KSport "Test & Tune" at Buttonwillow becomes another success story!

On Oct 10th & 11th, team KSport headed out for a low key "test & tune" event with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) So Cal region this past weekend and they definitely got the job done. It just so happened that the NASA So Cal event was running the same configuration that is used for the Super Lap Battle (SLB) Finals. The goal of the event was simply to shake down the car after some minor changes in preparation of the big event but the team ended up with much more success than initially planned.

KSport's weapon of choice for the SLB this year will be a 95 Honda Civic piloted by the up and coming and very capable Time Attack driver Tage Evanson. Three out of the four sessions on Saturday were filled with car issues, but once resolved, the Civic managed a 1:56.4 on the low boost tune which actually ended up beating the previous NASA So Cal track record! This caused quite a stir in the paddock as the class (TTS) had well over half a dozen drivers in the class and they were all amazed and in disbelief at what the car was capable of. Come to find out the car was down on power and had corded front tires when that lap was set!

The next day, the Civic had a different set of used tires mounted up and the ECU was programmed with the higher power tune which is good for approximately 300WHP. The KSport Civic ripped off a 1:53.2 second time on the first lap and in traffic! Satisfied with the setup of the car, KSport was ready to head back home to Phoenix. However, they quickly learned that the NASA track record for the class (TTU) was good enough for that track record as well. The team decided to stay for the second session and see if they could muster a faster time yet. Track conditions were not as optimal (dusty, air temp too hot, etc.) as the morning session, but the Civic still managed a 1:52.8 on it's 2nd lap. This beat the previous track record by nearly 2.5 seconds!!!

NOTE: The car is still legal for TTU @ 460WHP. Imagine what kind of times the KSport Civic could have done with an additional 160 WHP???

In 2006 and with an unlimited budget, the GM Performance Division set the fastest FF time ever recorded with their 1,300 lbs all carbon fiber 400+WHP Chevy Cobalt. It is believed to be the fastest FF car on the planet with a time of 1:51.3 at Buttonwillow's CW #13 configuration. When the KSport Civic returns to Buttonwillow next month, it will have fresh tires, cooler weather and even more power. Will it be enough to make up an additional 1.5 seconds? Could the KSport Civic end up becoming the fastest FF car on the planet? Stay tuned to find out!

Most importantly, let's not forget that this little Honda Civic is currently using an off the shelf KSport Kontrol Pro damper kit! Many companies will "claim" in their advertisements about how their coilover kits are the best. Apparently, KSport doesn't need to...

Industry Track Day

So, this weekend KSport headed out of the dry Arizona desert towards California, for the Industry Track Day at Streets of Willow.

Less than 10 minutes after the crews first tweet, catastrophe struck. Oh, but it gets better! With the turbocharged Right-hand drive Honda Integra Type-R stranded in the Sonora Desert, things weren't looking great.

Of course, you can't keep the KSport guys down and by 8 am, Streets of Willow was about to meet its match. By the end of the day, KSport had sealed their spot as the fastest car on the track. Not bad considering it was a brand new track for us!

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us, as well as our competitors.
Oh, and apparently, the UMS guys are a bit of exhibitionists.

GoPro Camera, Laguna Seca, I-10 is horrible.

So I started experimenting with this GoPro camera that everyone rants and raves about. I bought one at Buttonwillow Raceway back in April, but the lens was broken right out of the box. That, and the next week when we were racing in Phoenix, someone busted out with the GoPro "Wide", which has a wide-angle lense... and of course, that's way cooler. I sent the broken one back to GoPro, then bought a wide angle version which is a lot more fun.

We've been working on perfecting the BMW kits for a while now. Looking for another venue for testing, Laguna Seca served a few purposes aside from seafood, nice weather and a break from the Phoenix and SoCal tracks we've been to a million times. First, Laguna Seca is smooth like glass, so it was a perfect opportunity to experiment with different spring rates and really check the range of adjustability with the dampers on that type of surface. Buttonwillow, Willow and the tracks in Phoenix are pretty bumpy, so we have plenty of that sort of testing under our belts. We learned a lot at Laguna Seca in 2007 with the Type R on damper tuning... before the car blew up, that is.

And as odd as this may sound to most, the 700 miles between Phoenix and Monterrey offer some of the best highway ride comfort tuning situations once can imagine. I-1o out of Phoenix is nice and smooth; I-10 into Palm Springs and LA is like washboard rough, and a perfect setting to try different adjustments in the typical customer market. I know, it's hard to believe, but more than 90% of the customers never see the track. We tune dampers for the street, then get an earful from the guys on the track.. if you tune it for the track, then the street car guys complain. Hard to win these days. :)

This was taken with our '97 BMW M3, using off the shelf Kontrol Pro dampers. 3200lb car, 240hp, Nitto NT05 street tires. Typical tuner car, but it just happens to be fast around Laguna.

Laguna Seca - The Chase from phoenixR34 on Vimeo.