TimeattackR: Daniel Meredith's K24 supercharged EK Civic

“When we first saw Daniel Meredith’s EK Civic out on the racetrack, it was making noises an EK shouldn’t at a pace much faster than expected… We had to know more…”

With time attack racing still somewhat in its infancy compared with other mainstream motorsports, we’re starting to see some pleasantly surprising out of the box thinking from some competitors around the world. Common and effective setups are being thrown out the window in the hope for something extraordinary — something Daniel Meredith knows all too well.

When the time attack bug really bit hard for Daniel, he was the proud owner of this silver Honda Civic EK, complete with a small-capacity rev-happy B16A2 engine. Now, the B16A engine is no slouch in factory trim, but if one were to make an impression in the time attack scene, a serious upgrade would need to take place. The obvious progression in this day and age would most certainly be a K-series engine.

BYP Racing are experts with the K-series engine, Hondas, and time attack racing. Nearly every single vehicle that leaves their workshop flies out the door with a K-swap of sorts, so they were the obvious choice for swapping in a K24/K20 hybrid monster.

First, though, BYP Racing set the Civic up for the extra grunt, with a 4x100 Integra Type R brake upgrade, replaced the suspension bushes throughout, installed a larger rear sway bar and GAB SSR coilovers, and an XT Racing GPX Pro 8 lap timer.

Both Daniel and the Civic were now ready for some track time. With the K-swap completed and a set of 15x7-inch Advan RG wheels wrapped in 205/50R15 AD08R street tyres fitted, Daniel visited Wakefield Park for the final round of the Advan Neova Cup and took out first place in the N/A engine category with a rapid lap time of 1:08.1 seconds. After this win, some drag racing followed, with the little Civic managing an impressive time of 12.3 seconds down the quarter mile and yet another trophy at the 2015 Jamboree.

Following this, only minor cosmetic enhancements came, this time in the form of an immaculate set of blue Volk TE37 wheels measuring 16x8-inches. With the extra width came bigger tyres, with the little Civic now running 225/45R16 Advan AD08R tyres. With the new tyres, Daniel managed to be the fastest front-wheel drive vehicle at the second round of the 2015 Nulon Nationals.

Progression after progression — Daniel was at it again. The entire SPM/PCI aero kit was supplied by the BYP team and installed in-house. Daniel’s times further improved, but most impressively, at Sydney Motorsport Park, by setting the new record for a front-wheel drive equipped with Advan AD08R tyres with a time of 1:46.7 seconds.

With the little EK Civic now performing well above what most would imagine possible for a front-wheel drive vehicle, Daniel still wanted more from the constantly developed chassis. After a lengthy discussion with the BYP Racing team, it was decided that in the lead up to the 2015 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge, the K24 were to be boosted by means of a Rotrex supercharger kit.

To handle the planned 18psi of boost pressure the Rotrex kit would soon dish out to the K-series engine, the BYP team forged the bottom end. In no time at all, thanks to a relatively straightforward installation process and swift bottom end rebuild, the Civic was on the dyno being tuned. With a result of 330kW at the wheels on 18psi of boost, Daniel knew that another tyre upgrade would be in order to make use of it. Guards were spaced to align with WTAC regulations, and on went a set of 17-inch wheels with 255/40R17 Advan AD08R tyres. This upgrade was enough to beat the outstanding Wakefield AD08R previously held by BYP, with a 1:05.4.

With only two weeks to go until WTAC, the BYP team and Daniel made the decision to reduce weight yet again and dial the setup in during a private testing session at Sydney Motor Sport Park. With the Civic now down to 990kg wet without a driver, the team was confident in its capabilities. During the test day, the BYP team managed to pedal the Civic to an impressive 1:38.9 second lap time, which was faster than the winning 2014 Club Spring time, and 0:0.2 seconds off the Club Sprint record at this circuit.

With the keys handed over after testing, it now up to Daniel to take a handle on the Civic’s new found capabilities and string together the ‘one perfect lap’. Throughout the day, Daniel managed to stay ahead of everyone in the class and proceeded to blow everybody away with the pace of his Civic. With a final time of 1:39.44 he dominated anything and everything in its way.

It was an extreme delight to see Daniel’s EK Civic in action at the Vic Time Attack Challenge because it was a build that really resonated with me. I too owned an EK Civic last year, and if it weren’t for my move to Australia just recently, it would have been my time attack project too. Daniel’s Civic shows what can be achieved with the affordable and lightweight chassis, with a budget some would spend on an engine alone. Our hats go off to Daniel and the entire BYP Racing team for producing something so competitive with just what some would call the basics.

StreetattackR: BYP Racing Mazda RX-7 K20A turbo

Simply put, there are some moments in your life when you are just blown away. Something, someone, or an idea, might hit you in the face with utter disbelief to keep you feeling human. It’s a common phenomenon that doesn’t seem to happen too often these days in the automotive scene. Mainstream motorsport gets duller by the year, show cars that were once big in the wow factor are slowly dying off and tried and true combinations take place over trial and error.

During a pit walk at Phillip Island during the Topstage Composites Vic Time Attack Challenge, that moment of disbelief hit me so hard in the face, I nearly dropped my camera, coffee, and doughnut. I think not for the fact of what I was seeing, but for the fact that it was almost so sacrilege, I thought never in my life would I see it completed.

The disbelief in question was the sight of this particular Mazda RX-7 FD sitting among a stable of BYP Racing Hondas. That in itself should have been the giveaway that I was looking at no ordinary Mazda RX-7, but rather one that BYP Racing had cooked up in their deep dark lair, west of Sydney.

Yes, that’s right. This Mazda RX-7 was built by BYP Racing. Why is this so significant you’re wondering? Well, BYP Racing are a Honda tuning workshop and haven’t been known to dabble in the Wankel tuning world… So instead, a plan was hatched to install a K20A engine into this particular example, that is owned by Adrian Pazman.

A client of BYP Racing, Adrian is not new to the Honda tuning world, having owned a very potent B16A turbo Honda Civic, that makes its way around Wakefield Park in 1:05.4. With the proof evident that Hondas can cop a beating, but having owned Mazda RX-7s in the past, the team at BYP Racing pitched the idea of a K20A-swapped RX-7 when Adrian was ready to move into another rear-wheel drive platform. It had the reliability box ticked, wouldn’t upset the weight balance a great deal, however, an N/A K20A engine wouldn’t be enough, so from the get-go, a turbo setup was also planned.

An RX-7 was purchased that had a damaged engine, and the BYP Racing team set to work immediately fixing the issue so that the engine could be sold as an engine conversion package. In the meantime, a factory K20A engine had its valvetrain upgraded to handle boost and in it went bolted to an S2000 gearbox for the initial dummy fit. Things at this stage were extremely promising as everything lined up surprisingly well. Oh, and the RX-7 received a nickname, too — Rhonda.

Daniel from Impossible Fabrication was enlisted to tackle everything that required a welder. Engine mounts, gearbox, manifolds, and more were made by him and the workmanship is excellent. To get the K20A working in a rear-wheel drive configuration the factory manifold had to be mated to an S2000 unit as to have it forward facing. After that, Daniel fabricated a K20A turbo manifold for the application, mounted the Garrett GTX3076R turbo and downpipe. Considerable modification had to be carried out to the factory Mazda subframe too, which required new mounts for the K20A engine. Mated to the custom and now high-temp coated turbo manifold is a Precision 46mm external wastegate that would soon be plumbed into the exhaust system, complete with V-band clamp for easy removal.

Fabrication didn’t stop there as you can imagine and when it came to mounting the front-mounted intercooler the team decided that for this application a V-mounted unit would work best. Rob from Speedfab produced a beautiful and well thought out setup that has minimal charge piping. Custom ducting was made for the aluminium radiator, along with custom aluminum radiator piping to aid in the hunt for reliability. Another touch you can’t see under the vehicle is the custom made three-inch titanium exhaust system. There’s one muffler and plenty of lobster-back welds — it sounds as good as it looks and the entire system only weighs 4kg in total!

Once everything was in place, plumbed in and coated in matching black heat paint and wrinkle coating for a more factory-like appearance, the team had it strapped to a dyno for its initial run and check. On the stock bottom end, and with wastegate pressure of only 16–17psi, it produced a stonking 310kW at the rear wheels tuned with a Hondata Kpro ECU. Now in its current guise, power is up at around 330kW.

Handling wise, the BYP team installed a set of GAB SS coilovers and Cusco front and rear sway bars. Braking has been taken care of with a Brembo Evo X upgrade kit, which includes a set of two-piece 355mm discs. For the street and initial testing, Adrian decided on a set of 19-inch Advan RZ wheels wrapped in Federal RSRR tyres to complete the combo.

Inside the cabin, things have been kept fairly minimal with the addition of a Buddy Club fixed back racing seat, Nardi steering wheel, Type R gear knob, and an AIM MXl2 gauge cluster. We can’t get over how awesome Rhonda has become over a very short period of time, and we’re excited to see how it develops with further testing. Once again the BYP Racing team have done a fantastic job with a wild, unique, yet fairly simple time attack combination. Sorry rotary owners, in this application the K20A has our vote!

TimeattackR: Herbert Hugon’s R34 built to destroy

“After a few track days the turbo finally gave up and this is where it all got serious. ”

— Herbert Hugon

You know, it's sometimes humorous when we ask how a time attack project began. We’ve heard of stories where individuals, or bands of gentlemen chip in, buy a rolling body and build a circuit slayer. We’ve heard stories of a natural progression of a road-going vehicle, getting slightly more aggressive at every outing, until a point in which, it becomes too aggressive and is imprisoned, garage-bound and tortured with pneumatic and 230-volt-powered tools until it’s next dogfight.

For Herbert Hugon, his path to on-track brutality began somewhere in the middle. Yes, it was a road-going vehicle that saw a few upgrades to enhance performance, but instead of an all-out no-expense-spared build, this all began because the factory nylon-wheel RB25DET Neo turbo failed.

Herbert wasn’t simply after a replacement unit, but instead, Herbert saw this moment in time as an opportunity to give the R34 a new lease on life, utilizing a stronger heart with more punch. No, not a high flow turbo, but rather a fully-built tough-as-nails RB30DET engine, built by Ray Evans. The RB30 block made use of an impressive factory RB26 head and Garrett turbo, but this combination wasn’t to last...

The combination didn’t last thanks to a mechanical error, but rather the complete opposite. The new-found torque of the RB30 was too impressive, and when Herbert found out that capacity could be further increased, it was simply too hard to pass on.

Not too long after, a Nitto 3.2-litre stroker kit was installed into the block, and with it, the envelope was pushed further again with a resulting 373kW(500hp) at the wheels, and mountains of useable torque.

Mountains of useable torque and power would be nothing without control, and this is a quest that Herbert has taken on himself. Armed with a few aerodynamic books and online articles, Herbert has dramatically increased downforce and cleverly reduced overall vehicle weight.

After all, what R34 is considered a lightweight? Weighing in at 1345kg, it’s still no Honda Integra, however, there are hopes of shaving another 100kg from this total weight to improve performance yet again.

“The car has been good to me so far. The only mechanical issues I've had so far have been a split power steering line on the very first shakedown and a broken fuel line at Vic Time Attack,” Herbert told us. Even after a brief discussion with the crew that was in attendance at Vic Time Attack, it’s evident there is huge confidence in the car's ability to perform flawlessly.

We struggled to identify this R34 as a GT-T at first, and that’s thanks to the addition of the riveted on Viva Garage widebody guards and Viva Garage front guards. These bulging sides, coupled with an aggressive front bar, shortened rear bar with a diffuser, and Z-Tune carbon fibre bonnet are complemented perfectly with the white paint.

There’s no doubt in our minds that this influence is purely Japanese. For a moment there, beanie on, hood up standing behind our camera we had the sensation we were somewhere much further north on earth, taking in the atmosphere of an authentic time attack event.

There’s more to the exterior that meets the eye, though, as Optimus Prime would have told you. The windows are no longer heavy glass units, but rather lexan.

The wheels are the functional, yet timeless 18x10.5-inch Volk Racing TE37s, wrapped in 285/30R18 tyres. We’re certain there’s no better wheel for the R34 in a time attack scenario.

Eight-piston D2 calipers, teamed up with GReddy four-piston units down the back take the heat, as Herbert pulls the R34 up from speeds of over 240kph, on Phillip Island’s turn one.

Herbert’s functional mind flows into the cockpit, with a safe-but-solid six-point Targa-spec roll cage, Sparco 2000 seat, and an RPM six-point harness. Like a fighter pilot with a master key, Herbert hangs his Sparco steering wheel from a high-hanging ceiling hook, so that the R34 has no chance of an uncontrolled escape.

Herbert’s R34 build is one we’ll be paying close attention too. Like a drifter being passionate about Japanese style builds, we’re the same here at TimeattackR.com with our chosen clock-watching discipline. The styling, engine package, and aero have us weak at the knees, so we’re sure to follow the team's progress. Stay tuned.

Of course, this build wouldn't be possible without the help of Herbert's crew, family and main sponsors. Herbert would like to send a warm thanks to Liqui Moly for the huge support.

Vehicle: Nissan Skyline GT-T (R34)
Engine: RB30E block, RB26DETT head, Nitto 3.2-litre stroker kit, Nitto ceramic coated pistons, Nitto I-beam conrods, Nitto oil pump, ATI balancer, rear head oil drain, Spitfire coil packs, custom loom, APR head studs, Nitto head gasket, Tomei cam gears, Garrett twin-scroll TO4Z, 6Boost turbo manifold, custom four-inch turbo-back exhaust, Turbosmart 50mm wastegate, Turbosmart Race Port BOV, HKS intercooler, PWR oil cooler, 52mm aluminium radiator, Accusump oil accumulator, 35-litre fuel cell, twin Bosch 044 fuel pumps, Tomei fuel rail, 1000cc Sard injectors, Sard fuel pressure regulator, Haltech Pro plug-in ECU, Racepak IQ3 logger dash
Driveline: Nismo twin-plate clutch
Suspension and brakes: BC ER series coilovers, D2 Racing eight-piston front calipers, GReddy four-piston rear calipers, Wilwood brake bias
Wheels and tyres: 18x10.5-inch Rays TE37, 285/30R18 semi slicks
Exterior: Custom aero kit, carbon fibre boot, Z-Tune style bonnet, Viva garage front fenders and rear guards, Plastic4performance perspex windows
Interior: Targa-spec roll cage, Sparco 2000 fixed-back seat, RPM six-point harness, Sparco 320mm steering wheel

Event Report: Prowear NZ Superlap Series RD6

It was a mixed bag of weather for the penultimate round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo April 2–3, making for unpredictable and often slippery track conditions which really put the drivers to the test.

A close time attack battle is always exciting anywhere in the lineup, but watching the fight for top honours, which came down to a tenth of a second, had spectators, crew members and other drivers on their feet cheering for their favoured team. It was an absolute pleasure to watch two cars who have both represented New Zealand at the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge make their way out of the pits together and the sound coming from Andy Duffin’s Mazda RX-7 down the straights was incredible.

The Pro Open win went to Scott Kreyl’s Mitsubishi Evo with a time of 1:29.889. This dedicated time attack weapon was piloted by three-time World Time Attack Champion driver Garth Walden, who had flown in from Australia to take the wheel. The team were struggling with a boost leak over the weekend, and some on-the-fly changes to the aerodynamics of the car, but in the end they did enough to hold that top spot and take the round.

After setting the fastest time for Saturday, Andy Duffin’s 3 Rotor Racing FD RX-7 couldn’t quite hold off the competition on Sunday. The 3 Rotor Racing crew were working hard to dial in more grip for the stunningly-presented 20B rotary but in the final shootout Andy felt his drive wasn’t as on-point as it could have been. A best time of 1:29.994 is still mighty impressive and I’m sure we will see more of this car at the Superlap rounds in future.

Third spot went to Leon Scott’s Evo on 1:36.7. Leon decided to play the long game this weekend and put his car on the trailer after lunch on Sunday, opting not to run in the final sessions and to instead save the car for the final in the hopes of holding his championship lead.

The Shortty Racing Team Subaru WRX took home another fourth place finish on 1:41.8, and another broken gearbox for driver Jason Shortt. Jason has enough points to hold his championship spot without contending the final round, so it’s yet to be seen if the car will be patched up to contend at Hampton Downs or if it will go into the shed for a full rebuild for the 2016-17 season for the team to hopefully shake the ‘box slayer’ nickname.

Rounding out the Pro Open class was Greg Hirst bringing out his new MR2 for it’s first superlap round and a best of 1:53.1. During Saturday he did look like he might have been wishing for more than an umbrella to shelter the targa top in the open pits!

Pro Street was another David and Goliath clash between the Manon Racing AE92 Levin and the ST HiTec R35 GT-R. Barry Manon had put a lot of hours into fixing the problems that plagued the Levin at Manfeild and aside from a few niggles with the LSD it was looking like the car was singing all weekend, enabling the 0GRIP crew to wind up a bit more boost and post a time of 1:37.5 for the class win — six from six.

Iain Clegg had his GT-R on double-duty, with the second drive going to his crew manager, Stewart Mearns. Iain was looking like he had it in the bag by the end of Saturday in the wet, but on a drier track on Sunday and some mechanical issues sidelining him from the last few sessions it meant he couldn’t match the Levin and had to settle for second place with 1:39.3.

Michael Sorensen’s Subaru WRX dropped 3-seconds off his best time from the last Taupo round, coming in at 1:44.5. Jason Morris’ MacMorris Racing MPS also found another second since last time for a 1:48.2. The rest of the Pro Street field saw Morris Mustchin improve his times all weekend, Geoff Gordon also set a new PB, Bruce Clothier was only in attendance on Saturday when the track wasn’t as good so his times were off what the Starlet is capable of. Series organiser Kaz Kostiuk-Warren finally got a chance to drive his new track car in a superlap round and take it for a spin — literally.

The JTune team were all alone again in the Street front wheel drive class (seriously, where are all the Hondas hiding?) and while this meant they could rest on their laurels and easily take home the class win, that’s not how the boys roll. Jason Xu’s orange Accord was pushed hard around the track by the ever-smiling Ray Williams. They missed their target of getting in the 1:44 range but still set a very respectable 1:45.1 on street tyres.

Street All Wheel Drive had a very small field this weekend, but still some great drives. Emil Roshan’s beautiful Skyline R34 laid down a 1:43.8, and Brad Jesson tried hard to catch him (and shake his reputation as a one-and-done man) but could only come up with a 1:45.2, however the car was on form for the bulk of the weekend getting through most of the sessions before a cracked manifold ended his run. Michael Nealis pulled a 1:55.9 out of the Legacy GTB wagon, while wife his Michelle Nealis, opted to stay on pit crew duty this weekend instead of driving.

Street Rear Wheel drive made for exciting watching, especially in moist conditions. Shamil Arachchie’s Toyota Supra took out the win with a 1:44.2 with Glenn Hodges right on his tail with a 1:45.1 (and plans to increase the aero on his car before the final round and make this battle even closer). Darren McDonald flung his Commodore around in 1:46.2 before cooking the brake pads. Bradley Haines managed to celebrate his 21st over the weekend, so couldn’t quite crack the 2 minute mark – but we think that’s understandable in the circumstances.

Casey Jones had his turbo give up early on Saturday turning his race weekend into a holiday weekend, and Kerri Mareeba did her usual single lap before spending the rest of the weekend on the clipboard.

With five weeks to go before the final round at Hampton Downs, it’s time for the cars to head back into their sheds and the crews to put on their thinking caps to find those elusive fractions of a second.

TimeattackR: Ben Lipman's boosted griffin

“Not your usual time attack chassis of choice, Ben Lipman proves that with some weight taken out and some clever engineering, the JZZ30 can be a weapon”

Japanese vehicles aren't the most affordable in Australia, especially when you've got locally-produced Fords on Holdens available for scrap-like prices. One affordable Japanese platform, though, is the JZZ30 Toyota Soarer. They’re miles cheaper than a Supra, and offer big power and comfort for the little outlay. This originally drew Ben Lipman to the platform over a decade ago, when he purchased his first example for around $30,000.

Fast forward a few years, and Ben has been modifying the Soarer platform for some time. Although modifications began on his daily driver, things started to get out of hand, and Ben decided that it would be a better option to purchase a track specific vehicle, as to avoid the attention of the NSW police. Being a keen Soarer enthusiast, Ben made the purchase of another Griffin-badged Toyota, and swapped over his upgrades from his road going daily driver.

Fast forward to it’s current guise, and what you have is years of development, in what Ben describes is a chassis that suffers from a lack of aftermarket support. He wouldn’t have it any other way though, as the lessons he has learned along the way wouldn’t have happened with bolt-ons. Interestingly, the Soarer still retains a factory-block 1JZ-GTE engine, with twin turbos. However, 206kW at the flywheel is now a distant memory, and power is currently sitting at 370kW at the wheels. With twins, you ask?!

With the help of Kurt Atzmuller, and Munro Racing Turbochargers, the 1JZ-GTE now sports a pair of extremely custom CT20 turbos, based off the 2JZ-GTE. Not only do the twins have custom actuators to control boost and bigger compressor and turbine wheels, they also feature custom surge compressor front covers, which were machined in house at Munro Racing Turbochargers.

Not your usual engine setup, Grant and Glenn at Extreme Street Performance took on the challenge of tuning this machine. Although the Soarer was producing an unusual, never-seen-before power-band, the tuning duo had it running at its optimum in no time.

With near-on 400kW at the wheels, Ben knew the Soarer would need some upgrades in the braking department. JZA80 Supra four-piston and two-piston calipers were sourced from New Zealand at a discounted rate, and are paired with Project Mu pads and high-temp fluid. Even with speeds of up to 250kph, the Soarer has no problems hauling up to a stop.

This has also been aided by the extreme weight loss, thanks to a carbon fibre obsession of Bens. “My best mate convinced me to try working with carbon fibre and I set about replacing all the steel panels with carbon fibre. About the same time I began reading every aerodynamics textbook I could find and incorporated this new knowledge into the panels,” Ben told us, after we asked how the carbon onslaught came about. As much as 40kg per door was saved with carbon fibre. It’s safe to say, the Soarer is no longer the heavy weight in which it is known for.

Up front, there is an extremely rigid carbon fibre front bar with canards, and down the back, a rear undertray aids in stability on high-speed courses such as Phillip Island. To finish off the aero, there’s a – yup, you guessed it – carbon fibre single-element rear wing.

Ben’s one of those blokes that is willing to share his knowledge with anybody willing to learn. His Soarer is proof that anybody, providing they have the drive, can achieve anything. We’ve got huge respect for Ben for taking on the challenge of building something so unique — let this be a lesson to all of you!

Vehicle: Toyota Soarer (JZZ30)
Engine: 1JZGTE, Haltech PS2000, 1NZ COP conversion, Munro Racing Turbo high flow CT20 turbos, Kurt’s JZ customs manifold, dump pipe and intake piping, ‘Delta fin’ style intercooler, custom three-inch side-exit exhaust, 400litre fuel cell, two-litre surge tank, Holley Red lift pump, Bosch 044 main pump, 1000cc injectors in BPP fuel rail
Driveline: Toyota R154 five-speed manual gearbox, Exedy street tough clutch, Torsen LSD solid mounted, OEM drive shafts
Suspension: CAMS spec roll cage, HSD HR coilovers, Ikeya Formula adjustable front Upper and Lower control arms, Driftshop adjustable toe and traction arms, Selby sway bars, solid diff and engine mounts, with rose joints or Polyurethane bushes throughout
Braking: 330mm Supra ventilated rotors, JZA80 four-piston front calipers, JZA80 two-piston rear calipers, Project Mu Club spec/Intima Type D pads
Interior: Completely stripped interior, Haltech Racepak dash, basic Speco gauges
Body: Custom made carbon fibre panels (vented bonnet, vented guards, side skirts, doors, roof, boot), Lexan side and rear windows, carbon/Kevlar front bumper, canards, splitter and undertray, carbon fibre single element rear wing with custom uprights, Carbon fibre rear diffuser/floor
Wheels and Tyres: Desmond Regamaster 17x9-inch and 17x10-inch wheels, Nitto NT01 semi slicks
Power: 370kW tuned on e85 by Extreme Street Performance

Bonus gallery:

Driver's POV: Brad Jesson

TimeattackR.com: Hi there. Tell us a bit about who you are, and why you first got into motorsport.
Brad: Hey! I’m Brad, I’m 25 and from Auckland. My weekend high-chair was pretty much a go kart as a toddler. I grew up running around the country’s go karting tracks as my dad was a mechanic for some of the top go karters in the country at the time. Being surrounded by the smell of exhaust gas and tyres must have sunk into my blood. Unfortunately, I was never allowed to drive one. But I never really managed to shake the urge to get out on the track and the moment I bought myself a performance car I was back out on track. I started with drag racing then slowly built my confidence to track days. Now it’s time attack and full blown circuit racing on my agenda.

What first drew you to time attack racing and when did you start competing?
Ever since time attack hit the mainstream I have been interested in it. The first car and team I followed would be the HKS CT230R as I’m an avid Evo enthusiast. I loved this car and everything about it. This then carried over to the cyber evo. I was invited over to the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge in 2013 by a friend who was managing Inessa Tushkanova, as she was competing as a guest driver. I was lucky enough to spend a week hanging out with them. I was also lucky enough to meet and hang out with the WTAC CEO Ian Baker, who is one of the coolest people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I also got to meet Chris from Nulon Australia who is an ex-pat Kiwi and all round awesome guy. It was definitely one of the best weeks of my life hanging out with time attack royalty. Ever since then, the time attack bug bit hard, and although my financial situation (mortgage + racecar = permanently broke) hasn’t allowed me to get back over to WTAC in person, I’ve watched every year since from start to finish on the live stream. I also try to keep up to date with the Japanese time attack scene. This is my first year competing in time attack in New Zealand. I’ve learnt the hard way that the car takes another level of beating when on the track and I had a few teething issues which have cost me some good placings including; losing power to a fuel pump at round two and blowing fourth gear to smithereens at round three, but that’s motorsport I guess. It also pushed me to develop and adapt the car over the year, including much more aggressive aero and welding in a full eight-point roll cage after round one. So since round one the car has gone from fast street car to fully stripped, caged race car.

What was your first time attack vehicle and why did you choose it?
My first vehicle is my current vehicle. A highly modified 2001 Mitsubishi Evo VII. It was my street and show car, which saw the odd drag event and track day. I’ve always wanted to get into motorsport with the end goal being full blown circuit racing as part of the GTRNZ series, and I see time attack as a good stepping stone giving me experience on the track in a competition environment with other cars of similar pace, before taking the plunge into door-to-door racing. Besides, the Evo is arguably the best time attack chassis in the world so why change!

What development did this vehicle go through, and what development saw the biggest drop in lap times?
The car was already highly modified and capable of 10-second drag passes at the strip. So a lot of the development had already gone into the car over the previous five years of ownership. I’ve always had circuit racing as the end goal in my head so most modifications have been carried out with that as my end goal in mind. The first thing I did was install a full eight-point MSNZ spec rollcage into the car. To me, there is no compromise for safety and I just didn’t feel comfortable in the car at 200kph-plus without a rollcage around me. Personally, I think it is a minimum that any circuit car putting out reasonable power or showing decent pace should have. I also found that I was beginning to pop spot welds on the chassis due to the the forces being applied to the car. These benefits outweighed the approximately 80–100kg weight gain the car suffered from by having the ‘cage added. At the same time as the rollcage was fitted, I installed a Sparco fixed back competition seat and Takata four-point harnesses. I then stripped the interior and everything is built to MSNZ Specs. Too many people take safety for granted and skimp out on decent genuine harnesses and safety equipment which is concerning.
I have gone to a more aggressive front aero package including doubling the size and strength of my front diffuser and adding a second pair of larger front canards. I’ve added ducting for my front brakes due to finding that they would overheat after 2 laps. Also swapped pads out to a more track orientated compound from Endless Brakes NZ. I’ve also done a lot of work on reliability — adding sensors and learning to read data logs from my ECU and understanding car setup more, which has no doubt driven Hans Ruiterman at E&H Motors nuts.

I’ve also swapped fluids out to fluids more suited for full time track work. I now use Millers engine and transmission fluids from Millers Oils NZ and Endless high-temp brake fluid.
After exploding fourth gear on my first lap at Pukekohe in round 3, I spent my Christmas holidays stripping the gearbox out of the car and removing the gearset. I have gone to an Evo IV gearset as they have a slightly shorter fourth and fifth gear. I was having trouble shifting from fourth to fifth and having the car fall off boost slightly. Going to the shorter Evo IV gearbox has fixed this issue.
I’ve also installed some blowers to duct cool air from outside the car into the cabin to keep temperatures in the cabin down. Before the end of the season, I hope to have a fully baffled and gated sump installed to take on the final round at Hampton downs and not have the oil surge issues encountered during round one and two.

What was the first circuit you ever competed in time attack?
The first circuit I ever competed on was Hampton downs; which is also the circuit I’ve done the most laps at and it’s also probably my favourite. Although after round five,, I think I may have a new favourite track once I’ve done a few more laps there. However, I can’t wait to see the Hamptons Downs Raceway extension completed.

What advice would you give someone thinking of getting into the sport?
Just do it. There’s no easy way to get into motorsport in New Zealand so you just have to take the plunge. Come along and talk to some of the guys and I’m sure they will be happy to help you on your first day out. Definitely don’t be afraid to give it a go or think you’re too slow — everybody starts somewhere.The best thing you can do is enter with a relatively slow car and learn how to drive it. It’s much easier and better to learn to drive a slow car fast than masking poor driving and lack of skill with lots of horsepower. Admittedly, I began racing my car too late and haven’t had the chance to develop with my car and now I’m having to play catch up. I’m just lucky to have amazing, experienced friends and family who are happy to give advice and critique my driving. The most important bit of advice, which is sadly one of the most overlooked, is to never skimp out on safety equipment. Always buy genuine safety gear, not the replica stuff. Get a good quality race suit and helmet. If you go as far as to get harnesses and a competition seat make sure it is genuine and not a replica.

Thanks for chatting with us, is there anybody you would like to thank?
I would like to thank my team that helps me out every round, my lovely amazing manager/partner Maya, my dad for being the number one sponsor and always helping and willing to put long hours in on the car, Barry from Millers oils NZ, Mike from Endless Brakes NZ, AJ at the Glossmaster for always making the car sparkle, Hans Ruiterman from E&H Motors for putting up with my dumb questions and loaning me workshop space and his time, Bill from Ralliart for always looking after me and also putting up with endless stupid questions, Leon, Barry and everybody else in the Prowear NZ superlap series who provides good banter and advice.

Please show your support and get onto Instagram and give me a follow! @Therealevolutionz9

Driver's POV: Glenn Hodges

TimeattackR.com: Hey Glenn, tell us a bit about who you are, and why you first got into motorsport.
Glenn Hodges: I've been around cars forever — I remember helping (as much as an under ten-year-old can) my dad fit a 350 Chev’ V8 into a Bedford van. It just never stopped, I've always been working on something. I purchased a Volkswagen Beetle and repainted it while I was still at school, the projects just got faster and more expensive from there!

What first drew you to time attack racing and when did you start competing?
I like the concept of being able to compete but not be door-to-door racing — for the most part! (laughs). I ran at the first time attack round at Hampton Downs Raceway and have done a handful there since, but this is the first full season I've attempted.

What was your first time attack vehicle and why did you choose it?
Actually the current project has been the only car I have officially competed in; it's a rare (ish) sub model of the Z32 300ZX, with only two seats and a hard top roof rather than T tops, so it's lighter and more nimble. The downside is it can be very twitchy when driving on the limit.

What development did this vehicle go through, and what development saw the biggest drop in lap times?
I've spent a lot of time on the car over the years trialing various "improvements" and finding the limits of different components. Ultimately the single biggest gain for this particular car is in the choice of tires in my opinion. Obviously with more power and bigger brakes it all helps, but once you are at around about 1400Kgs with near-on 400kWs at the hubs, the tyres can really make a lot of difference.

What was the first circuit you ever competed in time attack?
My first ever circuit was Hampton Downs Raceway.

What advice would you give someone thinking of getting into the sport?
DO IT!!! In New Zealand, we have a great bunch of people participating in the series and it's an awesome way to get out there and compete with minimal risk of panel damage.

Thanks for chatting with us, is there anybody you would like to thank?
Thanks to Beaurepaires, my very understanding wifey, and the guys n gals who put the effort into making the NZ Superlap series happen in New Zealand.

Driver’s POV: Ben Lipman the Soarer whisperer

TimeattackR.com: Hey Ben, tell us a bit about who you are, and why you first got into motorsport.
Ben: I have always been interested in cars. Initially it was just modifying my daily driver, but slowly my daily drivers got less and less suited to the road. I was drag racing an RX-7 at the local street drags in Darwin and had a work mate convince me to try a track day at Hidden Valley. I was hooked after that first session. I sold the RX-7 when my sons were born, but I missed the cars and fell back into modifying my daily again. I figured I was too old to be butting heads with the law, so I decided to buy a dedicated track car. I was living in NSW by this stage and began hitting Oran Park at every opportunity.

What first drew you to time attack racing and when did you start competing?
I was building the car up as a Sports Sedan, but we moved back to Darwin where there was no Sports Sedan competition. I ended up competing in the super sprints up there and started doing well. When we moved to Adelaide I entered a time attack demonstration at a drifting event and enjoyed the company and competition, despite it raining and ending up 12th fastest and 10-seconds a lap behind the winner.

What was your first time attack vehicle and why did you choose it?
I was modifying my daily JZZ30 Toyota Soarer when I decided to buy a track car, so I purchased another and swapped all the go fast bits across. It was part convenience and partly because I thought the chassis and suspension, being double wishbone would be well suited to motorsport. I did not factor in the sheer mass of the thing though, and the lack of off the shelf support. Looking back I would have had an easier time with the RX-7, but I have learnt a lot from needing to make all my own parts.

What development did this vehicle go through, and what development saw the biggest drop in lap times?
As an amateur, development has been slow but constant. I focused on braking and suspension in the first few years which saw five or six-seconds a lap improvement over stock. After that I took a leaf out of Colin Chapman’s book and ‘added lightness’. My best mate convinced me to try working with carbon fibre and I set about replacing all the steel panels with carbon fibre. About the same time I began reading every aerodynamics textbook I could find and incorporated this new knowledge into the panels. Lap times dropped with the weight. Unfortunately my enthusiasm for carbon and aero put me up a class where I was severely underpowered with my stock driveline. In the last couple of years I have been slowly adding power as I can afford it with high flowed turbos and engine management.

What was the first circuit you ever competed in time attack?
Mallala was my first ever Time Attack ‘event’, however, I had been doing competitive and noncompetitive track days for years before that.

What advice would you give someone thinking of getting into the sport?
Start driving whatever you have. I have friends who embarked on ‘builds’ but lost enthusiasm because they were not driving. Some of the most fun I have had was driving the near stock car on semi-slicks with very little maintenance required. Do something different: the more unique the car the more attention you will get in the pits.

Thanks for chatting with us, is there anybody you would like to thank?
I would like to thank my wife, Kim, for all her support, my boys for helping out in the shed, Glenn at Munro Racing Turbo for the high flows, Kurt’s JZ Customs for the manifolds and piping as well as Grant and Glen at Extreme Street Performance for their perseverance at tuning our oddball creation. I also have some good friends Paul, Andrew, and Aaron with whom I have shared ideas, parts and effort. Without them, I would probably still be watching on TV.

StreetattackR: Khan Mackesy’s 280kW Mazda MPS

“It wouldn’t be everybody’s first choice for a time attack vehicle, but Khan Mackesy proves it has what it takes to scare the majority”

When we first met Khan Mackesy, we were stunned to see that he’d turned up to the first round of the Prowear NZ Superlap series in a Mazda MPS. We were even more stunned, when we started to see that the lap times he was getting around Hampton Downs Raceway were on par with an R34 GT-R in attendance — we had to know more.

If you walk around the vehicle, you might spot that it has semi-slick tyres, upgraded brakes, and well, that’s about it. In its first guise, it looked so factory that we thought the timing board was faulty. Maybe we’d find something under the bonnet that would hint at the serious pace this hot-hatch was running at.

Again, stunned. All we could spot was an aftermarket top-mount intercooler. No upgraded turbo, no fancy bits, it was all as the factory intended. After a brief discussion with Khan, he was quick to point out that yes, the engine was internally stock, as was the turbo. What it did have though, was a very potent tune loaded onto it thanks to the Cobb Accessport. Cobb Accessports are clever little units that plug into the vehicle's diagnostic port. A base tune can be downloaded from a tuner anywhere in the world, loaded to the Accessport, and installed into the vehicle's ECU. From there, the owner of the vehicle such as Khan, will road test the vehicle, taking part in several third gear pulls to collect data, which is then sent back to the tuner overseas, so he can make the final power adjustments. There’s several maps too, so if you want to race with E85 over the weekend, then switch maps, fill her up, and you’re good to go.

Now though, Khan has come a long way with the MPS; the turbo is now a BNR S3 upgrade, which sits on top of a CPE turbo manifold. Boost is cooled by the same upgraded top-mount intercooler, but now exhaust gasses exit via the Corksport downpipe and Corksport three-inch race pipe. Engine upgrades? No problem! Khan simply downloaded a new base tune, had it fine tuned, and now the Mazda MPS produces a stonking 280kW at the wheels on 23psi of boost with E85. All of this, on factory internals.

Don’t go thinking the driveline is seriously trick either. All the factory manual gearbox was given was some high quality Motul oil, and a Sure Motorsports short-shift plate. More than enough we’re told, to take on the abuse of track use.

For a long time, Khan was competing on the factory struts, but this changed when a set of RS*R coilovers came available, which have improved handling significantly. The coilovers, alongside a Whiteline rear sway bar, Corksport camber arms, and an AutoExe chassis support kit, help the Mazda MPS stick it to the big guys.

Like most of us, Khan has been on a big budget throughout the Superlap season, so tyre choice has come down to value for money. You won’t go finding expensive Advan, or Nitto tyres on this hatch, but you will find the tried and proven Achilles 123 semi-slicks on 18-inch Volk SE37k wheels, or Toyo R888s on factory Mazda RX-8 wheels. The Mazda stops as good as it turns and goes too, with DBA 4000 series rotors up front, custom rear slotted rotors, and Endless race pads all round.

Inside the cabin, you’ll notice that the MPS is not yet caged, and for good reason too. This is, and always will be Khan’s road car, so he’d like to keep it that way. All you’ll find is stripped rear interior, a NZKW fixed-back drivers seat, and a Sure Motorsports gear knob.

Khan’s MPS is a true street time attack vehicle that does it’s duty during the week, yet has the power, grip, and handling to take on the competition come the weekends. This is a build we’ll keep a close eye on, but for now, we think Khan is ready to dial in the setup, and make the most of the current upgrades.

