I decided to skip all of the street racer tuners and go for a shop that works on race cars. Enter GST Motorsports in Hayward, CA. GST is associated with many NASA TT competitors, especially Mitsubishi and Subaru owners. But what they’re most famous for these days is their Impreza L beast.

GST Motorsports Impreza L

I went in with an almost empty tank of 91 octane, and 10 gallons of 100 octane hoping that with two separate maps I can have the option of using 100 octane during TTs if the 91 octane was too weak. In a normally aspirated engine a higher octane fuel simply allows you to advance the timing. However in a turbocharged engine, a higher octane is much more beneficial as it allows you to run a higher boost pressure and thereby increasing the density of the air-fuel mixture. This results in much higher horsepower gains.

In my current TTB legal setup, I’m restricted to use the factory boost hardware, which means no modifications to the boost solenoid, lines, pills, etc. That being the case, Mike quickly found the factory boost hardware to be the limiting factor. Switching to 100 octane would’ve only allowed us to advance the ignition timing which isn’t worth the extra cost of the fuel.

(I’ll post the dyno sheet once I scan it)

What impressed me the most was Mike’s careful attention to ensure the safety of the engine. He data logged the car multiple times while making adjustments to squeeze out more power, but also during warm-up to make sure everything looked healthy. That alone gave me a lot of confidence in his work and I know I won’t be worried about blowing the motor the next hot day I’m out on track banging out laps for 30 minutes straight. And to top it all off I wasn’t even charged the full price of a tune!

Great customer service. Very professional, courteous, and lots of attention to detail. GST Motorsports has my business for as long as they’re around.

I’ve been wanting to move to the west coast for years, so finally when I found a job in San Jose I didn’t waste any time packing my stuff and shipping out here. Why? No bitter cold winters, and two famous race tracks within a two hour drive: Infineon Raceway, formerly known as Sears Point, and everyone’s favorite, Laguna Seca.

Shortly after I moved out here in July and found a place to live, I figured I’d finally get the Ohlins rebuilt as they were desperately in need of some love. Performance Shock Inc is based right out of Infineon Raceway and is a qualified Ohlins rebuilder. While the struts were off we discovered that the springs on the front were 450lb/in. Adil believed that he had run the 550lb/in springs in the front and the 750lb/in springs in the rear. Not so my friend. So I had Thomas from PSI re-valve the front struts for the 550lb/in springs, and the rears for the 750/in springs. This should make them work much better. What sucked was that due to some parts being unavailable in the US, it was mid November before I finally had them back! That was a long time to wait without any action for the Evo. But that didn’t mean I was going to miss out.

In August I signed up for the Jim Russell Techniques of Karting school. I had been out in Ramon’s kart at NJMP a few times, and with him, Sash, and my brother all pushing me to try it I figured I’d give it a go. Our main instructor for the day was factory CRG driver. He was ranked #2 in the world at the time in his class. Assisting him was another factory CRG driver. Not a bad bunch of guys to learn from. They covered what you’d expect from an intro course; the kart, getting a feel for it, braking technique, braking points, acceleration, lines, etc. What I left that day with was a sore neck, arms, and ribs, but most importantly I was hooked on karting.

Shortly afterward I found a kart for sale locally. Turned out the current championship leader of the 2010 Norcal Rotax Serniors class was looking to sell his kart sans engine. Kris at Cameron Karting had a customer, the current championship leader of the 2010 Norcal Rotax Masters class, looking to sell a barely used engine. It was a perfect match. I dropped off the kart and engine at Cameron Karting to have everything sorted out, and within a week I was whipping around the Infineon Raceway kart track in my own CRG Blackstar.

2008 CRG Blackstar - Wild Child #2

My plan was to get lots of seat time in the kart over the winter, but between the holidays and rain I’ve only gotten out on four days! My goal for 2011 is to do at least three races at Infineon. The season opener at Dixon was canceled due to rain, and the next race is on 10 April; the kart isn’t ready, and I’m far from ready. I’m not going to rush this because I don’t want to get discouraged and abandon the sport, and I also need to spend time setting up the Evo and doing TTs.

With the Evo sitting on jack stands waiting for the Ohlins to be rebuilt, and the weather not agreeing with karting I was not a happy camper. My whole reason for getting out of the north east was to escape the boredom of the winter, and here I was in the same situation. There was only one thing to do; enter the third wild child!

