Global Time Attack’s Super Lap Battle 2016

This week is the Super Lap Battle Time Attack event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, hosted by Global Time Attack.

Damn, that’s a mouthful to say…

Anyhow, we’ve continued to attend the event for the past 6 consecutive years now. Our main purpose is to check out how the event goes, see how it has grown, and also to assist any teams/drivers that are using TEIN suspension.

For the most part, most teams/drivers are pretty experienced with their setup. So it’s not like we’re trying to rearrange everything they’ve setup and working for them. We just want to see how we can extract a bit more performance with a little bit of tuning. We bring one of our in-house engineers to speak with the driver and get feedback on how the car feels. From that, we are able to make an assessment on whether any changes to the suspension should be made, or if some other aspect should be altered. Funny enough, tire pressures tend to be overlooked.

The past few years has really just left us looking like spectators, however. Again, most of the teams have their race cars sorted out. So there isn’t much for us to do except check out the progress of each session.

For this year, we really only know of two teams on TEIN-equipped cars competing. Evasive Motorsports is bringing their R35 GT-R to run in the Unlimited AWD class, and Sport Car Motion (SCM) has their DC2 Type R Integra in the Limited FWD class. Both teams using our Super Racing damper kits.

scm-itr

The SCM Type R has proven to be plenty fast, mainly because they know how to extract the most out of their Rotrex-charged K24 engine setup. [Not] oddly enough, their Super Racing dampers are completely off-the-shelf. No changes in valving, and spring rates are per our recommendation. We did a refresh on the dampers last year, but unfortunately the car couldn’t make the event. Considering this specific Super Racing kit was on the team’s previous EG Civic race car, and that it has just over 6 years of use, the dampers were due for a rebuild anyway. We look forward to seeing the Type R run again this week!

 

evs-gtr

Evasive Motorsports has only taken their GT-R, in its current iteration, to a couple of track days. Back when the car had the very basics (our Super Racing dampers, racing brake pads, upgraded wheels & tires), they were using our recommended setup. Now, with a slightly wider body and more aero additions, we’ve uprated their springs. Other than that, the Super Racing dampers have our 3-way units installed, but valving has been kept as out-of-the-box. Wheels are a bit larger now, and they’re using a much more sticky tire. On its maiden voyage in this setup at Buttonwillow, the car did something in the neighborhood of a 1:47.00 lap time. No time spent trying to fine tune anything, and that’s what they run……… Damn. We weren’t expecting something that quick for what is essentially a still very street-bound car with full interior, full amenities. While we would love to attribute this shockingly fast time to our dampers, the fact is that Evasive Motorsports aren’t any slouches when it comes to building a proper car for the track. We’ll see what else the team does to knock down a couple more seconds from the timer.

Other than those two cars, which would keep our engineer busy enough, we’ve yet to hear of anyone else that may need our assistance. But, as I mentioned, they probably don’t need our help……

 

……….. You know what,,,,, this is just starting to sound like an excuse for us to just go and watch some racing! Don’t tell my boss…

 

 

First Set of Evasive-Spec SRC w/ 3-Way

Our friends at Evasive Motorsports have a date at the race track later this year. And while their S2000 is still in pieces, starting to be reassembled, they had sent in their very own Evasive-Spec Super Racing (SRC) coilovers for a rebuild.

But wait, there’s more!!!

They got wind of our new 3-Way units designed specifically for our Super Racing coilovers. They figured since they’re going all out on this S2000 this year, they wanted to upgrade their SRC’s to get the most out of it. Of course, we still needed to test it. Just having received the units a few months ago, we have now been able to start work on them.

We just recently posted about the 3-way units and their benefits. This car is going to Buttonwillow for the end of the year event- Global Time Attack’s Super Lap Battle. This is a great venue, and the course has plenty of challenges. It’s also less than perfect, with plenty of rough surface transitions, bumps, curbs, etc. This is an grueling test for both driver and machine, and this easily this makes Evasive’s S2000 a great candidate for the 3-way modification.

SRC 3-Way OH 001

To make a long story short, we said “OK” then they said “Cool”, and we were like “Awesome”.  After several rounds of back and forth acknowledgement, we got to work.

