Drivers Spotlight: Craig Coker (Unplugged Performance Tesla Model S Plaid)

The evolution of EV performance in recent years can't be ignored whether you're in support or against their prosperity. We do know that EVs are bringing a different kind of speed to tracks worldwide. Of course, the original intent of EVs was to reduce carbon emission numbers for street vehicles. Now, EV manufacturers and consumers have started pushing the boundaries of what battery-powered vehicles can achieve when it comes to performance on track. 

Meet Craig Coker, a former professional freestyle skier turned EV race driver. Craig drives a Tesla Model S Plaid that has been prepared for Time Attack by the team at Unplugged Performance. "Once I retired from skiing, I wanted to retain an adrenaline rush. To get into motorsports late in the game, you need to be unique or have an abundance of support money. My passion for EVs stems from my RC hobbies as a kid. I grew up in the mountains, and canyon driving was second nature to me. I loved it. Motorsports always intrigued me during my skiing career, so I wasn't surprised when I transitioned into a motorsports athlete", Craig tells us. 

"Initially, I bought a Tesla Model 3 Performance, which I still own, to turn into a rally spec. I went to Team O'Neil rally school back east, which sparked this ambition. Unfortunately, there was no interest from the rally industry then, so I linked with Unplugged Performance and started tracking Teslas driving for them." 

Craig believes Teslas are some of the most reliable platforms for tracking, mentioning that "tech is rapidly evolving though and more companies are getting evolved in the EV automotive industry." 

The Unplugged Performance Model S Plaid Craig races is fitted with custom 4-way Ohlins TTX dampers, Unplugged Performance carbon ceramic big brake kit on all corners, and the full catalog of billet suspension links by Unplugged Performance. "Andrew Brilliant designed all of the aero to make a unique fit for this build," says Craig. The wheels are 19x13 Unplugged Performance -03, wrapped with Yokohama A005 330 Slicks, squared up. The team at Unplugged Performance designed the wide body in-house, known as the Apex-S kit.

The Unplugged Performance Model S Paid has claimed EV lap records along the west coast at tracks including Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and Buttonwillow. He has claimed multiple wins at NASA Time Trial competitions and even garnered a 2nd place podium finish at the NASA Championships at Laguna Seca. Craig and the team have plans to campaign the car at more events starting this July. 

Craig considers seat time the most crucial element for a driver to go faster around any given track. But when it comes to vehicle modification, he feels tires can drastically improve a car's handling. "Tires alone can make a car seconds quicker," Craig says.

Regarding improving his craft, Craig has been fortunate to have former professional racer Randy Pobst as his mentor. "I've worked with him at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb for four years. It's been a big help, but I think it's a combination of many things though. There are so many avenues of material to learn from through reviewing record lap videos on YouTube and LapMeta, personal video review, sim racing, data analytics, meditation, track memorization, and cross-training for muscle memory."

Craig aspires to become even more ingrained in the EV racing community. "I want to keep pushing the evolution of EVs and promote this flavor in motorsports. I intend to stay in the space of EVs and hyper-focus on it. I'd like to be seen as one of the first at the forefront of EV motorsports. I will keep pushing for track records but eventually branch into different categories. I am interested in racing in wheel-to-wheel events along with rallycross. I'm fortunate to be at a track almost every week, which has expedited my goals."

When we asked Craig what the reaction has been competing with an EV vehicle in a predominately combustion-dominated segment, he eluded that everyone has been supportive. "So far, people have been very welcoming even though I'm one of the few EVs on the track. The community is friendly and willing to help even if you're the competition. I enjoy the conversations and answering people's questions about EVs.".

Craig believes the future of automotive performance will see a mix of combustion and EVs. "Motorsports will have combustion vehicles for quite a long time. They will likely be around for the rest of my lifetime. EVs are still controversial and in their infancy, but I think they will become a force soon. Sure, everyone will miss the sound of a combustion vehicle shifting through gears (I do). Still, EVs have something that is absolutely incredible—instantaneous torque and blistering quick speeds that you can control with fewer inputs. EVs have some weight and charging infrastructure limitations, but that is quickly being solved. By the end of 2024, I think it will be eye-opening for many people in the time attack community. There will be some great (cheaper) options, and the benefits of EVs on track will be undeniable."

We can only imagine what Craig and the team at Unplugged Performance will achieve in the future with EV-performance vehicles. Ride for a record lap around Willow Springs Raceway, where Craig turns a 1:20.03. Watch it here!

Drivers Spotlight: Mike Reed (Apex Attack Toyota MR2)

One thing every driver and car owner fears most is one four-letter word. Fire. Unfortunately, no matter how well-prepared a car is, fire can always occur. It came unexpectedly for Time Attack driver Mike Reed and his MR2, and he had limited fire suppression systems and devices handy. We will dive into that here in a bit. Before we do, let's tell you more about Mike and his awesome '93 MR2 Time Attack build.

Mike tells us that he's always loved the romance of racing. "From LeMans to Monaco, Spa, Daytona, they all hold a special place with me. Growing up, I never thought driving a race car on track was a possibility for me, so I'm just happy to be out there every time I get to," says Mike. 

Why choose the Toyota MR2 was our first question to Mike. "Honestly, it was totally random. I had a little pocket money and wanted a project. My first MR2 was about the cheapest JDM project car I could find. I spent 3-4 years swapping turbo engines and building that into a great street car until I got bit by the track bug. I, unfortunately, crashed that car on a wet track day. I couldn't find a cheap platform with as much potential when I went to replace it...so I got another SW20." The concept and chassis are unique and offer plenty of performance perks.  It's fun having an off-the-wall chassis at track days surrounded by 911s, S2000s, and Vettes."

His 1993 Toyota MR2 is a relatively highly modified example. "I've modified about 90% of the car in some way; it's a never-ending project," says Mike. As with most highly modded cars, the original engine is rarely present. "The motor is a 2gr-fe out of a Toyota Sienna, 3.5l V6 with Monkeywrench racing stage 1 cams. It revs to 8000 rpm and is quite peppy." 

The suspension is well sorted with 808 Inverted coil-overs, spherical bushings, a Wilhelm Raceworks geometry kit, a big brake kit, and complete exhaust. "It's also hot boy spec with huge rear flares I fitted from a 240sx, and widebody front fenders, big splitter, and 9Lives wing." We dig the look. 

So what happened to the original turbo factory 2.0 liter? "I spent years trying to make it work. $15 parts were costing me $300 track days. I finally bit the bullet and swapped in the V6. The simple, pedestrian V6 really wakes up with bolt-ons. Being reliable has been the key to actually going faster because.... seat time. You can learn so much when you don't have to worry the engine will fail every lap." Peace of mind that your equipment will stay underneath you is a very underrated component of improving as a driver. If you constantly have to be mechanically sympathetic, as Mike was alluding to, it tends to affect your driving performance. 

In May of 2022, Mike was competing at the OnGrid shootout at Portland International Raceway. In his first session out just getting everything shaken down, he was on the back straight, coming into the turn ten brake zone, when he noticed something was amiss. "I lost all power and immediately saw flames in my rearview mirror. I didn't want to pull off on the grass and have the fire spread, so I found an access road near turn 12 and pulled off." 

We will let the video tell most of the story. Watch HERE

Catastrophic engine failure on the 2gr put a hole in the block, sending oil all over the exhaust, essentially igniting the fire. Mike is highly thankful to Dustin in the M3 and the Portland emergency crew for extinguishing the fire immediately upon arrival. 

When we asked Mike what his message was for others, he had some candid advice. "Take fire safety seriously! I was caught with my dinky 3lb fire bottle that did nothing to extinguish a growing oil fire in my car. I stood there panicking as my sizable time and money investment went up in flames. If you're on the track at all, have a legitimate AFF extinguisher. If you're serious enough to wear a harness and HANS, you should also have a fire suppression system. While I was physically safe from the fire, I almost lost my build. I can't imagine if I was also hurt." 

