Winning the 2008 National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Time Trial TTB SoCal season championship was a hard fought battle in one of the most competitive and challenging classes.  Our seven first place wins, and eleven total podium finishes wouldn’t have been possible without the support and expert guidance of the following:

Sponsors and Supporters

Muellerized Suspension Tuning
Muellerized is my competitive advantage.  What’s amazing is that as much as John tuned the car, he also tuned me to the car.  Lap times improved not just by tenths, but entire seconds.  Their expert knowledge in suspension setup and race preparation has given me one of the fastest cornering Subaru’s around.  John coached me on strategy and technique throughout the season.  The approach has been a very successful formula.  Thank you John, Chris, and Orlando for your support and dedication.

Gruppe-S / Dynamic AutoSports
Gruppe-S is my source for race parts.  Braydon and Eddie did a fantastic job with our many orders.  They were able to source parts even at times when they were nationally on back order and impossible to find anywhere else.  They came through for us time after time.

GiroDisc Racing Brakes
We’ve race proven the GiroDisc two-piece floating rotors to be the best available.  The big surprise was just how much better they outperformed our previous two-piece floating rotors; they run a few hundred degrees cooler and last longer.  We’ll be using more GiroDisc parts in the future.  Thanks Martin.

APR Performance
Expert engineering of race tested aerodynamic parts.  We’re using the GTC-200 wing and front splitter to help keep the car planted at speeds in excess of 100mph.  Tuned with the suspension, it gives us greater flexibility with the car’s setup.  Tony has been a great resource, especially with the aerodynamic calculations in the planning stages.

Hankook Tire
The Hankook Z-214 competition tires are excellent.  Hankook’s generous contingency program provided us with many sets of fresh tires from our winnings this season.  Personally, I liked the Z-214 so much that I bought a set of the Hankook R-S2 street performance tires, which are exceptional in dry and wet weather.

Subaru Sherman Oaks
Subaru Sherman Oaks performed the accelerated maintenance intervals that come with the demands of competition.  This included frequent fluid changes such as oil, transmission, and differentials.

Porterfield Racing
Porterfield supplied us with the Hawk brake pads at great prices.  Expert knowledge.  Very supportive of the National Auto Sport Association (NASA).

The Car: Subaru STI

What makes our Subaru STI unique is that it’s one of the few competing on a completely stock motor (identical to what’s on the Subaru showroom floor).  Amazingly, it’s competitive with cars that have significantly more power and that weigh less.  The strategy is simple:  focus on the handling performance.  While our rivals have the power advantage on the straightaways, the advantage shifts to us in the corners.

We achieved this with little more than a few bolt on parts to optimize the handling:  suspension, tires, aerodynamics, and brake rotors + pads.  The key was to make all of these parts work together optimally as a system.  While the art and science of car setup is over my head, fortunately my supporters are experts in this area.  I’m thrilled with the handling and performance of the car.

The Competition:  Showdown at Buttonwillow Raceway

The season championship came down to winning the two final days of competition in November.  Whoever won the two days took the season win.  We knew that the car had the performance, based on the results in October.  But it was also clear that the competition was going to hit us with everything they had.  And they did.  Our Subaru STI has approximately 240whp (stock) and weighs 3,260lbs.  Our chief competitor has approximately 300whp, weighs 2,850lbs, and is the National and Regional champion winner for the last three years.  I didn’t expect to be faster and the best I could hope for was the opportunity to put my best foot forward.

The first day went by in a flash.  We took the win with a 1.7 second margin.  The next morning the track battle resumed.  Everyone got faster as the day wore on, but we managed to keep a few tenths ahead after every session.  By midday, it seemed like we had a shot at the win.  All I could do was to stay focused.  When the day was over, we won by almost a half second.  After all the many challenges we faced this season, this result still hasn’t sunk in.

It was an eventful season and we overcame many obstacles.  In March, we had a mechanical at Cal Speedway.  In April, May, June, and November, we couldn’t source the race tires we needed due to a national supply shortage of the preferred tire.  We often resorted to old tires past their prime.  At several events, the tire grip fell off faster than expected in the hot California weather and we didn’t have spares (due to the shortages).  At the April event, the brakes left me when the master cylinder seal failed.  The WSIR event was canceled in August, eliminating valuable season points.  The October event was surrounded in controversy when a competitor’s procedural error prevented us from driving for the full day.  Finally, we learned just recently that due to a cracked turbo, we were down on horsepower for the season.  Any one of these challenges could have ended our season.

There were challenges off track too.  Even at the grassroots level, racing isn’t cheap.  After getting laid off work in April in a shaky economy, I did my best through four months without steady income to piece together the funding for the remaining events.  I sold off extra parts, worked side jobs, lived on credit cards, and juggled finances.  Continuing to run a race season with limited income was an idiotic financial decision.  But it was more difficult to let a temporary setback ruin the entire season.  Every event came down to that last penny.  And the uncertainty if I had enough money for $7 per gallon race fuel to even get through the weekend and drive home afterward.

With luck, perseverance, and a tremendous amount of help from supporters and friends, the season couldn’t have finished on a brighter note.  I am very grateful to my supporters who gave me the opportunity to drive to the best of my ability.  And when there was hardship, they came through time after time.  I couldn’t possibly have gotten this far without their help and generosity.  I also appreciate the National Auto Sport Association for organizing a fantastic series this year, and the many NASA officials who dedicated much time and effort to the success of each event.  I offer my sincerest thanks to everyone.

Special thanks:  Muellerized Suspension Tuning, Gruppe-S / Dynamic AutoSports, GiroDisc Racing Brakes, APR Performance, Hankook Tire, Subaru Sherman Oaks, Porterfield Racing, National Auto Sport Association; friends/drivers:  Jackson-Dawson Racing, Ed Nazarian, Mark Homer; and a big thanks to a very supportive family!

It was another successful weekend, thanks to help from friends.  We took first place Sunday and second on Saturday (more on that to come).  We also broke the prior Buttonwillow #13 CW and #13 CCW track records for our class.

Buttonwillow has been a challenge this season due to shortages of the Hankook race tire.  This weekend was the first time (all season) we had fresh tires.  Gruppe-S managed to do the impossible sourcing the race tires with heroic efforts (thanks Braydon and Eddie!).  We knew the car was competitive at Buttonwillow, but we didn’t know how much a margin we’d actually have.

With turns ranging from 110mph to 40mph, Buttonwillow is known as a technical track.  This is a challenge for the car setup because the car must be good at all things.  It must be loose enough to rail through a 180 degree hairpin corner, while planted taking a 110mph high speed sweeper.  Muellerized Suspension Tuning has been instrumental to the car’s success and we hammered out a strategy.

New aerodynamic additions to the car came from APR Performance:  the GTC-200 wing and a front splitter.  These parts are made of lightweight carbon fiber and are beautifully constructed.  But more importantly they are highly functional parts backed by APR’s investment in R&D.  Tuned perfectly to the car’s suspension, we were able to find more low speed rotation balanced with high speed stability.  This gave us the winning edge we needed.  Front-end lift was reduced and the rear was planted at speed.  The results were impressive and significant.  APR was fantastic with supporting their products (thanks Tony).  I recommend APR to anyone looking to fine-tune the handling of their car and/or are looking for well engineered aerodynamic parts.

The car was fantastic this weekend.  It’s always been excellent, but this weekend it was just incredible to drive.  It carved through the corners effortlessly.  It would pick up car lengths in exit speed on the competition.  I couldn’t be happier with the performance.

Finally, the weekend was not without controversy.  On the Saturday competition day, I broke the track record in the morning run, while just beginning to bring the car up to pace for the first time.  What followed was disappointing.  Suffice to say, there was some procedural improprieties on the part of a competitor.  I am grateful to the NASA officials that addressed the issue.  I was moved and humbled by the support from dozens of racers and NASA officials.  I wouldn’t have gotten through the weekend without their help.  Thanks are in order:  John Mueller, who took time out of his vacation to help and show again and again that Muellerized support goes above and beyond; Dan and Brad of the Jackson Dawson Scion TC Race Team who improvised an absolutely brilliant fix for Sunday (and spent hours helping me); the help of NASA officials who invested time and diligence to right the situation; and drivers Ed and Mark who were there to lend a hand.  Thank you!  It’s absolutely certain that the car had plenty left in it to secure a 1st place finish that Saturday.  But I am very grateful to have simply finish the day (with the help of others) and for the fantastic Sunday we had.  All considering, I couldn’t ask for more.

