Event gallery: Prowear NZ Superlap RD4 2018 part one

“We always capture way too much content at the Prowear NZ Superlap Series rounds, but there’s just so much going on!”

With two camera-mad trigger-happy guys Damian Smuts, and Rene Vermeer running around like headless chickens at the fourth Prowear NZ Superlap round for the series, we were sure to have plenty of content from this round. As to not blow apart your cell phones, here’s album one from the weekend’s racing.

Images: Damian Smuts & René Vermeer

Thanks to The Bling Company and Zestino Tyres Hamilton

Event Report: Kat Benson Racing snaps up another personal best at NZ Superlap RD4

“The Burger Fuel Evo pedalled by Kat Benson Racing improves on yet another personal best despite troublesome gearbox issues”

Image: René Vermeer — **Image:** René Vermeer

Every round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series Kat manages to dial in the Burgerfuel Mitsubishi Evo just that little bit more. With the Evo still on wastegate pressure, the Evo is becoming more competitive every round. This round of Superlap was no different and even though Kat was suffering from gearbox issues, she still managed a new personal best at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park.

A two-day affair, round four was held yet again at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park with two sessions on Saturday and a much busier four on Sunday. After arriving and driving down Saturday morning, Kat’s team set into high-gear fuelling the Evo and checking over the vital components. With the all-clear, Kat made her way out to for the first session to assess track conditions.

Soon after coming in, Kat’s helmet was off, and we were told of the cool track temperatures, and high winds carrying pumice sand across onto the circuit. Unfortunately, this made things extremely slippery, but thankfully each competitor noticed the conditions “It was still a good opportunity to get valuable time on the track, but may have put me off a bit. After a few changes in the pits and a rethink as to my approach, I went back out in the second session of the day and dropped a full two-seconds,” Kat explains.

Unfortunately, Kat’s gearbox was giving her serious grief by falling out of gear. With this issue, and a stern hand keeping it in place, Kat pushed on chasing down good friend Andy Brooking in his 600kW-plus R32 GT-R and managed to chisel off yet another one-second off her personal best time, which is now sitting at 1:37.6-seconds for the circuit.

Image: Damian Smuts — **Image:** Damian Smuts

“I smashed our personal best by a second but was unable to continue past this due to the gearbox not playing ball. It’s bittersweet we came in second place in our class as we knew there was more in the car and driver, and just a small issue with the gearbox held us back. But, among such a good group of competitors, we are super stoked with the outcome.”

"We can't wait for the final round, and we might even swap back in the factory gearbox to ensure we get the most seat time possible. We're looking forward to seeing everyone back out there May 5–6!"

TimeattackR: 400kW-plus twin-turbo V6 rear-engine Nissan March madness

“You put what, in where? Glenn Hodges has always been an innovator, but this time around he’s outdone himself. A Nissan March with a twin-turbo 3500cc V6 with two turbos hanging off the side…”

There are so many different car enthusiasts out there and that’s what makes this passion of ours such an exciting one. There’s the hard-parkers, the drifters, the muscle-crowd, the time attack racers, and plenty more — and sometimes they’re a combination of a few. I myself am addicted to detailing, Sunday cruising, and time attack racing. I don’t have exceptional mechanical skills or any sort of engineering skills, but I am more than happy to hand those tasks over to the experts. Those experts keep the rest of us out on the circuit or driving around on the weekends. They have exceptional vision and serious talent — Glenn Hodges is one of those people, being a talented fabricator after a career as an aircraft technician and now runs his own shop; The Lab Ltd.

I first met Glenn when I was working at NZ Performance Car Magazine, as we featured his custom chassis Nissan Navara with a Nissan VK56 V8 engine. I knew he was talented then, but then I found out he was a serious Nissan Fairlady enthusiast too and competed in the Prowear NZ Superlap Series in his beautiful blue example. To progress, some serious money had to be spent in the power department and his extremely clean example would soon turn into a dedicated race car — something Glenn wasn’t going to let happen.

After what Glenn described as months of ‘scattered car related dribble’ on what to build next, his mind kept wandering back to Group B rally cars and smallish cars with relatively large engines in the back. “I decided to go ahead with a build that was originally just a load of talk,” Glenn told us. The catch though, was that it had to be a Nissan, Glenn explains “There was no chance it was going to be anything but. After investigating various dimensions and weights, the K12 Nissan March – as ugly as they are – actually stacked up pretty well on paper for its dimensions.” As it happened, Glenn’s long-time supporter Nissin King Izuzu Partsworld had a fresh shell literally sitting on the shelf — and so it began.

Being in the industry certainly helps things, as Glenn had a donor engine for the new project sitting on the floor of his workshop. A Nissan 350Z-based 3500cc V6 that was not economical to repair for his customer, was utilised using Nissan 350Z heads, intake chambers, and plenum bolted to a Nissan Maxima block and sump plate. This combination would have sufficed in naturally-aspirated trim, but Glenn had much larger aspirations for this engine.

To handle the boosted-onslaught that would soon be unleashed on this Frankenstein engine, Glenn installed forged Wiseco 11:1 pistons, Eagle forged rods, Cometic head gaskets, ARP L19 head and main studs, and ACL bearings. However, before this could be bolted in and the manifolds fabricated, Glen first had to get out the angle grinder and get to work removing the rear floor pan and fabricating a firewall between the driver’s compartment and the engine bay.

“Literally every part of the car is modified in some way shape or form. I think the head and tail lights have escaped, but apart from that it has all been under the knife,” Glenn explains. With the March now ready for an engine, it was jigged up, mounts were made, and eventually shoehorned through the rear hatch of the K12.

Fabrication began on the turbo manifolds, which work their way to the left-hand side of the engine bay and high-mount twin Garrett GT2860RS turbochargers with .83 turbine housings. Individually, these turbos would be fantastic for a 200-250kW SR20DET engine, but the pair on the 3500cc V6 would be capable of some decent numbers once tuned on E85 fuel.

The fuel system, mounted at the front of the vehicle consists of a Jazz 35-litre fuel cell, which is drained rapidly by a pair of Bosch 044 fuel pumps into check valves and fuel filters. Injector Dynamics ID1300 injectors and an Aeromotive fuel-pressure regulator make sure the hungry twin-turbo engine gets the fuel it requires when the boost comes on.

Ethanol content is measured by a Link ethanol content sensor and excess fuel makes its way back to the Jazz fuel cell via a single AN dash six fitting. Black Speedflow fittings have been used throughout.

Power figures are still at a conservative place for the engine, which Glenn is still getting used too. The small March is now propelled by 418kW and 700Nm of torque at the hubs and uses a Nissan Sentra six-speed gearbox to get the power down. A Maxima bell housing was used for this conversion and J32 Maxima half shafts.

Utilising J31 Nissan Maxima knuckles, Glenn was able to literally bolt on Nissan 370Z Akebono front calipers, the rears required a custom bracket,

They look absolutely ginormous on the little March, and Glenn has opted for Z1 Motorsports two-piece discs with custom top-hats designed by himself and produced by Znoelli.

Bolted to these gigantic hubs and brakes are DTM Gravity 18x9-inch front and 18x10-inch rear wheels shod in 235/40R18 and 265/35R18 Nexen SUR4 semi-slick tyres thanks to Glenn’s sponsor DTM.

They’re a fantastic looking wheel, but would not even be close to fitting without the addition of Glenn’s custom-made Aluminium with carbon fibre wrap over fenders, inspired by Group B rally of the ‘80s.

Surrounded by a jungle gym, Glenn saw fit to add some much needed interior additions. An OMP HTE-R driver’s seat was fitted with Sabelt six-point harnesses.

When you’re strapped in, you grab hold of the OMP quick-release steering wheel which is attached to a Woodward steering shaft. Look through that, and you’ll keep an eye on things with the Link Dash2, which has replaced the humble Micra’s gauge cluster. The dash and door cards were flocked by Mike Shaw fibreglass to prevent glare.

The Nissan March is currently in its second reiteration thanks to a very serious crash at Hampton Downs Raceway, but things are now progressing smoothly. The biggest hurdle currently is intake air temperatures, with them sky-rocketing to around 80-degrees Celsius thanks an inefficient water-to-air intercooler setup.

Glenn is currently in talks with a large intercooler manufacturer, so this will be remedied soon. This has been an incredible build to follow, and we’re constantly blown away by the quality of workmanship done in-house by Glenn. Once the faults are ironed out, this will be one seriously fast econocar.

Engine: VQ35DETT, Wiseco 11:1 pistons, Eagle rods, Cometic head gaskets, ARP L19 head and main studs, ACL race bearings
Driveline: Nissan Sentra six-speed manual gearbox (H pattern) Maxima six-speed bellhousing, JWT ally flywheel, J32 Maxima half shafts
Braking: 370Z calipers, Z1 Motorsports two piece rotors front and rear, custom The Lab/Znoelli custom hats rear
Suspension: King Springs, custom SH coilovers
Wheels and Tyres: (F) Nexen SUR4 235/40/18 (R) 265/35/18, DTM Gravity 18x9-inch and 18x10-inch
Body: Custom rear chassis rails, five-door to three door conversion, The Lab Limited custom aero & flares
Interior: OMP HTE -r driver's seat, Woodward steering shaft, OMP wheel & quick release, Sabelt six-point harnesses, Link Dash2 pro dash, flocked custom door cards and dash top (Mike Shaw Fiberglass)
Performance: 418kW at the hubs, 700Nm torque

Driver/owner: Glenn Hodges
Age: too old
Build-time: approx eight months
Length of ownership: 13 months
Thanks: My wife, Race Cars In Sheds, Link ECU, Mike Shaw Fiberglass, Nissin King Izuzu Partsworld, Autoparts, Partsworld Timaru, Z1 Motorsports, GSS, Nexen Tyres NZ, DTM wheels, Top Town, MSNZ, Four and Rotary Promotions, those who got in and supported when times were tough.

Event Gallery: pit-lane posin’ at Prowear NZ Superlap Series

“The Prowear NZ Superlap Series is full of fast cars, sure. However, the true gems of the series are the people, and we love making galleries of them”

Every round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series, we are blessed with the company of a fine bunch of individuals. It just so happens they’re incredibly photogenic, and we end of with hundreds of people photos. For those involved in the series, enjoy. For those who aren’t, you might not find this very interesting…

Photographs by René Vermeer and Damian Smuts

Thanks to The Bling Company

Event Report: Team 666 Racing dominate NZ Superlap RD3 outright

“With the goal for the weekend to reset a personal best lap time, Tony Satherley of Team 666 Racing wasn’t going to hold back at the third Prowear NZ Superlap Series round”

When you’ve got your home circuit, over 600kW of power on tap, a talented behind the scenes team, and the right conditions, it’s going to be a good time. Tony Satherley and Team 666 Racing had waited a long time since round two of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series and the time had come to attempt a new personal best for Tony Satherley at Manfeild Autocourse.

“Sunday morning we were greeted with a wet track due to the overnight rain, but we were still hopeful that the drifters would dry this up a bit for us as they were first out on track,” Tony told us. Thankfully, the Superlap groups also went out in a reverse session order, so Tony would be up last on a dryer circuit.

“I went out for the first session and did my warm up. I noted that there were still a few damp patches around, but overall it didn’t look too bad so I decided to give it a decent shot,” Tony explained. According to Tony, it was still a little slippery, but nothing major. Even still, Tony came in to find out he had smashed his previous personal best with a 1:07.5-second lap time.

“I was super stoked do that on such an average lap, so this definitely made me think we could drop the lap times even lower.” With a dry session next time out, times would most certainly tumble…

During the second session, Tony pushed the Team 666 Racing Evo a bit harder, tidied up his lines, and came into the pits to find out how his efforts had paid off. Another second had been shaved this time ut, with Tony netting yet another personal best with a 1:06.6-second lap time. “Unbelievable — goal achieved,” Tony told us.

“Dave then tells me the car isn’t even running at full boost/timing yet, so it had a bit more in reserve should I need it. I declined, as the car was all good and it was just me holding it back. We did consider putting the Evo back on the trailer after this, as I had already beaten my personal best, but figured since we were here, why not have another crack and see if I can go a bit quicker.”

After making a few slight changes to the rear shocks and running a 1:06.7 in the third session, Tony decided to go out once more in the fourth session of the day to give it everything he had. After an incredibly fast lap, Tony made a mistake on Manfeild’s final turn, costing him huge exit speed and 0.3-seconds off his best lap, which looking at the Motec data, would have been a 1:05.8-second lap time. “I will be kicking myself for a while over that mistake! Sorry Scott,” Tony said.

Based on the data collected from the Motec the Team 666 Racing Evo is capable of a 1:05-lap time based on fastest sector times on its current power level.

“All in all it was a great weekend and I was really pleased with how we got on. To drop my PB by over two-seconds was a great achievement. The intercooler mods we had done to the car prior to the event proved their worth too, and Dave noted the intake temps are probably the lowest he has seen from the car. All the intercooler pipes stayed secure and I had zero issues. In fact, all I had to do on the car was check tyre pressures and top of the fuel!”

There are only 10 more days until the next NZ Superlap round, so we will be seeing this machine in action again very soon.

Event Report: Stray Bullet strikes Manfeild Autocourse NZ Superlap RD3

“MSport NZ father and son duo take part in the third Prowear NZ Superlap Series RD3 held at Manfeild Autocourse in their 500kW-plus 2JZ S14 Silvia”

After the introduction of the MSport NZ crew to Team TimeattackR, we’ve been itching to see this 500kW-plus beast back in action in the Prowear NZ Superlap Series. After a solid three-month wait, father and son team Mark Snr and Mark Jnr dual-entered their machine to take on Manfeild Autocourse.

After flying in from Australia, Macca helped the MSport NZ team prep the Silvia on the Saturday leading up to race day and unloaded it again early Sunday morning. After checking over the Silvia, Mark Snr was first in the hot seat in the third group out for the day, Macca explains, “Dad was out first in the third group, but the track was still pretty wet from the overnight rain and he struggled for traction. We decided that this session would be to ensure everything was running all ok.”

With everything in order, Macca made his way out in the next session, with the track still damp and made the realisation that the Silvia was hitting the rev limiter in fifth gear on the straights, seriously hindering overall times. “There’s quite a big difference in the overall tyre size with the semi-slicks compared to the full slicks we usually run on this circuit so we were hitting speed cut sooner. I think I was in the 1:13s at this point,” Macca told us.

Thankfully, the Silvia runs a Winters quick-change diff, and during the lunchtime break, the ratios were swiftly changed. After lunch, Mark Snr made his way out with the new ratios managed to best his previous time with a 1:12. Soon after, Macca went out and managed a much quicker 1:10 —finally getting into the groove.

“The brakes we are now running are a massive improvement over the last set, so they have been something that has taken some getting used to. You really have to keep telling yourself to ‘break later, break later’ each time,” Macca explained.

On the Motec, the MSport NZ recorded a 1:09.50 — so there’s definitely room to grow once everything dials in. Macca would like to thank his old man Mark Snr, Phil, and Chris who were all huge helps throughout the day. Also a huge thanks to Chris from Prestige Tuning and Macbilt Engineering for all of your help.

Event Report: Kat Benson Racing Evo unleashes fury at NZ Superlap RD3

“With over 400kW now on tap and a setup more reliable than ever, Kat of Kat Benson Racing was able to get serious seat time at the third Prowear NZ Superlap Series round — netting a new personal best along the way!”

After a late-season debut at the second round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series, Kat came out swinging with a new Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park personal best of 1:38.3-seconds thanks to a potent new stroker kit and turbo combination. This change, once dialled in with E85 has been a game changer for Kat, and the third round of the NZ Superlap Series was no different.

With only one day of racing at the V 4&Rotary Jamboree, a reliable package is a must — especially after the six-hour trip south from Auckland. With that being said, we’d like to hand it over to Kat to run us through her successful weekend. Over to you, Kat.

Superlap is traditionally one fast lap and that is all you focus on. With the highly-strung vehicles we run, it’s difficult to ask for more than one or two laps at full noise and that has been how the BurgerFuel Evo has been since we started chasing big power. But, that all changed at round three of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series at manfeild Autocourse.

For the first time in a while, I was able to push the car to its limits lap after lap after lap with no issues. After fixing a windage and oiling issue that has plagued the car at recent events, the motor ran cooler and stronger — it just wanted to keep going!

All the upgrades since the fire last year were finally realised to their full potential and I felt comfortable in the driver’s seat again. The very first lap out was a personal best at the circuit, with times dropping every subsequent lap.

The weather was hot, yet every time I came back into the pits with a vehicle I felt confident in, it just made me want to get straight back out there and chop more laps with a smile on my face.

There was some fierce competition at this round, with 50 entrants from all across New Zealand — which just goes to show that time attack racing in this country just keeps growing. The event ran flawlessly thanks to the team behind the scenes and on the grid, with five groups and five sessions being run throughout the day. It’s amazing to see everyone come together to get this done.

Kat.

Kat successfully completed the weekend with a 1:15.4-second lap time and a third place in Pro Street class. With only two weeks until the fourth round, we’re excited to see Kat and the Evo shred another personal best.

TimeattackR: Team 666 Racing join Team TimeattackR with New Zealand's fastest Superlapper

“New Zealand’s outright fastest time attack machine has joined Team TimeattackR, so we sat down with current driver and chief spanner spinner to talk about its progress over the years, WTAC, engine setup — and more! ”

Hey Tony, how did the Evo build come about, and when?
Scott would have started with the Evo around 2004 - and the build would have come about most likely because he wanted something to beat all the Subarus that were competing in the Manfeild Intermarque Sprint Series lol (bit of a back story there hahaha).

What was the purpose of the build from the get-go?
The purpose was always to go as quick as possible, and over the years it has had many successes, from winning/setting records in Wellingtons Port Road Street Sprints, to cleaning up the intermarque series, and then moving on to time attack when it was first introduced to NZ back in 2008.

What have been the major progressions of this build over the years?
A lot of engine development, in the pursuit to gain reliability. We have a pretty good combo now that has proved itself.
The aero has also developed over the years from rather simple home-made pieces, to professionally designed and manufactured items.

Before World Time Attack, what major aero changes were undertaken?
No major changes were made to the aero prior to WTAC last year, but when we were over in Australia, we had to get the “big” splitter modified to suit the rules for WTAC Open Class (had to make it slightly shorter to comply). We also added some extra canards to the front bumper (hand-me-downs from the Tilton Evo). After day 1, Garth wanted a bit more front downforce, so Sydney Composites came to the rescue at 3am on Saturday morning with some extra carbon dive planes fitted to the front guards (although to comply with MSNZ Schedule A I had to cut these off in Round 2 as the scrutineers weren’t having it – I think the organisers really need to consider getting the NZ series sanctioned so that any vehicles looking towards competing in WTAC can run aero without the Schedule A restrictions – especially given that recently there has been a few more NZ cars looking to go over to Australia to compete in the near future).

How did WTAC go for the team and the vehicle?
We all put in some long hours but had a good time. Getting into the top 5 shootout made it worthwhile, as we certainly had some struggles up to that point. A couple of test days at SMSP prior to the event didn’t really pan out as the car ran into issues each day (random engine fire, then gearbox, transfer case, and suspension issues), so actual on-track testing was very limited. Once everything was sorted, we just had to use the Friday of WTAC as our “testing & set-up” and try and go for it on Saturday. We struggled to find the ideal set-up but eventually got it mostly dialled in the session before the shootout (which gave us our best lap time), only to throw it away for the actual shootout by trying something else with the set-up which proved to be completely wrong lol, but oh well.
Other than that, the engine performed flawlessly and we ran BIG boost the whole event with not one engine issue – the same engine is still in the car now. The custom o-ringed head set-up has certainly proved its worth.

What were the major hurdles there?
As above, the usual hurdles you deal with in motorsport – breakages, part failures etc. We were very lucky to have the use of the GWR workshop, and Garth’s connections over there to help us through the issues; otherwise, I can imagine things being a whole lot tougher/more expensive with trying to repair a car in another country if you don’t have any local connections.

What is your role now within the team?
I am currently driving and working on the car for this season of the NZ Superlap Series.

Has DTech undertaken the maintenance and management of the car this season?
Yes, this season myself and Dave are taking care of maintenance and running of the car.

Were any major changes made for the current series of Superlap?
I have made a few changes – firstly downsizing the turbo in order to gain better response. Upon driving the car at round 2 with the taller 35 profile tyres I found the effect they had on the gearing made the car a lot more lazy out of the corners which were a bit disappointing compared to when I last drove the car (on the 30 profile tyres). I decided that I wanted better response, so have now changed to a much smaller turbine housing, and am willing to sacrifice some top end power to get a better low down punch out of the car.
I have just recently revised the intercooler set-up as we were having constant issues with the custom intercooler cracking and leaking all the time. Dave and I have fitted a more conventional style intercooler core and made all new custom piping to suit. This has all just been finished and will hopefully be on the dyno next week to see how it all comes together.
We have also changed the dash to a Motec C125 dash/logger so this gives us a whole heap more usable data for Dave to ponder over ;-)
The factory Mitsi centre diff pump was ditched as well, and we have customised a Nissan GTR diff pump to fit due to their increased reliability (as per the issues we ran into over in Australia).

How has the Evo been tracking this season? Are times where you want them to be?
Unfortunately, I have only done 1 round so far (Taupo, round 2) as there were a few delays in getting the car back from Australia in time for round 1, which is a shame as I really wanted to have a good shot at Hampton Downs on fresh tyres.
As a driver, we always want to go quicker, but I was pleased with my time at Taupo as it was the fastest I have ever driven around there before, although I feel I could drop that time a little more as the fastest lap of the weekend I had one of the intercooler joiners blow a hole through it towards the end of the lap. I am looking forward to round 3, as Manfeild is my home track, so I hope to improve on my lap time from last season (as long as the changes I have made to the car help rather than hinder it).

Have there been any major mechanical issues this season?
So far so good – no majors ☺

Will there be any further development this season?
The only development will be me and my driving. The car is a whole lot better than I am, so I just want to come to grips with it, learn it more and keep trying to improve the lap times.

In your honest words, what is the Evo like to drive? Savage?
Yep, savage for sure. Certainly one of the quickest cars I have ever driven – especially when running full boost!

Has it taken some getting used too?
It has taken a bit to get used to as it is a major step up from my previous car in every way. I am still learning the ins & outs of this car, and have not found the limit yet. I prefer to drive within my comfort zone rather than all or nothing!

Vehicle: 2003 Mitsubishi Evo 8
Engine: Built 4G63, with custom o-ringed head sealing; Custom ported head, with the works; Norris Design dry sump system; Full race exhaust manifold, Borgwarner EFR9180 turbo, twin Turbosmart 44mm wastegates; 3.5-inch custom exhaust to side exit; AMS inlet manifold; LS3 DBW throttle body; custom modified 100mm intercooler core w/custom piping; 2000cc injectors; 2x400lph lift pumps feeding surge tank to 2xBosch 044 pumps; Emtron KV8 ECU; Various sensors monitoring everything on the engine – individual EGTs, oil & fuel pressures, temps, lambda, ethanol content
Gearbox: Samsonas 5-Speed sequential.
Braking: Alcon 6 piston front calipers with 365mm floating rotors; Brembo 2 piston rears with 300mm rotors;
Suspension: MCA Red Series with custom valving to suit spring rates (1400lb front, 1200lb rear); Racefab front & rear control arms; Racefab trailing arms; Racefab front and rear subframes.
Wheels and Tyres: TSW Nurburgring 18 x 10.5 Forged Wheels with Advan A050 295/35-18 semi slicks x 3 sets.
Interior: Custom Cages chromoly roll cage; Race Tech 4009HR seat; Motec C125 dash logger; Plumbed in fire system.
Exterior: Custom front bumper, front/rear guards, and side skirts; Custom carbon fibre front splitter (chassis mounted); Lightning Composites dual element rear wing (chassis mounted);
Performance: Last dyno 630kw at the wheels on 40psi boost – yet to be run with new turbo set-up.
Lap times:
Hampton Downs Raceway: 1.04.4 (Garth); 1.04.9 (Tony)
Pukekohe Park Raceway: 1.06 (Garth)
Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park: 1.28.4 (Garth); 1.30.8 (Tony)
Manfeild: 1.08.3 (Garth); 1.08.29 (Tony)
Driver/owner: Tony Satherley/Scott Kreyl
Age: 42
Location: Tauranga
Build time: 14 years
Length of ownership: Scott = too long!
Thanks: Scott Kreyl for persisting with the development and building of the car over the years into the weapon it is, and for giving me the opportunity to drive it; Dave and the boys at Dtech Motorsport for all their help in getting the car to where it is today; HV Electronics for supplying all the sensors & modules needed to monitor all the important stuff on the car; Clint at REMSD for the engine building and development; Bruce at Fast Fibres for the aero construction and advice; EJ at Royal Purple Oils (Australia); Garth Walden for his input, driving, and use of the GWR workshop while we were in Sydney; All the others who have lent a hand at the track or after hours to work on the car in order to get it ready/continue at an event (Nick, Phil, Eddie, Matt etc etc); And of course my wife Alana and daughter Jenna for their support and allowing me to actually go racing!

TimeattackR: MSport NZ join Team TimeattackR with 500kW pro-built Silvia S14

“Centre-lock wheels, a 500kW 2JZ engine, Yokohama World Time Attack Pro-Am spec suspension and wide body— all crammed into an S14 shell make the MSport NZ Silvia one of the most exciting pro time attack builds in New Zealand”

The pursuit of perfection is something most mere mortals aren’t accustomed too. You might think you’re close, getting the job done well, but what you don’t realise is there’s another level above that — one that takes years to conquer. A realm fit for the automotive heroes; heros we’ll be talking about for decades to come. Hard work and dedication are traits embedded deep within the McIntyre family gene pool, with Mark Snr and Mark Jnr (Macca) a father and son team on an inspirational lifelong motorsport journey.

Personally, we’ve been following the MSport Nissan Silvia S14 since its inception. Years ago, it looked somewhat similar at a squinted glance, but now it’s a Silvia on steroids and it has just joined Team TimeattackR. Attendees of the second Prowear NZ Superlap Series were in for a big surprise when the MSport Silvia rolled into scrutineering sporting billet centre-locking hubs, wide aero, and a 500kW 2JZ engine on what would be one of the team’s initial shakedowns of the latest package.

From what started as a $3000 Trade Me purchase, Macca and the team have gone to exceptional lengths to produce a competitive package for GTRNZ racing here in New Zealand, with Macca last season taking out rookie of the year two or three seasons ago. With this newfound title, the team knew they’d need to step it up a notch, and decided to completely redesign the Silvia and take it from a road-going based Silvia (albeit rather mental), to a race-bred monster. Which rulebook would they build it too, though?

The Yokohama World Time Attack is no doubt the biggest event of its kind this side of the globe and its one that Macca has been seriously keen on taking on for several years now. With this in mind, it was decided that the Pro-Am class of WTAC would be where the team would steer their build. A seriously competitive class, with drivers dipping into the mid-to-high minute twenties around Sydney Motorsport Park, Macca knew some local knowledge would be essential to being competitive.

Pace Innovations, a Queensland-based business behind the V8 Supercars and the SuperTourer class, set to work designing custom suspension arms and billet uprights, and another Queensland-based business MCA Suspension designed a set of custom-valved four-way adjustable coilovers which would mount to custom pickup points — keeping within the WTAC rulebook.

To complement the recent suspension design changes, the team knew some larger rubber and wheel width would be required. Zak from Carboglass designed a custom wide-body kit for the Silvia, which now swallows 18x12-inch centre-lock wheels wrapped in Hankook Z221 295/30R18 tyres with ease.

The driveline has some similarities to the old setup, with the 2JZ-GTE engine still sporting Wossner forged pistons and H-beam rods, Crow cams, custom porting and headwork, a Borg Warner 9180, an array of Injector Dynamics ID1000 injectors, with NZEFI coil packs — tuned to 500kW at the wheels on 19psi with aviation fuel.

However, the biggest change in the driveline department has been with the gearbox and differential, with the S14 now running a Winters quick-change diff for in-pit adjustment, custom axles and an HGT five-speed sequential gearbox which replaced the older Tremec TKO 600 with Liberty faceplated gears. Hearing the Silvia pluck through gears with the HGT sequential is a sight to behold.

Without a solid support team, builds like this would be too much for two mere mortals on race day. Now, the MSport team have almost full-time support from Macbilt Engineering and the help of Chris from Prestige Tuning & Motorsport — both of whom have been vital members of the team.

“For now we want to focus on developing the car; there is still so much to learn from it. Now with having a lot of Motec gear, there is a lot of data we are able to get which is helping us work on a lot of different areas of the car. We built the car with the goal in mind of being the fastest time attack car in the country so that is another thing we will be working on. We’ll possibly compete in a full GTRNZ season in GT1. As you know it’s a hard class to compete in so really my goal here is to just do the best we can, finish every race and improve on our personal best times at the different tracks with the goal to eventually get to WTAC in 2019.”

TimeattackR: shed-built V6-swapped midship runabout

“Using Kiwi ingenuity, a people mover 3.5-litre V6, and years of experience, Gregory Hirst has created one seriously trick grassroots time attack machine”

For some reason, we’ve always been intrigued by the Toyota MR2 SW20 platform. They’re nimble, come with a stout turbocharged two-litre platform, and have that classic ‘90s styling we love so much. Gregory Hirst shares a similar passion for the small Toyota platform, and attended regular track days and events in his MR2 G-Limited — a 3S-GE-powered example, that unfortunately was a touch slow, Greg explains, “I had been tracking my MR2 for a few years and just got frustrated getting stuck behind people through the twisty bits, only to be gassed down the straights so I started looking for better options.”

It wasn’t long until Greg found his replacement in the form of a 2GR-FE-swapped SW20, packing around 200kW at the wheels. “I found an MR2 with a V6 already completed. It packs around the same punch as a mildly modified turbo 3SGE engine, but with torque from whenever the pedal hits the floor,” Greg explained. It has to be said, the sound from the 2GR engine is something quite unique, especially when you’re used to hearing them on boost…

After coming to grips with the newfound power, Greg decided to begin modifying it. After finding out that it wasn’t quite as well sorted as he first thought, sorting out the braking was the first thing on the list to upgrade. New poly-bushes in the front-end, Endless ME22 pads, and Whiteline sway bars were installed to tighten up the nimble MR2 nose.

With a long-standing love for Formula One aerodynamics and in more recent times the extreme examples across the ditch at the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge, Greg started to design his very own setup. “I ordered a wing, which took ages to arrive, but it gave me plenty of time to fabricate the diffuser and splitter before the start of the next Superlap season. Since installing all the aero, it's been a battle with setup,” Greg continues, “The aero itself is pretty well balanced with a small amount of understeer. The problem has been the extra weight behind the rear axle has made the car understeer mid to corner exit.”

After chasing the issues for a couple of Superlap rounds, Greg’s starting to come to grips with the aero package, with the trick being to force it to rotate more aggressively than before. Top speed has been affected mildly, however, mid-corner speed has increased dramatically. “I do need a bit more front downforce, which is in the works,” Greg told us.

With a lack of bolt-on parts, suspension, and overall setup information available for a time attack-based setup such as this, Greg has had to use good ol’ trial and error at test days to perfect the setup. With a few main rivals, we’ve been told the 2GR V6 might be getting a single turbo to keep things competitive — no doubt more tyre and aero will be needed! At present, it’s no slouch and capable of high 12-second quarters, so it’ll be an exciting ride when it's finished and one we will be following closely. Thanks for your time Greg!

Vehicle: 1992 Toyota MR2 (SW20) G Limited
Engine: 2GR-FE, 3500cc V6, Innovative poly engine mounts
Driveline: MR2 Turbo E153 five-speed, Exedy Sports Tuff six-button clutch
Braking: MR2 turbo slotted rotors, Endless ME22 pads
Suspension: MRP Fortune Auto coilovers, Whiteline sway bars, Ultra Racing strut braces, Prothane poly bushings
Wheels and Tyres: (F) 17x8-inch (R) 17x9-inch Enkei NT03, (F) 205/40R17 (R) 235/40R17 Toyo R888R
Body: Fiberglass custom front splitter, bonnet vent, boot lid, boot spoiler, rear diffuser, Origin Labo dual element wing
Interior: NZKW race seat and harnesses
Performance: 200kW at the wheels (12.9-second 1/4 mile sprint in the wet)
Lap times: Hampton Downs: 1:15.9, Taupo 1:43.9, Manfeild 1:19.3
Driver/owner: Greg Hirst
Age: 36
Location: New Plymouth
Build time: two years
Length of ownership: two years

Event Report: TimeattackR attend Attack Japan

“It’s always hard finding someone overseas to cover events, but this time, just by chance we stumbled upon a new contributor; Rhys Yeomans. This time, Rhys attends Attack — Japan’s premier time attack event held at Tsukuba Raceway”

My interest in time attack has increased over the past years, so it was a no-brainer to head back to Japan to spend time at Tsukuba and at Attack — Japan’s largest time attack event. While I don't want to take my own car down the crazy time attack route, seeing these cars, drivers and Tsukuba Raceway in the flesh was something that I felt was important, as well as a great excuse to spend a few weeks in Japan.

Walking through the pits in the morning cold was quite overwhelming. Seeing the Garage Work Civics lined up at the top of the pits was the big moment for me, as Civics are my main interest. It is something to see photos of these cars on the internet, but to get down to look under the flat floors, extremely minimal interiors, and modified trailing arms was a treat.

While the safety requirements are more relaxed than we see here in Australia and New Zealand, overall the cars in the pits were built to a high standard. Compared to some other time attack events, there were less than five mechanical failures that required them to be towed off the circuit for the day — they looked and ran extremely well.

Attack run a super lap session at the beginning of the day, longer practice sessions during the day and then finally another super lap session to wrap it all up.

Most cars were up on jacks until the very last second before they made their way out and it seemed strange to run a super lap session first up. That was until we saw the ASM S2000 come flying onto the front straight — first lap, first flyer!

This wasn't an isolated incident as every single car was straight up to speed after their out lap. The Aslan EG reset the FF NA lap record on their second lap of the day; this shows the benefit of tyre warmers and why every single car was using them before their session.

It was a great use of time also, as the first session at most winter track events in Australia are used to sight the track and get your bearings due to the lack of track and tyre heat available.

A highlight was seeing the Aslan EG come in after their record lap and the team so enthusiastic, then the other teams in the pits coming up to congratulate them on their efforts. Garage Work, who previously held this record, even showed the same enthusiasm and were very gracious. This was a common theme in the pits; while they are competitors, all drivers and teams were more than supportive of each others triumphs.

The whole day I was continually shaking my head and smiling, amazed that this event had easily exceeded my expectations.

Attack release their dates late in the year, so if you've thought of heading over to Japan and wanted to incorporate some motorsport into your trip, I'd wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Tsukuba for Attack. I'm not sure I could talk my girlfriend into letting me go to Japan without her again, so I hope she will enjoy attending Attack at Tsukuba sometime in the future!

Fire Ando Team Vivac Evo runs 51.893 at Tsukuba Attack

One of our favourite cars from the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge, the Team Vivac Evo, has just pulled an incredible 51.893-second lap time out of the bag at the most recent Tsukuba-based Attack Festival. The amount of power and grip this car has is phenomenal — check it out in the video below. We couldn't help but upload a couple of cheeky photos from WTAC too...

TimeattackR: touring ST Hitec — GT-R heaven

“The TimeattackR team dropped in to see our good friends at ST Hitec — we certainly weren’t disappointed!”

Iain Clegg and the ST Hitec team have supported TimeattackR since its conception, and for that reason, we’ll be supporting them for as long as we’re around. What we haven’t done, though, is do a cheeky workshop tour to show you what they’re all about. One quiet Saturday on the way to the race track, we stormed the gates with our cameras in hand.

Before you enter ST Hitec, you’re met with beautiful performance cars. This gorgeous widebody single-turbo RX-7 sits next to a stealth white Nissan Skyline GT-R, which gives you an idea of the kind of machinery to expect when you make it indoors.

It’s safe to say ST Hitec is pumping at the moment. Every square inch of usable space is being used, with more RB-powered Nissans than you can poke a stick at. Employee and car builder Ben Gainfort was busy working away on his silver R32 GT-R in preparation for a wheel alignment — even the staff here are GT-R mad!

With a quick walk upstairs to the customer waiting area, you’ll notice an array of Japanese car magazines, DVDs, and memorabilia from years gone by. No doubt collected from previous owner Soichi Tate, who started ST Hitec. For the trainspotters out there, you’ll notice a TimeattackR photograph on the wall of Iain’s previous award-winning and record-breaking R35 GT-R.