While we do not have details on the cost of the units and revalve service just yet, Evasive shelled out some [MAJOR] ducats and got them installed while we refreshed their dampers.

A simple glance at the coilovers wouldn’t reveal a whole lot. The 3-way unit itself is adapted directly to the External Reservoir, but it looks different (noticeably larger) than the Base Valve adapter it replaces.

EVS SRC with 3-Way (assembled) 015 resize

A Front and Rear SRC side by side.

 

Also, the SRC dampers still maintain EDFC series compatibility. It is just that it only works for Rebound and Low-Speed Compression. High-Speed Compression will be left as a manually adjusted setup.

EVS SRC with 3-Way (assembled) 025 resize

Front damper with EDFC Motor on Compression (External Reservoir) and Rebound (Top of piston shaft).

EVS SRC with 3-Way (assembled) 022 resize

 

EVS SRC with 3-Way (assembled) 020 resize

Rear damper with EDFC Motor installed on compression and rebound.

We’ll try to get you guys some updates on this as Evasive’s project car nears completion. They have a test day planned, which I’m sure they’ll document. We’re looking forward to getting these units fully evaluated by them!

3-Way Damper Customization for Super Racing Suspension

This has been a long time coming. We’ve actually had 3-way damping (Rebound, Low-Speed Compression, & High-Speed Compression) technology for a long while now, made for our N1 suspension. But, it is very expensive and mainly reserved for race teams only. We also developed one for our Gr.N and 4×4 dampers, which are much more robust units, but these offered a wider range of tuning possibilities due to rally suspension needing the highest available tunability because of the higher piston speed range these dampers have. As you can imagine, this was an even more expensive unit.

4x4 damper

Here’s a 4×4 Damper with 3-Way Unit installed on the External Reservoir.

 

4x4 3 way

As you can see, the 3-Way Unit for our 4×4 Damper doesn’t look much different than the newer units we’ve just come out with. That’s because the new ones are nearly a direct derivative of the 4×4 Damper (and Gr.N) units, just much more affordable in terms of manufacturing cost. The technology, which is proprietary, is just about the same.

Now, we’ve developed a much more affordable (in comparison to the original units), less complex, and effective unit based around the Gr.N 3-way unit’s design that we will start doing testing on very soon!

SRC 3-Way OH 001

The 3-Way Unit (Silver) is made as an adaptive system to our Super Racing coilovers. We replace the original ADJ System, as we refer to it (or Compression Adjuster, if it’s easier) with our 3-Way Adjuster Unit. As you can see, we have two different designs depending on how we mount the external reservoir.

What’s so special about 3-Way damping? Well, this specifically affects the compression side of damping. The thing is, while we can easily tune a damper for what we believe to be the most ideal conditions, race cars see various changes in track surfaces that can affect their elapsed time. Race tracks can be a mix of glass-smooth surfaces followed by huge bumps or kerbs, and even expansion joints, or just rough surface transitions. This can unsettle a car quickly, and the less time on the throttle means seconds being added to the elapsed time.

Such surface transitions require a damper that responds to such instances by allowing the compression side to actually soften for a brief moment. If you think of it from your car’s tires’ aspect, an increase in damping force as piston speed increases can cause the tire to momentarily lose contact with the surface (hop). That means a loss in traction. Remember, a car maintains its best mechanical grip when all four tires maintain contact with the surface it rolls on, and that means the driver can keep on the throttle for a longer duration.

Many of you may have heard of “Digressive Valving” for dampers. What this means is that as damper piston speeds increase, the damping force has actually decreased (instead of increasing exponentially as this speed increases). Many dampers, by design, are technically digressive valving. However, the drop off in damping force may not be as much as some manufacturers are expecting. So, some may use some type of blow-off valve that opens extra ports as piston speeds increase instead of just relying on the shim stack assembly, and this creates a greater drop off in damping force as piston speed exceeds a certain level.

Low-speed, both in terms of vehicle speed and damping speed, is easier to control. There is very little resistance to the tires contact with the road surface. It is when vehicle speed or surface changes occur that mechanical grip becomes more of a concern.

To correct for such instances, race dampers have some form of high-speed damping control, and mainly on the compression side. This is where our new 3-way unit comes into play.

As mentioned before, we have already had versions of this, the most popular being on our Gr.N coilovers for rally. Think about the road surfaces that rally racing has- loose gravel, gaps, jumps. These are all things that can make a tire lose contact with the surface quickly. We’ve done really well with our 2-way adjustable Super Racing dampers, but as race cars get faster and faster, their suspension needs to cope with potential road surface transitions and react at a much quicker rate. We’ve been trying to get a 3-way version of the Super Racing dampers out to market, but it was just too expensive with our previous technology. So, we now hope to have something a bit more reasonable! However, we’ll only offer this as an upgrade under our overhaul service.

Also, if you’ve ever heard people talking about unsprung mass (weight not being supported by the suspension under gravity) as a concern, it is because heavy unsprung mass (tires, wheels, brakes, knuckle/hub, etc) can cause great upward deflection momentum, and that means a tire can lose contact with the road surface for much longer (in terms of fractions of a second). While we can try to combat that upward momentum by increasing spring rate (to try and speed up rebound force), it doesn’t benefit the compression side. In fact, this only exacerbates the problem with lost traction. What we want is a damper that has the ability to control a wider range of compression speeds. This will help keep the tires in traction, or as some people say- keeps the car planted.
For now we have only developed them as optional units for our Super Racing setup, and we’ll have one of our closest sponsored parties using them for this year’s Global Time Attack Super Lap Battle finale for the 2015 season. The racetrack, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, is a great test for us as the road surface has all sorts of transitions and undulations that can really hamper a vehicle’s ability to be fast.

SRC 3-Way OH 005

SRC 3-Way (EVS) 007 resize

SRC 3-Way (EVS) 010 resize

This 3-Way Unit is specifically for our “SA” type dampers, or dampers for double wishbone or multilink suspension. Basically it is directly mounted to the damper body.

 

SRC 3-Way (EVS) 014 resize

SRC 3-Way (EVS) 015 resize

For our Strut Type suspension (Inverted monotube design), or where room doesn’t allow us to mount the external reservoir and 3-Way Unit directly to the damper body, we can do a remote setup, this give us some flexibility in mounting the external reservoir/3-Way Unit to the vehicle. As much as possible, though, we try to keep the remote hose as short as possible.

Stay tuned for more updates on our 3-Way testing.

Super Lap Battle by Global Time Attack Results

We’re glad to see some of our friends back at it at this past Friday’s Super Lap Battle by Global Time Attack, which took place at Buttonwillow Raceway Park!

As far as TEIN-equipped cars go, we had Sportcar Motion’s Acura Integra Type R on Super Racing dampers, which ran a 1:52.886 just last year. We also had Pradana “Ping” Wilianto’s Acura CSX on our Mono Flex dampers, who had ran a 2:01.314 last year, and Bobby Lane Racing’s Honda Accord on Mono Flex dampers (1:59.158 last year).

During the off-season, if there even is one, we hadn’t received any special requests from these guys. Normally, we’ll at least get a damper refresh/rebuild request. Instead, they all focused on a few other modifications to get their car ready for this year’s event. With the exception of Sportcar Motion, who hadn’t really touched their Type R since last year except to rebuild their transmission and try a different rear diffuser.  They are using a different tire for this year, however.

Anyway, it was still an event for us to attend with our in-house engineer, in hopes that we could provide some trackside support to these guys and any other teams/drivers using TEIN dampers.

Just like previous years, we ended up just looking like the Maytag repair man with nothing to do except take notes on each vehicles suspension setup.

We were absolutely impressed with each teams performance. Their results are as follows:

 

Sportcar Motion’s Integra Type R (Limited FF class)- 1:51.916

2nd Place Finish!

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Nov 2014 041 (Custom)

 

Pradana “Ping” Wilianto’s Acura CSX (Street FF class)- 1:59.639

2nd Place Finish!

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Nov 2014 021 (Custom)

Bobby Lane Racing’s Honda Accord Limited FF class)- 1:55.241

3rd Place Finish (behind Sportcar Motion’s Integra)!