Vehicle: 2007 Mazda 3 MPS
Engine: L3 2.3-litre, PD tuned (E85 mix), BNR S3 turbo upgrade, HTP 3.5-inch Intake with AEM pod filter, Streetunit top-mounted intercooler, Corksport downpipe, Corksport fuel pump internals, Corksport three-inch race pipe, Corksport catch-can, Corksport EBCS, Autoexe inlet pipe, Cobb Accessport v3
Driveline: Sure motorsports short shift plate, Motul type 2 lsd oil
Suspension: Whiteline rear sway bar, RS-R coilovers, Corksport camber arms, Corksport sway bar links, Autoexe front chassis support bar, Autoexe rear chassis support bar, White Widow front engine mount bar set, Torque solutions rear engine mount
Brakes: DBA 4000 series front rotors, Endless front pads, custom slotted rear rotors, custom relined rear race pads, Hell braided brake lines, Motul 600 brake fluid
Interior: NZKW race seat, Sure shift knob, rear interior removed
Exterior: Factory
Wheels/tyres: Volk SE37k 18-inch wheels, Achilles 123s semi slicks, RX8 rims for track with TOYO R888 semi slicks
Power: 280kW at the wheels on 23psi of boost on E85

Event Gallery: Prowear NZ Superlap RD1 2015

The first round of the Prowear NZ Superlap season was a scorcher — not just temperature wise, but after a lengthy off season, the 30-odd competitors were chomping at the bit to lay down some quick lap times times. The big guns such as Hans Ruiterman of E&H Motors, Leon Scott of Leon Scott Motorsport, Barry Manon of MRP Ltd, and Kat Benson were all in attendance, with more power, and more aero than last year — it really was anybody’s game. There were a few surprises though, with newcomer Brad Jesson punching above his weight in his street-spec Mitsubishi Evo VIII. In the end though, there could only be one winner, and that was Hans Ruiterman in his 400kW-plus Nissan Silvia S14.

Driver's POV: Khan Mackesy

TimeattackR.com: Hey Khan, tell us a bit about who you are, and why you first got into motorsport.
Khan: Hi I'm khan, I manage an automotive parts store and have been in the parts game for 15 years which has developed my interest in cars and motorsport. I started doing track days about 10 years ago in my AE92 Levin and have never looked back.

What first drew you to time attack racing and when did you start competing?
What first drew me to time attack racing was firstly seeing my mate Barry Manon win the Wynn's Superlap at Taupo many years ago, so I’ve always had interest since. It wasn't until I got the Mazda MPS and met Jason Morris with his second generation MPS at a Pukekohe track day that we decided to enter Superlap series. So officially, it’s the 2015/16 season under our formed team of MacMorris Racing.

What was your first time attack vehicle and why did you choose it?
My first time attack machine is my current Mazda MPS. I have always owned front-wheel drive vehicles and researched the MPS platform for hours before purchasing it. I went into it knowing it has the potential to be a good all round vehicle that can be driven daily and competitive on the track with good power.

What development did this vehicle go through, and what development saw the biggest drop in lap times?
The MPS came into the Prowear NZ Superlap series already modified from its stock form which I’ve been building for the last three years. The biggest upgrade while during the series would be the addition of e85 fuel, a tune, and a larger turbo to put the car at around 270kW at the wheels, which has made a big difference on the track.

What was the first circuit you ever competed in time attack?
The first track I competed at in a time attack format was the first round of the Prowear NZ Superlap series at Hampton Downs where I'm looking to improve on my times, during the final round of the series.

What advice would you give someone thinking of getting into the sport?
My advice is if you have a passion for motorsport and have a vehicle you want to track then don't hesitate. The superlap series has been awesome and caters for all types of vehicle and driver skill. With different classes based on tyre choice, you will have awesome time — plus everyone in the series are all in it together and help each other out a huge amount. It has been the best decision I have made and I look forward to future time attack events.

Thanks for chatting with us, is there anybody you would like to thank?
It’s important to mention Jason Morris my team mate, my brother Hayden for all his support, Mackesy stainless steel, Will and Ryan from PD Tuning, and Jacky from JTune.

Event Gallery: Yokohama World Time Attack 2014

There’s no denying that the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge is the world’s largest event of it’s kind, so our main man Ash Bechan got into the action to snap a gallery for your viewing pleasure.

Event Report: Prowear NZ Superlap Round 5

“The southern-most round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series was held on March 5 at Manfeild Autocourse just outside Palmerston North. This meant it was a weekend of trailer queens as the Auckland contingent made their long journey down for the round, held in conjunction with the V 4&Rotary North Island Jamboree.”

Entries for this round were huge and had to be capped a few weeks out from the event, with plenty of drivers wanting to take advantage of the atmosphere provided by the ‘show and shine’ hall, burnouts, drifting, and cruising sessions all squeezed into the same action-packed day as the track sessions.

Glenn Hodges was determined to pull out all the stops to secure his class lead for Street – rear-wheel drive (RWD) — in his beautifully presented 300ZX, so when his trailer hire fell through on the Friday before the event, he did what nobody expected and built a trailer from scratch in his workshop, got it registered, and got himself to the track to post a new PB of 1:20.427.

However, Glenn’s extreme efforts weren’t enough to hold off Shamil Arachchie’s impressive 1:18.395 in the number 69 Supra, which secured him the class win on the day. Special mention has to go to Bradley Haines’ multi-duty Silvia S14 that made the drive down from Auckland and home again under its own — albeit slightly loud — power. This is a great example of what the Street classes are really about.

The J-Tune Performance team finally had some more competition for the front-wheel drive (FWD) Street class, however they still comfortably won the class with a time of 1:21.805, which was five seconds ahead of Richard Walker in his spinning Civic.

Street all-wheel drive (AWD) entries were dominated by the Wellington Evolution crew, in fact only one non-Evo made an appearance, and that was Emil Roshan’s immaculate Skyline, which posted consistent times all day to take out the runner-up spot.

The win went to Brad Jesson’s Evo on a super time of 1:19.499, before his day was cut short by a fire due to a power-steering fault. Thankfully there was no damage that a bit of elbow grease and a clean up from Jesson’s dad and partner couldn’t solve.

Pro Street was the race everyone was waiting to see: Iain Clegg’s 670kW-plus ST Hitec R35 GTR versus Barry Manon’s MRP Ltd Toyota Levin GTZ, which is currently running at 340kW at the wheels.

Both drivers were neck and neck throughout the day, posting times around the 1:15 mark, and both suffered mechanical issues, including catastrophic axle issues on the Levin, which the 0GRIP pit crew worked endlessly to replace and repair. The little Levin made it a clean sweep of five from five in the season so far, with a best time of 1:14.140 with Iain right on his tail with 1:14.505 for the second spot.

This class draws a wide range of vehicles, with Andy Glasgow and Ethan James taking third and fourth spots in their Mitsubishi Evos, Sebastian Frances’ wide-body pulsar, and the MacMorris Racing team’s Mazda MPS pair being just a few of the entries.