Mike has taken his experience and invested in some new fire equipment. "I now run a full fire suppression system in the car from Lifeline and have another AFF extinguisher. This way, I am covered in the event of a crash/fire to save myself. I have the extra bottle in case I need to help a fellow racer... or if I have mechanical and have to pull off onto dry grass and potentially start a fire that way." Although it's extra weight, Mike feels it's 100% worth it, just like a roll bar or roll cage would be for your safety. 

Fortunately, cars can be rebuilt, and we're glad Mike was just fine. He spent the next 12 weeks rebuilding the car. "Luckily, it was salvageable; the chassis was not compromised. I mostly just replaced, like for like, a little touch-up paint, and I was back on track to finish the season strong." Engine, wiring, and accessories had to be replaced, but most of the car's core was rebuildable.   

Over the winter, he took it all back apart and started fresh again. "I decided it was time to really ramp this car into a full-time race car with race car safety standards. A full cage, extreme weight reduction with carbon fiber doors, better aero, and improved suspension geometry. I probably bit off more than I can chew, but in the end, I hope to have a much faster car with the same power level." Moving forward, he has a lap time goal he's striving for. "I call The Ridge my home track. There's just a handful of cars with real VIN numbers that have recorded a sub 1:40 lap time there. My final goal is to join that exclusive club.... but without adding boost to my powerplant. My current personal best is a 1:45.8. Is it possible? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm going to try. It will take a very well setup car, perfect conditions, and a VERY good lap from me, the driver." Maybe Mike has read our LapMeta Track Guide on the Ridge which would provide an answer for why he's so quick. 

For 2023 he hopes to try out some other PNW tracks, explore some California tracks, and dip his toes into some hill climbs. "I'd like to build another car closer to a ruleset for wheel-to-wheel racing. I race with a team in Lucky Dog (Autosport Lab SW20), which is incredibly fun when we're not broken. I want to learn and grow as a driver as much as possible, which comes from trying new events and expanding my skill sets." 

Although the competition aspect of time attack events is great, Mike loves the surrounding community. "I've racked up quite a few podiums and a win with Ongrid, but in reality, my favorite part of doing all this is meeting others at the track and immediately becoming friends. The Seattle area Time Attack community are all buddies, and we're all getting faster every year, which is really neat to watch happen."

We can't wait to watch the continued evolution of the MR2 and follow along with Mike's future driving & racing plans. Best of luck to Mike, and happy 1:40 hunting! 

Learn more about Mike's car HERE 

Track Guide: Pacific Raceways 

Welcome to our fourth edition of Track Guide, our notebook on how to be fast at tracks around the U.S. Each edition covers a different circuit giving drivers the best approach to reduce their lap times.

Racing your vehicle through the northwest forest of America, surrounded by the tall trees and thick vegetation characteristic of the evergreen state, is a normal part of the experience when you go to the Pacific Raceways in Seattle metropolitan area, Washington. There you can find a counterclockwise racetrack of 2.25 miles, ten turns, several of them with considerable banking, and nice long straight runs to keep your engine screaming for gas. The racing complex opened in 1960 and features a dragstrip enclosed inside the road track infield area. Several motorsports associations use Pacific Raceways regularly such as the SCCA, IRDC, SOVREN, WMRRA, and others.  

125 ft. of total vertical gain and some heavy steering at the turns get the average lap time to 1:32.588 and the average speed to 87 mph. Pacific Raceways is a landmark for those passionate motorsports fans of Washington state, with 60+ years of history and still a lot more to come. The track is a thrill to drive and provides an experience, unlike most modern race tracks. Track ownership has recently invested in some major upgrades with Armco barriers lining most of the circuit keeping cars out of the trees and out of embankments. 

Turn 1: 
This is a flat-out bend in the straightaway for most cars. There isn’t anything super special to this corner except car placement. As soon as you cross the start-finish line you will want to start moving your car over to the left to open up 1 as much as possible. If you stay too tight your car will take itself across the track and you will ruin your setup/entry for 2. So stay wide and apex 1 at the end of the wall while staying flat out. If your car gets unstable at 1, don't completely lift off the gas. Keep the weight rearwards and just crack the throttle. You need the rear of the car to stay hooked up. Those who lift completely off the throttle will find the rear becomes more unstable. 

Turn 2: 
Known as “Big Indy” this corner has a little banking to it which is where its name originates. As you approach the brake zone use the pit exit blend line as a reference point. Brake in a straight line on entry, but if you’re comfortable you can hold a trail brake as you start to turn in to aid with front bite. This corner is long; the apex is at the very end of the 180-degree carousel. Keep the car about middle of the track as you start your turn in and head towards mid-corner. Hold your positioning about mid track and slowly start to work back to full throttle once you know you’ll hit the apex and make the exit. The apex of this corner is usually marked by a cone but it also can be referenced by the escape road on drivers left on the inside. You want the car all the way down to the white line there. As you start to open up the wheel let the car take itself all the way out towards the FIA curbing on drivers right at the exit. The key is rolling your momentum in and out of Turn 2. A lot of lap time can be made or lost based on your exit of 2 which takes you down the hill towards 3. 

Turn 3a: 
As you exit turn 2 and you won’t see Turn 3 for a minute until you crest the hill. Slowly start to move the car to about the middle of the track as you fly down. You can brake a lot later than most would think here. 3a is such a slow corner you can extend your brake zone to the apex. Those who are really fast here can trail brake all the way down and into the corner which aids with front grip to help the car turn. Momentum cars can hug a narrow line and get the car to rotate. A higher horsepower car that doesn’t handle well might need to open the radius up and turn in a bit later to get to the apex. The apex here is very late and most of the way around the corner and is usually marked by a cone. You want to be getting back to some throttle before this cone. If you find yourself getting on throttle too early before the apex it means you over-slowed the car and got on the brakes too soon. 

Turn 3b: 
Don’t get back to throttle too much between 3a and 3b as you want to keep the car in the middle of the track to have time to get the car over to drivers right on the white line to set up the entry. Unless you’re in a Spec Miata you will want to be all the way to the right to start the corner. This is one of the sharpest turns you will find on a race track and also one of the slowest. A good run out of 3b is essential for a fast lap at this track. Get the car turned in and commit to throttle as soon as possible and roll all the way out to the FIA curbing on the driver's right. Oftentimes you will be on throttle with the wheel still turned. It’s pretty slow here and the rear tires typically can handle that in most low to medium horsepower cars.

Turn 4: 
This is just a flat-out slight bend in the back straight. Slowly start to work your car back towards the middle and left of the race track as you head towards 5a. 

Turn 5a: 
Your car should be on the driver's left near the white line as you approach this sequence. Take your car from the left side of the track and give it a little implement to the right to get the car squared up for the braking zone. The track bends back to the right as you approach it even though 5a is a left-hand corner. There are a lot of bumps here. Figure out what your car can handle over the bumps and progressively work up to braking later in this sequence. The corner starts with a quick flick to the left. There is a curb at the apex. A compliant car can get a bit of this curb. Traditionally if you don’t want to upset the car as much you stay to the right of the curb a little bit. There is still a bump there regardless of what line you take and your car will rise and compress which is normal. Aim to put the car about the middle of the track on the exit. 

The key here is to maximize your entry speed without losing control or compromising your setup for 5b and 6. The run up the hill is even more important than your entry into this complex. It would be wiser to lose a little time on entry through 5a but focus on a good smooth run up the hill through 5b and 6 with early throttle application.

Turn 5b: 
When you get through 5a try and have the car in the middle of the track. Once the rear settles over the bump prepare to start your turn in for 5b. Make sure you’re aiming to get a bit of the 5b apex curbing. This opens up the corner a bit. All while rolling as much throttle as the rear can handle.  A slower momentum car doesn’t have as much of a worry here but in a high horsepower car, it’s easy to lose rear traction. So be cautious on the throttle until the rear feels completely settled. Hit the small curb with your right front at 5b apex and quickly unwind the wheel and start turning left towards 6. 

Turn 6: 
After hopping through 5b you will be immediately focused on turning up the hill for Turn 6. Once again you can clip a bit of this curb here with your left front tire if your car is compliant enough. Some cars can stay flat on the throttle from 5b through 6. Others might have to crack the throttle a bit. It’s easy to run out of road on the exit here so figure out what your car is capable of and work up to it. A good run through the entire 5a/b and 6 complex is also crucial to a fast lap. The key is to maximize your speed up the hill. As you get more comfortable you will realize you can commit to throttle sooner than you think which will drop lap time more and more. It’s all about carrying your momentum. 

Turn 7:
The pavement changes from new to old here and there is a rather bumpy transition. A momentum car takes this flat-out. Something faster will have to crack the throttle a bit or you risk running out of road on the exit. To set up turn 7 you want your car all the way to drivers right on the white line. Almost touching the grass. Opening this corner up is important to help you stay on the gas. Slowly turn in towards the apex usually marked by a cone. It’s bumpier down at the apex. It’s a little smoother about a car length off. Try both and see what your car likes. Stay in the throttle as you approach 8 and get your car mostly straight as you approach 8.

Turn 8: 
This is known as “little Indy”. There is a bit of banking here too. Roll towards 8 and keep the car more to the right. You don’t need to be on the edge of the track but you want to be over center and to the right.  This is a short hard brake application and mostly in a straight line. Your job is to slow the car down just enough so the front will turn without killing your momentum. There are two racing lines here. Low horsepower momentum cars can stay more towards the bottom and take a shorter distance to roll on to throttle earlier. Typically they will be in the middle of the track at turn-in. Get the car down to an earlier apex and roll the throttle sooner, opening the wheel up and letting the car flow out to the pit exit road at the edge of the track on the exit. 

Higher horsepower cars don’t have this luxury as they have to prepare for Turn 9 which is the fast kink onto the front straight. Typically a GT car will stay wider on entry for Turn 8 and turn in rather late. Which means they will also have a late apex. Traditionally they will track out to about the middle of the road which gives them enough time to get the car back over to the left for turn 9. 

Turn 9: 
Maybe the most daunting corner on the track for a newer driver. It’s fast, bumpy, and narrows up quickly on exit. To approach this corner you will want to get the car out towards driver's left. There is tons of room to set it up. You don’t need to be way out to the left but definitely over in that direction. For most momentum cars with less than 200hp, this is typically a flat-out corner. For higher horsepower cars with limited grip or aero, you might have to lift/crack the throttle depending on how well set-up your car is. Our advice is to work your speed up through here. If you’re new to the track don’t go flying through here flatout on lap 1. Get your tires warm and figure out how your car reacts before pushing too much.

The apex is at the wall and is marked by a neon cone. Stay about half a car length off the wall which is the ideal racing line. Don’t pinch the car here or the rear may step around on you. Let the car take itself out towards the grass but leave yourself a bit of a cushion as the bumps will sometimes carry your car right to it. This isn’t a place you want to run out of road. It’s all about car placement. Work your speed up and figure out where your car is happy through this section. It’s rather bumpy and some cars absorb that well and others don’t. 

Once you’re comfortable it will become much easier. It’s about trusting the car and grip and sometimes that takes time! Focus on smooth slow hands through and no sudden throttle changes. If you have to lift that’s fine but don’t mash the gas until you're through all of the bumps at the exit.

And that's a complete lap around Pacific Raceways on the fast line. We hope you learned a few tips and tricks about car placement. This is a fast flowy track that takes time to get comfortable with. Progressively work your speed up practicing the proper habits; eventually, you will link sets of corners together and see the lap times fall.  

VIDEO: Ride with LapMeta supported driver Austin Bradshaw for a lap around Pacific Raceways to see some of these best practices in action HERE

Track Guide: The Ridge Motorsports Park 

Welcome to our third edition of Track Guide. The notebook on how to be fast at tracks around the U.S. In each edition, we will cover a different circuit giving drivers the best approach to tackle a track and reduce their lap times.

 At about an hour's drive south of Seattle, Washington, in the small Pacific Northwest town of Shelton, the Ridge Motorsports Park was built in 2011 to serve as a focal point for racers from all of Oregon & Washington. Designed by Steve Crawford as a motorist oasis in the middle of an evergreen pine forest, this racing track offers magnificent views of the surrounding vegetation. It also adapts seamlessly to the formidable elevation changes in the natural terrain, defying the drivers' abilities to remain in control of their vehicles.

The Ridge Motorsports Park track is 2.47 mi long, with a total vertical gain of 299 ft from start to finish. There are 16 turns in this racetrack, including several closed ones like The Carousel and The Thumb. Another impressive section is the ridge complex, an abrupt descent of 50 ft through a challenging turn combination. Several straight runs compensate for the loss of speed in these sharp curves, leaving the average lap time at 1:55.246 and the average velocity at 77 mph. Given the particular characteristics of the terrain, this track only goes in the counterclockwise direction, which enables vehicles to develop top speeds from top to bottom. 

Turn 1: 

As you approach, Turn 1 at the end of the front straight; almost all cars will carry a good amount of speed. The goal is to roll most of that speed through 1 without over-slowing the car too much with the brakes. 1 is just a quick change of direction to set up 2, which leads up the hill. Timing this 1/2/3 complex is rather tricky to master but super crucial to rolling speed through 4 and 5 to make lap time. As you approach 1, come off the gas late and brush the brakes to settle the nose for the turn-in. The key is to roll as much speed through 1 as the car will allow. There is very minimal braking at 1. You can hold a trail brake following 1 to set up 2. But if you're getting back on to throttle a lot between 1 and 2, it means you're over-slowing the car. Let momentum carry you in, use your right foot to trail brake, and keep weight on the nose. 

Turn 2: 

After you fly through 1, let the car float out to the middle of the track but not to the driver's right or on the curb. You don't need to be that far out, so try and leave ¾ of a car's length on the passenger side. Keep it mainly in the middle as you roll all your speed in, and use the tires to help slow the car down and scrub speed. Most cars will need at least one downshift between 1 & 2. Keep your trail brake initiated to keep weight over the nose while turning the car in at 2. When the nose is pointed at the apex, commit back to throttle and head up the hill. The earlier you can get to throttle here, the better. It's right after you initiate the turn-in. The track will naturally take the car towards the apex of 3. 

Turn 3:

This is a blind crest. Hard to see the apex and what's to come, but you have to trust there is pavement on the other side. The car will naturally become unsettled here, requiring a lift at the apex in almost all cars. Try and aim the car over the apex to keep it tight to drivers right on the exit of 3. It's hard to do without practice because it's all blind, but the more over to the right you are as you crest the hill, the better because it will help straighten out 4 and 5. Return to throttle after cresting the hill as soon as possible to maximize the speed you carry down the straight.

Turn 4: 

Keep the car tight through 4 modulating throttle as much as the rear will allow. The track drops off at the apex, and then suddenly, you will suffer an understeer condition heading towards 5. Let the car float out to the middle of the track between 4 & 5, and give it as much throttle as it can handle.

Turn 5: 

Make sure to hit this apex and get the car down. If you do, you can avoid running out of road on the exit, which comes up quickly. You might have to modulate the throttle a bit to make the exit. The key is carrying as much momentum as possible down this short straight, yielding faster lap times. It all starts with a good setup in 1 and 2. Early throttle application in 3 as you crest the hill and keep the car in the sweet spot through 4 & 5.

