Blog
Weekend Recap
It was an action packed weekend at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois this past weekend. Redline Time Attack came into town as a whisper and went out with a bang, literally. From blowing wind and rain to blowing motors, the weekend of June 12th and 13th kept everyone on their toes. THMotorsports was their to engage in the fun, and we are here to bring you the story and pictures.
The THMotorsports team worked all week to get our STi up and running, but was not able to finish it in time for the track day. Not to worry, we ferociously prepped our autocross RX-8 for some track duty. Switching tires, swapping brakes, adding sways and getting alginments was the name of the game. Saturday morning rolled around and we loaded up the trailer, we were quickly bound for Joliet, Illinois. The weather appeared grim, and there was a constant threat of rain. Upon arrival at the track everything to seemed to work in our favor. The 8 was running well, and felt good after a few shakedown laps. Around 1PM central time, the skies opened, and the track was closed due to lightening strikes.
Following the rain delay, we attacked the track. After about 3 hot laps, the car seemed to be hurting. Back into the pits, the Mazda died in the paddock and we could not get it running again.
Prognosis: Grim
Diagnosis: Cracked rotary housing
The rain continued, and the dark weather reflected our emotions. Nonetheless, we weathered the storm (har har) and decided to return the following day with a bolt on STi to run in enthusiast class.
After a little rest (or was it unrest lol), Sunday morning rolled around and we found ourselves facing a less than favorable weather forecast. The morning carried over into the afternoon, and our STi was carrying some great speed through the course, nipping at the heels of the 3rd place AWD time for enthusiast class. Mother nature just didnt want this weekend to finish without leaving her footprint, and again we were in a rain delay.
Following lunch, the track was left extremely wet, the street and enthusiast classes were sent out to try and dry off the course. What started as a normal track day quickly turned into a drift session. Crowds gathered as drivers displayed their car control in less than favorable conditions. Evening was quickly approacing, and so was the super session. About 8 cars from several classes decided to run in the super session, which would later prove to be one of the biggest spectacles of the day.
You’d think they were playing mario kart out there! As the grid filled up with everything from the TopSetup CRX to the Cobb Tuning GTR, fans anticipated quiet a spectacle from these drivers on a track that mimicked an ice arena. Going into the first turn the Fischer piolted MX-5 spun casuing traffic for the Cobb GTR and the Turn In concepts STi. This was the least of the MX-5′s problem, which later spun out on the main straight kissing the guard rail and taking out the Redline timing machine. This was later followed by an intense crash by the Autobarn Mazdaspeed 5 (Yes a turbo minivan OMG) putting it into some haybails. Then session ended under a black/checkered flag, and crews quickly attended to their cars to assess the damage.
Overall, the weekend was quite an eye opener. There was a great showing from many of the franchise teams, and it was great to finally put some screen names with faces. Regardless of the troubles the THMotorsports team faced, we still had a great time. Good luck to all the teams and the next event, and we hope to see you in Sebring!
Everyone loves pictures…
So heres a few more from the meet!
Update on the ride: The car was tuned, and ran great on the dyno. We maxed out 1000cc injectors on the dyno. Car made nice number on pump gas, and even better numbers on race gas. Results coming soon…
Official Unveiling!
This past Sunday marked the official unveiling of our Time Attack STi. We organized an awesome event in conjunction with Melrose Park Grand Prix and DSport magazine. It was a fun filled day complete with cars, food, karting, and some gorgeous women. DSport was out in full force to hand out their editors choice award. In addition to that, we held out own people choice award!
The STi is running beautifully, and nearly broken in. We’ve had a few minor hiccups, but nothing that we haven’t been able to resolve with ease. Our sponsor vinyl went on without a hitch, and the best part is…the car is still streetable! The STi will be going for a final tune tomorrow and will be out at a few local road courses over the next week for some shakedown runs. Check out the pics from the event!
Shout out to Jason Kiang for the snaps.
Big Update + THM Drifting!!!
Its been an eventful few weeks here @ THMotorsports. I figured it was about time to update everyone on the happenings of our time attack STi + some added goodies from this past weekends drift event.
1: Engine finally made its way back into the Subaru!!!!!!!!!!
2: Engine runs BEAUTIFULLY! Now we just need to finish breaking in the engine and the drive train components.
3: Car went over to AutoWerks yesterday for paint, should be looking spiffy.
4: STi will be making its way to the dyno very soon for a tune!
5: Finalizing some shake down runs @ Autobahn Country Club
…In other news, we were @ O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indiana this past weekend to compete in the NOS Midwest DriftUnion Pro AM! Our sponsored driver, Brian “Nackers” Vrochticky got a chance to test out his newly supercharged Nissan 350Z. The stillen unit added the power Brian needed to surpass the competition. While the cold/overcast weather may have hindered the crowd, it didn’t stop Brian from decimating the competition. Brian took 4th overall for the day, which was phenomenal for his first event of the year. Sadly, my camera decided to take a crap…so check out the pics after the break from several photogs at the event.
