TurnInConcepts
04-14-2010, 09:10 PM
April 10th-11th New Jersey Motorsports Park was the opening of the Redline Time Attack 2010 East Coast season, and the 2009 RTA Street Class National Champions, Turn In Concepts was in attendance.
This time they would be running in the Modified class, a big step up in difficulty over the Street class of last year, and with that big step came some changes to the car.
“We worked with a number of really good shops who make parts that we hold in high regard. After the results of last season and hearing our plans for this season they were more than willing to help us out. This was a huge win as we know the Modified class is going to be much more difficult than the Street class, and we really have to step up our performance to be a top contender,” said team member and TiC Co-owner Tony Barber.
Knowing this the team set out to rebuild the car over the winter. While doing so they upgraded a number of components to help gain an advantage over the competition.
Major changes to the car for the start of the season were:
P&L Motorsports front mount intercooler
GT35 turbo from Blouch Performance Turbo
AEM engine management tuned by Jorge at P&L Motorsports
MSI adjustable rear lateral links with spherical bearings
18” wheels from Wheeldude.com
Ultimate oil pickup from Killer B Motorsport
ST-40 front calipers and 332x32 rotors from Stoptech
New center diff controller by DCCDPro.com
Numerous Subaru parts supplied by Subarupartspro.com
Testing on Saturday went relatively well with the exception of one major problem; The Brian Lock in the Cobb Tuning GT-R.
With Saturday times in the 1:12 range the team knew they had to step up to match the pace of the Cobb GT-R so Sunday morning started with the race gas tune, and the new tires.
Practice times for the team fell rapidly from 1:12 to 1:10 to 1:09, but all was not smooth as the car was having some difficulty.
Tony Wiesenhahn, team driver, “We kept breaking up at full throttle, and AFR was dropping into the 10’s. Our power was down when going flat out and it was quite frustrating.”
This fueling problem severely affected drivability and lap times. There were a few theories as to why this was happening, but for the race a fix was needed. Something quick, reliable, and still allowed the team to use the faster map but without killing power at full throttle. Adjusting the throttle cable so the accelerator was limited to 85% seemed to be the best way to do this, and testing proved it to be a working solution.
Times got better and more consistent with the fueling under control, and the day started to look up. Even more so as the Cobb GT-R was having some problems with falling into limp mode on every practice run.
The team watched with baited breath as TiC’s practice times got better and the Cobb support team was stymied by the problems with the GT-R. An undercurrent of giddy excitement started to take hold of the team after the first time attack session where TiC was able to set the pace with FTD at that point.
This was soon tempered by a quick look at the brakes. The new pads they were trying just were not holding up to the increased speed due to the added power. In fact, the rate at which the pads were being used along with some cracking starting in the rear rotors signaled they may not last the rest of the day.
The team went to the grid early for the second time attack session, and waited in the number one spot for their competition.
Things were looking good until at the last minute the Cobb GT-R rolled to the grid. Would it hold together? Would TiC be able to beat it? The tension was high.
Tony W rolled out on to track for the warm up lap, followed by the GT-R. The Subaru rumble filled the air as he flew past for the start of his first hot lap. Closely behind was the scream of the Cobb GT-R. Whatever the Cobb team had done worked, and The Brian Lock put the hammer down with conviction.
Another lap and Tony Barber wildly signaled to Tony W that the GT-R was go, and closely on his heels. Tony W made good use of all of that 85% of power as he drove like a man possessed. Another lap and the announcer screamed the time. A new best time for TiC AND a new track record of 1:08.494!
The crew was ecstatic only to have that happy feeling torn away seconds later as the Cobb GT-R shattered that just set record with a fast lap of 1:06.768. That was all she wrote. The Subaru could do no more. The TiC David was not beat the Cobb Goliath on this day.
Pulling back into the pits the team looked over the car. The coolant levels were too high. The brake pads were done. The rear rotors were cracked. The car breathed a sigh of relief as it finally got to rest. The team talked amongst themselves. Despite qualifying for the Super Session, a chance to go up against the top competitors of the day in an all out, wheel to wheel five lap battle they felt that it just couldn’t be done.
An RTA official approached the team, and offered a proposition. At least start the Super Session and get some points. The team agreed and the plan was set. Start and come in after one hot lap.
The team gridded with the other top competitors of the day, and after a quick photo shoot with the lovely RTA models the competitors positioned themselves in the hot pit.
The field was led onto the track by the pace car, and after the parade lap the pace car peeled off from the front of the pack as they approached the starting line. The unholy sound of the gates of hell opening, and the agony of lost souls can only describe the cacophony of noise as thousands of horsepower was unleashed, slingshotting tons of metal, composite and glass forward. The Cobb GT-R leaped out in front as the TiC Subaru stuck to his rear bumper.
One hot lap and then pit was the plan. A plan that was quickly abandoned by Tony W as the cars approached the start of the second lap. The GT-R roared down the front straight with the TiC Subaru in hot pursuit. Instead of turning off into the pit the rumble of the boxer motor raised in pitch as Tony W worked the throttle to try and close the gap.
The next lap saw the GT-R fly out of the last turn onto the front straight with the TiC Subaru close behind putting two wheels into the dirt as the car went a little wide. Tony’s skill at the wheel pulled the car back in line and the two competitors screamed down the front straight furthering their lead over the rest of the field.
Again and again the cars lapped the course, the Cobb GT-R punching a hole in the air and the TiC Subaru close behind until the session was over. Then, as quickly as it started, the Super Session was over.
The results were in with the Cobb GT-R in first, and the TiC Subaru in second. The day ended with TiC taking Second in Modified class, Second in the Super Session, and Second overall.
Team member and the other TiC co-owner, Clint Boggess was overheard stating “That damn GT-R is going to be quite annoying.”
This phrase is sure echo the thoughts of the other competitors of RTA for 2010, but that’s certainly not going to discourage the guys at TiC. They’ll be back for the next RTA East Coast event at Autobahn Country Club, and it will be interesting to see what they have planned to take down this Goliath of automobiles.
This time they would be running in the Modified class, a big step up in difficulty over the Street class of last year, and with that big step came some changes to the car.
“We worked with a number of really good shops who make parts that we hold in high regard. After the results of last season and hearing our plans for this season they were more than willing to help us out. This was a huge win as we know the Modified class is going to be much more difficult than the Street class, and we really have to step up our performance to be a top contender,” said team member and TiC Co-owner Tony Barber.
Knowing this the team set out to rebuild the car over the winter. While doing so they upgraded a number of components to help gain an advantage over the competition.
Major changes to the car for the start of the season were:
P&L Motorsports front mount intercooler
GT35 turbo from Blouch Performance Turbo
AEM engine management tuned by Jorge at P&L Motorsports
MSI adjustable rear lateral links with spherical bearings
18” wheels from Wheeldude.com
Ultimate oil pickup from Killer B Motorsport
ST-40 front calipers and 332x32 rotors from Stoptech
New center diff controller by DCCDPro.com
Numerous Subaru parts supplied by Subarupartspro.com
Testing on Saturday went relatively well with the exception of one major problem; The Brian Lock in the Cobb Tuning GT-R.
With Saturday times in the 1:12 range the team knew they had to step up to match the pace of the Cobb GT-R so Sunday morning started with the race gas tune, and the new tires.
Practice times for the team fell rapidly from 1:12 to 1:10 to 1:09, but all was not smooth as the car was having some difficulty.
Tony Wiesenhahn, team driver, “We kept breaking up at full throttle, and AFR was dropping into the 10’s. Our power was down when going flat out and it was quite frustrating.”
This fueling problem severely affected drivability and lap times. There were a few theories as to why this was happening, but for the race a fix was needed. Something quick, reliable, and still allowed the team to use the faster map but without killing power at full throttle. Adjusting the throttle cable so the accelerator was limited to 85% seemed to be the best way to do this, and testing proved it to be a working solution.