ST Hitec has their fair share of awards too, and for good reason. Owner Iain is determined to push the extreme nature of ST Hitec, and he does it well. Currently, he is busy completing a tube-framed carbon fibre bodied R35 GT-R that will be running a billet block good for 3000hp. The cool thing is that it's being built for drag racing first, then GT racing… get your head around that!

Spin around, and you’ll notice the beautiful scenery laid out behind you in the workshop. Every hoist is occupied this time of year, and there’s a neat variety of machinery. Yes, you’ve got muscle, but more importantly, you’ve got GT-Rs everywhere. ST Hitec cater for all shapes and sizes too, with some making north of 600kW with ease, and others more humble road-going cruisers packing near on stock power levels.

In this shot, you might spot Faizal Ramzan and Ben working on his stunning silver R34 GT-R, which at the time of this shoot, had its new turbo setup covered before its unveiling. On pump gas, it now puts out just over 1000hp.

As we were making our way through the workshop, another tuning company by the name of Autech was busy strapping this N14 Pulsar GTi onto the dyno. With a front-mounted intercooler, I was curious to know more, and after a quick discussion with the passionate owner, I found out it was running a forged SR20VET engine that they were hoping to make 300kW with that day. Cool!

When we next catch up with Iain, we’ll be photographing his carbon R35 for a feature and we cannot wait. If you like this workshop visit, let us know as we are thinking of doing more. For now, enjoy this gallery!

StreetattackR: goodbye Subaru, hello Toyota

“After making the tough choice to sell the Subaru, Editor René started the hunt for a cheap track hack. But, with a budget under $2000 what did he manage to find?”

It’s always a sad time selling your pride and joy. The Subaru WRX STi was just that for me, and the day it left my hands, I wasn’t the happiest lad. With Subaru WRX books still occupying the coffee table, and ‘previously watched’ Subaru related content reappearing on my social news feeds, it was hard to move on. That was, though, until I found my next project.

The criteria for the new project was simple. It had to be extremely cheap, as my prime focus at this point in time is getting my rear-end into a bucket seat, and learning how to drive properly. With a budget set for $2000 for the initial purchase price of the vehicle, I had my goal. Every morning I would scour Trade Me to find the next deal, and, one day while I was painstakingly scrolling, one of the service advisors came up to me and said, “do you want a cheap Altezza?”

After taking a quick look, it was evident why it was so cheap — a 2004 3SGE six-speed manual Altezza had to have something wrong for it to be $1500. I started the engine, and was greeted with a symphony of rod-knock. “I’ll take it!” I told the service advisor.

After removing the previous owners sound system at work, I made the awkward and noisy drive to my manager's place where Keegan, Nick, and I would begin to remove the engine in preparation for something much fresher, which I still haven’t found yet. With only 150,000kms on the body, a fresh WOF and rego, a factory 4.3:1 LSD, and the six-speed manual gearbox, it’ll be an affordable blast when it’s going. The best thing is, my father Harold is doing it with me!

With the car at someone else's place, I will update progress as we make it. In the background, I have ordered Cusco Street A coilovers from Japan with custom spring rates, and have been in talks with Nan Su at The Bling Company about a wheel and tyre package to get us out on the track with. Hopefully, before long, I will be out there on the track, and potentially, getting carried away with modifications. Here’s hoping!

As you can see, the engine is far from just needing a new set of bearings — she's toast! We removed the sump, only to find this mess on the pickup. Initially, we were hoping to freshen up the bottom end, however, I think this 3SGE is more suited to being a boat anchor for someone.... If you know of anyone selling a cheap 3SGE send us an email, or comment below!

Event Gallery: 4&Rotary Nationals peep show!

“Photographer Glen McNamara checks out the V 4&Rotary Nationals show and shine!”

The V 4&Rotary Nationals held every year in New Zealand, is the most iconic Japanese tuning car show in the southern hemisphere. People travel from all over to get involved in the event, and project car owners usually use the date as D-day for their builds — whether it's six months from the project start date or six years.

Our man Glen McNamara made the trip along and scoped out some cool race car looking beasts for you all to look at.

It's a tough choice, but we're picking Jared Croft's Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Pandem build as our favourite streetcar and Iain Clegg's ST Hitec R35 drag machine as the craziest race car, which .will pack a billet, stroked VR38 engine with over 2500hp!

An honourable mention must be made to Philip Huynh for completing his White KFC-themed MX-5 build. Powered by a 200kW at the wheels 1UZ-FE engine, it is most certainly no slouch either. More on this in an upcoming feature.

Below are some of our favourite racers from the show and shine:

Event Gallery: NZ Superlap Series RD2 Day two

The grand final of image galleries is our day two gallery from the Prowear NZ Superlap Series held at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport, January 6–7. We've posted day one part one and part two, the People of Pit Lane, now we'll finish with this. Enjoy this gallery made up of images from Glen, Damian, and René!

The above images were taken by Glen McNamara.

The above images were taken by Damian Smuts

The above images were taken by René Vermeer

Event Gallery: People of Pit Lane — NZ Superlap Edition

Maybe you were born with it? Maybe it's just NZ Superlap... Who knows — I certainly don't, but what I do know is the people of the NZ Superlap Series are an awesome crowd of people, and excruciatingly good looking. Instead of your usual galleries, I thought I would throw together a wee album from a pit-lane walk on Round Two's day two. Have a laugh, you earned it!

Event Gallery: NZ Superlap RD2 Day one part two

With the first set of day one images live thanks to editor René Vermeer, we've been working away to get the next set live by our two team members, Glen McNamara and Damian Smuts. We were going to get them out in two galleries, but who needs that many galleries! First up, we have Glen's images. Glen runs his own photography brand named Omegah photography and is a whizz behind the camera, having shot for Work Wheels New Zealand, and has had images featured by the likes of Mad Mike.

Our newest team member Damian Smuts, has only been behind the camera at a couple of events, but boy has he picked it up fast! With a few lenses handed to him from Glen and René, Damian captured some awesome photos that we are proud to have on the website. You will be seeing plenty more from Damian in coming months as he hones his craft.

