New England Forest Rally Report

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Paul P.

We’re glad to see the Rally xD team embarking on another race on much more familiar territory- gravel. Fresh from their run up the summit of Pikes Peak, the team reconfigured their rally chariot for long stroke suspension and wheels/tires much more suitable for the task at-hand. The NEFR race was not exactly an easy one.

The team had dealt with transmission problems- a failed 4th gear. At least the team put down a quick repair and got the car back out, suffering a minimal penalty since they were unable to complete the swap in the allotted service time.

Next set of problems were the front axles breaking at two different stages of the race. Fortunately, those were an easy enough swap during the service interval.

They did as much as they could to make up the loss in time, eventually finishing the event in 3rd place. Just enough to maintain their points lead in the championship.

Once again, another great performance from the hard working crew. We will certainly be rooting for them as this series gets close to the season end.

Geoff Stoneback Attends East Coast Bash

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Paul P.

Our sponsored driver, Geoff Stoneback decided to take his talent to Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey for the Clubloose East Coast Bash event. With this event bringing a swarm of spectators and drivers alike, it was a great opportunity for Geoff and the crew to put on an amazing show.

According to Geoff, about 180 drivers were at the Saturday festivities, most all of them being in the tandem class. Unfortunately, a saturation of drivers means very little track time. A few on-track accidents by a some of the drivers hampered driving time some more.

Unfortunately for Geoff, a minor incident while following a train of other drivers sent him into the tire wall crushing his door, and also losing a headlight, radiator and front bumper. The cause of this incident being another driver with a locked up e-brake. With nowhere to go, this sent Geoff off course.

Geoff turned to his friends at R/T Tuning in Lansdale, PA to get the S14 back up and running. Geoff used the remainder of the day practicing some new techniques and also some tight tandem runs.

By Sunday, only a quarter of the drivers stuck around, and Geoff was able to get it some more runs. That is, until the weather went damp. After about an hour of waiting pit side, Geoff and many of the drivers decided to do some rain drifting for the spectators that decided to tough out the wet weather.

All in all, it sounded like Geoff and his crew had a great time, and they were able to put on a great show for the spectators, regardless of the weather conditions.

Congrats to the Rally xD Team for Reaching the Summit!!!

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Paul P.

In its second year contesting the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Rally xD team successfully reached the top (a breathtaking 14,110 feet in elevation) for 2013! They placed a 12:39 ET, making them the fastest front-wheel drive vehicle for this event!

Crew Chief Philip Chase reported that conditions changed constantly, from snow, wind, hail, and whatever the gods of racing can throw at them. Traction would prove to be difficult, especially as the xD’s turbocharger started to build full-boost. Wheel slip was nearly unavoidable.

In a post I made last year, I mentioned a little on how hard that actually is for both man and machine. You not only have to battle uphill (or upmountain, if that makes more sense), but the higher up you go, the thinner the oxygen supply in the air is, making it difficult for the driver and car to breathe as if it were at sea level. At least the Rally xD relies on some turbocharged assistance to get the most oxygen into the engine. Can’t say the same for driver Andrew Comrie-Picard, unless he was hooked up to some oxygen tank. Even then, power output is cut drastically by the time they cross the 10,000 ft mark. Water and oil temperatures also suffer the higher up you travel, and if you’re hard on the brakes, the boiling temperature will also drop. So many things to factor in that can go wrong while driving.

Needless to say, the team didn’t have it easy. And this xD being their sole chariot for racing duties during the 2013 Rally America season, they’d have a lot to lose if this car found itself over the cliff. But, we’re talking about seasoned rally veterans. They know what they’re doing. Again, the xD saw the finish line under its own power. Some teams weren’t so lucky. The Love Fab NSX, for example, crashed during practice and went up in flames cutting their weekend short. Mechanical failures are to be expected to varying degrees. Drivers are pushed to their very limits. We’re just glad to see that nothing major went wrong for the xD crew.

It goes without saying that the highlight of the event was seeing Red Bull and their Peugeot 208 T16 with 875bhp and all-wheel drive, commandeered by WRC veteran Sebastien Loeb, break the record by a large margin. How about 8m:13.878sec to the top?! Last year’s record of 9:46 by Rhys Millen in his Hyundai Tiburon was still quite an achievement considering that was the first year of an all-paved course, and in rear-wheel drive only. To his acknowledgement, Rhys bested his own record with a 9:02.192 in his Hyundai PM580T.

Oh, and our good friends at Evasive Motorsports broke the 10 minute barrier (10:59) in their Time Attack Scion FR-S! Way to go, guys!

The 2013 event also saw a return of the Electric Car class. Say what you want about it, but a race car’s a race car no matter how it sounds. We should truly embrace this form of racing technology.

All in all, a great event. New records have been set, and we should all look forward to another record-smashing year in 2014!

Geoff Stoneback goes to US Drift Rd. 2/Hyperfest

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Paul P.

2 weeks ago, our sponsored Pro-Am/XDC competitor Geoff Stoneback headed out with his S14 to Hyperfest at Summit Point Motorsports Park in WV.

Prior to this event, Geoff was able to get his S14 tuned to crank out 430whp/420tq (~15% up from the last outing). So, there was no shortage of power for Hyperfest!

Knowing that the race course was somewhat difficult for himself, Geoff took a paid practice run to get a better feel for the course and make the necessary adjustments to both the car and mental prep. This helped Geoff tremendously, as figuring out key pieces of track for shifting and accelerating gave him one of the fastest entry-speeds (80mph). His ability to adapt to the track layout relatively quick was about to pay off!

But, racing isn’t with its occasional hiccups here and there. For Geoff, it happened to be a vehicle stall on his return to the pits. A quick diagnosis showed a damage o2 sensor wire as cause for the stalling. An easy enough fix for Geoff and his team, but a little bit of a setback in getting out for qualifying early.

Geoff reported that his qualifying run was set to be even faster than his practice run, but on approach to his clipping point, a catastrophic differential failure brought his S14 to a halt.

Back in the pits, the crew got right to work, and with only a welded diff available, got the car back out to get Geoff’s run in. It netted him 5th place qualifier.

By now, two setbacks can be enough of a distraction to anyone, especially the driver, but Geoff shook it off and went right to work, quickly advancing the Top 16, then Top 8, getting himself into the Top 4. Geoff was really turning his luck around!

In the Top 4, Geoff’s opponent, and a good friend of his, James Evans had his own set of problems- a lower control arm replacement left the car with a slightly off-set alignment, but enough to get him back on the track to compete with Geoff. It happened to be enough for James to get the nod over Geoff. But Geoff still had a chance at 3rd place.

Another close friend/drift mentor of Geoff, Matt Waldin, was up next. With more power (almost 40% more) than his S14, Geoff had his work cut out for him. Matt kept close on the first run with Geoff leading, and on the second run, Geoff spun on the last turn, handing the win to Matt.

What sounds like a series of unfortunate events turned out to be an exciting one for spectators. Also, all the hard work and efforts by Geoff and his team have kept them 2nd in points (just 3 points behind the leader James Evans).

We know that Geoff will be prepared for the next event and ready to take some more podium finishes. Great work, you guys!

Bravo Whiskey has a great video recap of this event at the link below

Vimeo

TTT (TO THE TOP)!!!

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Paul P.

Quite the anticipated event that it is, this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb should be better than last years.

As we saw last year, the newly paved roadways not only added tremendous amounts of grip, it drastically cut transit time to the top of the summit.

The Sparco Rally xD team is under way in getting their rally car prepped for this event. Since this is essentially an all-tarmac event, their suspension needs change. No need for dampers with long stroke- in its place are a different set of TEIN Specialized Dampers with higher spring rates more appropriate for this event. Gone are the gravel tires, replaced with semi-slicks over 18″ wheels. It’s all about maximum grip on the asphalt surface. Other than that, the xD is left relatively the same as it is for rally events.

I’m definitely looking forward to what the new car can do this year. It’s been competitive throughout the year so far, even with the minor setbacks in the last two rally races. Let’s see if they can better their Pikes Peak performance for this year!

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb takes place on June 24th (tech inspections and practice days during the week), with race day on Sunday, June 30th.

For more information, please visit the following link- http://www.ppihc.com/

pics sourced from Scion Racing, Speedhunters, and Rally xd

Rally xD Takes 2nd Place at Susquehannock Trail Rally!

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Paul P.

In my last post, I made mention of the Rally xD taking a bit of a tumble during practice in preparation for this past weekend’s event at the Susquehannock Trail Rally.

A continued effort by the team, not only in rebuilding and repairing the car but also to see the event the whole way through, paid the largest of dividends as they brought home a 2nd place finish in their class. Considering the hardships they’ve dealt with these past two events, that is an incredible result! So far, it’s been a podium finish for all four events to-date!

The Team still holds first in the points standing for the 2wd class! Our most sincere congratulations to the team for getting the car right side up again and into battle mode!

Rally xD Takes to the Susquehannock Trail Rally

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Paul P.

After suffering from a grueling race at the Oregon Trail Rally earlier this month (finishing 3rd in class), the Sparco Rally xD is rebuilt and ready for the upcoming event, the Susquehannock Trail Rally.

For those that have been following, you may remember seeing some pics of the rear end with the rear twist beam axle being ripped out from both sides. Lessons learned, my friends, because they’re ready to attack again.

Where they’re going, they don’t need roads…. Oh wait, actually, yes, they do.

After suffering from that rare DNF last year, leaving the car looking somewhat like a DeLorean Time Machine, the crew made some revisions to the rear suspension, reinforcing some key areas as to address the axle beam fatigue that rally racing brings.

To think, previous season of racing were on a completely stock axle beam. I still find that pretty impressive, considering how many well-funded teams use some beefed up components.

Oh, and while doing some testing in preparation for this event, the team had a minor setback. Seriously,,,,,, minor

Whoops

But the car is right side up again, running, and doing some sweet jumps

We’re sure this time around will be just as eventful, but in a much more positive way. I expect to see this car race from start to finish, and you should too. Please be a pal and cheer these guys on directly on their Facebook page!

Susquehannock Trail Rally 2013 is May 31-June 1.

Update: Geoff Stoneback Drifting

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Paul P.

Geoff has been great in keeping us up-to-date on the progress of his drift season so far, and we must say that he’s really impressing us, along with his other sponsors!

On May 18, Geoff competed in the U.S. Drift series at Englishtown, New Jersey, a track that Geoff is quite familiar with.

According to Geoff, track conditions were inconsistent with rain imminent. The eventual downpour gave Geoff some slippery conditions. And with a vehicle’s TEIN Super Drift dampers for the highest possible grip level, Geoff put his expertise of this track to good use.

During his first run, he didn’t score any points. With the right mindset on his second run, Geoff found himself in second position.

Only 14 drivers qualified. Again, rain prevented all drivers from practicing tandem runs. Going right into competition, Geoff made quick work of the other drivers, securing his advancement into the Top 4. His higher qualifying position put him in lead car position as he battled for either a 1st or 2nd place finish.

A strong first run followed by a tight tandem in the second, up until the last turn when his opponent spun out, saw Geoff sitting atop the podium. Great 1st place finish, Geoff!!!

Follow Geoff’s progression through the year right on his Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/GeoffStoneback484drift

Geoff Stoneback Drifting

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Paul P.

We’re glad to continue to participate with motorsports events in the U.S. One of the most exciting for us has been the drifting series. Each year seems to bring a new set of groundbreaking, purpose-built race cars, and all of them keep getting faster, louder, and even more entertaining.

With a sport experiencing some accelerated levels of growth over the past few years, it brings some great opportunities for future race car drivers.

For this year, we continue to support the Formula Drift Championship series through Vaughn Gittin Jr’s Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR. But we also support the guys in the Pro-Am series.

Geoff Stoneback of Geoff Stoneback Drifting approached us last year looking forward into the 2013 race season. Fortunately, we were able to work out a package for his 1995 Nissan 240SX he’s campaigning in the aforementioned Pro-Am series, as well as the XDC (Xtreme Drift Circuit). Geoff, who currently resides in Philadelphia, PA. has the talent, and we’re glad to be on board for his racing program this year. He’s making as many appearances has he can, mainly in the East coast. So, for those out in the East, keep on lookout for this guy!

Geoff chose our Super Drift coilovers for his machine. Already familiar with the TEIN brand (he’s used our Type Flex coilovers, Geoff seems to already have the car dialed in pretty well with the new dampers.

We’re glad to be supporting privateers such as Geoff. At 27 years young, he’s got a great future ahead of him, and he’s certainly showing that his skills out on the track will only get better, and we’re proud to be a part of that! Along with Kenda Tires, Geoff has the backing to show that he can do the job.

We wish Geoff and his crew the best for the 2013 Drifting season. We look forward into watching him progress through the series!

Geoff and his crew also put out a great video on Vimeo

Please be sure to follow him through his website GSDrifting.com

You can also find him on Facebook

A Hard Fight To The End

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Paul P.

Hats off to the Scion Racing Rally xD team once again. A great result for a less-than-perfect event.

For those that have not been following the Rally America series, the TEIN-sponsored Rally xD has been leading the 2wd pack, taking back-to-back wins in its last two outings.

This time, however, proved to be a true challenge for the crew. Mechanical woes hampered their performance for most of the event. As we understand, boost related problems were later resolved during the last day of the event. Through the final day of the event, a blown head gasket threatened to take the team out of the race entirely. Enough time for driver Andrew Comrie-Picard to make his push for yet another podium finish (3rd place). Well done, ACP.

As has been mentioned several times before, rally racing ain’t easy. Parts will break and driver and co-driver will be tested. But, persistence is key in getting everything in running order.

As the famous Rick Mears saying goes, “To finish first, you must first finish”.

Let’s look forward to their next event (Susquehannock Trail Rally starting May 31).

Until then, great job guys!

Pics sourced from scion.com and from Rally xD’s Facebook page.

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