A few degrees can make all the difference.

Last weekend went much better than I expected; setting goals and achieving them can be quite satisfying. I wanted to step up my game for events seven and eight of the Rio Grande SCCA by placing top 5 in PAX. The course was higher speed than usual so that was enjoyable; sometimes I question if autocross is truly for me. I don't enjoy the events as much as time attacks, leave if you like but its a lot of preparation for such little seat time. Regardless when you're in the moment its still incredibly enjoyable (not to mention safer....or at least its supposed to be....) and when your goals are within hundreds of a second it gets intense (not like camping which by the way, is really overrated). This marks the half way point for the season and I'm already itching to buy a supercharger. STX class is fun but since this post seems to be all about honesty lets face it, rules suck. I want a 300 HP BRZ already; E85, a supercharger, and Hoosiers would kick ass. Pretty sure I'm going to jump into SM class next year; there's this dentist I want to beat. Plus I could go wide body while in the process, as long as it stays in one piece it would be pretty kick ass. Despite how well the BRZ is currently setup for STX I really want to join SM so I could design my own areo components. I recently got access to a CNC solid state laser table which makes designing and creating my own components a mouse click away. I've always enjoyed the modification process as much as racing so naturally the first thing I created was a light weight (one of the few things STX lets me do) battery bracket. From lines on a screen to a device that serves purpose, these machines are truly incredible. Three variations in and I still have new ideas and tweaks but from concept to creation here is a light weight battery system that dropped approximately 25 pounds (thanks BWG) off the front of the BRZ.

First prototype in action

Without a doubt loosing weight is a big help but the biggest change to the car was more front camber. The last event I wasn't satisfied with my performance, sure you can always improve but something was different. Turns out I also was packing 1.5 extra (explains the under-steer during left turns) degrees of camber on the right rear of the car! This was a little odd because I'm still not sure how it happened. Despite how much I hate SPC lower control arms they didn't seem to be loose, but the truth was it had 3.3 degrees of camber instead of the 1.8 I had originally set up. After a few minutes my buddy and I were able to rectify the problem and added .3 degrees of camber up front bringing the total to 3.1. After the first run I knew all was right in the world. Anyway I also must dedicate a few lines of text to how well the RE-71Rs are doing, just as much grip as the day I got them. Truly amazing (sponsor me Bridgstone!!!!!) tires. The top picture was taken after the events and they may seem low on tread for it being mid season but those truly know they have already experienced much more. And on the bombshell, here is the beautiful bean footage......already looking forward to watching the epic three on Prime.

RGRSCCA Event 6

Finally, its seemed so long since the last time I murdered large amounts of cones. The most recent autocross event was held at our local speed way which took the edge off the normally seen parking lots. Many changes happened up to this event, the most noticeable was the BRZ finally got tuned after the exhaust was reworked. The car feels completely different as it actually makes torque (I hear Jaik Ortiz laughing right now, relatively speaking!) at 4k RPMs unlike before. Regardless of this new found performance I actually did worse than usual; not sure maybe it was the air but I blame two features that required the car dipping below 4k RPMs. I felt a downshift would have helped greatly but the truth is I didn't think I could make the very sharp turns without both hands on the wheel. Despite the poor performance I still pulled 1st place in STX class but only placed 10th in overall PAX. Some might say that something to be proud of but I want to end the season in the top 5. To do that I need to head back to the drawing board and make some changes. I see a lot of suspension testing in the next few weeks, of course video for your entertainment.

Thanks to Motiva Performance and Scott Fox for the continued support! The car feels properly quick after several hours spent on the dyno. Below are the results which I must discuss as some of these modifications made quite the shit storm (you know who you are) on the forums. PLM did make a few mistakes on "their" design but after seeing the proof I think its a worthy route. These numbers will not impress most of you viewers but lets put this into context. With the few power mods that are allowed in STX class these numbers are fantastic even game changers. The amount of power gained overall is good but whats really amazing is the torque increase in the lower RPMs. Final statement PLM did rip off Nameless, and its worth the purchase. Enjoy a nice dyno run featuring PLM "long tube" headers.

RGRSCCA Event 4 and 5

This weekend was a good one, packed the truck and trailer and headed to Farmington. This would be my first event rocking the Motiva Performance name and I was shooting to make it worth wild. The weather was slightly hotter than I would have liked but regardless the RE71R's really seemed to perform well. This event would be the first time my buddy Andrew and I would co-drive the same car. I was worried at first because the car really saw tons of action over the weekend; around 28 runs in two days! Most experienced solo racers would appreciate and understand that statement. Speaking of solo Its about time I actually explain this whole process. To the untrained eye this "motor sport" is nothing but elderly people driving around cones trying to relive the "good ol days". This assumption couldn't be furthest from the truth. I don't believe I have ever experienced such a technical and performance demanding activity in my entire life. Winning or losing is often by thousands of seconds, which is such a small unit its almost debatable that it even happened. The slightest degree of correction or smallest amount of kinetic energy scrubbed through a turn can make or break a run. When I race in a parking lot I don't see cones; I see off camber surfaces, cracks in the asphalt, debit by the apexes. Pointer cones become rumble strips and slaloms become chicanes because I make that parking lot into my very own thunder dome! Onto the weekend results; Andrew and I both did really well during both events. So well that we took first place in both Combined and Street Touring. These classes are quite competitive in our region so taking first is something to be proud of. The first event Andrew did so well in my own car! It goes to show his experience; a car I was far more experienced in yet did the same course a second slower. Makes me almost regret agreeing to the whole co-driving in the first place; jk Andrew, you can school me anytime. The second day was also a great one however the course was much faster. This ultimately was the downfall for Andrew who took 3rd in Combined (stupid PAX). This however didn't effect the street touring class which I placed 1st for the 4th time in a row......feels good to say that. This is something I'm quite proud of as Blake has been breathing down my neck in his S2000 at every event. Blake still owes me a beer by the way, I'm not letting that go. Next event is in 30 days, rotate the stones I must, till next time check out Andrew and I in action!

                                                 Big thanks to Motiva for the support!

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Race Squad Team 2

Today was an interesting one; work is starting to pile up with another round of technician training. During the preparation I happened to see that I was added to a new Facebook group called The Motiva Race Squad Team 2. I was really confused at first because my buddy Andrew was chosen for the "real" race squad. Once he told me about it I pretty much gave up on the idea of being sponsored by a local speed shop. Turns out this is a group for potential future sponsorship; game on boys, game on!