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Nov 2014 057 (Custom)

 

Each achieved personal best times, which was great news! As you can expect from their placement in their respective class, competition was stiff. In Limited FF, Point Zero Autosound and Performance trucked their Acura RSX all the way from Ontario Canada for this event! They finished in 1st place with a 1:51.789! Just a narrow margin between first and second place!

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Nov 2014 010 (Custom)

*We must note that the Sportcar Motion looked to be on pace for an even better time. But, on the last stint out on track, a brake failure caused the Integra to spin. Fortunately, driver Tim Kuo was able to recover from the spin without any further damage to the car. However, the damage to the brakes was all that was needed to prevent another fast lap.

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Nov 2014 047 (Custom)

Pradana “Ping” Wilianto had one goal in mind- a sub 2 minute lap. Why? He’s one of the few Street FF cars that is a legitimate street car. He retains full interior and air conditioning (you gotta maintain some amenities on the track!). Last year, he was under Enthusiast FF with a 2:01. Now under the Street FF class, he clocks in a 1:59, and not much else has changed to his CSX’s setup!

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Nov 2014 001 (Custom)

Bobby Lane Racing also kept their car relatively the same. Last year, we revalved for much stiffer springs to compliment their new aero package.  A 1:59 was a very respectable time last year. This year’s 1:55 is even more impressive!

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Nov 2014 054 (Custom)

Overall, we’re very happy for these guys. Of course, we’re impressed with the out-of-the-box performance our Super Racing set for Sportcar Motion’s Integra and Mono Flex set for Ping’s CSX did. But, it always comes down to overall vehicle preparation, which each of these guys did a stellar job at! We won’t be satisfied until they stand atop the highest podium. So you can bet we’ll do what we can to get them there next year!

It was also great to see some of our other friends, such as Evasive Motorsports Scion FR-S and Will Wattanawongkiri and his S13 at the event. Unfortunately for Will, mechanical issues plagued him from staying in competition.

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Evasive FRS (Custom)

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) WWR S13 (Custom)

We also fancied the Spoon Sports Civic Type R being piloted by Dai Yoshihara! Ran a super quick 1:48 in Unlimited FF!!!

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) Spoon CTR (Custom)

And this year’s overall winner- GST Motorsports’ GC8 piloted by Jeff Westphal! 1:38!!!!! Whoa

Super Lap Battle (Buttonwillow) GST GC8 (Custom)

GTA Super Lap Battle

Following SEMA this year is the much anticipated Super Lap Battle by the Global Time Attack series which takes place at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, CA!

We’re pretty excited about it. We always attend when we have some sponsored teams to support trackside. Fortunately, we typically don’t have to do much since the teams and their associated cars are very well prepared.  Don’t tell our boss, though. He might make up some job for us to do while we’re at the track.

Anyway, we expect to see the usual suspects at the track- Sportcar Motion, Bobby Lane Racing, and Evasive Motorsports. Hopefully we’ll see quite a few more TEIN equipped vehicles we can assist while we’re there.

Pradana “Ping” Wilianto’s Acura CSX on Mono Flex coilovers:

ping csx

Bobby Lane Racing’s Honda Accord on Mono Flex:

grocery getter

Sportcar Motion’s Acura Integra Type R on Super Racing:

SCM Integra

And the much anticipated Evasive Motorsports Nissan GT-R on Super Racing coilovers:

evasive gtr

Above all, we expect to see some new track records for each respective class!

GTA Super Lap Battle takes place November 14, 2014.

We hope to see you there!

 

Super Lap Battle/Global Time Attack 2013

Another year has passed, and we were waiting in anticipation to see what every competitor for this year’s Super Lap Battle at Buttonwillow Raceway Park will bring.

Just like last year, TEIN staff attended to be able to assist any of the teams and drivers on TEIN suspension in any way possible. For us, it is great to get their feedback on our suspension and how it is performing for them. It also gives us plenty of insight on what vehicle modifications are being made and how we can help adapt their suspensions to their specific setups.

In total, there were seven vehicles using TEIN suspension. In no specific order,

Limited AWD Class- Evasive Motorsports’ Mitsubishi Evo VIII (Super Racing coilovers)

Super Lap Battle 2013 016 (Custom)

Limited FWD Class- Sportcar Motion’s Acura Integra Type R (Super Racing coilovers)

Super Lap Battle 2013 003 (Custom)

Limited FWD Class- Bobby Lane Racing’s Honda Accord (CL7 Mono Flex coilovers)

Super Lap Battle 2013 (iPhone) 022 (Custom)

Street RWD Class- Will Wattanawongkiri’s Nissan 240SX (Flex coilovers)

Super Lap Battle 2013 009 (Custom)

Enthusiast FWD Class- Pradana Wilianto’s Acura CSX (FA5 Mono Flex coilovers)

ping csx (Custom)

Street FWD Class- Ken Suen’s FB6 Honda Civic Si (Mono Flex coilovers)

Street RWD Class- Ryan Houck’s Honda S2000 (Super Racing coilovers)

Fortunately, once again, each team and driver had their cars setup very well, with only little input from us. A majority of time was spent with Evasive on their Evo to see if we can get the most out of a minimally tested new setup they’re running (upgrades to power; different tire). So, there was a bit of a learning curve with this car.

The best part of the event was that many of these guys logged their fastest times in early sessions.

Sportcar Motion’s Integra, with driver Tim Kuo returning again for this event, was able to shatter their old record of 1:54.xx with a 1:52.886, and that time held throughout the day giving them the win in the respective class! Mechanical issues prevented any further sessions for them, but the damage was already done. A new benchmark for Limited FWD has been set!

Evasive’s Evo, plagued with some turbocharger issues (failure) and transmission problems, still locked in a respectable 1:49.102, taking the Limited AWD class win and getting very close to taking the overall win. Hopefully, with more testing and developing in 2014, this car will take top honors. It must be noted that this car skipped over a full year of development, as they focused on their Scion FR-S and Honda S2000 for last year’s event. So, with that said, this year’s finish is an impressive result. We were glad to speak with driver, and Evasive Motorsports co-owner, Mike Chang, to get his feedback. We’ll be working with them more on this car, as well as a few other project cars in their stable, for 2014!

Super Lap Battle 2013 026 (Custom)

Will Wattanawongkiri’s S13 240SX was able to clinch top time in the Street RWD class with a 1:54.969. He’s been able to dial in his out-of-the-box Flex coilovers to work well with his vehicle, enough so that he could take the championships in various other Time Attack series’ this year.

Super Lap Battle 2013 054 (Custom)

Bobby Lane Racing’s Honda Accord sported updated aero (larger front splitter and wide fender to fit wider tires; side skirts; rear diffuser). They also had revalved their CL7 Mono Flex dampers for much stiffer springs. Prior to this event, then were hoping to get some testing done with this new setup, but a catastrophic wheel failure prevented them from making final adjustments leading to Super Lap Battle. Didn’t seem to matter as they logged a 1:59.158 time, approximately 3 seconds better than 2012. Although unusual to see an Accord at a Time Attack event, Bobby Lane Racing showed that it can still be plenty fast for track duties.

Super Lap Battle 2013 039 (Custom)

Pradana “Ping” Wilianto’s Acura CSX dipped into a 2:01.314 ET. That’s about two seconds faster than his time last year. He also got the win in his class!

Ken Suen brought out his new FB6 Honda Civic Si. Still a street car with full interior, modifications were minimal. In fact, he used the Mono Flex from his infamous “Big Red” FA5 Civic Si on this new car (had some modifications done to make it work. Other than that, front aero, larger wheel and tires, and brake upgrades were all that this car had. Not looking to break a new record, he still recorded a 2:06.271 lap time!

Ryan Houck’s S2000, which was backed by our friends at Counterspace Garage, sported custom valved Super Racing dampers, along with some simple aero upgrades. His times during the first few sessions were looking very favorable for the Street RWD class. However, a major driver’s side front brake rotor failure prevented any further outings. Quite unfortunate. Without a doubt, he’s on pace to reset the current record. We’ll see him next year!

So, that makes it 4 class wins on TEIN (Limited AWD, Limited FWD, Street RWD, and Enthusiast FWD)!