TimeattackR: Peach’s turbocharged K24 Civic street sweeper

“There’s nothing cooler than a girl in motorsport sticking it to those pesky lads. And, it’s even cooler when you’ve got the bigger stick, in the form of a turbocharged K24 EK9”

The team at TimeattackR.com have known Petrea and Joe Ardagh for a few years now on a personal level. We share a common interest in doggos, Toyota Soarers, Honda Civic hatchbacks, and most importantly, hardcore Japanese time attack racing. It was only natural then, that Joe and Petrea would join the TimeattackR driver team.

Last season of Superlap Joe and Petrea were both campaigning Honda Civic EKs, with Joe’s being a B18CR-powered example, and Petrea’s being a K24-converted Flamenco black 98-spec genuine EK9. I personally have been peeled by this EK9 in its naturally-aspirated form at a track day in my own B16A2-powered EK, so when Petrea told us she had a goal to almost double the power output, I was fizzing at the bung.

At the 2017 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge, Joe and Petrea made the most out of the trip for research in development, with the world’s fastest time attack front-wheel drive Hondas all in one place. Boosted K-series motors seemed to be the be-all and end-all, and, it was at this time the decision was made to cram some boost down Petrea’s K24 engine.

Joe’s Civic was on-sold to help fund the build, all while making a life-changing move down to Hamilton, in the heart of the Waikato. With this move came new friends, shorter drives to most of the North Island’s circuits, and new contacts such as Sinco Customs who would soon undertake the job of crafting a high and side-mounted turbo manifold.

To motivate the K24A3 engine, a BorgWarner EFR7163 (0.80AR turbine housing) was chosen. With speed sensor capabilities, efficient billet compressor wheels, and a twin-scroll design, the BorgWarner would match the K24 perfectly, and offer mountains of useable mid-range torque. To help control boost, a Turbosmart internal wastegate was fitted and aids in saving room in the Civic’s east-west bay.

With the switch to E85 fuel on the cards in the future, the duo thought it best to future proof everything. A Deatschwerks fuel pump, braided fuel lines, and four Bosch 1000cc injectors supply fuel to the motor and will be utilised when it's retuned on Ethanol. Seeing as the K24 was already an angry NA setup, it already had a few go-fast bits, such as SVM cams, Buddy Club springs and retainers, a ported S90 throttle body, and RBC intake. It features a Moroso sump, K20AR oil pump, MRP oil sandwich plate, and Fenix oil cooler to ensure the oil temperatures are consistent.

With Joe campaigning Civics for some time, and with the knowledge gained in Sydney, handling upgrades were chosen carefully. PCI upper arms, an EG subframe, Hardrace bushes and rear camber and toe arms, and BC BR series coilovers complete the package. With Zestino on board as the main sponsor, the team run staggered sizing with 245/30R17 Zestino semi slicks up front, and 215/45R16 Zestinos down the back, both on Enkei RP01 wheels measuring 17x9-inch (+15) up front and 16x7.5-inch (+30) down the back. A combination often found on winning front-wheel drive time attack racers, like Daniel Meredith’s club sprint-winning EK Civic.

To fit the staggered and aggressive front wheel setup, and to align with Motorsport New Zealand’s restrictions, Moonlight racing front guards and front bumper were crafted onto the EK’s front-end, with a fresh lick of paint. A Team RevolutioNZ 1.0 front diffuser was also thrown into the mix thanks to the two teams bond, and MFS five-inch side skirts have been fitted down the sides to tidy things up. As with most fast Civics, there’s plenty of the business happening up the front, but the proof is in the pudding.

Being road-legal, Petrea has retained the factory EK9 red carpet, and a sound system, however the fixed-back Racetech seats, and eight-point roll cage built by Johnston Customs reminds you you’re sitting in a race car.

With manifold boost-pressure set to a lowly 8psi, the K24 is making just over 200kW at the wheels. Unfortunately, the current intercooler is what Joe likes to call, ‘a bag of sand’ and has proven to be a serious restriction. With time constraints to get the car ready for the second round of Superlap, the team decided to retain the intercooler, but it will be swiftly removed before round three — hopefully releasing better response and overall power levels.

With the second round of NZ Superlap very much a shakedown, round three should see a different beast entirely, with more power, more grip, and a touch more confidence thanks to this much-needed seat time. Being a Team TimeattackR driver, we will be keeping up to date with the progress of this build, so stay tuned!

Event Report: Kat Benson Racing smashes Personal Best in season debut

“Not one to do things by halves, Kat Benson decided a new engine setup would be the go for this season. After seeing how it went on low boost, we’re extremely excited for the remainder of the season”

Unfortunately, we missed Team TimeattackR driver Kat Benson in the first round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series as there were a few minor bumps to iron out with the new engine combination. For the second round though, Kat Benson, the team, and the 400kW on low boost Mitsubishi Evo were all ready for action.

Kat Benson and crew left Auckland at 5.30am for Bruce McLaren Motorsport on the Friday before racing for a much-needed test day. Unfortunately, though, New Zealand was hit with a freakish storm, leaving motorways blocked, and race tracks knee-deep in water. Lucky for Kat though, she competes in Pro Street, which means with a WOF and Rego, some road testing was done on the back-streets of Taupo.

Come Saturday, Kat spent the first session getting to grips with the extra torque and response thanks to the 2.3-litre stroker kit supplied by Pure Performance Motorsport (PPM) and the much larger BorgWarner EFR8374 turbo. For more details on the new setup, click here.

With a dry track, the new setup easily propelled Kat to a new PB of 1:38.813-seconds, which, on low-boost is a scary, yet exciting thought.

With wet conditions most of Sunday, Kat had fun being behind the wheel, with no real pressure of running faster lap times. And, with three sessions there was plenty of seat time to be had, she tells us, “I continued to build confidence throughout the day and really enjoyed having fun back behind the wheel. Smiles for miles!”

With power figures sitting at 400kW at the wheels on only 18psi, Kat plans on taking the car back to E&H Motors before the next round to unleash the beast. Hopefully, we’ll see new PBs at each new circuit the car goes too. Kat finished up the weekend with second in Pro Street and a fourth place overall.

“Thanks to my sponsors, my crew (Andrew/ Tristan) and everyone that has supported the new build. To all that follow the NZ Superlap Series, stay awesome!”