From the day I was addicted to gasoline powered speed I had always had a seat behind me and four wheels below me. But imagine this. Your entire body being hurled backwards while holding on for dear life with just the two small fingers of your left hand, your right wrist whipping the throttle wide open and twitching just for a split second as you grab the clutch with your index and middle fingers and bang up through the gears with your left foot. If you thought your fast sports car or rally bred econobox was an adrenaline rush you are mistaken. Welcome to the world of bikes!

Suzuki DR-Z400SM - Wild Child #3

This thing is an absolute blast! The twisty mountain roads by my house are my playground for now, but dirt trails, SuperMoto school, and track days are definitely in the near future!

Back to the Evo, while PSI was putting the Ohlins under the knife, I took the chance to upgrade the bushings with an Energy Suspension master bushing kit. Getting the front control arms off was a piece of cake. Getting a local shop to press the bushings in cost some $$. But getting those suckers back on was a *#$@#%# bitch!

Front lower control arms. So shiny!

Taking shit apart

Front strut and hub assembly

Evo in pieces

Getting the rear lower control arms off was impossible with the tools I have, and having a shop do the work could easily cost me close to $500. A friend of mine in LA has volunteered his shop, hoist, and tools for me to use. Score! Driving for 5+ hours in a stripped out Evo and a race seat. Not score!

PAX results:
http://autox4u.com/2010results/5222010_pax.htm

Final results:
http://autox4u.com/2010results/5222010_fin.htm

Pictures courtesy of Speed Lounge. See their coverage of the event here

Not only was this event my first TT event for ‘10, but it was also my first track event for the year. So I considered it a shakedown for the car, but more importantly a shakedown for myself. The first morning of a weekend event is usually pretty hectic. A frantic search to find empty spots in the pits, unpack the tools, tires, jack stands, and all loose items from the car (I can never believe how much crap fits into an Evo!). Slap on the brand new BFGoodrich g-Force R1s (from Tirerack) and the Hawk HT-10 race compound pads (from KNS Brakes), run through the self-tech, and finally hand over everything to registration.

With just the instructor group having been on track before us, we grid up and head out on to the cold track in a slow train. I have never drive on the BFG R1s until now, so with the pressures set to 35 psi cold I started to try and get a feel for them. Our venue for the weekend was the Lightning circuit at NJMP. Between the two, I would say that Thunderbolt is my choice, but Lightning isn’t too bad and certainly has a few tricky corners that take a while to master. By the second corner I realize that the car is very soft – damn it! I had forgotten to set the rebound on the Ohlins. Deja vu – I made the same mistake on my previous track day as well. That’s another thing to add to the list of crap to do in the morning. Anyway I decide not to obsess over it and focus on the upcoming corners – a sweeping right hander that leads into a left. As I transition into the left hander my rear steps out, but my attempt to counter steer and feed in the gas were futile. I did the standard practice of putting both feet in and watched in embarrassment as the corner workers started waving their yellow flags. As I headed back towards the pits I found the car to be yet again a handful on the next left-hand corner. Hmmm… As I headed for the pits noticed my engine oil light on the dashboard, so I threw the car into neutral and let it coast towards the course worker waiting for me at the hot pit. Before the car came to a halt the engine stalled – I knew immediately what had happened!

A few years ago at an autocross I mowed down a cone, and in retaliation it struck my oil filter so hard that it bent the filter and thus compromised the seal between the filter and the housing resulting in an oil leak. An OEM filter may have avoided the situation, but I was using a Purolator filter at the time which is narrower but taller. With the oil spewing from near the passenger side front wheel, every left turn I made caused oil to splash towards the path of the right side wheels, thus making it over steer like a bitch.

Back at the hot pits, as the course worker checked for any signs of damage or loose wheels, I ducked underneath the car and saw the problem – my brand new AMS oil cooler had a gaping whole on its side. That was the least of my concerns; I had just potentially ceased my engine, and cooked the turbo. Is that a perfect start to the season or what?!

More details and videos later…

2010/04/18 NASA-NE TT at NJMP Lightning – Fastest Lap from Charith Perera on Vimeo

2010/04/18 NASA-NE TT at NJMP Lightning – Jake’s Spin from Charith Perera on Vimeo.

For the engine I had always stuck with Mobil1 synthetic; 10W30 during normal events, and 10W40 during extremely hot events where the oil seems temps in the 100C range. This year I decided to give Amsoil 10W30 a try. Although we probably wont see such high temps in the spring to see if Amsoil will make a difference, it’s probably best to give it a try at an event where temps won’t be too extreme.

For the transmission I had previously stuck with Mitsubishi’s Diaqueen 75W85, and Diaqueen LSD Gear Oil for the Transfer Case and rear differential. As I’m not producing much more than stock power levels, I didn’t have much concern about extreme stress on the drivetrain, but rather was more concerned about the longevity. The shift from 4th to 5th gear had also started to develop a hesitation, what some would describe as a “grind”. I contacted Andy (aka apagan01 on EvolutionM) who is an Amsoil dealer with my concerns and he recommended that we try Amsoil MTG GL4 75W90 Heavy Gear Lube for the transmission, and Amsoil 75W90 Severe Gear Oil for the transfer case and rear differential.

Evo on jack stands

Once the car was reasonably levelled on jack stands, draining the fluid was pretty simple. The engine oil had been changed rather recently, and with the limited miles seen over the cold days I was glad to find that the color was still a nice brown. The transmission and transfer case however had not been changed since last spring. A considerable amount of metal shavings attached to the drain plugs confirmed that an annual fluid change should be done on a track car.

Next the car was placed in the safe hands of Champion Auto in Long Island City, NY for a front swaybar swap. Two years ago I upgraded my front swaybar to a Whiteline 26mm bar in an attempt to make the car more competitive in SCCA AS for Solo II. However although the bar seemed to help keep the car flatter on some sweeping corners and fast transitions on the road course, it does make rotating the car a little harder. As I will be competing in the NASA Time Trial series for 2010, in order to remain legal for TTB classification I’m required to revert to my stock front swaybar. Hopefully this will also help rotate the car better on the track. I’ll be looking forward to the outcome this weekend.

My first run was not only an introduction to the S2000, but also a re-introduction to autox. I did three events last year, two in early spring, and one in the fall. I knew what I was supposed to do, but my muscle memory was a little lacking to say the least. I was a mess – and Dan didn’t spare any creative comments to make sure I knew that. “YOU FUCKING SUCK! YOU’RE NOT LOOKING AHEAD! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO AUTOCROSS?!?!” Thanks Dan. For those who don’t know, co-driving with Dan is like having that annoying voice inside your head, just that it’s now sitting next to you and constantly shouting at you, at the starter, at timing & scoring, at Perry, at the cone that just fell, and at anyone else who’s around. It only gets worse when he’s driving. There’s no surprise that the only noises you hear from the sealed microphone of the GoPro camera is Dan.

Anyway, back to the S2000 which I had never driven before until I lined up at the start:

• Power – the Evo is a torque monster compared to it, and I found myself naturally shifting up at 6500rpm instead of using the extra 2500rpm. Let the v-tech sing baby!
• Steering – yes the Evo had a quick rack, but this is crazy fast!
• Turn-in – because of the fatter swaybar I added for AStock the Evo needed a lifting of the gas or a tap of brake to induce turn-in. No effort needed in the Honda for turn-in. In fact, the AP1 was thought to be too tail happy, so Dan has added one of those nearly extinct Gendron front swaybars.
• Grip – this is where the S2000 was lacking. Shot Bridgestone RE-01Rs in the front, and shot Kumho ASXs in the rear. Fred Flintstone probably had better grip than we had in the rear.
• Brakes – to compensate for the lack of ABS in the Evo, Mitsubishi gave it a firm but communicative brake pedal. The S2000 on the other hand had a relatively squishy brake pedal and a trigger-happy ABS. In conjunction with the shitty tires, this led to a few moments where the ABS hit ice mode

Needless to say my first run was a throwaway. Dan jumps in and shows me how it’s done – or should I say how it’s spun! “THERE’S NO GRIP!” My 2nd run I start getting a feel for the car, or so I thought. I hit ice-mode on one of the braking zones and fly past an offset cone. Then after the turnaround I pin the gas and throw it into 2nd gear just as the tach sails past 8500rpm. I was expecting the tires to chirp and launch me into a surge of acceleration. Instead I found myself clouded in tire smoke and pointing the wrong direction. “YOU IDIOT THIS ISN’T ALL WHEEL DRIVE!”