That’s really good news for us. Once again, we went back to the office happy with the results for these drivers and teams. A huge congratulations to each and every one of these people, especially for their continued support for TEIN! In turn, we will be there to assist them as best we can, in the same way we strive to assist all of our customers, including YOU!

Until next year!

Oh, and apologies to our engineer, Shuichiro…

Super Lap Battle 2013 033 (Custom)

Super Lap Battle 2013 032 (Custom)

As you can see, we prevented him from watching any racing. Instead, we put him to work! SOWWY!!!

Super Lap Battle 2012 at Buttonwillow Raceway

Yesterday was the final Super Lap Battle (in conjunction with Global Time Attack) for the year. Taking place at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, CA., it has proven to become one of the most anticipated events on this side of the U.S.A.

We were in attendance assisting any of the driver’s on TEIN suspension. For us, it was a narrow group- Evasive Motorsports with their S2000 (using our Super Racing dampers), Sportcar Motion with their Integra Type R (also on Super Racing dampers) as well as an FA5 Civic and Canadian Acura CSX both using our Mono Flex dampers. Another entry we came across was Bobby Lane Racing in their Accord (their Mono Flex damper setup is from a CL7 Honda Accord Euro R).

We arrived really early (7:30a) to meet with the teams and see if they needed any assistance from us. As experienced as these teams are in setting up their cars, there was very little for us to do except take some setting measurements and click settings the teams are using for reference.

TEIN Engineer, Shuichiro, getting data from the Sportcar Motion team.

Working with the Evasive crew and their driver, Robert Walker, to get their car dialed in.

We stumbled upon the Bobby Lane Racing team and their Accord using our Mono Flex dampers.

With each practice session having at least one TEIN-equipped car, we kept close to the hot pits. Our engineer, Shuichiro made sure to get as much feedback from the driver to see if any adjustments needed to be made. Again, maybe only a few click setting changes were done to the suspension, while some of the teams adjusted tire pressures. Lucky for us, Evasive Motorsports uses EDFC for their S2000’s Super Racing dampers. I’m sure our engineer appreciated that! Rather than having to lie down on the ground or get under the hood or rear trunk to make any damping click setting changes manually, the driver can make real-time adjustments to the dampers and stay out on the track.

Robert Walker pulling into the hot pits with the Evasive team standing by.

The morning sessions gave some of the best lap times. In Sportcar Motion’s case, their Integra Type R laid down a 1:54.2 lap time on the #13 track configuration that has become the standard for this event. That was a really good pace, and it looked like the car could even do better than that. Driver, Dr. Tim Kuo, was in pursuit mode the whole time, having very little issue with the Limited FWD class car. A broken 4th gear prevented any chance of getting in a faster time, but their time held as fastest of the day in their class.

Sportcar Motion’s red FA5 Civic Si piloted by Ken Suen was also on pace to beat their personal best. Mechanical issues brought the car in and prevented any futher timed sessions out on the track. Final time was 2:04.3 which netted a second place finish in Street FWD.

The Acura CSX also under Sport Car Motion’s stable clocked in a 2:03.

The Sportcar Motion trio all on TEIN dampers.

As for Bobby Lane Racing, they were hoping to best their 2:05, and in the end a 2:02.2 for the Limited FWD class. It was a great event for this small team!

That’s a familiar face! Dampachi along for the ride with Bobby Lane Racing.

Evasive Motorsports’ revamped Honda S2000 (newly boosted with the HKS GTSupercharger) went all out. New record for the Street RWD class now sits at 1:53.9 thanks to the newfound power. This car has 7 years of development into it, which has paid big dividends for all that hardwork. We’ll be working with them closely to help and develop the car for even faster times. Until then, a 1:53 lap will be the new mark for teams to achieve.

Evasive’s S2000 into the hot pits for some driver feedback.

Bobby Lane Racing Accord into the hot pits to discuss any changes in handling.

The Integra Type R from SportcarMotion was relatively trouble-free, making our engineer’s job a bit easier!

All in all, it was a good event with very little in the way of mishaps on the track. As the day temperatures got higher and as more cars went out for timed sessions, it proved to be harder for the teams to try and get faster times. It was great to see many of the teams socializing amongst themselves. I found it hard to differentiate whether these people were competitors or best of friends. We were thankful for the hospitality of each team. Bobby Lane Racing was nice enough to provide the TEIN staff with lunch- they came with their own grill to make burgers and hot dogs! Thanks, guys!

We look forward to next year. If the saying “Records are made to be broken” holds true, we may very well be seeing these guys best their current times.

Bobby Lane Racing’s owner and driver with TEIN Staff.

Evasive Motorsports crew with both of their race cars.

Congratulations to each of these teams for all their hard work and efforts. We’re glad we can be a part of it!

Evasive Motorsports’ Latest Race Car Project

We are proud to once again work with Evasive Motorsports and their latest project car, an E46 BMW M3. This vehicle will be a dedicated Time Attack vehicle.

Mike Chang of Evasive Motorsports previously used this car as a daily driver. But I imagine, especially after putting in a lot of seat time in their Limited AWD Class CT9A Evolution and Street FR Class AP1 S2000 (of which they both clocked the fastest times in their class at last year’s Super Lap Battle), the E46 certainly found itself a new job in life.

Fortunately for us, we’ve had some experience with the E46 M3, developing a one-off damper kit for use in the Super Taikyu series. In fact, we obtained a set directly from TEIN R&D for Evasive to work with while they dial in their car for track duty. These 3-way adjustable dampers are a far cry from anything street compliant as they are designed for 30+kg/mm springs front and rear. *We are now developing a Super Racing type damper kit for this chassis with rates much more suitable for track conditions we see Stateside. Our in-house engineer Shuichiro will be working side by side with them during this development.

Front dampers installed

Front and rear damper w/ spring assembly

Stay tuned with us and Evasive Motorsports as this vehicle continues to develop throughout the year!

Super Lap Battle Final 2011

Time attack season has began from couple weeks ago.

Temperature is getting cool down but still see the sun during the day, there should be a no negative effect for the engines and all of the time attack vehicles.

We went to Super Lap Battle Final at Buttonwillow Raceway for our supported vehicles for 2 days.

Luckily both 2 days were good weather.

and some of the vehicles break their own record.

One of the our support vehicle Crawford Perfomance’s STi driven by Tarzan Yamada

This vehicle outputs 800+hp…

and beauty of the function.

And also, Crawford Performance brought 2 Scion tC.

2 cars from Evasive Motorsports.

Their Evo marked 1:49.124 and got 1st place in Limited AWD class.

And S2000 marked 1:57.887 and got 1st place in Street FR class.

Congratulations to Evasive!

Our ex-marketing manager Philip Chase’s Evo marked 1:57.735 which is his record and 1st place in Street AWD class!

TEIN damper on Philip Chase’s Evo

And another winner with TEIN damper vehicle is Sportscar Motion DC2R.

This car marked 1:54.789 and winner for Limited FF Class.

This clean JDM converted Civic Si is one of my favorite vehicle at Super Lap Battle .

The driver Renzo Marsano break his own record today with TEIN damper!

Another TEIN user vehicle APM Racing’s RSX.

 

This is another well track prepped S2000.

Driver maked 1:59.066 with TEIN Super Racing damper.

It was very busy 2 days but we are glad that most of our support driver break and got 1st place in this event.

 

More Pics from SLB 2010 Finals

Evasive CT9A parked in one of the garages waiting for another session to break a record.

DC Sports S2000. Motor issues kept this street monster on the sidelines this year.

TEIN Engineer, Mr. Takizawa (TK) gathering some data from the Evasive cars. His tuning experience ranges from Japan One Make Civic races to 24hr Nurburgring Enduro.

Martin from AMS gave me a ride in this Alpha 9 GTR a few months ago, 740WHP at the time – SIMPLY AMAZING. I heard this was detuned for SLB to run on 91 pump.

Limited AWD Winner with a VERY tall rear wing.

Awesome Supercharged E46 M3.

Timeless good looks and super consistent lap times.

Capable of breaking records every time it comes to compete.

Another car capable of breaking records during any outing.

CRAZY, just CRAZY.