Round 2 Driver Standings:
1. Mike Feiock FC3S 16pts
2. Austin Barron S14 15pts
3. Bill Cook S13 14pts
4. Brian Vrchoticky Z33 13pts
5. Cody Tobe S13 12pts
6. Adam Ozuiel S13 11pts
7. Kris Hackenson S14 10pts
8. Travis LaCombe Foxbody 9pts
9. Dustin Doherty S14 8pts
10. Mike Crabtree S13 7pts
The top gun top 8 tandem battle was on with some serious heat. The leader of the season, Clinton Florczyk, didn’t have much luck qualifying, but his other Neukin teammates did; Austin Barron qualified in eighth and Mike Feiock in the second spot. The match ups were the following… first place qualifier Bill “Highlife” Cook in his blood red 240sx vs Travis LaCombe in his Foxbody Mustang. Mike Feiock vs Kris Hackenson in the shiny S14. Brian “Nackers” Vrchoticky in the THMotorsports 350z vs Adam Ouziel in his Zerolift Autolab S13 coupe. And finally Cody Tobe of Dayton vs Austin Barron with the DriftClutch S14. All top 8 drivers took their parade lap around the track and there was no turning back. – MDUDRIFT.com
Kognition Designs Wing
April 15th marked the arrival of our long awaited custom wing from Kognition Design. Mike @ Kognition produced our wing with the precision of a surgeon, and from the pics, you’ll see the dedication that went into making this wing for yourself. The quality of this piece far surpasses anything on the market, and the chassis mounted design ensures absolute structural integrity. The addition of this wing to our STi is two fold, increasing both safety and performance. We cant wait to feel the difference this masterpiece makes on our car.
Shout out to Mike @ Kognition Designs
The heart of the beast.
I recently got the chance to snap some pics of our engine build. While the process was been slightly delayed, we wanted to make sure this engine assembled perfectly. Our setup will consist of the following parts:
Block: EJ257
Brian Crower Billet Steel Crank 83mm stroke
Brian Crower Pro Seires Steel Billet Rods
Darton Sleeves
Ductile Iron Plasma Top Rings
Nickel Carbon Steel Alloy Wrist Pins
JE Custom Pistons
Cometic Headgasket
Brian Crower Race Cams
…Beastly, we know 
This would not have been possible without the help from the following companies
Rim Mockup – Forgeline x Toyo x WP Pro
This past week we finally decided to put the rims on the car to see how the rims/brakes would work out. Everything fits like a glove and there is plenty of space for our massive brakes. Once again a big thanks goes out to Forgeline, Toyo and WP Pro. Check out the pics after the break…
Obviously we need a widebody, we shall have it soon enough! Check out these awesome companies who support racing 110%
WP Pro Big Brake Kit
Fresh from the factory, our WP Pro big brake kit arrived just in time. We will be running one of the freshest braking systems out there, for any car, hands down! Our WP Pro system consists of the following.
Front Axle:
336mm x 30 x 46mm rotors with L8 Calipers
Rear Axle:
334mm x 30 x46mm rotors with S6 calipers.
Thats right boys and girls, 8 pistons up front, with a lightweight forged caliper, and a 6 piston setup in the rear! This was a custom set, specifically built for our time attack car. Some of the modifications include:
-Lightened calipers, heat treatment, carbon nitride treament and cross drilling for ventilation
-Balanced rotors up the the equivalent of 224mph
-Lightened rotor hat assembly, with the front rotors weighing in UNDER 13lbs.
-Air grooves in the pad backing plates for increased cooling
-Custom color
Above all, these brakes are built for superior performance on the track. With the backing of race proven technology, WP Pro will aide us in being the leader on the track.
WP Pro BBK
WP Pro BBK
Thanks again to Sam @ WP Pro for taking care of us on these brakes! Check out all the offerings from WP Pro after the break.
Redline Time Attack 2010
“On the east coast, rumors of a new Subaru STI campaigned by THMotorsports threaten the Modified AWD ranks.”http://redlinetimeattack.com/ti/rl/content/zifxkptM.html
Toyo R888 – They showed up!
Fedex showed up today with our tires. Toyo took care of us, and hooked us up with 8 Toyo R888. These are, by far, the best tires for the job. Big shout out to Toyo for taking care of us! Tire sizes are 275/35/18…w00!
Toyo R888
Hydra EMS
Hydra EMS
In related news, JE sent us our pistons and we received out Hydra! The block will be completely assembled and tuned within the next week and a half, we cannot wait!
Show these companies some love: