Let’s face it, golf courses simply take up a lot of space that could otherwise be used for racing. And since we are across from one, we have a particular distaste for those #$%!!@ little balls that make their way off the course and wreak havoc on our body panels and paint jobs.
Leave it to Rhys Millen and his Veloster Rally Golf Cart to make golf fun…if they let us rent these I’d have never sold my clubs!
You know that girl you wanted to ask out for the longest time and finally get up the nerve? Then before the date you nearly psych yourself out thinking it’s not going to work out, or her sorta ex-boyfriend might show up, or your plans to take her to the circus are going to get rained out? But then you pick her up and the night turns magical!
Carey Bales and his S2000 had such a date this past weekend at Bradenton raceway in Florida. He put down two 8.9 second passes his first time out! Outfitted with our Series 2 EMS, AEM 4 Channel Wideband, and AEM Sensors the S2000 was dressed to thrill.
Isn’t she beautiful?
Fortunately, he also posted up a few videos:
Here’s the full build thread on Honda-Tech: http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=3022171
It’s going to be a great season for Carey, and we’ll keep you updated here in our blog!
RMR had the opportunity to join Courtney Hanson and the editor’s at Autoweek to take a spin in the all new Hyundai Veloster and Formula Drift Hyundai Genesis Coupe for Autoweek’s new TV show: Vinsetta Garage. Check out the premiere on January 3rd on Velocity to catch Rhys in action!
Check out this sweet video that RMR and Hyundai put together showcasing Rhys’s amazing vehicle control in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Drift Car. Academy Award nominations are pending! Thanks to the AJ and the guys at RMR for passing along!
Just got word from Bisi Ezerioha of Bisimoto Engineering that his 1,004 HP 2012 K24Z7-equipped Civic Si was chosen by Autoweek Magazine as one of seven “Stud” cars at the SEMA Show! Bisi uses the Series 2 EMS to run the combination. Congrats Bisi! And well deserved.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the dyno pull here:
Congratulations to Norris Prayoonto for his record-setting, history making pass at Maryland International Raceway in All-Motor Street class! Norris cut a 9.93-second ET at 136 MPH, and backed it up clean with a 9.93 @ 137.
Norris runs and AEM Series 2 EMS, CDI Pencil Coils, Twin-Fire CDI and AEM sensors. Check the vid below:
Way to go Norris! Congrats to you and the team!!
While the tragic death of Dan Wheldon made national news, another pair of racing greats passed this past Sunday. Brothers Jeff and Rick Huseman died in a plane crash while returning from a Lucas Oil race in Arizona. Rick was second in points standings in the series and both brothers were well liked by fans and competitors alike. We have been asked to pass along a message from the race series about a benefit event held in their honor this evening.
“We want to make sure you are all aware that Pole Position Raceway in Corona will be hosting an event to benefit the Huseman Family on Thursday, October 27th at 6:00 pm. Details about the event are below:
The off-road community is putting together a special event to celebrate the life of racing superstar Rick Huseman and his brother Jeff who were killed in a plane crash on Oct. 16 near Barstow. The event will be held at Pole Position Raceway in Corona on October 27 beginning at 6pm and will raise money for his wife Michelle and two-year-old son Ricky. The event will feature both silent and live auctions along with world-class indoor karting, food and drink. The nation’s best off-road racers are expected to be in attendance including Ricky Johnson, Brian Deegan, Carl Renezeder, Scott Douglas, Johnny Greaves, Rob Maccachren, Mike Childress and World Rally Cup racer Ken Block. For directions or more information check out www.PolePositionRaceway.
Please share this info with as many people as possible so we can really get the word out about this event.”
Irwindale, CA (October 13 2011, PAPADAKIS RACING) – The weekend of October 7-8 marked the final 2011 Formula DRIFT event. The sold out crowd eclipsed attendance records for the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale and is now the largest Formula DRIFT event in history.
“We had an uncharacteristically mixed season debuting the new Scion and driver” commented Stephan Papadakis team manager for the Need For Speed / Scion tC. “With a podium in Seattle this year and seeing Fredric’s top level driving all year I am extremely optimistic as we now look forward to next season. Our new car and driver combination has just started to work its self out. In the next 6 months leading to the 2012 season we will move forward with chassis and engine development and come out with a winning combination. That is our goal!”
“After sorting out some initial motor problems we were able to qualify alright and the goal was to end the year on a high note. Unfortunately I took it a little too high on the bank and sent the car and our hopes of a strong finish straight into the wall,” commented Aasbo. “Overall, however, it has been a great season working with a new team and I am extremely grateful for being brought onboard!”
Aasbo finished the championship’s first round in the Top 8, debuting the new car to a strong result on the Streets of Long Beach. He earned a Top 16 finish on the challenging Road Atlanta course for Round 2, creating one of the most memorable moments of the weekend when one run saw him enter the high-speed first turn nearly backwards at a speed of 94 mph. Round 5 saw the young driver take his first overall podium.
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways at high speed in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world.
After running select Formula DRIFT events in the United States in 2009 and 2010, the 2011 season is Aasbo’s first full season of Formula DRIFT competition. The driver started the year with a win in the Middle East at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit and finished third at a similar event in Qatar.
ABOUT FREDRIC AASBO —
The 2010 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the year, Fredric Aasbo launches a new phase of his career in 2011 as driver for the Papadakis Racing squad in a new Need for Speed Scion tC. A two-time Nordic Drifting champion (2007, 2008), 2011 marks his first full US competition season in the premier Formula DRIFT championship. Aasbo ran select Formula DRIFT events in 2009 and 2010 and made his US debut at a global drifting invitational in 2008. Aasbo has built a reputation in the United States as an icon of David versus Goliath drifting battles, earning the nickname “The Champ killer,” for his ability to edge out senior drivers in competition. Aasbo has recently moved from his hometown of Ski, Norway, to the United States, where he makes his home in Redondo Beach, California.
ABOUT PAPADAKIS RACING —
Team owner Stephan Papadakis is a legend of sport-compact racing who began building his reputation in the 1990s with the first front-wheel-drive, tube-chassis drag car in the U.S.
The team earned multiple records and championships in the discipline, turning in elapsed times and trap speeds previously thought unattainable in front-drive drag cars. Papadakis’ successes in front-wheel drive were matched by his efforts in rear-wheel drive when he campaigned a Civic that became only the fifth car to join the NHRA’s Sport Compact 200 MPH club.
Aasbo is the newest member of Papadakis Racing, who signed the Norwegian driver when Tanner Foust announced his retirement from the sport after the 2010 season. The team began drifting in 2005 and has shown impressive results in five years of Formula DRIFT competition, earning two championship titles (2007, 2008). The team finished in the runner-up position in the 2010 championship, with Foust taking second-place points behind the wheel of the team’s first-generation Scion tC. The 2011 Need for Speed Scion tC is the team’s latest competition build.
PAPADAKIS RACING IS PARTNERED WITH:
Need for Speed, Scion, Hankook Tire, AEM, Motegi Racing, ACT Clutch, SPC Performance, Torco Oil
MORE INFORMATION/MEDIA IMAGES/INQUIRIES:
www.papadakisracing.com
www.fredricaasbo.com
When word spread that Traxxas’ The Off Road Championship (TORC) was going to hold an all-out, no-holds-barred PRO Light race at the end of the season with over $20,000 in prize money, it got Corey Sisler’s attention. Sisler has a reputation for putting the No. 19 AEM Performance Electronics Ford in contention for the win at every race, so his chance to bring home some cash from the PRO Light Cup are very good. “TORC was very accommodating,” Corey revealed. “I have proven I can hang with Deegan and Brandt and I want to see what the TORC guys like Caddell and Hubbinette have for me. If things go well I might have to do more TORC races next season.”
While Sisler typically races his No. 19 AEM Performance Electronics short course truck in the Lucas Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), the big prize money lured him to the San Antonio suburb of Floresville for the TORC race this weekend. The wide open track in Floresville plays right into Sisler’s strengths as a motorcross and dirt oval racer, so look for the No. 19 Ford and its distinctive orange Method Race Wheels at the front of a huge field of V8-powered PRO Light trucks to doing whatever it takes to take home the purse.
If you are near San Antonio, amble on over to Sunday’s Traxxas PRO Light Cup to see Corey Sisler live and in living color. After Texas, Corey Sisler returns to LOORRS racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on November 5th and 6th. Look for Corey to add to his impressive six podium finishes this season in front of stands packed full of industry players from the SEMA show. Next season Sisler plans to race in LOORRS marquee Pro2 Unlimited, in addition to the ultra-competitive Pro Lite Unlimited class. Follow all of Corey’s racing exploits via his Twitter page http://twitter.com/#!/corey_sisler19 and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Corey-Sisler-Racing/111543858928056.
AEM Performance Electronics • Kicker • BFGoodrich Tires
Fox Racing Shox • Method Race Wheels • CBR Cooling • Ford
It’s great working at a performance company. The days at the track, the fast cars, the smell of race gas, it almost never gets old. Just about the time we become a little too used to it, we get an email like the following that makes us realize just how good we have it and how fortunate we are to be in a position to make someone’s car go faster. It might be a little self serving to read these in order to make ones self smile, but there’s also a lesson in here to never give up and surround yourself with great people that can help you, even at 9PM on a Friday night before a race!
Jake Gavio sent us an email that put that self serving smile on our face…
“Just wanted to give you a full story on the weekend. It might be a long read, but I promise that it is one crazy story !
The month before the shootout we decided to go for broke changing the entire car around. We knew that the car had a low 30 to a high 20 in it as it sat, but we wanted more. We decided to switch the EMS, Ignition and chassis harness all out for brand new things during that month. Time went by and problems came up that hindered our progression. We were on the dyno on Tuesday the 27th. The week of the Shootout. We made good power and decided to go make one pass at the track for some data with the new EMS.
Well we had a mechanical failure and kicked a rod in the middle of 4th gear. Needless to say , the motor was lost.
We sat around that night and kicked some ideas around. We figured that we tried our best, put it all on the table and came up short.
I went home with all intentions of sitting out. But something would not let me sleep . Just the thought of not racing at the event that I had worked so hard to be a part of, hurt me.
So I took the engine out and apart on Wednesday. Found out that the head didn’t look too bad and somehow escaped being destroyed. I made a call to Jeremy @ Inline pro and we had a spare crank that I had purchased this summer along with an old sleeved block that I had used last year. On Thursday, He managed to get a set of Carillo Rods and CP pistons, both sponsors of our race team, and assemble an entirely new engine in one day.
I left Inline Pro at 10pm on Thursday night. I had all of my friends from RSTECH waiting for me at the shop when I got there at 1am. We worked until 5am Friday morning and got everything back in the car. We were on the dyno Friday night at 5pm. The car just didn’t make any power and sounded like something was wrong. We did a leak down and found out that the #4 cylinder was leaking down 55%. This was the night before the race. We had replaced all of the valves in the head, but it seems the valve seats took a beating and weren’t sealing up. With a few more calls to Jeremy @ Inline pro he told me to take the head off and see if someone can clean up the valve job locally. The only problem is that it was now 9pm on a Friday night. Lucky enough for me Dave from Headgames Motorworks was still in the shop. We drove right over there and he was able to take care of it for me.
We went back to the shop and had the head back on the car by 3am on Saturday Morning. Now I had been on the dyno the day before the race a few times, but never the morning of the race. We put the car on the dyno at 10am on Saturday morning. The same time the gates opened at the track. We made one pull and the power had come back. So we loaded it right on the trailer and high tailed it to the track. We didn’t even get a chance to full tune the car, just loaded up and went.
We made the first round qualifier and went 10.75 @ 130 with an absolutely atrocious short track. In all of the mass hysteria of the past few days we had forgot to change our traction settings so the car left on full power, with no way of slowing it down. It was not the showing we wanted. The rain came in and we were unable to make a second qualifier on Saturday night.
On Sunday we had one more shot to see what the car could do in qualifying. However, the car right in front of me broke and I had to shut the car off. We still had not got a chance to fully tune the idle map so the car ran very rich. In all of my haste , I managed to flood the car out trying to restart it. The track officials made me push the car away and I was unable to get the second qualifier in.
That meant I qualified #10 and had absolutely NO track data going into the first round of eliminations. We faced a car that I knew could go 10.30s so we had to come up with something. We put the best tune in it that we could come up with and rolled with it. I won the race and was so happy that the car felt great. I had no idea how fast the car went. When I got my time slip it said 10.18. . I was in shock. I screamed obscenities the whole way back to my pits. Everyone was there waiting for me. It was a great feeling.
Next round I had a car that we knew was very fast. We kept the same tune in it and won with a 10.19. Then in the Semi Final round we had to face the person who held the record for fastest pass ever, Jose Bello. The previous round he went 10.20 the round before and 10.16 earlier in the year. We both gave it everything we had and I managed to come out on top with a 10.13 @ 134.55 to his 10.17 @ 132. I managed to get the win and a new world record.
Unfortunately we were unable to run the final round of eliminations because we were passed the track’s curfew. But I was ok with that. I had proved what the car could do and was extremely excited with its performance. My entire team pulled together and made this happen !
I attached some pictures from the event and here is a link to the video of the record run !
http://www.grs-motorsports.net/videos2011/usa/etown/fallnationals/15.wmv”
Here’s the pics Jake sent:
