driver a competitive step up from driving school event, instructing and Auto-X. A driver can use the same car and tech preparation used for a High Performance Driving School (HPDE). Extra safety equipment is always encouraged, but not required.

New for 2020! The BMW CCA Time Trials is open to advanced HPDE students, driving school instructors and racers. Drivers from other organizations such as SCCA, NASA and PCA are also welcomed to attend. Each driver will be screened before being accepted into their specific run group. BMW CCA Club Racing is offering the Time Trials program in conjunction with the local BMW Chapter HPDEs as a way to add value and more fun to the HPDE weekends. BMW CCA Club Racing sees this as an opportunity for advanced drivers and instructors to significantly improve their skills and driver discipline. Shaun McKenzie, Chairman of BMW CCA Club Racing stated, “We see the Time Trials program as quasi-competitive event and a gateway for recruiting new club racers.” Participants will receive a safety briefing prior to hitting the track and receive coaching from the club racers after each session. There is no specific schooling or license required. Winners will receive trophies awarded by BMW CCA Club 14

Racing. We asked Gary Bohn if running the Time Trial program would give a potential racer any “credits” towards a racing license? He replied. “Drivers will still need to complete the BimmerWorld BMW CCA Club Racing School club race school to obtain their racing license. However, the Time Trial program is a great stepping-stone to BMW CCA Club Racing!” The art of a successful run at the Time Trials is to find a spot on the track where you’re not impeded by other traffic and then to run your smoothest lap. It is you against the clock. Each driver tests their skills against the track. Drivers are compared to their fellow drivers by using a transponder on each car.

Typically, drivers get 4 sessions per day. Time Trial cars are gridded by time in the previous session and are assigned a specific grid position. It’s all about your single fastest lap in a session. AMB/ MyLaps TranX260 or X2 transponders are required to run in a BMW CCA Time Trials event. Transponder rentals will be available if the driver does not own one. Any questions? Please contact Gary Bohn, the BMW CCA Time Trials Director at gary.bohn@comcast.ne or go to bmwclubracing.com for schedules and more details.

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Eversley moves to LA Honda World TCR program MotorWerks Magazine was particularly happy to hear factory Honda driver Ryan Eversley will be leaving Honda of America Racing Team (HART) to join our friends at the LA Honda World TCR program run by Luis Perocarpi of LAP Motorsports. He will share a Civic Type R TCR with fellow team newcomer Taylor Hagler. Atlanta native Eversley’s resume includes stints with such major teams as Compass360 Racing and RealTime Racing and that is going to prove beneficial to Hagler who is new to the Michelin Pilot Challenge series. Our West Coast editor Norman Nelson said, “I am so thrilled to see Ryan Eversley driving with the LA Honda Team, It seems as though the racing world is small. I have know Ryan through my brother Bob and my nephew Chris for many years, Ryan got started with the Russell school as a mechanic for the school cars with Chris. I have followed his career ever since. Now everything comes full circle as our friend Luis A Perocarpi is running the LA Honda Team. It gives me a great bunch to root for.” Hagler says learning from Eversley will be a highlight of the year. “It is really cool to be paired with Ryan,” she added. “He is a long-standing Honda driver and one that I watched in IMSA races when my dad and I traveled to Daytona and Road Atlanta as fans.” With HART continuing to search for funding to continue its TCR effort, the chance to move across to LA Honda World on behalf of the brand is a welcome opportunity for Eversley. “I’m happy to be continuing my association with Honda and HPD for my 11th season,” he said. “The LA Honda World team has won a lot of races and I’ve admired what they’ve accomplished from a competitor’s standpoint. I know they’re going to be great to work with. Taylor and I are ready to go and looking forward to getting the season started.” 16

We listen to our racers! Our events this year have seen a ton of Street Class racers. In our simple and easy to understand class structure, that meant that we had cars like BRZ competing against Type R’s even though they have a 100+ horsepower difference! We’re adding a new class! Street Plus will be for mildly modified street cars, with higher HP levels than Street class. For example, our friends with BRZ/Miata etc.. will be in Street Class while Street Plus will have Type R/STI etc..

Conley returns to his Racepak Roots Holley is pleased to announce Racepak Roger Conley has joined Holley as Motorsports Sales Manager. Roger brings over three decades of motorsports experience with work that includes product development, sales, technical support, and engineering. Previously he has held General Manager Positions with Racepak and Precision Turbo and Engine, and is the Technical Director for the NMRA/NMCA sanctioning bodies. “We are very happy to have Roger as part of our ever growing Motorsports Sales Team. Roger’s dedication

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to racing and race teams is second to none. He brings experiences both technical and managerial that will help us develop stronger relationships with racers and help them achieve their goals.” Said Jason Bruce, Vice President of Business Development at Holley. “Roger’s deep understanding of Racepak products in particular and his broader knowledge of racing technology in general will be invaluable to Racepak and other Holley customers.”

In Memorium. The BMW community lost a couple of good friends over the past few months. Pete Argetsinger of Watkins Glen, NY and Derek Hanson of Markham, ON left us, leaving huge gaps in the BMW community. Argetsinger, whose father Cameron was the man behind the original Watkins Glen International circuit spent much of his life in motorsport both in North America and abroad. He was part of the second guard of American drivers along with Willy T Ribbs that headed east to make their way into their ultimate goal of driving in F1. Argetsinger was named German Rookie of the Year Formula Ford 1974 and set the series’ fastest lap at the famous Hockenheimring, helping his Team Royale clinch the European FF Title. He captured the 1980 British Formula Ford Championship and was voted British Driver of the Year. Competition in Formula 3, was an instructor at the Brands Hatch racing school and counted the likes of Sir Jackie Stewart as a mentor. Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup, also a member of the IMRRC’s Governing Council, noted Argetsinger’s dedication to the sport and Watkins Glen. “Peter was an important part in carrying on the legacy and tradition that his father, Cameron, and family started here in Watkins Glen,” Printup said. “He will be remembered for his passion for auto racing and his continued desire to make this community a worldwide staple as an international racing destination.” As well as tutoring drivers like F1 World Champion Damon Hill, Indy 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan

Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi he became a huge part of the BMW community when he bacame the chief instructor of the Formula BMW young drivers’ series in the U.S. and in Europe. I enjoyed when I met up with Pete at the track and afterwards at dinners. He could not believe I knew his overseas history. I called him Superstar because there was a time he was. I regret not being able to take that offered ride around the old track in his old MG, it would have been a blast! Everyone here at MotorWerks Magazine sends our condolences to his family and friends. Pete left his mark on motorsport continuing the Argetsinger tradition, RIP my friend. Derek Hanson or to give him his full title Derek Errol Churchill Hanson first came to my attention when I was into Mustangs. What do you expect from a boy from Scotland whose largest capacity car was a 3 liter Ford Capri? Derek was Canada’s Steve Saleen, he produced a Mustang that would challenge the Saleen in every aspect. Thus he created DECH Motorsport, a Canadian company that would sell complete cars through the Ford dealer network where they could be easily serviced while staying completely emissions legal. Derek’s huge knowledge of suspension allowed him to develop a Mustang that handled and performed on the street or track well beyond the capabilities of more expensive cars. In fact removing the smile from the face of an exotic car owner at the track day was a common occurance for many owners of DECH Mustangs. While I knew his history and that of his cars I had never met Derek until an evening at the Seneca Lodge in Watkins Glen. I had dinner with my friend Patrick Spikes and when we moved into the bar area it was Derek we sat down with. It was a BMW weekend, hence the reason for Patrick and Derek both being there. Patrick introduced us and I trotted out his full title as written above. He was a little shocked I knew it but the subsequent discussion enlightened him. Derek was a great head instructor and loved in the community. He will be missed. Condolences to his friends and family. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

x o n K y t i n u t r o p Op g in Hillclimbin

Canada

Aran Cook in his FL class Arco X10 The Leavitt Machinery Knox Mountain Hillclimb is run annually on Knox Mountain Park Road, in the City of Kelowna, British Columbia. The Western Canadian road, while paved, is narrow with off-camber corners, and steep grades; a nice Sunday drive for sure, but hardly a race track. It is 2.2 miles (3.5km) long, and climbs approximately 800 feet (245 meters) in elevation for an average grade of 6.7%. It is a true challenge to drivers who come from many States as wll as other Canadian Provinces. The 62nd annual Leavitt Machinery Knox Mountain hill climb had a stacked field in 2018 with an incredible thirteen drivers in five different classes making it up the hill under the magical two-minute mark. The top three drivers produced runs that would rank in the top ten fastest times ever on Knox Mountain and that was impressive indeed! The Knox Mountain hill climb is the longest 20

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running sealed surface hill climb in North America. Having run in the Okanagan Valley of BC since 1958. It is also the last Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs recognised hill climb in Canada. The overall record has been held since 2007 by John Haftner in his highly modified turbo-charged TUI SuperVee single seater. No one has ever really come close to his time of 1:37.065. The next nearest time having been run by Joe Cheng back in 2002 with a 1:43.834. Any time under two minutes is incredibly fast, to achieve a sub two minute racers have to average more than 66-miles per hour up the 2.2 mile course with three hairpin turns which many cars negotiate in first gear. This year saw a few returning Kings of the Hill, including two notable GT cars. Wouter Bouman was back this year with his incredible triple rotor 1993 Mazda RX7. Bouman from Nanaimo, BC was King of the Hill in 2015, 2016 and again in 2017 with his incredible GTO classed car. He has owned

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Billet Crankshafts Our 1600cc, 1800cc & 2000cc billet Crankshafts are built to the same exacting standards as all of our race team’s crankshaft are. Machined from Timken’s proven 4340 forgings, these crankshafts will provide years of trouble free service. All priced at

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The first producer of a TVS 900 supercharger kit with FMIC. Now with TMIC or FMIC options available, call us for details. Installs available in California only at present. Properly engineered Turbo and Rotrex kits are available for the R53, call and talk to us. Jan Brueggemann revolutionmini@live.com Tel. (949) 464- 7691 All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

Larry Sandham, Mini Clubman/Vauxhall in GTX Class and refined this car over the last twenty plus years of racing and competes with it all over the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. This year he had changed to a slightly smaller impeller wheel on the turbo in order to make the car a little more driveable. In 2017 the car was capable of more than 900 horse power which he told the author made it very difficult to drive. So this year he returned to the hill with some bigger tires and only around 600 horse power to aid the driveability. One of his biggest rivals in recent years has been Andre Marziali, he was King of the Kill in 2018 as well as

chopped and rebuilt in carbon fibre as well as the doors and various other body panels, all this has brought the car down to an incredible dry weight of just 2200pounds! Couple this with a super charged M3 engine with around 500 wheel horse power the weekend was shaping up for an epic battle between these two former winners. Adding to these previous winners a couple of dark horses came out of nowhere to challenge these two Knox Hillclimb regulars. Aran Cook from Edmonton, Alberta was here in 2018 with a very rare Arcobelino X10, just one hundred of these cars

runner-up to Wouter in 2017. He runs an incredible looking BMW M3 with a ton of his own designed and built custom aero parts. The roof has been

were built in Italy with the aim being to create a one make series to rival Formula Ford. Some twenty were imported to Canada as a buy-in motorcycle

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Roger Flesher, Vintage Class Sunbeam Tiger engine spec series in Alberta. However the series fizzled out and the remaining cars were sold off. Aran bought his damaged and not running but he made some repairs in time for the 2018 Knox Mountain event. After the 2018 event he knew huge improvements where possible so completely rebuilt it over the winter. In his own words only the chassis from the knees forward is original, the rest rebuilt to his own design. Also out was the original Yamaha engine, replaced with a 2010 Kawasaki ZX10R engine. He then designed his own aero package and used all of these improvements to

the Surgeline tuned 2004 Subaru Impreza STI, with round 500 horse power sent to the ground via 315 section slicks, he proved to be right on the pace from the word go. Four women were on the entry list vying for the Queen of the Hill award. Their weapons of choice varied from a 550 horse power Subaru STI, a 1972 MG BGT, a Honda CRX and a BMW 330CI, proving all makes and models can be used in hillclimb competition. Saturday morning started out dry but a little cool, Aran Cook showed his intentions early on with an incredible time of 1:51.412, that was

devastating effect! Another driver who would come out of nowhere to set blisteringly quick times was Stefan Denham, a rookie to the hill he brought along

an incredible half second faster than his fastest time from 2018 on a dirty non rubbered in track! This would set the tone for the weekend with the All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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Wouter Bouman’s, record holding Mazda RX7, GTO class

Canadian chipping away seconds all weekend, by the end of his three runs on Saturday he was already under the 1:50 mark and sitting on a very impressive 1:46.811. Meanwhile the tin top GTO class was shaping up for an epic battle between Wouter Bouman’s RX-7 and Andre Marziali’s M3. Bouman started the weekend cautiously with an above two minute run, but by the end of Saturday was down to an impressive 1:50.320. Marziali was

much less cautious with an opening run of 1:56.517, by the end of the day he was running a 1:51.919. Denham in his rookie year was also posting a hugely impressive 1:53.030 by the end of Saturday in the Surgeline Subaru, an amazing feat for his first time at this event. Sunday was again dry and clear and much warmer than Saturday. Aran Cook continued to chip away at the clock and finished the day on a

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1:45.311, enough to secure King of the Hill and an incredible fifth fastest time of all time up the hill. For Bouman and Marziali it would prove to be an epic slug match on Sunday as Denham fell away halfway through Sunday with technical issues. First run on Sunday went to Bouman by a mere half second, but by the third run Marziali had managed to pull ahead of Bouman by point four of a second with an amazing 1:48.316, a full two seconds faster than his previous best which netted him the King of the Hill in 2018. But on the final run Bouman ran first and laid down an incredible 1:47.214 pulling ahead of Marziali. Unfortunately for Marziali a mistake coming into turn one would end in the tire wall and his hopes of second place would end there. The times run by Bouman and Marziali would be good for seventh and eighth best times of all time in the hills sixty-two year history as well as the fastest GTO Full bodied cars ever. And so the weekend ended with Aran Cook first (1:45.311), Wouter Bouman second

(1:47.214), Andre Marziali Third (1:48.316) and Stefan Denham fourth (1:51.590). The Queen of the Hill was dominated by Jennifer Ocker and her super quick Subaru Impreza STI with a 2:04.715, where she finished a full fifteen seconds quicker than her nearest rival Debra Ceravolo on a 2:19.073. Bonnie Wall took third in her Honda CRX with a 2:22.073 followed by Marie Sherman in fourth with her historic MG BGT (2:23.382). The weekend ended with thirteen drivers running under the two minutes mark. Three drivers went under one minute fifty seconds, which is a true testament to how much power and grip these modern race cars have and how much chassis dynamics and tires have improved. We would like to extend a huge thank you to all our sponsors and volunteers who make this event possible. With the 2020 edition cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic it will be 2021 before we you see you all at the 63rd annual Knox Mountain hill climb.

Car 38, Cam Thorkelson, in his extremely photogenic GTX class, Datsun 510 26

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From Circle Track to Off Road, NASCAR, Drag Racing fuel cells, and beyond. Fuel Safe achieved and maintains ISO 9001:2015 quality certification, providing the right choice for all your racing fuel cells/ fuel tanks. Photos Top Left: You see all sorts of race vehicles running on Knox Mountain, this is Bob Nyste, running in the 4x4 class in his Ford F150 Pro 2 truck. Bottom Left: It may not look like it but Josh Vanderkerkloveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s severely rework race car is a GTM class VW rabbit featuring a full tube frame, widebody and radiacal aero.

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Photos Top Right: Andre Marzalli has seriouly modified his GTO class BMW M3 and all the work has been worth it. However an excursion into a tire wall limited him to third place overall in 2019. Bottom Right: From left to right, Andre Marzalli, 2nd GTO class, 3rd overall , Car BMW M3. Aran Cook, took his FL class Arco X10 to the overall win. GTO class winner and 2nd overall, Wouter Bouman, and his Mazda RX7 Below: Geoff Tuplehome, ran in the Vintage class with an Austin Mini fitted with a cross-flow head and carbs sricking thru the bonnet.

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k c a t t A MAX

nd! e e h t o t t n e Excitem

The Canadian Sport Compact Series is well know for having large crowds at their event. The reason? They give the fans what they want to see. In addition to Time Attack and a car show drag racing is seen at events that have a drag strip. So what else could they do to keep the fans crowded the wall at the road courses? The idea of wheel to wheel racing was proposed but the final product was similar but with a twist. Many W2W series handicap cars with a power to weight rule to generate close racing. The CSCS decided to handicap and 30

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provide excitement in a different manner and and best of all the idea works! Total proof of the conception was the Max Attack event run in 2019 at the second CSCS event. Toronto Motorport Park lends itself well to the concept where cars are handicapped by started the race from prescribed positions on the track rather than from the starting grid. TMPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open spaces allow the fans to see how the handicapped cars are either gaining or losing out on the car in front. Proper handicapping should bring all the cars

As Used By Gridlife Unlimited Champion Global Time Attack Overall Champion - - - James Houghton - - CSCS SSF Champion Super Lap Battle Limited FWD Champion - - - Chris Boersma - - Ultimate Track Challenge Production AWD Winner - - - John Freund - - Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ST Winners, Daytona & Watkins Glen - - - LAP Motorsport - - Global Time Attack Street FWD Winner - - - Chris Hofmann - - -

together as they get onto the final straight on the last lap and the photo above photo shows how close the event finish was. Lap Li and his J-spec supported Honda Civic worked his way through the field to make the pass shown above on the second last corner. You cannot ask for a better finish or more excitement than that! All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

Words and Images by Ian Rae 32

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Klassik Mini The Mini you see here is one that our West Coast Editor, Norman Nelson never thought he would own, he first saw this 1963 Cooper S owned by

nowhere to put another Mini even though I loved the look of the car Shawn called Fireball. It was super low and with those Fortech arches looked as if it should have

Shawn Duntelly at the Mini Meet West at Columbia Gorge. Shawn thought his flamed Mini would be a great addition to the Nelson’s collection especially considering they had two other flamed cars. Norm explained, “I told him I had

been on the racetrack.” Roll on to 2018 and the devestating fires that hit California. The Carr fire devasted 229,651 acres and unfortunately the Nelson household was amongst those to lose their home. As well as their home All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

two of their one of a kind Minis were totally destroyed with nothing salvagable. Nelson went on, “We lost our salute to the Veterans, Mini Eagle and our short wheelbase Mini Chiquita that had just came back from being updated. It was a crazy time for us at Old Shasta, the positive for us was even though we lost the house, our garage where our other cars were stored survived without a scratch. I don’t know if it was me feeling sorry for myself and

needing to cheer myself up but I got on the phone to Shawn and after a bit of haggling I bought Fireball and Shawn threw in the enclosed trailer that is painted similar to the car itself.” So what is the story behind Fireball?

Engine Spec 1310cc A-Series engine 1275 .040 Performance Piston Set Fortech center main caps strap Nitrided Performance Crankshaft for hot street or competition use. Vandervell main, rod and cam bearings Elgin 268/278 Hot Street cam ARP racing rod bolts ARP racing head bolts 123 electronic billet distributor Pertronic coil Billet Golanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s billet fuel filter 11 LBS steel racing flywheel AP Racing clutch Mini Sport aluminum radiator Gearbox Spec 4 speed syncro box Straight cut drop gears Rod change kit fitted Quick Shift kit

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Fireball really gets its distinctive look from the Fortech GT Mini flares which are normally just seen on racetracks. Made famous by the Fortech Minis of Mike Kearney and driven by Doug Peterson these wide arches can accommodate large width wheels in many diameters. In Fireball’s case the wheels are 13” x 7” Sierra Pacific three-piece racing wheels 36

currently fitted with 175/50-R13 Yokohama A048 tires. Fortech also provided one of their GT air dams to finish off the front end of Fireball perfectly for an aesthetic and aerodynamic solution. A MOMO Nero steering wheel points the wheels in the proper direction as well as looking good. A

Maintaining the disc front end, drum rear set up, 8.4 inch rotors along with red four pot alloy calipers from Kent Auto Developments were fitted to the front end, while Superfin alloy drums are fitted to the rear. Braided brake hoses, pads and shoes along with upgraded brake fluid complete the brake package.

pair of Recaro seats matched with Sparco full harness belts locate both the driver and passenger. The chassis was upgraded with Spax lowered suspension, a poly bush kit and brake updates. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

feâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s i L e s u Beca rt o h S o o t ! l o o C t i to Play

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While Fireball is set up to look like a race car it has some nice touches, a classic dash equipped with the typical gauges required for a Mini. The interior is finished with door panels that have flamed inserts and billet window winders as seen in the photo to the right. For those of you for those of you who know Norm and I, you understand that while we work hard on the magazine, we also like to play hard. So, during the part of our trip we decided to build a faux advert using Norm’s new Mini, Fireball and the Louisiana produced cinnamon whisky of the same name. The label on a bottle of Fireball whisky includes a fire breathing dragon and what better match for a product like that then a fire breathing and flamed Mini Cooper. Norm just happened to have at hand many miniatures and a few bottles of that amber coloured nectar lying around which helped us set up the shot. So where we imbibing while we were doing this, we’re not seeing anything on the grounds we may incriminate ourselves. But we had fun setting up the shoot. Norm and Jesse’s new workshop lent itself

to a garage setting photos shoot especially with a British sports car on the lift behind Fireball. Because of the work setting we wanted to remind everybody about drinking responsibly and to that end Jesse just happen to have a black board that we could set up at the side of the shot to remind everybody how important that fact is. And the image you see at the left is what we came up with. The speech baloon on the floor was edited to look like we had written in chalk on the floor. And how about the discrete things like the minatures on the table and Fireball Whisky flag hanging off the car lift. And yes we had fun, hic!