Times got better and more consistent with the fueling under control, and the day started to look up. Even more so as the Cobb GT-R was having some problems with falling into limp mode on every practice run.
The team watched with baited breath as TiC’s practice times got better and the Cobb support team was stymied by the problems with the GT-R. An undercurrent of giddy excitement started to take hold of the team after the first time attack session where TiC was able to set the pace with FTD at that point.
This was soon tempered by a quick look at the brakes. The new pads they were trying just were not holding up to the increased speed due to the added power. In fact, the rate at which the pads were being used along with some cracking starting in the rear rotors signaled they may not last the rest of the day.
The team went to the grid early for the second time attack session, and waited in the number one spot for their competition.
Things were looking good until at the last minute the Cobb GT-R rolled to the grid. Would it hold together? Would TiC be able to beat it? The tension was high.
Tony W rolled out on to track for the warm up lap, followed by the GT-R. The Subaru rumble filled the air as he flew past for the start of his first hot lap. Closely behind was the scream of the Cobb GT-R. Whatever the Cobb team had done worked, and The Brian Lock put the hammer down with conviction.
Another lap and Tony Barber wildly signaled to Tony W that the GT-R was go, and closely on his heels. Tony W made good use of all of that 85% of power as he drove like a man possessed. Another lap and the announcer screamed the time. A new best time for TiC AND a new track record of 1:08.494!
The crew was ecstatic only to have that happy feeling torn away seconds later as the Cobb GT-R shattered that just set record with a fast lap of 1:06.768. That was all she wrote. The Subaru could do no more. The TiC David was not beat the Cobb Goliath on this day.
Pulling back into the pits the team looked over the car. The coolant levels were too high. The brake pads were done. The rear rotors were cracked. The car breathed a sigh of relief as it finally got to rest. The team talked amongst themselves. Despite qualifying for the Super Session, a chance to go up against the top competitors of the day in an all out, wheel to wheel five lap battle they felt that it just couldn’t be done.
An RTA official approached the team, and offered a proposition. At least start the Super Session and get some points. The team agreed and the plan was set. Start and come in after one hot lap.
The team gridded with the other top competitors of the day, and after a quick photo shoot with the lovely RTA models the competitors positioned themselves in the hot pit.
The field was led onto the track by the pace car, and after the parade lap the pace car peeled off from the front of the pack as they approached the starting line. The unholy sound of the gates of hell opening, and the agony of lost souls can only describe the cacophony of noise as thousands of horsepower was unleashed, slingshotting tons of metal, composite and glass forward. The Cobb GT-R leaped out in front as the TiC Subaru stuck to his rear bumper.
One hot lap and then pit was the plan. A plan that was quickly abandoned by Tony W as the cars approached the start of the second lap. The GT-R roared down the front straight with the TiC Subaru in hot pursuit. Instead of turning off into the pit the rumble of the boxer motor raised in pitch as Tony W worked the throttle to try and close the gap.
The next lap saw the GT-R fly out of the last turn onto the front straight with the TiC Subaru close behind putting two wheels into the dirt as the car went a little wide. Tony’s skill at the wheel pulled the car back in line and the two competitors screamed down the front straight furthering their lead over the rest of the field.
Again and again the cars lapped the course, the Cobb GT-R punching a hole in the air and the TiC Subaru close behind until the session was over. Then, as quickly as it started, the Super Session was over.
The results were in with the Cobb GT-R in first, and the TiC Subaru in second. The day ended with TiC taking Second in Modified class, Second in the Super Session, and Second overall.
Team member and the other TiC co-owner, Clint Boggess was overheard stating “That damn GT-R is going to be quite annoying.”
This phrase is sure echo the thoughts of the other competitors of RTA for 2010, but that’s certainly not going to discourage the guys at TiC. They’ll be back for the next RTA East Coast event at Autobahn Country Club, and it will be interesting to see what they have planned to take down this Goliath of automobiles.