The last event of the season is in November.  The 2008 Socal Championship is on the line and the events this weekend make it that much more challenging.  The competition is determined to win.  I’ll do my best.

Special Thanks:  Muellerized, Gruppe-S, APR Performance, Jackson Dawson Scion Race Team, GiroDisc Racing Brakes.

The car finished strong on Saturday with a 1st place finish. With worn tires on Sunday, I finished in 3rd and within 0.4 second of the lead.  I led with the best TTB class time of the weekend with 1:34.1 on Saturday.

This weekend was an important win. Only 20pts separate me from the championship win, with 4 competition days remaining (400pts total). The NASA TTB class is incredibly competitive, with fast and experienced drivers. Excellent car preparation is a must.

Thanks to John Mueller and his dedicated team (Chris, Orlando) at Muellerized Suspension, the car is up to the task. I wish I could claim that the success is from the driver, but the truth is that the car is fast because John has figured out how to take a tragically understeering 3,300lb passenger sedan and make it turn like it’s on rails. This STI’s speed is in the corners:  momentum.

One of the recent changes to the car is that we’ve switched to Girodisc rotors. The performance has surpassed all expectations with significantly increased heat capacity and durability compared to our previous two-piece floating rotor. Most surprising is that the braking system is running significantly cooler (in 110F ambient heat no less). The rotor wear is also better, even with highly aggressive Hawk DTC-70 pads. One of the differences is the quality of the materials; Girodisc uses ductile iron castings (compared to the lower quality grey iron castings that most rotors use). Another difference is the craftsmanship; each rotor is individually assembled and carefully balanced to specification. We’re quite happy with them. I don’t know of a better rotor for the STI calipers.

The last two NASA TT events will be in October and November. Unfortunately, the August WSIR event is canceled. The good news is that the break gives us time to prepare. We’ll be ready.

Special thanks: Muellerized Suspension, Gruppe-S / Dynamic AutoSports, and Girodisc.

WSIR Overall Results
Championship Standings

It was an unseasonably cool weekend at Willowsprings Raceway. Saturday was a 1st place finish and Sunday was 2nd in NASA’s TTB class.

The car handled beautifully on Saturday for the win, running a low 1.33 lap time and cornering forces of 1.3g. The brakes were a tentative but manageable. I was expecting a similar result Sunday. What I wasn’t expecting was that the Hoosier tires had fallen off dramatically overnight. As a result, lap times dropped nearly a second each run session Sunday. I was fighting to keep the car on the road in every corner. There just wasn’t any grip left in the tires; the rear wanted to “skate” out but didn’t want to catch. With the season on the line, I tried to balance the catastrophic over steer by setting the rear sway bar to full soft and adjusting tire pressures. I battled to an exhausting 2nd place finish. Admittedly, I can’t help but think if only I had two more fresh tires, but that’s racing. The 1st place driver set an excellent time and drove great.

Usually I would be driving the Hankook Z214 tire. But due to high demand, the US supply has dried up over the last few months. Hoosier makes a great tire, but the performance and value of the Hankook is hard to beat. Hopefully Hankook will be able to respond to demand more quickly in the future. Fresh Hankooks would have made a significant difference in the last two events.

The good news is that I’ve worked through the worst of some recent brake issues. Of course it wasn’t until Sunday evening (after the race!) that I was able to restore them to 100%. A leaking brake master cylinder was replaced the previous day (last minute) and I made repeated attempts to dislodge air from the system. The result was a soft pedal and unpredictable threshold braking Saturday and Sunday. I expect the brakes to be perfect next event.

The Buttonwillow raceway event is coming up, June 21-22. This event is critical that I pick up at least a 2nd place finish. I’m feeling the pressure. TTB is one of the most hotly contested classes in Time Trial and the competing drivers are excellent.

Special thanks: Muellerized Suspension, Gruppe-S / Dynamic AutoSports, Subaru Sherman Oaks, Dana Bradley/Aaron McKinnon.