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D N E B e h T s t h g i N k c a r T

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Words by Ian Rae, Grant Galloway and Kevin Weller, Images by Ian Rae All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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It is not often that you see a Ford F150 leading the first couple of laps on a race circuit, but if you were going to head to the track nights at the Grand Bend Motorplex you better get used to it. There are certain things that happen at GBM before you are allowed on the track and after Tim Brander driver’s meeting you don’t get to go play until Tim has led you on a couple of parade lapse. It’s not that he does not trust you, it’s just that track conditions change week to week and Tim wants the participants to know what’s out there. We may have driven from the GTA, with beautiful weather all day, but at the Bend it may have been raining and there is still lying water on the track. His parade laps are done at a controlled pace and allows you to see what is out there so when the green flag flies there are no surprises.

such but a group of like-minded people who had to Grand Bend on a Wednesday night and partake in a well-run, safe organized track event. The event is run by the track but the Facebook group, The Bend Track Nights’ is moderated by John Elliott of the Honda house in Chatham, ON. John’s racing heritage is not in road racing but drag racing, where he was the first Canadian to win the coveted Wally in an NHRA event. The group has in excess of 550 people now, it reminds everybody when the events are, when they have to sign up by and if the Grand Bend’s management has added any events. An example being adding a full day on the Monday of Ontario’s Civic holiday. It also allows for discussions on data logging, what to wear at the track nights and other similar questions. It is a great resource for seasoned participants as well as rookies.

The Bend Track Nights are not an organized club as

When GBM built their road race track they used the All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

roads that were used for parking during major drag race events. Now the advantage to having these many roads is that they can create multiple circuit layouts as is more common in Europe. In most cases you arrive on a Wednesday night not knowing which track you’re actually going to run, which can be fun. From the photos included in this article you will see a wide range of vehicles show up basically from mamas grocery getter to dedicated track cars and sometimes the odd exotic shows up. Courtesy of the Honda House, their storage unit has been turned into a grandstand so your crew or your family can sit high, see the whole track and watch you have fun. Currently spectators are limited to 100 because of the Covid epidemic but the great thing about GBM is that it is on one of Ontario’s sunshine coasts. Lake Huron has many municipalities with great beaches, cute little downtowns with great restaurants and holiday homes you can rent for a family vacation but still be close enough to the Bend to get your power fix on the Wednesday night. 44

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Track Fun, Sun and a Beach. What Could Be Better? In Southwestern Ontario, not much! From May to October, several Wednesday nights a week (and the odd weekend), a great group of guys and a respectable number of women gather at an former Commonwealth Air Training Program base turned racetrack on the Province’s “West Coast” for open lapping. It’s more than trying to beat your last lap time or master that one bugaboo corner – the group (mostly regulars) are a terrific bunch of car enthusiasts who like getting together as much as they enjoy driving fast. The cars range from daily driver SUV’s to fast street cars, and into prepped racers and dedicated track cars. The drivers are a mix of individuals from students to old time track rats and everything in between. And at 5PM, this property on the edge of this sleepy little tourist town gets LOUD. Maybe because of its location off the beaten path, track nights at The Bend are quite reasonable cost wise. And registration is fast and easy with payment online or by phone, and friendly and helpful office staff. The track offers a group of marshals who really care that we have fun and stay safe. From drivers’ meeting until final checkered flag for the night at sunset, they are on their game so that we can focus on what we came for. Three run groups, graded by experience, and low numbers on the track (typically fewer than a dozen cars in each) offer an exceptional amount of unobstructed track time. And there is a general camaraderie among most of the drivers that means the person you’ve just caught up to has likely already given you the point-by. I’ve tracked at other venues, but Grand Bend is pretty special.

The track routinely draws drivers from London, Kitchener/Waterloo, west end of the GTA, Sarnia, Windsor, and beyond. Newcomers are welcomed, and help seems to flow pretty freely from the more experienced among us. Ride-alongs (at least in the pre-Covid era, and hopefully again soon) with more experienced drivers have been a real highlight. And now that I’ve graduated to the red (advanced) group, I’ve been happy to pay that forward which is also pretty special. Grand Bend Motorplex is still an active airfield, and it’s not unusual to have a session broken up by a departing or landing plane. And the occasional skydiver from the school that shares the facility. And when it’s all over for the night, it’s only a five minute drive to watch a spectacular sunset over Lake Huron, and maybe catch a bite on the strip of one of Ontario’s quintessential beach towns. The shops and restaurants make this a great family outing, and many of us have taken advantage of that. So take a day off midweek, head to Grand Bend, visit the Beach though the day, have a nice lunch on the main drag and join us for a Bend Track night! Kevin Weller

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It’s a Family Affair The Grand Bend Motorplex Wednesday nights are very well attended with three run groups, four marshaling stations and a proper driver’s meeting. The Bend has quickly become a great family, I have met some amazing people there that share the same interests as I have. I have a 2010 purpose built built track 8th Gen Honda Civic that my quest is to make better each year, as well as a 2018 Civic si coupe that also sees track time along with being my daily driver. GBM Technical Track is my Top Gear test track I know every square inch of it, and probably have thousand of laps of it under my belt. From

the time I first started doing this I was amazed by the support I received, lots of patience from more experienced drivers and lots of information from people who learned the hard way building cars. Now I find myself giving back to the folks who attend these sessions, sharing my tools, setup tips, tire pressures and on occasion do some ride alongs to provide some knowledge, it is fun to help people go faster and feel more confident. Grand Bend does a great job running these events, from Lori at the gate to Tim being lead marshall, safety crew and track spotters. For $88 Not sure where you can have more fun for four hours? Come join us, Grant Galloway

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A Wee Bit IMPISH

Simon Kirkby has been in motorsport virtually his entire life, beginning in 1966 when he started in rally and “grass track” competition. Since then his CV includes being test driver for Reynard Race Cars; winning factory driver in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for both Alfa Romeo and Chrysler U.K.; winner of dozens of open-wheel races – including finishing second in the British FF2000 championship twice – and winner of the Avon Motor Magazine Tour of Britain Manufacturer’s prize. He is currently Director of the Lime Rock Drivers Club and relaxes by racing this Hillman Imp in Vintage racing.

So back to our little beauty, we stripped it, painted it (notice the I bought this one litre screamer in the tribute St Andrews Cross on the UK for four thousand pounds as a race roof as seen on the Fraser Imps), it featured a complete make over with car that had only ever done driver a new dash, (instruments are modern eductaion days. copies, they flash until everything For those of you not familiar with the Hillman Imp it was a compact car is warm, then don’t come on again built in Scotland by the Rootes Group. unless there’s a problem, pretty cool really), a welded cage, aluminium It featured a 875cc rear engine with panels, 10 thousand rpm 998 cc a four speed transaxle. Before long engine rebuild from Andy Jones (the the under one litre racers in the UK best imp engine man) in Manchester, discovered it handled well enough custom single adjustable Ohlin that it would be able to challenge shocks, a windshield with electric the Mini Cooper for race wins. It came with various monikers including heating element built in (works perfectly in the rain) big front rad that Singer Chamois and the sporty was not big enough as the engine Sunbeam Imp which featured twin likes to run below 80C (176F) so I had carbs and a power increase. some NASCAR guys in Indy build me Back in the day names like Bevan, Fraser, Greetham and Scotland’s own new ones, now it is perfect, I rarely favorite Hugh Shannon were building have to turn the fans on. I run Avon FF tires up front and Hoosier TDR in race versions and uppin the capacity to 998cc to keep the car in the under the rear for perfect gearing, the TDR’s won’t fit in the wheel wells up front, one litre class. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

Courtney Racing is a huge part of our racing program, thanks Joe!

Like all race cars they have a habit of evolving into even faster race cars. These three are also from the Imp family but run in what is called Special Saloons. Ricky Gauld (above), John Kirk (above right) and Ian Forrest thrilled Scottish fans in the ‘70s with some fantastic racing. All of these cars ran 998cc motors similar to Simon’s. 54

the Avon’s are smaller circumference so the car has a little rake in it but it seems to work well! The lap times at Limerock Raceway Park are in the low sixty-three second range and top speed is around 115 MPH. It’s a lot of fun and I can more or less keep up with sometime IMSA driver Joe Courtney in his Alfa which is a sweet racer and David Porter in his Lotus Cortina, who is no mug in a race car! Condsidering both have a cubic capacity advantage I am pretty pleased with the performance. I had a bad misfire at the Lime Rock Park Historics this past year, and we are still chasing the solution, it was like I was hitting the rev limiter all the way through Big Bend, the Left Hander and Right Hander then it would clear. We got one wet race in and I was sixth on the grid, first by the time we cleared Big Bend and ahead by the length of the straight after four laps, the Imp is superb in the wet. We will be sending the engine back to Andy, he has a new cam that he has developed, and with other improvements we should be over 140 HP and gain additional torque. And to make better use of the engine improvements I recently picked up a Jack Knight 5 speed gearbox that has interchangeable gears.

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When James Houghton decided to go wheel to wheel racing it was not a decision he made lightly. He had been thinking about it for quite a while and when Northern Speed purchased his Acura Integra Type R Time Attack car and still wanted to him to drive it opened up an avenue he had not previously considered. His original thoughts were to convert the Type R for Gridlife Touring Cup duty but now he could start with a clean sheet. He had been looking for a clean Integra as he loved the look of the car. For sure whatever he got had to remain in the Honda/Acura family. “I’m a died in the wool Honda fan,” he said. “Then I came

to complete the build of the car. Mitch and Berto had also been crewing for us quite bit so the road trips offered up a bunch of time for discusions regarding the upcoming race car build. The plan was to build the car to suit Gridlife’s Touring Cup rules where their Rules Committee’s goal was to create a quality balance of performance across a broad array of potential cars, without any tight restrictions on vehicle build and design while

across a partially finished Acura TSX in Lexington, KY. It had a lot of good parts on it, some I would use, others I could sell off and get good money for them, so it seemed a good deal. I put a deposit on the car but it would be three months before I actually headed out to bring it home.” He went on, “This past year I have been using Mitch Hemmen at Unit 2 Fabrication more and more and in the meantime they moved into one of the units in our building, it just made sense for them

offering low cost options to the racers. It meant mixing weight with horsepower, tires and aero. We won’t go in to that here as it is pretty involved and can be found online at www.grid.life/gridlife-touringcup-gltc. You may have noticed from the photo below that there is no wild aero like Jim’s Type R. With no front splitter the rear of the

TSX only sports a NASCAR style spoiler, which gives him an advantage over those running splitters and wings due to the way the rules are written. Jim sourced the wider fenders from some obsure eBay to allow him to run wider wheels and tires on the front end. Having had great success running Konig USA wheels on the Integra the TSX sports Konig Hypergram 18x11 +15ET front wheels and 18x9.5 +35ET rears. He is a firm believer in FWD running

a staggered wheel/tire setup with narrower wheels on the rear, allowing the car to rotate. Now the tires he brought to COTA were a bit special, while everyone else had gone the Hoosier R7 route Houghton had chosen to go with 200TW Yokohama a052 295/30/18 fronts and 255/35/18 rears. which would give him in the region of a

O T ILT

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4 percent power to weight bonus or approx 10whp over those running slicks. A lot of thought was put into the packaging under the hood, the team had learned a lot in the past years about cooling on the Acura Type R and that knowledge was transposed into the TSX. A MMRADUNI-RRR race radiator from Mishimoto was installed as it was the perfect size for the installation. The 15.28” X 29.92” dual pass 2-row aluminum was originally developed and used on Chris Rado’s famed front-wing Scion tC race car and is covered by the Mishimoto Lifetime Warranty. The TSX is powered by a Jdm K24A motor fitted with Drag Cartel drop in cams, 50 degree VTC gear, in-line pro VTEC locking pins, K20a2 oil pump conversion, Unit 2 Fabrication budget steel oil pan that was developed for the TSX and is now available to the public. A cut and ported RBC intake manifold is fed from a K-Tuned 72mm throttle body and burnt gases are expelled through a PLM header. The fuel system consists of a K-Tuned fuel rail and AN fuel lines and fittings, a K-Tuned fuel pressure regulator, Acura RDX fuel injectors. A K-Tuned valve cover tops off the motor where additional engine modifications were carried out by Unit 2 Fabrication. The custom titanium exhaust was also fabricated by Unit 2. Transmitting the K24 Honda power to the ground is a Exedy Hyper single plate clutch, Momentum Motorsport in Ireland built a custom 3J Driveline NXG Performance plate type LSD that James raves about. A custom built gearbox with a mix of oem gears was built by TRE Transmissions using a Gear-X 5.8 final drive. Hasport engine mounts hold the complete package in plate within 62

the TSX engine bay. Chassis wise, the installed six point cage was updated to James and Mitch’s specifications. As Mitch is also going to run the car at Gridlife events a lot of thought was put into making the interior suit both drivers. A Sparco Pro ADV seat with OMP harness and an Oreca steering wheel works well in making both racers comfortable. Fire safety has not been overlooked and a plumbed-in mechanical SPA fire suppresion system has been installed. Electrically wise an Antigravity battery supplies the power to a Haltech Elite 1500 ECU. The Haltech talks through Racepak’s proprietary V-Net network to a Racepak IQ3 logger dash and all supplimentary wiring is through Racepak’s Smartwire PDM. “It’s great to use the shared sensors from the Haltech and Racepak to control outputs using logic. Now we can change the control of outputs simply by changing the control logic. The TSX is using K-Tuned K2 pro circuit coilovers from his long-time supporters K-Tuned. They also supplied K-Tuned spherical control arms, camber kits and suspension links for front and rear as well as front roll center adjusters. A ASR hollow 32mm rear sway bar completes the suspension package. Stoptech brake kits continue to be involved in James’s racing program with a STR40 big brake kit on the front end. G-LOC Brakes R16 pads are used up front CFD aero design was completed by the same people designing the radical new Northern Speed Acura Type R, Stim Tech. Aero package was completed by Stim Tech and Unit 2 Fabrication,

including the NASCAR style rear spoiler we talked about earlier, a large front airdam with lower front rad opening, Stim Tech hood vents, Seibon Carbon fibre hood, eBay fender flares from Russia, a custom aluminum sunroof plug, lexan rear side windows as well as rear window. Being at COTA for the first ever Grid Life Touring Cup event in conjunction with the second Superlap Battle USA was the team’s aim. It all came together with a few late nights from the team at Unit 2 Fabrication and remote tuning from Haltech’s Rick Nelson. The Racepak IQ3 Logger dash has four pages it can display. Below, Another trip to the COTA podium, 3 out of 4 race wins and overall champion.

No exotic intake manifold here. It may have been a risky move taking a brand new car to an event so far away; 1570 plus miles was a long way to travel having only run the car up and down the parking lot in Kitchener. But Houghton had hedged his bets and set up a track test on the way to COTA at the NCM Motorsports Park that was only 647 miles from home. If things went to hell in a handbasket it would not be as depressing a trip

James gets a smile on his face every time he drives the TSX, “It is such a good car”, he says. Shown below in the COTA pitlane was a dream debut.

Houghton’s office is well laid out. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

1420 Victoria St N, Kitchener, ON N2B 3E2 Tel: 1 519-589-7156

home. The added bonus to testing at NCM was that Gridlife was going to be running there later in the year and Houghton had never been there before. Even that far South in Kentucky the weather was only slightly warmer than Canada as the team arrived in early morning. It had rained overnight and

Race Car and Component Fabrication

The Mishimoto radiator has AN fittings.

The Unit 2 Fabrication K-Series Elite oil pans have been flying off the shelves! Developed with James Houghton and his one of a kind Time Attack Integra Type R our new Elite aluminum pan is data proven to reduce the oil surge that can kill an expensive race motor. Also available as a steel pan.

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puddles still littered the track but James headed out to give the K-Tuned supported TSX its shakedown run. Unit 2 had fabricated an exhaust out of titanium and the car sounded angry out there. So angry in fact, that the track staff recomended an exhaust mod before the team returned later in the year. It was not to much over the decibel limit but enough to cause concern. So with only minor new car blues arising it was on the Austin and the Circuit Of The Americas. Unlike last year where the Houghton Acura Type R was one of the stars of Time Attack the newly built Acura TSX was running in the support series. However that did not limit the interest in the car. If there is one thing that the Internet is good for it is getting news out there and Houghton and his Instagram posts fed the masses with info and tidbits from the PRI show right up until the team left for Texas. As mentioned earlier in the article the descision was taken to run the car on 200TW tires and as the only racer on site to have gone that route there was huge interest in whether the choice would parlay into the advantage that Houghton had envisaged. Practice showed the TSX could run at the

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sharp end of the field but it would not be until the races that the head to head competition between tires would show which was going to be superior over the distance. Qualifying placed Houghton second with a 2:29.880 to Todd Kaley in his S2000 with a 2:29.512. And the races were something else! Race 1 James Houghton | TSX Todd Kaley | S2000 DJ Alessandrin / Derek Yarbrough | Miata 66

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Race 2 James Houghton | TSX Todd Kaley | S2000 DJ Alessandrini / Derek Yarbrough | Miata

Race 4 James Houghton | TSX Dysen Pham | S2000 Ryan Upham | M3

Race

3 Todd Kaley | S2000 DJ Alessandrini / Derek Yarbrough | Miata Dysen Pham | S2000

No Houghton on the podium in race 3 you noticed? That was because the new car blues finally hit. He limped up the pit straight during the start and it looked as if race three was over bar the shouting but as the pit exit is uphill he managed to coast backwards downhill into the pits where Mitch Hemmen made an tweak to an electrical connector and the TSX was firing on all four again. The points gained for a finish was all that was need for the overall win. “What a debut!” Houghton exclaimed. “That car is unlike anything I have ever driven! Thanks to everyone who has been a part of it! Bring on the rest of 2020” All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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Road Test F56 MINI JCW And California Dreaming

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It is not often you get surprised in a good way at a car rental desk but on our trip out West to see our friends and MotorWerks Magazine colleagues Norm and Jesse Nelson we were. I had arranged to hire a car thru the SIXT rental company and had chosen the MINI Countryman or similar option. On arriving at the off-site rental center SIXT handled everything efficiently and as we came to the end of the form filling and answering questions, I was informed that we were getting a Toyota Rav 4. A bit deflated, I asked, “No MINIs?” Luckily, we had been talking to one of the supervisors about racing after he saw my MotorWerks Magazine jacket. “Hang on he said!” and pointed out they had received one of those racing MINIs this week. “JCW?” I said, and he replied in the affirmative. Now I knew the

JCW was going to cost us more but the idea of rolling into the Nelson’s new homestead with a MINI seemed apt considering how many they already had on the property. So, our savior stepped up and reduced the +$30 a day premium to +$15 a day and it did not take much to agree to the change. Now the color is not one of my favorites, but I felt like I had joined our friends at Team Octane. In fact, when Norm found out he said, “Let’s put some numbers on it and run the 25 Hours of Thunderhill this coming weekend. 70

The side stripes do nothing for me while having black bonnet stripes with a white roof totally confuses me. But to each their own and it is a rental car after all. We had decided to spend the day in San Francisco and head up to Redding the next day. The trip from the airport in the rain was spent figuring out all the controls by both the driver and passenger. Along the way we passed the closed MINI of San Francisco store which was where our friend Chris Knox got the F55 he took to Mini Thunder at Thunderhill a few years ago and did a great job of putting smiles on the faces of those getting ridealongs. For those of you who did not know Norm and Jesse lost their home in Old Shasta during the crazy fires of 2018. The good part was their main shop, the ‘Garage Mahal’ for storing their Mini collection escaped any real damage and the building and cars stored inside escaped unharmed, Norm’s Mini Eagle veterans tribute car and Jesse’s recently revamped Chiquita were parked in the garage by the house and were totally destroyed. The original plan was for the Nelsons to rebuilt on the Old Shasta site but delays in bureaucracy and insurance held up the build. It was at that point the duo started looking around for somewhere else; living in a trailer at the Old Shasta site was starting to get a bit old. Norm and Jesse came up with a list of must-haves’, would likes and don’t wants for the real estate agent. They also did not want to move too far away as the enjoy the Redding area. Their Old Shasta home was up in the hills in a forested area, it was a beautiful wooden home with huge windows and one of the few places where I could relax and chill even though I would sneak in some working on the magazine. Not that Norm needed to consider me

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Road Test Notes The seats are comfortable yet have enough support for spirited driving. Between the seats and adjustable steering wheel there is no problem finding a comfortable driving position The leather bound steering wheel is comfortable and the flappy paddles as Jeremy Clarkson calls them fall easily to hand. I don’t like the half tach and half gas guage. With its race breeding the JCW should have a full tach.

The wheels! What can I say about MINI and BMW wheels other than they look like crap! As noted above the JCW is race inspired and the wheels just don’t reflect that. The JCW Brembos do a good job of stopping the car and look good behind that crappy wheels. There is no way that you don’t know the MINI is a JCW, between badges and digital logos MINI has done a great job of promoting the brand. So MINI, how about a stripped down version of the JCW without all the bells and whistles? Lose some weight off the car and add some hp to compete with the other Hot Hatches. Maybe as in a GPL? GP Light!

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when purchasing a new home, but we are so similar in what our likes are I was sure the new home would be as special as Old Shasta. When Norman called me to let me know they had purchased a new home I was really pleased for them, so with an open invite to visit, all Janis and I had to do was come up with a time to head West. Whereas the Old Shasta home was west of Redding their new home was to the east with great views

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of Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen. As I noted earlier in the article the drive out of San Francisco to Redding was in the rain, it is also quite boring with not many places to take advantage of the go kart handling of the JCW MINI, but the car was very comfortable and provided a great ride on the northern California roads and so-so weather. Although our original plans were for a relaxing week Norm and I had decided that a trip

Photos Left: The East end garage houses four Minis and a bunch of storage racks until the workshop is laid out. Bottom Left: Color matching at the Golden Gate Bridge Center: On Time! My Ecurie Ecosse limited edition Omologato watch at the entrance to Sonoma Raceway. Right: The Union Jack rear lights are a great touch that shows off the MINIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s British heritage.

down to Thunderhill on the Saturday before the race started to meet some friends and acquaintances would be a cool thing to do. Unfortunately, mother nature had other ideas, and the rain that hit Redding put an end to our trip. This was the first time the Nelsons had seen rain like this, and it was a learning experience as we checked out the drainage in the yard and around the house. The rain also put an end to the Redding Christmas parade that the Shasta

Mini Club does every year. They are a fan favorite as they go totally overboard with lighting and such to celebrate the Christmas season. After sorting out and drainage problems Saturday afternoon turned into a relaxing check out of the new house and some celebrating and consumption of non-racing alcohol. It was great for the four of us just to sit, talk and relax without having too much else to do. As I had said earlier

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Norm had asked for certain criteria to be met when were some things we had scheduled before we flew looking for the new house, obviously storage for West. I had never seen Norm’s new Mini, Fireball, their Mini collection was very high up the wanted it’s aggressive looks and paint work looked perfect list. As well as garages attached to the house there for a feature article and you should have noticed it was a separate workshop/office building. The new as you flipped through this issue. I am a huge fan building was a bit disorganized as Norm was still of wide body Minis and Fireball really looks like a bringing parts, spares, and components from Old racecar for the road and when Norm fires it up and Shasta but as Norman said to me “This will give me takes it for a blast down the road you just nod your the chance to get rid of stuff I should’ve thrown out head and say yeah! years ago.” We had lined up a couple of classic minis, Now, what did we think about the JCW on the twisty roads around Redding? Not a lot really, as it sat in front of the shop or was moved into the driveway for a photo shoot. Pretty well anything else we did was in Norman’s pick-up truck. Norman has often said that he is busier since he retired and that was not a truer word. He had sourced a Mini Traveler that has a bit of history behind it and was having it revamped, reworked and turned into a Ghostbusters theme car. Now the basic car turned out to be a little on the ripe side, meaning the dreaded rust had more than taken hold. Luckily since moving to the east side of Redding he had met up with a couple of guys at Caruso’s Customs in Anderson that were more than up to fixing Considering they lost their home to a wildfire it is a little ironic the problem and fixing it properly. Once that three of the Nelson’s cars have flamed paintwork Ghostbuster is complete, we will showcase him in a mini digital magazine for all the many fans. Those that know me understand that a computer can’t be all that far away from me even when I am in relax mode and I took a chance to get up in the early morning and sit at the breakfast bar and was quite happy typing away, working on the magazine when the rest of the crew showed up. Jesse had set the timer on the coffee maker to ensure I had my caffeine fix first thing in the morning. Even with the four of us in relax mode there 76

Norm’s Pooper S R53 and our rental F56 JCW for a photo shoot and you really got blown away by the size difference, yes, the classics are true Minis as Alec Issigonis intended and they just get bigger as we move up to the current generation. Many purists are not fans of the newer generations but when you look at other cars you can see they have evolved just as much. Take a BMW 320i for instance, you cannot can’t compare it with the new BMW three series, as drivers our needs and wants have changed. We expect to have heated seats, heated

mirrors, infotainment systems, all of these take up space and cars get bigger because we need some more space. With SUVs and like becoming more popular the small car has had to adapt to be in a similar market. When we headed out at the end of the week, we made sure that we covered some roads where we could take advantage of the MINI and it’s handling. One stop on the way back to San Francisco was at one of my favorite race tracks Sonoma or whatever it’s called this week. It was where we saw the World Touring Cars and got to hook up with former BTCC champion John Cleland and Dutch touring car star Tom Coronel. Unfortunately, there was nothing much going on this day, but we had to stop by the Winding Road store to get a T-shirt for our nephew Sam. You know how some days the sun just shines on you no matter what, this was one of them, as I was checking out the T-shirts, Janis called me over to look at the collection of books they had on display. For years I have been looking for Howden Ganley’s ‘Road to Monaco’, Ganley had been one of my favorite drivers back in the days of Marlboro BRM in formula one, he and I meet up every year at the PRI show to chat about the old days, days I feel were the best of Formula One, days where underfunded teams

could still put a good driver in a car and he could shock the fans and got a good results by pure determination and skill. Howden lived in a period where making it through a race season was quite an accomplishment. When he raced for BRM he started one year with two teammates and by the end of the year he was the only one who survived. So, imagine my surprise when the first thing I saw was a copy of the book sitting on the shelf. And even better it was autographed. I talked to the guy behind the counter and it turned out Ganley lived in Northern California and had done book signings in the store. Once home before heading away to the PRI show I made a point of sticking the book in my bag to show Howden. I was over the moon when he took the book and dedicated it to me. Getting back to the JCW, some of the roads in the Sonoma area were not the best in the state we could say, but the car drove well and went where you placed it. Sport mode and the resultant change an exhaust note was especially noted when driving through the tunnels and hills on the north side of the Golden Gate bridge, in fact the orange color of the car almost matched the bridge as you can see by one of our photographs. What were the negatives on the car, I would say there’s an awful lot of switches and controls under spread all over the car the ones to the left of the steering wheel you can’t really see without having the door open and peering around the steering wheel. I am not sure how an F56 JCW would be priced in the US but here in Canada the $50,000 wanted for a car like this could be better spent on something larger and better equipped. I think that MINI have lost their way as far as being the junior brand for BMW, maybe that’s not their intention but it would’ve been the smart move especially when the stores used to be under one roof. I always thought a MINI owner lining up beside a BMW was is the ideal way to make that customer aspire to getting into a BMW.

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a e c a Why R

Miat

Words by David Fosberg, Images courtesy of Bare Bones Racing Choosing a racing platform can be a challenge with many technical, financial, and personal variables to consider. I get asked a lot as to why my teammates and I selected the Miata as our racecar of choice. Let’s be honest, we have Jeremy Clarkson, from the original Top Gear, to thank for the whole Hairdresser’s Car thing which the Miata has never been able to shake. But then again, we 78

see this little car at autoX courses and racing circuits seemingly everywhere we turn. Ian Rae, editor of MotorWerks, asked me if I could expand upon the Miata Mania as it relates to racing, since my teammates and I have had first-hand experience successfully campaigning the platform to numerous class wins and overall podium finishes within grassroots endurance racing series over the

last five years. What follows is our assessment on why the Mazda Miata works well for us, and so many others, and why the car’s name has spawned its own acronym: Miata Is Always The Answer. The genesis of our team, Bare Bones Racing (www.facebook. com/barebonezracing), stems several years ago from a

ta?

collection of friends who were deep into track days at the time and were looking to step up to wheel-to-wheel racing. All of us were tracking either supercharged high horsepower Camaros or LS-swapped imports, so we were not your typical converts to the Momentum Car school of thought by any stretch of the imagination. But when we decided that grassroots endurance racing was

the perfect opportunity to build a team around a single car while providing both ample seat time for multiple drivers, along with the ability to share operating costs, we started to take a closer look at the Miata for the following reasons: Accessibility – With Mazda having cranked out over a Million units since 1989 across four generations of the Miata (NA, NB, NC, & ND), there are ample chassis and drive trains available for conversion into racecars along with a sizeable number of already race-spec’d examples. Accessibility also has to do with where your chosen platform fits within a given racing discipline, series, and class. The last thing you want to do is invest in a car that is an orphan when it comes to where it can effectively compete. With the Miata, there is never that worry as competition is plentiful across AutoX, Endurance, Time Attack, as well as dedicated Miata sprint series such as Spec Miata, Spec MX-5 Challenge, Super Miata, Global MX-5 Cup, and it’s now eligible in some Vintage racing series. Accessibility also has to do with driver ability. For endurance racing we have multiple drivers, with different skill levels and experience, sharing the same car during a race weekend. Being a true momentum car, the Miata is well-renowned for its

superb handling, communicative steering, and distributed balance that provides progressive feedback to drivers of all skill levels. The Miata emphasizes a driver’s skill in braking, carrying corner speed, and ensuring smooth corner exits to help maintain momentum and speed. We all became better drivers in the Miata because we couldn’t rely upon a high horsepower engine to cover up our mistakes simply by putting our foot down. The Miata makes us better drivers because it emphasizes racing and car control fundamentals while also making the car accessible to a varying cross-section of drivers with different skill levels. Reliability – The old racers’ moto, “To finish first, you first must finish”, is no truer than in endurance racing. For our team, we needed a platform that could keep piling on the laps in races that stretch anywhere from 7, to 8, and even up to 24 hours at a time. Keeping your car turning laps is essential to be in the hunt at the finish but it is also important when it comes to giving all the team’s drivers an opportunity behind the wheel. Nobody wants to miss their driving stint because everyone was lying under the car trying to resolve a mechanical issue back in the paddock. The Miata is thoroughly up to the reliability challenge even while utilizing

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factory components. The OEM drivetrain has been bullet proof for us in our Miata, “Half Pint”, a 1994 1.8L 4-cylinder with 5-speed manual transmission and limited slip differential. We also run OEM brake calipers and rotors which we have mounted cooling ducts to help maintain acceptable operating temps and we’ve never had overheating issues while running a stock radiator. To enhance our already good reliability with the Miata, we have added an auxiliary oil cooler as well as an Accusump to defend against potential oil starvation issues in high G-force corners. The Miata’s most well-documented Achilles Heel is failed wheel bearings and hubs. These are

easily overcome with either a consistent post-race maintenance regimen, where hubs are replaced or bearings are greased based upon number of race hours, or by upgrading to more resilient aftermarket hub options. Our Miata’s reliability has helped us win several races as competitors often drop-out with a differing array of mechanical issues over the course of a race. In endurance racing, reliability trumps raw speed any day of the week. Affordability – For a team with the name Bare Bones Racing, you can imagine we are always looking for a way to maximize value for a given cost. For those of us born without a trust fund or unlimited zeros behind our net worth, cost is always a factor especially when it comes to consumable components. The Miata benefits greatly both from its wide production numbers and from its broadbased enthusiast and racing popularity. Parts, both new and used, are plentiful and the Miata is additionally widely supported by the aftermarket. This makes for great racecar economics as higher volume availability generally come with more affordable prices. As an example, OEM brake rotors

for the Miata cost around $35 a piece. Many of the Spec Miata requirements were instituted with affordability in mind, especially as it relates to suspensions which can often start to get both exotic and expensive. Mazda Motorsports has worked with suppliers such as Penske, Bilstein, and Eibach to conform to tight performance and price parameters ensuring that the playing field is leveled when it comes to component prices. Proven Platform – When we started, our team was looking to ramp-up quickly into competitive

endurance racing without having to figure everything out from scratch. Recreating the wheel was not one of our objectives. The great thing about the Miata has been the wealth of domain racing knowledge that is abound for this platform. This expertise, ranging from car setup to modifications, can be found within your local communities or racing leagues, online, or within the aftermarket from Miata Racers who’ve figured out how to make a better mouse trap and have went into business supporting the platform. There are well-established and proven

kits for the Miata that range from aerodynamic wings, splitters and air dams from racer-run companies like 9Lives Racing (9livesracing.com), Miata-specific performance upgrade parts from the likes of 5X Racing (5xracing.com), and safety and performance roll bars and spoilers from Blackbird Fabworx (blackbirdfabworx.com) just to name a few. Bare Bones Racing has certainly benefited from the parts and proven race knowledge we’ve gleaned along the way and that has translated to success for us on the track. Over the last several years, we’ve racked up class wins and podium

finishes at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, The Ridge Motorsports Park, and Portland International Raceway while competing with grassroots endurance series such as Lucky Dog Racing League (racelucky. com) and ChampCar Endurance Series (champcar. org). Supportability – The final category that meant so much to our team in our evaluation was how the vehicle platform will be supported both today and into the future and by whom. Mazda Motorsports is All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

well-regarded as being the industry leader in their engagement and support of grassroots racers and are quick to point out that on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. In a world where most manufacturers play around with endless upgrades and planned obsolescence to encourage people to throw out the old and spend massively for the new, Mazda Motorsports provides an array of racing products, support, contingency rewards, and resources for all generations of Miatas that make racing more accessible, affordable, and fun. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also created a Ladder System that provides a pathway to the professional ranks for grassroots racers that include factory support and visibility on their way up to both professional single seaters as well as Sports Cars. Bare Bones Racing joined the Mazda Motorsports Team Support Program (www.mazdamotorsports. com/get-started/team-membership/) several years ago and enjoys wholesale discounts on both

specified OEM and competition Mazda Parts, has access to real-life call center support people who know racing and know how to help, and also have access to free shipping that can be arranged to arrive directly to the race track if needed. Mazda Motorsports has gone above and beyond to support their grassroots racers with not only support and contingency rewards but has also recently augmented their offering to now include new online driver training webinars with real professional drivers who cover racing techniques and answer questions live. But the real clincher when it came to support, over and above what can be provided by the manufacturer, was the Miata Community itself. At any given race weekend, we can look across the paddock and see at least a half dozen other Miata teams. Without a doubt, these other Miata teams are the first ones who offer up their knowledge, tools, and even spare parts if we ever encounter problems. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been able to help other teams by

You can follow Bare their social media ch www.facebook.com/ Instagram: @barebo

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providing a part they needed that got them back ontrack as well. There is a true sense of camaraderie and a pay-it-forward spirit amongst these teams. We’re all super competitive but at the end of the day, we’ll do whatever it takes to get each other back out on-track because beating each other there is much more rewarding rather than because one of us was up on jack stands in the paddock. We recognize that selecting a race platform is an extremely personal choice. Despite the playful acronym mentioned at the beginning, there may never be the right application for all conceivable possibilities. For us, the Miata has been a choice we would make again in a heartbeat. Whatever car you race, we look forward to seeing you out at the racetrack soon!

Bare Bones Racing is a successful collection of ordinary guys and gals doing extraordinary things on the racetrack. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, the team races their 1994 1.8L Miata, affectionately named “Half Pint”, at grassroots endurance racing events up e Bones Racing on and down the west coast in hannels: series such as Lucky Dog /barebonezracing Racing League and ChampCar onezracing Endurance Series. The team is also featured in the new and exciting YouTube TV series called Chasin’ Racin’ (www.youtube. com/c/CHASINRACIN?sub_ confirmation=1), which follows the real-life exploits of grassroots endurance racers. The team is supported by their sponsors, Renegade Race Fuel (www.renegaderacefuel. com/), Roadrunner Protective Films & Graphics (www. roadrunnerprotectivefilms.com/), and Rohner Spray Booths (www.rohnerspraybooths.com/).

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You can follow Bare Bones Racing on their social media channels: www.facebook.com/barebonezracing Instagram: @barebonezracing

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Words and Images by Aric Streeter 86

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Monster MINI part 1

Editors Note: I wanted to cover this car whenever I saw it on the Internet. It reminded me of the Maguire spaceframe Minis that were so common on the circuits during my time in the UK. Only, Aric’s version was on steroids.

Monster Mini Part 1, a History and Future Plans I have always been infatuated with both British cars and motorcycle-engined cars. That infatuation came to a head in the mid-2000s, when I started working on plans for a “silhouette” hill climb and circuit racer which became what today is Monster Mini. Finding a mutually interested party in the form of Z-Cars UK founder Chris Allanson, work began on a bespoke design comprising a ground up chassis in 2003/4, loosely based on the shape of a classic Mini, but upgraded in almost every way imaginable, with the current car only keeping the steering rack and the door hinges and latching mechanisms from the original classic. Upon completing the prototype build in the UK, Chris built the core of my chassis, and molded the body panels in GRP, after which time it was sent to me for finishing. Literally 13+ years later, the design has gone through many design improvements, from a redesign and rebuild of the front suspension and geometry to fix some issues with the original design, to a change to a turbocharged and intercooled Hayabusa engine (car was originally built around a normally aspirated mill), strengthening of the axles and rear suspension arms to support the turbo drivetrain, addition of cockpit adjustable anti-roll bars, a paddle shift system, a DBW ECU system, and a substantial “Pikes Peak-inspired” aero package. All the changes were made to hone the car’s ultimate capabilities as a hill climb and circuit racer, with final weight to power numbers coming in at better than 4:1 (>550BHP/metric ton) with driver, putting it in the same league as top spec Time Attack and hyper/super cars, all while targeting greater downforce than vehicle weight at 100MPH. It’s expected that the car will be able to closed circuit lap times approaching Formula Atlantic and SCCA sports racer classes, and be competitive for overall FTD in All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

Time Attack events where non-production-based chassis are allowed. The build is now in the final stretch, with aluminum panel work and electronics integration being done now, and the final bodywork planned for this spring, in preparation for shakedown this summer, and the first targeted event being the 2020 Empire, MI Revival Hill Climb, where, on paper at least, it would be easily capable of taking the overall victory, and perhaps set an overall course record. Pending success with the shakedown and Empire hill climb, it’s likely the car will find its way to a GridLife event or two over the 2020 season as well. Without going into basic layout and configuration of the car too much (we will leave that for Part 2) the spec is as follows

• Electro-mechanically controlled flat shift and blip downshift system, integrated with DBW ECU • Motorsports traction control, anti-lag, launch control, and switchable engine maps

Photos Left: You can see the flat floor under the car, constructed out of 2mm carbon fiber built by Z-Cars in the UK. The floor leads into the carbon diffuser Aric built himself. Right: Inside the car you can see the carbon floor and it looks great. Aric has built a 0.120” heel plate that is not fitted in this picture.

About Aric Streeter • Mid-engine space frame chassis (1200lbs full up weight) • Fiberglass / composite multi-piece body • Carbon composite underfloor, front wing / splitter, rear diffuser, rear wing • Double A-Arm front, semi-trailing arm rear suspension • Garrett-turbocharged, intercooled, and dry-sumped, 1.3L Hayabusa engine (360 to 380BHP) • Genesis cockpit-adjustable anti-roll bars 88

Aric knew at a young age he was destined to be an engineer, gearhead, and speed freak. Erector sets at seven, breaking an arm practicing ill-advised two wheel gravity sports at eight, disassembling and rebuilding lawnmower engines at ten, gearing changes to Honda minibikes for measured top speed runs on frozen lakes at twelve, self-teaching mechanical drawing and CAD at fourteen, and many other similar stories naturally led to a Mechanical Engineering degree. With a busy professional career spanning over twenty-

five years of engineering ranging from automotive exhaust system design, mechanical and control system design, loudspeaker and audio amplifier design, and telecommunications system design and testing, Aric has always held on to his passion for speed - finding time to go fast, and figuring out how to make things go faster! Aric has been doing engineering design and consulting work for some well-known projects and names in the industry for the last five years, but began with autocross in his teens, and dabbling in hill-climb racing in his twenties. He started rebuilding and reengineering race-centric vehicles in his thirties after starting a family, regularly fielding the cars he builds in time trial and HPDE events as well as in hill climb racing. Aric can be contacted at https://speedstreetllc.com, Aric@speedstreetllc.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SpeedStreetLLC

Above: The floor is carbon fiber Below: Aric (right) talks to Cole Powelson at the PRI show.

The rear mounted turbo Hayabusa motor is surrounded by all the paraphaelia required for a dry sump and Aric put a lot of thought into the packaging and ability to service the car. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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1:The Genesis roll bar adjuster sits easily at hand enabling Aric to make changes on the go 2: A Vibrant intercooler core is the basis for the custom intercooler welded up by Cody Loveland. 3: An AIM MXL digital dash provides all the info Aric requires on track. 4: A Griffin 500 whp radiator with twin fans takes care of the cooling. 5: A Sparco wheel provides directional control with four buttons easily at hand. 6: Tuning the Link ECU

Below: Another of Aricâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toys! Watch for it in a future issue! Originally it was a 1996 Caterham Supersport 1.4L Rover, Series 3 chassis. it had been tracked extensively by the previous / original owner. It was purchased in 2013 and rebuilt to a higher spec in 2014 and again in 2015. The engine rebuild included a capacity increase to 1.8L, with a dry sump, Jenvey ITBs, Aric then had Cody Loveland tune the new combination using an Emerald ECU, resulting in approximately 190BHP at the crank. The chassic weighs in at sub 1100lbs minus the new wings. It is the class record holder at Empire Hillclimb in Michigan (set in 2019) Aric is targeting the overall Empire record in 2020 with new aero package installed(0.3sec to be gained!)

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e t s u B s h t My ! s n a e b e h t Harrop spills

Harrop Engineering is in its 65th year of Automotive Engineering design, development and manufacturing. For 15 of those years we have developed many supercharger systems for both OEM and Aftermarket customers. We supplied the world’s first Eaton TVS technology

supercharger to Toyota Australia, a global OEM, for the TRD Aurion program. Over 10 years ago we also worked on another world first, this time with FPV to develop the Ford Miami OEM TVS Supercharged Coyote engine. Our focus has always been to develop complete, high quality supercharger systems for a range of platforms including GM LS and LT, BMW S65, R53 Mini, Ford 5.0 & 5.4, Toyota 3UR, 1UR and 2GR, Subaru FA20, Nissan VK56, Hemi 5.7 and Holden 304– all designed and manufactured in Australia. 92

At Harrop we try not to get caught up in opinions and beliefs, and prefer to deal with the facts. A hot topic for debate recently has been Supercharger designs and the impact of Inlet Air Temperatures (IATs) delivered to the engine.

Downwards vs Upwards Discharge

On the topic of supercharger layout, there are

ed!

two common types. One where the air exits the supercharger downwards, and the other upwards. There are advantages and disadvantages of each, and the design is influenced by a number of factors including styling, available space, serviceability, manufacturing cost, rotating group, intercooling requirements, airbox and intake system, and very importantly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; supercharger drive. It is interesting to note that- all other things being equal, neither design stands out as being

significantly more efficient than the other. Our design objective is to develop complete, high quality supercharger systems while maximising the performance potential for our customers. We test to better understand what happens to the air through the induction side of the engine using our supercharger dyne cell, our vehicle dyne cells and testing through data acquisition at the race track. Shown on the next page are cross-sections of two Harrop Supercharger manifolds, at the left a downwards outlet and on the right an upwards outlet. Green highlighted surfaces are the inmanifold intercoolers. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

Red arrows indicate the general, schematic airflow path. In reality this is much more complex, turbulent, rarely in a straight line and varies tremendously with volume flowrate and pressure. Air inlet is facing the reader into the ends of the 2x 4-lobe rotors in both cases.

Measuring IATs Harrop Supercharger kits use a factory OEM sensor. We are confident that the engineers that designed these sensors spent a lot of time designing for both accuracy and durability. The image below shows a sectioned IAT sensor to clearly show the construction of the sensor. The brown and white components are non-conductive plastic and the

part that measures the temperature is the circular thermistor hanging in free air on two thin wires at the left, heat soak through the casting is minimal. The sensor is designed to be accurate at the tip, 94

even if the brass body of the sensor is very hot. Now let’s consider some key points regarding the position of the IAT sensor: * Must be in the post-intercooler airstream, close to an inlet port – need to know accurately what temperature the cylinder head is receiving. * Not directly facing an inlet valve – reversion can heat the thermistor *Avoid oil contamination of the sensor * Avoid fuel vapour which can cool the thermistor All of these must be taken into consideration when choosing the position of the IAT sensor. Our experience has shown that a high proportion of heat in the inlet air is added by the supercharger itself, not from heat transferred from the engine. The following chart shows data from a TVS2650 Mustang on our chassis dyno, where we added sensors and measured air temperatures throughout the supercharger air path. The light blue trace is the temperature of the air entering the supercharger (constant at ~29°C). The red trace is the temperature of the air exiting the supercharger (~198°C) before any intercooling, and the dark blue trace is the IAT that the ECU uses, after intercooling (~66°C). The run start point has about 11 PSI of boost and the end point just over 21 PSI. Whilst the supercharger outlet temperature almost doubles the IAT is well under control and increases by less than 30%. There is a lot of work done by the intercooler

system to achieve this type of result. These results are typical for Supercharger systems. When taking into account pressure ratio, higher boost adds more heat. This is a fact and does not change by moving the IAT sensor. Where the IAT sensor is placed varies by supercharger system due to the design points listed earlier. On the GM LT engine, the IAT sensor is in the runner, close to the port, whereas the GM LSA engine has the sensor in the lid. It is misleading to conclude that the IAT sensor position is wrong on some systems and moving it will provide better performance. We have tested different sensor positions and the results were identical. There is no disputing that cooler intake air will result in more potential power. For those familiar with the Harrop LS3 FDFI kits you would know that we introduced as standard factory manifold insulators back in 2015, this decision was as a direct result of testing.

Intercooler System Testing Shown in the next column is a graph from our supercharger test cell measuring different intercooler water flow rates and the effect of the air temps and the intercooler water temperatures. As you will note the lower the coolant flow rate the higher the IAT. This data is from one of our kits tested on our supercharger dyno cell (not on an engine). It can be seen that the supercharger is adding heat to the air, over 130Â°C at 102kPA (15PSI). The difference between the Red trace (post intercooler) and the Blue trace (pre intercooler) decreases with lower coolant flow rates. The test was not just limited to temperatures, at the same time we were measuring pressures in the air path which can contribute to IAT due to the amount of work the supercharger has to do to achieve the required boost. For example, a restrictive throttle or airbox will mean the

supercharger has to spin faster to achieve the same boost level of a less restrictive intake. Whilst we use these figures in conjunction with the coolant flow rates to calculate work done, an understanding of the whole system is required before using the data to compare supercharger systems. The conclusions we draw based on testing is that while it is advantageous to reduce IATs as much as practical, there is a point of diminishing returns where a large reduction in IATs is required to make a small improvement in power output. All Harrop supercharger kits are designed to efficiently control IATs while delivering consistent performance with the highest level of vehicle integration, quality and performance. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excited by the evolution of highperformance powertrains like this LSX 427ci engine combination we tested on the engine dyno with our LS3/LSA TVS2650 Supercharger with 110mm integrated throttle body making over 1250hp.

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o p s r Moto R U T E R

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ort RNs

Words and Images by Ian Rae All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

‘Ho’s 1997 BMW 328i ran in

the GT4 class and ran a best of 1:38.8. The super clean E36 attracted lots of favorable comments about its spotless preparation.’

Left Tom Bryson was pushing his 2005 911 Carrera all day and used all the track without going two wheels off.

Jay Tsang in the Pinnacle Advanced Driving Lotus Evora 400 with itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screaming high rpm engine. After a few sessions of getting settled in with his new set up he was able to secure second place in the GT2 class with a time of 1:33.7.

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When the last issue of MotorWerks Magazine was published the last thing any of us thought about was there being no motorsport in 2020, especially when that lack of track time would be brought on by a Global pandemic. For us here at MotorWerks Magazine leading up to March tends to be a busy time as Canada’s biggest car show is scheduled for the second weekend of March. The Motorama Custom Car Show and Motorsports Expo tends to signal all us Canucks that the racing season is just around the corner and the winter blaahs will be fading away before long. This year we had a booth for our sister company HeadsUpRacer.com and Randy Sparre from our Sabelt supplier Sabelt Canada was on hand with some product to showcase and help man the booth. The Covid-19 hype was such that right up to loading in night we were not sure if our provincial government was going to shutdown events like shows or concerts. Personally, I was in what they

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called the ‘High Risk’ zone with my health issues but as a typical Scotsman I could not walk away from the large financial investment I had already made. So how was the show? It seems quieter than usual which was what we expected but those who took time to talk to us seemed to show true interest in buying the product. Then come 12:30 Sunday morning I got an inkling of what was coming, Randy texted me to say the show was shut down and Sunday was not happening. That was the start of our new World, Monday March 16 saw daily Covid-19 briefings and charts with anticipated infections and deaths. It was also the start of misinformation from the mainstream and Internet media, it got to a stage we did not know who to believe. Racers were only interested in when we could be back at the track but with the announcement that Formula 1 was not running the Australian Grand Prix when all the teams were already there that set a red

Hondas and Acuras were plentiful at the first two Time Attack events in Ontario. What makes them so popular? It was the racers first car and just evolved into a fire breathing track monster? Or is it the fact that they can make decent power without breaking the bank?

Above, Denes Szvercsok and his hopped his Civic SiR over the kerbs chasing Brad Coleman all the way to second in the MOD 2 class. Brad and his 1998 Acura Integra ran strong all day and took the class win with a 1:32.3, just 3/10ths ahead of Szvercsok.

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flag that none of us foresaw as a pivotal point in motorsport history. Then it was IMSA postponing Sebring, Indycar moving the Indy 500. The stay at home orders closed down the NASCAR shops as only essential services could continue working, speed shops hurried to increase online ordering and when permitted curb-side pickup. The downtime has been advantageous to those with a race car located on their own property, the stay at home orders did not dictate not working on your car if you could access it at home. In fact it gave those racers more time to continue working on the car as long as they could get the parts to complete their projects. They eagerly awaited the news of tracks re-opening and how the motorsport landscape would look in our brave new World. Many Canadian racers including my good friend James Houghton regularly compete in the USA and with the Canada/USA border closed that was not going to be an option. So how would we get our fix? The Northern Speed series was the first to announce a return to competition with a ‘No Spectators’ event at Toronto Motorsports Park. For those attending Wheels

Collection of Toronto was providing facemasks to prevent the spread of Covid-19. While it was predominately road cars competing on the day, James Houghton brought out his Gridlife Touring Cup K-Tuned supported Acura TSX and Sam Shi showed up in a GT3 Cup Porsche from M-Tech Auto. Both took the opportunity to get some seat time after the pandemic break. Next up was the Ontario Time Attack Series at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park’s DDT where a healthier group of race cars showed up to get their first competitive outing of the year. Houghton 102

The track is open and it is time to test the GT3 Cup car, Sam Shi was getting seat time and coaching at the Northern Speed opener. showed up with the TSX even though it is not really a Time Attack car and proved how well sorted the car is by setting a new production car based record, won his class and once the OTA Pax numbers were calculated added the FTD to his tally for the weekend. The last Ontario Time Attack series to show face in 2020 was the Canadian Sport Compact Series who also chose the DDT for their series opener. When entries opened there actually seemed to be a shortage of TA cars as some still sat in their garages due to various issues with Covid-19. In an effort to

get more cars out they offered an amazing $99 deal for Open Lapping, which seemed to energize regular series drivers and the TA field filled up. While I am sure the Need For Speed was satisfied it will be interesting to see how Covid 19 is going to influence the rest of the season; hopefully it does not impact it in any way, people can get back to running their businesses and be able to spend on their hobbies once again. Stay healthy everyone and enjoy being back at the track. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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You Gotta Love Diversity

This Nissan Z-Car is a CSCS series regular

Mopar gets into the game with a Neon SRT

This Audi RS4 makes use of Quattro technology

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The Toyota Supra/BMW Z4 platform is getting popular as seen here at CSCS

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Like Time Attack, it’s Radical! Robert Burgess’s Radical is a bit of an oddball, as it is not a production based car not all Time Attack series provide a class for the British built sportscar. OTA allowes it to compete where CSCS created an Exhibition class for it without a championship

We Need Your Input We are looking to run an article in an upcoming issue about the BRZ/FRS/Toyota86 platform and how it has quicky become one of the most popular cars in motorsport. We would like to hear about your experiences with the platform and why you chose it. As the platform sees action in all forms of motorsport we welcome all your views on why it seems to work well in all arenas. So if your are road racing one, or taking it to Time Attack or just dodging the cones in a parking lot we want to hear from you! And yes Dov Aronoff we want to hear about your drift car.

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Unique and Flies The K-swapped Suzuki Swift of Kevin Stittle is driven by his brother Andrew and with his father Ken turning the wrenches this family run team had a successful return to racing post Covid-19 at the CSCS opener at CTMPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s DDT and set the Fastest Time of the Day. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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Clinched Eurolook Fender Flares

Quite a few parts have arrived for Cooper RSR lately, we will talk about them here and in another issue you can follow their installation.

Forge Motorsport Coolant Header Tank

To be honest I had never heard of Clinched Flares until six monthe ago. I came across them after Terry Fair mentioned fitting them to one of the cars in the Vorslag shop. That sent me into Google mode and what I found amazed me. They produce universal flares, model specific body kit and rear spoilers. Where other companies might produce one or two universal options Clinched produce no less than seven different model choices. And it gets better, most of the models have different widths available so you really can get a solution to suit your car and your particular wheel/tire

combination. While I really would have liked to As many of you know the plastic overflow bottle on use Clinched Slider flare the two width the R53 MINI is prone to cracking options they had (2.7” and 4.7”) were and info either not wide enough or too wide. you don’t So after weeks of measuring and catch it Googling I decided the Eurolook in time flares would do the job. The wider option as 3.9″ or 10cm as they say in the rest of the World would be just perfect to cover our custom made Forgeline GS1R one-piece forged wheels Made from high-quality impact-resistant and lightweight 3mm ABS plastic, the same material most OE bumpers are made out of, the flares are sold as an axle kit with everything you need to you could fry your motor. complete the installation. It includes a pair (qty.2) Forge Motorsport was founded in 1996 with the of flares, rubber gasket and Type 3 installation simple ideals of innovation, clever design, and hardware which includes rivnuts but you can choose manufacturing to the highest quality in Great Britain. to rivet the flares in place. – you will need to drill These parts are shipped to their sister companies, your stock fenders and/or quarter panels. Forge Motorsport USA and Forge Motorsport Asia. You will need to install a lowered suspension and This header tank is a prime example of their wider wheels to achieve the right stance. products’ The polished tank has brackets matching A heatgun (or a hair dryer) can be used to to heat the OEM tank, meaning the installation is simple for up the flares and mold them into place to follow even the most in-experienced handyman. And beat factory body lines better. of all, no more leaks! These fender flares could be installed on many 108

makes and models with minor customization. While the rear flares on Cooper RSR are going to be relatively easy to install. They will involve some cutting and modification to suit the aero rocker panels we will be fabricating as well as interacting with the rear bumper that has been modified to allow for a full width diffuser. The front flares are going to be a little bit more challenging because of the way the hood interacts with the A-panel and front bumper. Each model on the website has a dimensioned drawing similar to the one shown below where you can check the dimensions of the paticular flares and cross-reference with your wheel well opening.

Out Goes Anti-Lock Brakes and in Comes a PE Racing Pedal Box You have no doubt seen before in this magazine that I have been impressed by the pedal box that PE Racing out of Australia produces. Daryl Perusic the Technical Director and I have communicated over the years about how the unique pedal box could be marketed to racers and be seen a worthwhile option to those that have been on the market for many years. All the plus points

that impressed me like ease of installation, huge adjustabilty had originally forced Daryl to fabricate the pedal box and that was time consuming and added to the cost. He had originally been advertising the units complete and that tended to scare some racers off as they thought it was expensive but when you totalled up all the components required it really was not. He was originally looking to sell the product to dealers but when their mark-up was added into the pricing it did tend to make people take a sharp intake of

breath. So leading up to the 2019 PRI show Darylâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter Bianca was hard at work creating an Online Store where racers could purchased direct from the company. During another sit down with my Aussie friends, we got to discussing the new marketing model and a new service that Daryl had created. When people install a pedal box they only things that tend to be considered is wieght, power and All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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tire type. Daryl explained, “The downloadable file is looking for all sorts of information which investigates your cars dynamic behaviour & grip levels associated with the effects of braking. Not only the dynamic weight transfer but aero, suspension, caliper, rotors, pads and even the expected operating temperatures of the brake package can be predicted.” He went on, “The intensity and frequency of demand on your brake system are mainly governed by engine power, weight & track characteristics, these determine the power levels & cyclic repetition rates of braking events, so selecting suitable components in your entire brake system will increase feel, performance & reliability. We have had racers run the program and after getting it back to us and analyazing it we can recommend changes which have transformed their race cars. Without this service they could have been still running the car around blaming brake bias of brake pad compounds. And best of all we can do this for racers that are not running our pedal box.” With that discussion under our belt Daryl and I agreed the best way forward for me would be to get the billet frame with pedals, the DBW electronics, braided hose line and when Cooper RSR is completed and scaled I will send the completed file ack to Daryl and he can tell me exactly what size of master cylinders I require for my Powerbrake X4ES big brake kit and OEM rear brakes. The sizing of the clutch master cylinder will occur at the same time and I will order up the Girling cylinders here in North America. So watch for the installation next!

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Roux Racer Utility Backpack When I am on the go so often it was difficult keeping things organized. I had a Racepak backpack that I used when doing datalogging for James Houghton or working on Racepak systems but I had to swap out the laptop and all the comm cables for my Macbook whiched is used for magazine production and all our Cooper RSR information. The answer was to get another laptop friendly backpack and when I was checking out Ultraray Motorsports new showroom in Oakville I came across the exact backpack I was looking for. The backpak come in black with grey accents, red stitching and tags, YKK Zippers, a padded carry handle and back cushion, wide cushion straps with a buckle support strap. There are six zipper compartments with two mesh bottle-holders, a metal safety loop on wide strap. A six zipper/four pocket folio insert is included inside the backpack and the Roux quick attach system allows the user to attach their Roux helmet bag and carry as one unit.

A very emotional weekend....all the highs and lows. Words by Aric Streeter Images by Rob Wilkinson

First the highs: I’ve already mentioned my surprising win in the Unlimited Class, which was quite unexpected, but it was a light field. That said though, the car put up a very respectable time of 1:36.14 (1:35.88 on AIM) with the new aero, which was an improvement of 0.8sec on my PB, with no other changes aside from spring rate to support the aero. There’s at least a second more there, maybe two (theoretical lap = 1:33.80), once we can find the right aero balance, as the car is quite tail happy

at speeds above 70MPH now....that’s how well the Nine Lives Racing front wing works! Finally I can brake the car though, with a consistent 0.2G peak improvement in braking decel seen, along with a 0.3G improvement in peak lateral acceleration. Good stuff! #wangswork Now the lows: Speed Street team member Evan Weider, having recently come off an exciting off-season upgrade program and a very successful pre-season shakedown regime was poised to take the Street Mod FWD record, already having shown a pace close to two seconds ahead of the current record. Evan struggled with an unexpected

cooling issue throughout the early parts of Saturday, but we found the fix in the afternoon, so the evening sessions looked promising. Evan’s last session started off well, but towards the end of the session, a well driven Camaro SS 1LE had a brake failure incident that unfortunately resulted in the two cars colliding at high speed, both of them being totaled. Thankfully both Evan and the other driver suffered only minor bruising. Faced with the daunting and expensive task of a rebuild, Evan was obviously disheartened, but since then, the Gridlife and Midwest track community has rallied together and a GoFundMe set up for Evan’s rebuilt has generated over $8500 in less than 16 hours, along with a few industry companies offering to help, including Johnny Cichowski and Chris from Kingpin Machine! It’s unbelievable the level of support Evan’s received so far, and a testament to both how good of a guy Evan is and to the great people involved in the sport. The rebuild will hopefully commence soon, and hopefully will result in a car even better built and faster than before!

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The Train Pulling into the Pits Now is ?

Some of you may not like the title of this article because you enjoy running nose to tail with friends at Time Attack events. You are racing and because you can see your buddy and gain on him you are doing good. Right? Well no actually. Time Attack is about running against the clock and wheel to wheel racing is running against other cars and drivers. If you are serious about the sport you have to dedicate your track time to getting the most out of your car and yourself. Depending on what Time Attack series you run the competition part of the series can be run various ways. At Gridlife all laps count, you can lay down your quickest lap anytime, even the first lap of the day. Running in groups like shown in the title image may help slightly with the right car ahead of you but running in a constant train all day will not. In the Canadian Sport Compact Series, you have lots of practice time and the competition is completed by a series of class runoffs later in the day with only the top racers in the class competing. In CSCS the quickest drivers are put out first in the shootouts pretty well meaning you will be chasing your fastest lap on your own without any slipstreaming assistance. 112

In a previous issue Burning Rubber’s main man Christopher Kennealy told us why their team has run trains at events. And I wholeheartedly agree that follow the leader has a place in the sport, but I also believe that it might be better for a pair of cars to run together to help a rookie learn the track and race lines especially with some of the powerful cars that are attending these events. Back when I started competing in hillclimbs and sprints (I’ll explain that later) with road cars in Scotland you were lucky if a standard road car

had much over 100 bhp and modified road cars with Cosworth BDAs or similar had just over 200. Most road cars have in excess of that now. Add in sticky tires and many of these cars have way more capability than the drivers. I love the fact that the Ontario Time Attack series has a school that rookies must go to before being allowed to compete.

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Northern Speed the newest Time Attack series in Ontario is working with Pinnacle Advanced Driving to supply driver coaches for their trip to Calabogie later in the year. One of the bonuses that attracted me to running Time Attack was taking your car home at the end of the day without a scratch. I have done my wheel to wheel racing years ago and don’t want to work my ass off from one event to next working on the car if it came home damaged. The photo at the start of the article shows at least three road cars, imagine running that close and getting well out of shape, that could have catastrophic results for more than one of the racers. I mentioned earlier that I would elaborate on the British motorsport called sprinting. It is very similar to Time Attack and runs at similar venues, including some that are smaller and narrower. This can happen because there is only one car on track at a time. This also makes it a popular playing field for those with road cars who actually drive their cars to and from the track. I’m going to be brutally blunt here and tell you, the only person responsible for making space for you to lay down a good lap is you. The number of times I have heard a racer come off track and complain about others not pointing them by just makes me shake my head. These five and six car trains are becoming common place in Ontario based Time Attack and you are the only guys that can really control it. How hard is it to pull over on the straight and let the train go by? Then watching your mirror fall back further and just as you see another car catching you, put the pedal to the metal and focus on laying down that perfect lap. Waiting for a point-by that never comes is just a waste of time and your money. So, what makes me such an expert? This is my 51st year in motorsport and I have been involved with many facets of it, including being involved with championship winning teams. During the past four years I’ve been part of James

Houghton’s Time Attack team and can say that during that time neither Jim nor fellow K-Tuned racer Chris Boersma get involved with running in multi-car trains at any time during the race weekend. In fact, the only time James ever got involved closely with another racer was at Road Atlanta and the off-track result was not typical of this multi-time Champion’s driving. You are not just focusing on your lap when running in a train but keeping also an eye on the other cars in the train. The further back you are in the train gives you more to focus on and takes away from your driving and ability to string together a good lap.

How about this as an off the wall idea? In the above article I mentioned Hillclimbing and Sprinting which is popular in Europe. The current British Champions in both series are friends of mine and the one common denominator both have in their careers is that at some point during their past they both have shared a race car at an event during the race season. That’s right shared the car, just like what you can do in Autocross in North America. So, what if Time Attack looked into allowing two drivers to share a car and the associated costs? This would really work well especially in the Unlimited Class, where the huge costs seems to have seen a decline in cars running in that class. In the UK the top class is the Unlimited single seaters, purpose built chassis with engines out of F1 and Indycars. Shared cars are very common in this class and I think the formula could work in Time Attack too. What are your thoughts? All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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EXIF Camera: Lens: Focal Length: Exposure:

Nikon D7100 18mm-300mm, F3.5-5.6 300mm 1/400th, F5.6, ISO 280

Photography has always been Max Ronchettoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passion, especially with 35mm cameras. I won my first at elementary school in a competition, but my first passion is motorsport: bikes, cars and averything with an engine. I drive my vintage cars and I race a mk1 GTI over 300hp sometimes. 116

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FEATUREDPhotographer Max Ronchetto

So by combining photography and motorsport, I created Rolling Fast Photography. I have two things in mind when I take pictures: 1: How I would like too see pictures of me and my car, trying to do the same as the drivers I shoot 2: Give the idea of speed in my pictures using long

shutter times and fluid movements, in this way the mental effort and commitment are always high on a race day, but satisfaction is great when I get the photo I was looking for. Rolling Fast Photography is about hillclimb, track race, rally, time attack and everything that moves fast.. All Action, All The Time from MotorWerks Magazine

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The images shown here are from events like the Oberhallau Mountain Race which is really more of a Festival that takes place about an hours drive from Zurich, Switzerland.

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EXIF Camera: Lens: Focal Length: Exposure:

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Nikon D7100 18mm-300mm, F3.5-5.6 65mm 1/100th, F13, ISO 100

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MotorWerks Magazine Volume 10 Issue1

Articles inside

FEATUREDPhotographer Max Ronchetto