The Pro Open class expectedly took out the quickest time of the day thanks to Scott Kreyl in his number 666 Evo, though he was plagued by a lack of power and could only set a 1:10.606, which was significantly slower than his 1:08 lap time at the same round last year.

Leon Scott from Leon Scott Motorsport flew into second spot with 1:12.691, taking three seconds off last year’s effort.

The battle for the final podium spot came down to just a tenth of a second, with David Thomsen’s Mirage at 1:16.732 just holding off Jason Shortt’s WRX at 1:16.835.

Jason and the team at Highbrook Automotive were rebuilding and reinstalling the gearbox until late on Friday night, only to have radiator issues forcing him to miss two race sessions. But some hard work in the pits meant he was able to get back out for the top-ten shootout and sink half a tank of fuel in the cruising sessions.

Corey Smith and his Skyline set a 1:19.433 before the Skyline coughed up a ball of flames and was out for the rest of the day, while Andrew Wasley’s Integra was super consistent and finished up on 1:20.069. Wrapping up the Pro Open field was Wade Mitchell’s Pulsar that just got faster and faster throughout the day, for a best of 1:21.351.

It’s now fewer than four weeks until round six, which sees the drivers return to Taupo Motorsport Park.

StreetattackR: An R33 GT-R built to punish tarmac

“With over 500kW at the wheels on pump fuel, Ashnil Kumar’s R33 GT-R is one of the most potent road-going R33s we’ve come across”

The TimeattackR.com team have known Ashnil Kumar for a couple of years now. He’s one of those characters too hard to nail down, as he’s always up to something. We met Ashnil back when he owned a very potent Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, that with over 400kW at the wheels proved to be a potent street and drag weapon; regularly running mid 10-second passes down the quarter mile. After receiving a message from Ashnil regarding a purchase he was about to make in Japan, we knew that things were about to get a whole lot more serious.

Unfortunately, in New Zealand, you can’t run consecutive 10-second passes unless your vehicle is fitted with a roll cage. And, as this was Ashnil’s streeter, he wasn’t too keen on adding one. Instead, change was on the cards, as Ashnil decided he wanted something nobody else had in New Zealand, he explains; “I contacted my good friend Charlie from NZ Import services/R Parts. I told him I wanted to import the ultimate R33. Something capable of running a 9-second pass.” Ashnil’s R32 was sold, and the search began.

The hunt for the ultimate R33 didn’t take long though, as Charlie found what Ashnil was looking for at Global Auto Japan, one of Japan’s leading GT-R exporters. It ticked all the boxes; it was powerful, had the driveline to match, and was in extremely good condition despite it’s age. The best part though, it was packing a stroked RB26 engine, with a Trust T88 turbo, OS Giken gearset, and a serious brake upgrade. Not only was this GT-R built for straight-line speed, it had the goods to stop and go too.

With help from Soichi Tate of ST Hitec, Ashnil was able to get a deal on the R33 GT-R and the money was wired to Japan — the painful wait for delivery began. With several sleepless nights at the start of the shipment, Ashnil even went as far as finding an app that told him exactly where the ship that was carrying his weapon was. It’s safe to say, that the day the R33 landed on New Zealand shores, that he was waiting.

The day after it landed, the R33 was delivered by truck to Ashnil’s home with Charlie arriving soon after to ensure that Ashnil had got what he paid for. After it all checked out ok, the pair trailered the R33 down to ST Hitec to strap it down on the dyno and see what figures it could pump out. On pump gas, with the boost controller off, the R33 produced a huge 470kW at the wheels on 25psi of boost. With a good tickle of the tune for New Zealand’s local 98 pump fuel, Soichi managed to extract a massive 510kW from it.

Being the curious type, not long after certification and inspection, Ashnil had the R33 on the dyno once again, as he was curious to see what it would produce on race fuel. This time, Soichi had the T88 inducing a massive 30.5psi of boost, and power rose to 578kW at the wheels. Playing things safe, Soichi backed things off so the RB was now only producing 558kW — more than a handful we’re told by Ashnil.

Now, to see what the R33 could do, Ashnil took it along to the Night Speed Drag Wars at Meremere Raceway, 30-minutes south of Auckland. After severe damage to the gearbox occurred, Ashnil was not able to see what the R33 could do this time around, however the next time the R33 went to the drag strip things got a little more interesting. With a rolling launch in first, followed by a soft second gear pull, the GT-R ran an 11.5-second pass at 137mph. The trap speed alone proves the potential the GT-R holds, which is deep into the 10s.

Like most of us, things get in the way of our racing plans, as Ashnil is now focussing on buying his first home, the GT-R has been put on the back burner. When the time comes though, Ashnil wants to get the R33 GT-R out onto the circuit, where he thinks the suspension, brakes, and engine will all come together and show him what it can really do.

Vehicle: Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33)
Engine: RB26DETT N1 block, JUN crank 2.7-litre, Tomei H-beam Rods, Tomei 87mm forged pistons, Jun racing oil pump, extended sump with baffle plates, Nismo metal headgasket, Jun 280-degree cams with 11.5mm lift, Naprec head work valves, springs and valve guides, GReddy racing engine balancer, Tomei cam gears, 1000cc PWR injectors, port and polished head, port matched intake manifold, Trust/GReddy T88 34-D turbo kit, Trust/GReddy turbo manifold, Trust Type R 50mm external wastegate, 3.75-inch Trust TR Power Evolution II exhaust, Advance black alternator, HKS intake and air filter, Nismo twin intake fuel pumps, Tomei racing fuel rail, Sard fuel pressure regulator, Trust 100mm three-layer intercooler, Trust intercooler piping kit, KOYO aluminium 50mm radiator, ORC power steering reservoir
Gearbox: OS Giken three-speed gear-set, 4.3 final-drive, OS Giken triple-plate clutch, Cusco front and rear LSD DIFF
Suspension: TEIN cruising master harmonic coilovers, TEIN front adjustable castor rods, URAS rear cross member, Cusco HICAS cancellation rod
Brakes: Factory four-piston Brembos, 340mm Project MU SCR Pro front brake rotors, Project MU SCR rear rotors, Project MU braided brake lines, Hurst line lock kit
Wheels and tyres: Volk TE37 18x10.5-inch (15p), 265/35R18 semi slicks
Electronic: Nismo 320kph gauge cluster, HKS F-con V Pro ECU, Blitz Dual SBC ID boost controller, A/F and boost gauges, HKS turbo timer, Alpine USB headunit
Interior: Recaro SR3 Specialised Cockpit reclining seats, MOMO JET steering wheel, Nismo gearknob
Exterior: N1 front bumper duct, D-Speed Aero Bonnet, AS carbon canard ,AS carbon Rear wing flap
Power: 578kW at the wheels