On his 3rd run Dan puts it all together: sick launch, slick shifts, smooth on the gas, and snakes it through the slaloms for a blistering run of 75seconds. Just about 25seconds slower than his previous best. Thanks timing & scoring – there goes the money run!

After a few spins and much shouting from Dan I was getting the hang of the car and learning to push it. But my times weren’t improving. It seemed that every time I thought I had reigned it in the Joker would pull out another trick from up his sleeve. Dan was sitting on a clean 51.031 run, and I was constantly pulling 53s. But miraculously I managed to put it together on the last run of the day and pulled off a 52.497. 1.5seconds is a lifetime on an autox course, but for me that’s just 1.5 seconds away from figuring out how to drive a well balanced FR car. Win!

First up are a set of 17×9″ Weds Sport SA-70 wheels. I sold my set of 17×8″ Kosei K1-TS to a fellow racer last year. Although they were very light weighing in at 15.5lbs, I needed a wider wheel so that I can run a wider tire with sufficient tirewall support. Fortunately the Weds aren’t dead weights, weighing in at 17.8lbs they are pretty light for their size.

Next up we have a performance radiator by Mishimoto. Lighter than OEM and hopefully more efficient.

Valentino Rossi who has dominated MotoGP for the last decade recently conducted another test with Ferrari in an F2008 and nearly matched Kimi Raikkonen’s lap record at Catalunya. He has also shown success in a WRC car. What appears as a smooth flat surface to us could very possibly be as rough as the crater filled moon to him. Its time to stop living in ignorance and time to start heightening those senses, maybe even pick up a sixth sense on the way.

For 2010 the Evo will be dedicated for track days, time trials, and the occasional run to the grocery store. The car will be prepped to satisfy the ruleset for NASA TTB. I will participate in all NASA NE TT events if possible in hopes of being in contention for the championship.

Upgrades will be as follows:

1. 17×9 Weds Sport SA-70 wheels – Snagged for cheap locally. Curb rashed and scraped, but still light at 17.8lbs
2. Retuned suspension – The car feels great, but not perfect. I’ll be working with a local tuner to get it setup to my liking
3. AMS upgraded Oil Cooler kit – An attempt to keep the oil temps low on those long hot summer lapping days
4. Mishimoto Aluminum Radiator – A small weight reduction, but hopefully will also aid in keeping the car cooler
5. Autopower 6-pt rollcage – Last year I got lucky when I popped out of the carousel at Summit Point’s Shenandoah circuit. This time I’m not taking any chances.

2010 will also see me return to my first racing addition: Solo II. This year I will be co-driving the Holunfie Honda S2000 in STR with owner and bike junkie Dan Cheung. Dan took a break from competitive Solo II racing after he sold off his STU Subaru STi and started racing his bikes in an attempt to satisfy his adrenaline fix. This year with the introduction of the STR class he’s back in a nicely setup AP1 Honda S2000. Last year I nearly sold the Evo in the hope of picking up an S2000 for track. Although it’s FR setup and god-like handling are matched only by a few other cars, the versatility of the Evo allowed me to be competitive while being sideways in the snow, dodging cones, or flying through the uphill esses at VIR.

And last but not least, I will be logging valuable seat time in a CRG Rotax Kart owned by Ramon Pitter. If open wheel racing is the ultimate goal, then karting is the foundation. My first test in a kart was in 2008, and although the kart wasn’t setup for me I got a taste of what all the fuss was about. Information overload, lightning fast reflexes, and huge gonads; all active ingredients for the adrenaline junkie. But I’m not looking for that. I’m looking to learn how to deal with the information overload, to build lightning fast reflexes, and to grow some giant balls. Perfect! Ramon is yet to compete in a Kart race. With the two of us logging seat time we hope our half-brains can come together and build a good setup for him that will make him competitive.

So if all goes according to plan I’ll be ripping up tarmac in the Evo, chasing cones in an S2000, and logging seat-time in a kart. Now that’s what I call a New Year’s resolution! Here’s to twenty-ten!

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