Turn 6: 

It is one of the trickiest on the track, as there are many ways to get through it. The brake zone is short, and drivers can easily miss their turn-in point and carry too much speed resulting in an off-track excursion. For a more traditional momentum-based car, the secret is to keep the car down toward the bottom. Start your approach a little over center with more of the car closer to the right sideline. Again leave about 1/2 of a car width over there; you don't need to be on the line. The track will naturally take the car to the middle as you start to turn in. Think of this as a double apex corner. The brake zone is not straight here, so do your best to trail brake into the corner, keeping the weight on the front nose to aid with the front bite. Keep your foot on the middle pedal until the front end starts cooperating while you bring the car down to the bottom on entry for the first of two apexes. The car will float out towards the middle, which is okay. Return to throttle when you can while modulating off and on while aiming for that second apex and bringing the car back down. Once you hit the second apex, you should be full throttle once you know you will make the exit. Let the car drive itself all the way to the edge of the track unwinding the wheel early. If you pinch the car on exit, you will be limiting your car's rear traction, which could create oversteer. Use all the road and carry your momentum down the hill towards 7. 

Turn 7: 

We like to think of this one as a roller coaster as it's a quick bend to the right featuring a drop. The grade falls off dramatically, and some cars will bottom out here and have their splitter scrape a bit. If your car has that issue, move toward the middle of the track to prevent this for a smoother decline. The fast line is on the right, which will take your car straight down and set up 8a and 8b perfectly. Fall down the hill and let the car take itself over to the edge of the curb on driver's left. You don't need to hit them, though. 

Turns 8a & 8b:

It's a double apex and a long right-hand corner that leads onto the straight The focus here is to maximize your exit and roll throttle as soon as the car allows you to carry speed up the hill on the second longest straight the track has to offer. As you come down the hill from 7, hit the brakes late and hard. This is another good spot for a little trail brake. Downshift quickly and get the car turned in towards 8a. The key is to take the shortest distance again and keep the car tight through 8a and 8b. If you need to use more of the road in a higher-horsepower car, you can. In a momentum car, keep it tight and aim for one smooth, early throttle application, and your lap times will come down. 

Turns 9 & 10: 

Flat-out corners. Head up the hill starting at the apex of 9 and let the car drive across the race track to driver's left as you crest the hill. You'll turn the wheel a bit at the top of the hill to straighten out 10 but keep your foot committed to the throttle. Most cars will take this flat out once you're comfortable. 

Turn 11:

The good old "Thumb," as it's called, because it looks like one. This is a tricky complex a lot of people struggle with. We want to emphasize patience on your turn-in. You'll be flying into 11's brake zone, so keep the car straight while downshifting and let the car point toward the trees. The car should float to the right with about ¾ of a car length left over. Don't turn in early; it will compromise your exit, forcing you to modulate the throttle. Get the car completely slowed down and give it a hard late turn to the left rolling throttle in one clean, smooth motion at the apex. When done correctly, you will be full throttle on the curbs at the exit of 11 on the driver's right. This is another critical area to make lap time. It feels slow, but it will be faster. Hard into the braking zone, slow in the middle while turning in, and fast out with 100% throttle.

Turn 12:

Usually, most cars don't need to shift up or down here. Carry your speed out of 11 and bring the car back across the track to the driver's left. This is one of the few corners where your left-side tires must be near that white line to set up the entry. You want to open up the radius of the corner as much as you can. It's a quick short brake zone, but you can hold a trail brake to help the car turn in and reduce understeer. Naturally, your car will tend to understeer on entry and quickly want to oversteer on exit. Roll the throttle at the apex and unwind the wheel early to prevent the rear wheels from losing traction. It will spin around if you pinch the car here and give it too much throttle. 

Turn 13: 

By far one of the slowest corners you will ever come across. Go in hard and brake late, keeping a bit of trail brake initiated as you turn in. It has a very straight brake zone, but it's hard to gauge when to turn it in. Aim for the apex curb; the left front will jump down as the grade falls off at the crest. At the apex, open up the wheel and aim the car towards the curbing on driver's right at 14. Get on the throttle as early as possible for a short burst before lifting again at 14. 

Turn 14:

This is a one-line section of the track, but make sure to get on or close to the curbing on the driver's right to try and straighten out this sequence as much as possible to set up 15, which is most important since it leads onto the front straight. 

Turn 15:

As you come down the hill, leave the car about mid-track as you start to turn in. You may need a brake tap here to settle the nose. This is a long radius corner, but maximizing your exit speed is super important. Keep the car about ¾ of a car length off the inside in the entry and middle of the corner. If you're too tight, you'll battle some grip issues, and the car will understeer. Run the middle groove while modulating on and off the throttle until the rear bites and the front points towards the curbs at 16. You want an excellent early full-throttle application here. 

Turn 16:

This flat-out little kink leads onto the front straight. Go into the dip inside the curbs to straighten this out and save lap time. It does work the car a bit, but if you're looking for every tenth, go straight through. If every tenth doesn't matter, keep the car to the left and graze the curb. 

And that's a complete lap around the Ridge on the fast lane. We hope you learned a few tips and tricks about car placement. This is a technical track that takes time to get really good at as it presents a lot of different types of corners. Practice the proper habits; eventually, you will link sets of corners together and see the lap times fall. 

LapMeta Drivers Spotlight: Justin Yoo

Photo Credit: @Rogue.Spirit

Ever since the S2000’s release, it’s been a popular choice for many track enthusiasts. Beloved by the Honda community, one could consider it to be the best thing to come out of the late 90’s next to the Miata. Most petrol heads aren’t high on the early 2000’s time period as far as cool cars go, but the S2000 just might be the exception. With a redline at 9,000rpm, a short wheelbase, light curb weight, and good aesthetics it’s not hard to see why the S2K is such a popular platform to take to the track. Justin Yoo from SoCal has one of the prettiest examples we’ve seen and he drives it hard. So we had to do an interview and get the rundown on what he’s done to his, to try figure out why the S2000 platform is so popular.
 

LapMeta: What made you choose an S2000?

Justin Yoo: I purchased it back in 2012. I felt the S2000 chassis is the perfect balance between aesthetics and performance that has great aftermarket support. I was looking for a rear wheel drive, lightweight JDM car that had a raw driving feel like a kart. It checked all of those boxes.

Highlights of the Build:
-100% OEM motor,  transmission, and ECU.
-265/35/18 200tw tires; A052, CR-S, RE71RS.
-Voltex type 7 wing
-K1 Lab front bumper
-Voltex flares and skirts.
-Custom spec 1-way coilovers
-16k/16k swift springs.
-OSGiken LSD with 4.44 FD.

Photo Credit: @Rogue.Spirit

LM: What mod do you think has made the most significant benefit in making the car quicker and why?

JY: Pulling out weight has made the most significant change to the car's performance. Power mods can help with acceleration, tires and brakes can help with lateral grip and braking power, but weight improves all of those aspects. Car weighs 1080kg and has plenty more to pull out.  

LM: What are your accomplishments as far as results with the car?

JY: 1:19.8 at Streets of Willow, 1:54.7 at Buttonwillow and Chuckwalla. 1st place in class at a local honda time attack series, but nothing serious. I’m just building the car and driving it for my own enjoyment and goals.

LM: What hooked you into motorsports and gave you the urge to want to start tracking your car? 

JY: In 2000, Frankie Muniz came out with a movie called "Miracle in Lane 2", and I watched it many times as a kid when Disney Channel would often play the same movies/shows over and over. Although soapbox derby racing wasn't anything I was interested in, it made me want to go racing. I asked my parents for a kart but given our financial situation, it never happened. The following year, The Fast and the Furious came out and got me into drag racing. I was on many car forums as a 10 year old and my interest in cars grew. I would see how people would modify their cars to their own style and purpose and I was hooked. I went to a track day as soon as I could afford it and the rest is history.

Photo Credit: @Rogue.Spirit

LM: Throughout your history, what has been your best resource for improving your lap times? 

JY: My driving has been mostly self taught. My friend's and I are very competitive so that definitely pushed us to go faster and faster. We would often give each other tips and tricks that we picked up on to push each other. Then I started recording my driving and watched it over and over until I recognized mistakes in my driving and improved on them at my next track day. HP Academy actually reached out to me a few years ago and provided me with their track data course, so I would tinker with data here and there, but never got serious about it. Just recently in the past year, my friends have been going over my data on my AiM Solo and helped me understand what I was doing right and wrong. It's eye opening and mind boggling what data can teach you. 

LM: What are your future goals / plans for the car and/or your goals for motorsports?

JY: My future goal is to build a WTAC/GTA unlimited car. Current car will be built as my "practice car". Decent aero, 500ish hp, sticky tires, and a bunch of sensors for data. I would like to build the 'unlimited' car on the side so that I can continue to drive without downtime, and build it the right way. My goal is to send my car out to Australia for WTAC at SMP, Japan for Tsukuba, Suzuka, and Fuji, and compete at GTA COTA and Buttonwillow. 

Photo Credit: @Rogue.Spirit

LM: What's your favorite aspect of being a part of the track community?

JY: Just having fun with my friends, building cool looking cars, and going fast. I look up to the Japanese time attack community and model my style to theirs. They build amazing looking cars that go really fast. Not much of that stateside, unfortunately. 

Photo Credit: @Rogue.Spirit

LM: What's your favorite track and why?

JY: Chuckwalla. The track rewards balance between power, aerodynamics, brakes, and weight from the car, but it's also a track that requires skill and guts from the driver. It has fast and slow corners, elevation changes, banked bowls, off camber corners, and it flows well. If you mess up a corner, it punishes you. It’s also one of the best kept secrets in Southern California. 

We look forward to following along with Justin’s future endeavors on track hopefully in Global Time Attack!

Check out his onboard video from Chuckwalla Valley Raceway on LapMeta HERE.

Follow Justin on Instagram at: @justin__yoo

LapMeta Drivers Spotlight: Mike Reyes (Boss Boss Racing) 

“The A90 Supra is a very capable platform for those who want a car that can go very quickly out of the box,” says Boss Boss Racing’s Mike Reyes. Although a bit newer to the Time Attack scene, Mike has quickly proved that even as a developing driver, the MK5 Supra can be a competitive and winning Time Attack track car without having to add crazy custom (expensive) mods. Most of his build is composed of quality engineered bolt ons from leading performance manufacturers. He bought his example about a year ago and it’s seen a range of improvements from safety, to handling, to power. Read the full interview to learn more.

LapMeta: What made you choose the Supra platform?

Mike Reyes: Before getting the Supra, I've had a couple different sports cars but neither of them had a competitive presence in Time Attack. Knowing that I wanted to dip my feet into the world of Time Attack, I just looked at who was the fastest and most successful -- and looked at what they were driving. In this case, I saw that Jackie Ding was piloting a 2020 GR Supra and was dominating Global Time Attack and Gridlife. There was a lot of aftermarket support for the Supra, a well documented tried and tested setup in Jackie's car, and on top of that; the car itself looked incredible. It was a no-brainer that this would be my next track car.

LM: What are some of the major modifications you’ve made?

MR: Although the list of mods are long, it's actually a very moderate bolt-on setup! Basically, for power, we have a completely stock engine with the stock turbo, a catted downpipe, intake, flex-fuel, and a tune! For suspension we're running one-way coilovers with swift springs, an eibach front sway bar, and just half of the SPL suspension parts catalogue mostly in the front of the car. For brakes, we are running CSG C21 and C11 pads. For tires, we're currently running Bridgestone Potenza RE71RS 295/35/18 and loving it! For safety, we're running a Sabelt Titan racing seat, Sabelt Silver Enduro 2" 6PT harness, and a StudioRSR V1 Rollbar.

Engine
AMS Catted Downpipe
Armaspeed CF Intake
Visconti Tuning Flex Fuel Kit
Counterspace Garage Tune - 500whp
HKS Dual-Muffler Exhaust

Cooling
Trackspec Hood Louvers
Custom BBR Vent Wickers
Sayber Designs Carbon Fender Vents

Suspension
CKS Suspension x PHDRacing Spec 1-way Coilovers
Swift Springs 10kg/18kg
Eibach Front Sway Bar
SPL Front LCA
SPL Tie Rod Ends
SPL Front Swaybar Endlinks

Brakes
Stock Calipers
Counterspace Garage C21 Front
Counterspace Garage C11 Rear

Wheels + Tires
Titan 7 T-S5 10x7 +38 Square
Bridgestone Potenza RE71RS 295/35/18
Motorsport Hardware M14x1.5 Lug Stud Conversion
Motorsport Hardware Spacers (+15mm front, +10mm rear)

Aero
Sayber Designs AERO7 Front Lip
Sayber Designs THERMAL7 Carbon Hood Louvers

Interior + Safety
StudioRSR V1 Rollcage
Sabelt Titan Racing Seat
Sabelt Enduro Silver 2” 6pt Harness
JQWerks Magnetic Shifter Paddles

LM: What mod do you think has made the most significant benefit in making the car quicker and why?

MR: I think all of the parts work together harmoniously, but if I had to choose the one mod that I made early on that has helped me turn faster laps, it would have to be my Sabelt Titan racing bucket seat. Stock seats (even in sports cars) are great for driving around the town in comfort but are terrible for when you take it on the track. You're sustaining so many G's into a corner that you need to be held into your seat properly so that you're not being thrown around. A seat combined with a proper 6-point harness is the magic bullet that most beginners on the track should do first when it comes to modification. You won't believe how much it helps.

LM: What are your accomplishments as far as results with the car?

MR: So far, I've only competed in 3 Time Attack challenges: TRD Series, Narita Dogfight Attack Challenge, and Technocraft Time Attack. I placed 1st in my class in all of them, which was a massive confidence booster considering that I pretty much only took track-driving and Time Attack seriously in April of 2021. Before then, I maybe did 1-2 track days a year. 

Apart from placing 1st in those events, the biggest accomplishment of all has been seeing my PB's just get lower and lower with every track day. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing all green on the lap-timer!

LM: What hooked you into motorsports and gave you the urge to want to build a car and then start tracking it?

MR: I've been into cars and motorsports ever since I was a teenager. I spent all my summers (and most of my time, really) watching Video Option and Hot Version videos on YouTube, daydreaming of what it would be like to be a racing driver. But like most teens, I had no money and getting into a car that I could take to the track was impossible. Flash forward to the present day, I'm in my early 30's and am itching to finally live out of my dream to drive cars very quickly around a track and finally have some capital to do so -- I had to do it. I think my 16 year old self would think it's really awesome what I'm accomplishing now.

LM: Throughout your history, what has been your best resource for improving your lap times? 

MR: Ever since I can remember, I've always been a visual learner who also leans heavily on self taught trial and error. When it comes to improving my lap times and learning from both good and bad experiences, it's a mixture of trying different things out on the track and also watching other drivers' in-car footage. On top of that, I record my own in-car footage that has proven to be really helpful because you can clearly spot your deficiencies when you watch yourself drive.

Personally, LapMeta has been a great resource because I'm able to see where I stack up against some of the other very quick drivers out there and watch their videos and see how they attack the same tracks. Videos are certainly a helpful tool, but at the end of the day it's all about taking all that information and transforming those learnings into a calculated fast lap on the track.

LM: What are your future goals / plans for the car and/or your goals for motorsports?

MR: This year I'm going to compete in more local Time Attack competitions. However, I've got my eyes set on competing with the big dogs in Global Time Attack. It'll be an uphill battle because a lot of the competitors have insane builds often backed by a race shop or big sponsors. Competing with those drivers as a very small privateer will be a tall task, but I know with consistent and effective practice, I'll be able to compete with the fastest out there.

LM: If you could do anything differently throughout the process of the build, what would it be and why? 

MR: As much as I'm hyping up the Supra as an extremely capable car out-of-the-box for beginners, I think I might be a stronger driver if I had started out with a low-horsepower-high-effort car; like a 90's Honda. The Supra is undoubtedly fast and it'll teach you how to drive a fast car fast. However, in a low horsepower car, you learn how to drive at the limit. The limit happens to be dancing on a razors edge on these 90's Honda's, so car control is something you learn by necessity and survival. On top of that, parts and consumables are so cheap for those cars, so you can spend a lot of time on the track for very little. 

I think my path with the Supra as my first track car still suits me because now I know how to dance the car around the corner (as made evident on most of my in-car videos where I'm constantly drifting corners), but I still think it's way cooler to know how to drive a slow car fast. Because if you can drive a slow car fast, you can drive a fast car even faster.

LM: What's your favorite aspect of being a part of the track / time attack community?

MR: The friends that I've made since getting into Time Attack and track community have been amazing. They've definitely become life-long friends. Any time I get to spend with my friends on the track is absolutely memorable and the good vibes that are had are spectacular. We're always pushing each other to go faster and it's that type of camaraderie that brought me to the track and is what will keep me going back.

LM: What's your favorite track and why?

MR: Chuckwalla Valley Raceway has to be my favorite track. It's a track that flows incredibly well. The track surface is well-kept, the staff there are super friendly, and the fact that you can race in the morning, have a BBQ and bonfire, sleep in a cabin, and wake up the next day and do it all over again is so awesome.

We look forward to following along with Mike’s future endeavors on track hopefully in Global Time Attack!

Check out his onboard video from Chuckwalla Valley Raceway  on LapMeta HERE.
Follow Mike and Boss Boss Racing on Instagram at: @bossbossracing

Track Guide: Sonoma Long

Welcome to our second edition of Track Guide. The notebook on how to be fast at tracks around the U.S. In each edition we will cover a different circuit giving drivers the best approach to tackle a track and bring down those lap times.

Located in Wine Country, just 30 miles north of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California lies Sonoma Raceway formally Sears Point to those who have been around a while. The road course is a 12-turn, 2.39-mile circuit, with an average speed of 77 mph and an average lap time of 1:51.426, based in a region known for its high-quality wineries and its mild weather year-round.

The main attention-grabber within this track is The Carousel, a set of high-speed turns starting from turn four, a tight right-hand corner going into a light, high-speed sweeping turn five, only for turning heavily to the left in six and ending right into a hairpin in the opposite direction at turn seven. That segment is so difficult to maneuver with regular stock cars that NASCAR bypassed it from 1998 until 2019 and only brought it back to life for the circuit's 50th-anniversary celebrations. Having them run this configuration was so exciting to see that it has stayed ever since. It has always been the signature feature of Sonoma Raceway.

For this Track Guide we'll be discussing the traditional “Long” course which utilizes all of the original corners that Sonoma has always had. We wanted to bring some direct insight from an ace driver who knows their way around Sonoma. Thomas Micich, NW Spec Miata Tour Champion in 2023, just raced there a few weeks back at an SFR SCCA Regional and was kind enough to share some of his secrets for getting around this twisty and fun circuit. He ended up winning the Sunday feature race, besting 37 other miata drivers to take the checkered flag in the rain. Needless to say, we’re confident he knows a thing or two about how to be fast here.

Turn 1
As you cross the start finish line on the short front straight you’ll be immediately starting to turn in for 1 which is a long uphill climb that leads to 2. Thomas tells us that “in a Spec Miata you don’t have to be out by the wall on drivers right….in the middle is where you want to be for the shortest distance. You want to get as close to the wall on drivers left. Almost clipping it at the apex.” 

For higher horsepower cars, you’ll have to pull the throttle back a bit and you might want to be a bit more over to the right, a little closer to the outside wall, to set up the turn and open up the radius a bit. The priority is to get set up for turn 2. Coming up the hill work the car over to the left side of the track right as you’re getting under the bridge. Give the car as much throttle as it can handle while keeping the car to the left. You want to focus on rolling your momentum up the hill. “Keep the car tight and as close to the outside track line as you can” Thomas suggests.

Turn 2
As you head up the hill on the left, get the car as straight as possible under braking. Slow the car down enough to get the front end to turn in without killing your momentum. “You really want to get on power as early as your car allows to exit well here.” This usually happens before you crest the hill or during the crest if you’re in a higher horsepower car. You’ll want to get the passenger side of the car down to the apex near the curbing. Then release the wheel and let the car take itself to the outside. Use all of the curbs on drivers left without running out of road, which is easy to do here. 

Turn 3 
“As you exit 2 the track will naturally take your car over to the right and set you up perfectly for Turn 3”, Thomas insists. Make sure you’re all the way over to the right to straighten out three as much as possible. There is a little curb on drivers right that the Spec Miata guys will normally roll over a bit to open up 3.

The focus here is a “a lot of entry speed”, Thomas tells us. “Use the car to scrub speed through three” at the apex curbing on drivers left. Even Spec Miatas have to lift here just a little bit. Get back to throttle as much as the car will allow.

Turn 3a
As you are going up the hill towards 3a, be over to drivers left using all of the road and then get over to the apex as much as you can on drivers right when you turn in and crest the hill. Thomas suggests being just “inches away from the curbing” to not upset the car going over the crest. Car positioning is ultra important along with your timing for turn in. If your car is too far left at the apex of 3a you can run out of road on exit. As you come up the hill be sure to turn in early enough to get the car to the apex at 3a which will allow you to roll the throttle sooner. Use all the track on exit and carry your speed down the hill to 4. 

Turn 4
It’s a downhill run into 4 which makes it easy to overshoot your brake point and miss your turn in. Get the car slowed down but once again not so much so that it ruins your momentum. Thomas recommends “really using the tires to scrub on entry to slow the car down.” From there work the car down to the apex and focus on one, early, clean throttle application to get a good run out. Use all of the available curb and track on the left to maximize your exit. 

Turn 5
Generally a flat or close to flat out corner for most cars. Breath the throttle a little bit and keep it as tight and right as your car will allow around the bend to set up 6. 

Turn 6 
Sonoma’s most iconic corner. The carousel. If your car floated out to the middle through 5 work to get it back to the right as much as you can. Faster high horsepower cars will brake on the way up the hill. A momentum car like a Spec Miata can brake at the crest modulating pressure to keep your speed up while also getting the nose of the car to turn in and over to the left. Thomas says this is a tricky corner to get your timing right, granted it’s another blind entry.

“As you're cresting the hill you want the car pointing left a bit already. Try to turn in a little early and then scrub speed with the tires as much as you can on the downside of the crest to help get the car over to the left without over slowing with too much brake.” As you're winding your way down the hill towards the middle of the corner it’s okay if the car rolls about half a car length off the inside. Oftentimes it’s a delicate dance working on and off the gas pedal.

Thomas encourages the idea of trying your best to “roll into throttle gradually and smooth, as soon as the car can support it. Doing this will certainly be easier in a momentum car then it is in a high horsepower car. But the goal is to keep the car settled and set as best you can while still hustling the car through the corner. Don’t transfer too much weight or the rear will want to step out. Once you’re full throttle at the base of the hill drive the car all the way across the drag strip to maximize your exit using all of the road out on to the rumble strips.

Turn 7 / 7A
At the end of the straight you want to get the car to drivers left, pretty close to the wall. “You’ll want to brake late but hard”, Thomas says. Your main focus is getting a good run out of 7a at the second apex. As you enter 7 you can roll past the first apex and miss it just a bit to keep your momentum up. One or two feet off the curbing. Thomas describes it as making a “nice big arch and then squaring it off on exit at 7a” for a good full throttle application to take you down through the esses with good speed. The earlier you can get on throttle the better and use all the road on exit driving the car out to the big curb on the left that NASCAR uses for the other configuration.
 

Turn 8
As you head towards eight with some good speed built up you’ll want to keep the car as far to the right as possible before making the left. Keep the car straight and give the brakes a slight tap to settle the nose and aid with turn in. “It's smooth yet quick with a middle to late turn in getting the car to the apex curbing on drivers left”, Thomas states. Once again focus on keeping your momentum up as best you can as all of this speed continues to build up as you head through the esses. 

Turn 9
This one comes up fast after getting through 8. You want to flick the car towards the right. In a Spec Miata this is flat out. In a higher horsepower car you will be modulating the throttle to get through here fast. Thomas describes it as a “smooth but quick transition with your hands. And you definitely want to use all of the track.” Turn in late and because if you get get caught turning in too early you might end up chasing the front end and running out of track after cresting the small hill.

Turn 10
The slight bend at 9a is mostly a flat out left hander for a majority of cars. Keep it tight and to the left to use as little track as possible. Thomas reminds everyone to “keep in mind that you need to get the car over to the left and straight on the curb when approaching the brake zone for 11. Setting it up correctly is crucial for a fast clean run through while keeping your speed up. You’ll want to have your left side tires on the rumble strips when approaching to widen the corner. It’s a firm yet short brake zone to slow the car down enough to make the corner. “It takes a bit of bravery to go through here.” Work your speed up slowly, build up your confidence and get the car position dialed in. You want to be on throttle as quickly as possible letting the car float out towards the rumble strips. Don’t pinch the wheel too hard. Just let the car use all of the road / curb.  

Turn 11
Once through 10, you have a short second to grab your breath. You’ll fall down a little bump and that’s about when you’ll be wanting to hop on the brakes. Be as far left as possible and trail brake in. Be patient on turn in and come down late as it’s a full 180 degree corner. Thomas says, “if you’re sliding a bit in the middle you’re fast in a Spec Miata.” Scrub speed with the tires and use the car to slow it down in the middle. Try to get on throttle as quickly as you can but be  patient with the amount at first. “You can even spin the rear tires in a Miata.”

Turn 12
Just a slight bend in the straight away but be sure to take the shortest distance possible and keep it to the inside. 

Most corners in Sonoma are very momentum focused and reward drivers that can scrub speed and get back to the throttle early and often. Keep this in mind at your next track day or race weekend! We hope you learned a few things along the way. Be sure to go watch some of the best drivers do many of these things on LapMeta.

LapMeta Drivers Spotlight: Ben Cort

Time Attack has slowly been on a recent rise. Although not a new form of motorsport, Global Time Attack here in the U.S. has been gaining momentum in the past decade. With so many wild builds and cars competing, one would assume you have to start with something modern to be competitive. Well Ben Cort is sticking to his old school cool roots. 

Photo Credit: Motolyric

He has had his 280Z since 2012. We asked him why a Z? His answer, “They’re rad! In 2012 you could still find them for really cheap, and compared to other cars that were on my radar, they were just the coolest option. I had seen a few on Motor Mavens and Stanceworks back in the day and really liked the body lines, but them being affordable was huge. They weren’t as popular as they are now, but they had a large following and a lot of resources for information and parts. I knew nothing about them, so looking for one was a bit of a crapshoot. In hindsight, they are a great platform. Very light, small wheelbase and brutally simple to work on. It was a great first project, and it continues to be a lot of fun!”

We agree. They are rad. The long bonnet and short abrupt tail makes these cars look good from nearly angle when lowered with some proper wheels.


Photo Credit: NWR SCCA Solo

Ben first competed with his Z for many years in SCCA Solo and Auto-X competing at 7x national tours and one Solo Nationals. “I’ve taken this car to more Auto-x’s then I can count,” he tells us. That’s where he got his start in motorsports. “When I was in school back in western NY, there was a FSAE team who would test in the parking lot across from the buildings where I spent a lot of time. Chatting with one of the guys one night after school, he mentioned that weekend there was a SCCA novice school. It was full, but I should keep an eye out for it next year. I signed up, and took my bone stock 2005 WRX wagon to a couple events in NY before moving to Portland later that year. There is a really good SCCA scene here, and I got really involved with that. Auto-X was competitive, fast and fun. Low barrier to entry and it was great. Once I got the Z, my desire to tinker took over and I couldn’t leave enough alone. I was always changing something and I climbed through the classes to wind up at a pretty high level there. Not that I was particularly fast, but the prep level of the car was high. I realized if I wanted to keep pushing the engineering side of the car, the open rule set in Time Attack was much more accommodating to the projects I had in mind moving forward.” 

“The previous iteration was powered by a L28 running 14:1 compression, a big cam, fuel injection and ITBs, making 248whp on E85,” Ben says. But after suffering catastrophic engine failure this past season, he is now in the process of an engine swap to make the car even faster for the ‘23 season. 

Photo Credit: Ben Cort

“The L33 swap was born out of sadness. At Global Time Attack at the Ridge last year the L28 sheared the oil pump gears and the entire top end ate itself. I let the car sit for a few months before deciding on the L33. It was apparent that the cost of rebuilding the L28 to the next level was going to be wildly expensive. There are some really cool projects out there, but we’re talking deep 5 figure bills for maybe 300hp. I thought about a K swap, VQ’s, Ecotecs, but the LSx platform is just too obvious on a bang for buck level. There is a ton of support for those motors, and all the hard things to sort out, mounts, transmission etc, were things I could easily sort out. The Jerico trans is designed to fit the GM motors, so that was easy. Swap headers exist so those were good, and Apex Engineered, who I work with quite a bit, makes a front subframe/motor mount kit. Life gets in the way to slow something like this down, but it’s been fairly straight forward in the grand scheme! No idea on cost effective, I’m not good at budgeting for the car, but you can get deals on used parts.”

Photo Credit: Blueyed.media

Current mods include:

-Custom suspension with adjustable front and rear tubular subframes from Apex Engineering
-Hand built front uprights with Nissan S13 struts, 350Z wheel bearings + ABS Sensor
-Wilwood big brake kit
-Jerico WC-4 Dog Box
-Electric power steering 
-Bosh MK60 ABS system 

The new L33 will be bolstered with:
-Aluminum Head Rebuilders head with a Texas Speed spring kit. 
-All new valvetrain complete with trunion upgrade, LS7 lifters, and a BTR Stage 3 camshaft.

“On E85, I’m aiming for ~400whp”, Ben tells us. That will certainly be an upgrade over the previous L28. 

Photo Credit: Ken Todd

Having spent so much time in the auto-x discipline Ben had a great chance to identify the Datsun’s handling weaknesses telling us that, “Z cars really suffer suspension wise, particularly when you lower them. With a car that is 5” lower than stock, your geometry is a nightmare. The single biggest mod I did was re-drilling the front subframe to get my roll centers back. I remember doing that the week before the SCCA National Tour stop in Packwood Washington. I aligned the car after getting to the site, and took it out on the practice course. Prior, turn in was sluggish. You would turn the wheel and the car would take a beat then you’d feel it set and go. I got to a slalom on the practice course and the car was dancing. It felt more alive than ever, and not in the tail happy, sketchy way. This was on the nose, sharp and precise in a way I’ve never experienced.” Nimble is certainly the name of the game in auto-x.

Taking his knowledge to full road courses, Ben has relied on video analysis to improve the driver mod. Ben says the “best resource for me has been mentors and friends who can help guide changes. Video has been huge, it’s a great reflection point and combined with data allows you to separate what you think happened from what actually happened. But without people to look at that and say “hey man, try this instead” there’s not a lot of utility.” 

Photo Credit: Ken Todd

When asked what his favorite part of the track community is, his response was simple. “It’s always the people. There’s always a group that you connect with on some level and the time attack community is great for a lot of reasons. From tech support to hanging out after an event, I feel like it’s a community that sees and respects people who are involved and give back. It’s been exciting to watch the time attack scene grow, I’m hoping more people get bit by the bug!

So what’s next once his L33 swap is completed? Ben tells us that “a new, more capable ECU is high on the list along with a fully built motor. A new rear gear / differential is on there too. I’d like to get at least one full season of Time Attack done without a major issue on the car! I’m Hoping to get to some of the California tracks this fall, and a stretch goal would be Super Lap Battle at COTA in 2024. That’s a tough event since it’s so early in the year. I was hoping to make it this year with the L series, but that wasn’t meant to be.”

Photo Credit: Motolyric

Ben leans toward The Ridge Motorsports Park as his favorite track to drive. “I’ve been there enough now to know the track fairly well, and it’s a place where I’ve been able to track progress the most effectively. I am really excited to be able to explore more tracks, I’m hoping to get up to Canada later this spring to drive at Area27, with Thunderhill also on the to-do list."

We'll certainly be keeping tabs on how this neat old Z contninues to surprise peeople at future Time Attack events. 

Watch an onboard lap with Ben from The Ridge running a 1:50.5 on LapMeta HERE.
Follow Ben and his 280Z build on Instagram at: @brokenjawracing

LapMeta Drivers Spotlight: Chris Drum

When deciding on a platform to develop and race in NASA Time Trials competition, today we see a lot of BMWs, Corvettes, Mustangs, Porsches, and other off the shelf ready to track sports cars. Chris Drum decided to take the “different” route as he puts it. Rather than choose something proven, he opted to stick with something he’s passionate about. Of course, Cadillac has offered their CTS-V since 2004 which is marketed as a performance luxury sports car. That doesn’t make it an obvious choice though for a competitive platform on track. It’s on the heavier side, lacks factory aero, doesn’t offer many modern technical driver aids, and after all, has four doors. But all of that makes Chris Drum’s 2005 CTS-V race car that much cooler if you ask us. 

Chris took ownership of the car in 2021. He has been a Cadillac enthusiast through and through. “I have owned 3 CTS-V's in total, and currently still have 2 of them. I am a big fan of four door cars in general and the CTS-V ticked all the right boxes for me. Four doors, manual, V8. Hard to get any better than that. I owned a C5Z previous to my first CTS-V, and I was building the Corvette to be my first track car, but it didn't work out. Then I ended up with my first CTS-V, which was eventually sold after I bought my silver CTS-V everyone currently knows. I've always liked having a "different" platform and once I took the CTS-V to the track for the first time, did well in it, and saw how much attention it got combined with how much people loved it, I was absolutely hooked on the platform”. 

The car was built by Phoenix Performance in 2011. They are renowned experts that specialize in building modern muscle race cars. They have won a boatload of SCCA National championships over the years. The current engine is a crate LS376/525 from GM performance. It makes north of 450 whp/440 wtq turned up, but NASA TT3 classing detunes it to 388 whp. 

A few highlights of his build:

• Penske 8700 Series triple adjustable shocks
• AP Racing Pro 5000R front calipers 
• GM Performance anti-roll bars 
• Single Element rear wing
• Custom plywood front splitter
• 255 and 275 wide Hoosier A7
• Full fire suppression system

“I always liked cars growing up and with that comes racing,” he tells us. “I remember watching NASCAR on TV, and always being drawn to the road courses like Sonoma and Watkins Glen. I was in college, and I rode with a friend to a track day he was running at, and I was instantly hooked. I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do. Especially the competitive side of it. I am an extremely competitive person, so I always have to have something pushing me”. His first real track event was with NASA in HPDE1 at Road Atlanta in my first CTS-V in June of '21 after he purchased his track CTS-V. He progressed through the NASA ladder relatively quickly and received his time trial license at CMP in February of '22. 

He’s won five NASA events in the TT3 class since. How does one hone their craft so quickly? A  combination of tools by utilizing every resource available to him. “I’m analyzing my AiM data consistently. There’s always more tenths to be found. But when you go to a new track, you're starting from scratch. So I am a big fan of watching other lap videos, and thankfully LapMeta allows you to sort by course and filter lap times from fastest to slowest, or by whatever means you want. So, I go through and watch a lot of other people's videos just to try and see where I can improve based on what they are doing in their lap. I am also a big fan of utilizing Racer's 360 as a coaching tool. I have done multiple coaching sessions with them and always gained at least some form of insight from them”. 

When asked what mechanical modification has made the most difference he credits the Penske shock package by Anze Suspension. “It is next level”, Chris says. “It's above and beyond any other shock setup I've driven in other CTS-Vs and other platforms. Future plans for the car are to further develop the aero package on it. The current package I've put together has relatively low downforce, so I would like to improve all facets of the aero package. I would also eventually like to put a bigger motor in it, maybe a LS3 based 416, something in the 550-600 whp range, just for fun, as that would be ridiculous. A Motec M1 setup as well as Bosch M5 ABS is on my radar as well, especially considering the constraints of the factory 2005 GM electronics I am currently working with”. 

Chris loves the motorsports community and all that it has to offer someone. “I have met so many people I consider to be lifelong friends through this sport that I would not have met otherwise. There are people who will give you the shirt off their back, or lend you their car, just to help you succeed. As well as those companies who help us out. I wouldn't be where I am today with this platform without the guys and girls at Creative Steel (creative-steel.com) behind me. Their support has meant everything to me”.

With regards to his future aspirations he plans to take another step forward in his motorsports journey and do a competition racing school with NASA. His goal is to run his first wheel to wheel race in March. He will also try his hand in a different GM track product for a special one off event. “I am competing in One Lap of America driving a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro, so that will be a once in a lifetime experience. Lap time goals involve sub-2:00 laps at VIR and sub-1:30 at Road Atlanta”. We’re told he also wants to try and do a professional race at some point in his life to check it off his bucket list. 

Chris tells us his favorite track is Road Atlanta by a longshot. “There is just something special about the place and the way it makes you feel as a racecar driver. The elevation change is phenomenal, the variation of corner speeds is great, and the track requires the right amount of "send" to be properly fast at. It is truly my happy place and the track that feels most like home,”

Watch an onboard lap with Chris from Road Atlanta on LapMeta HERE. 
Follow Chris and his CTS-V Development on Instagram at: @ctsvr

LapMeta Drivers Spotlight: Jared Floyd

Human’s have a natural tendency to get attached to things. Some, more than others. With cars we feel the community is fairly split. You have some that regret selling their first or their favorite over the years. They cling to the one that got away. Others are smart enough to retain their prized possession and still have it stored safely in their garage with the sole intent of never selling it. We often hear the phrase “I will be buried in that car”. 

While on the other side of the spectrum we have people these days flipping cars faster than they can change shoes. In a modern world saturated with social media vloggers and YouTube influencers the idea of upgrading and moving up into something faster and more exotic than the previous car is becoming a common trend. If you’re not “leveling up” then you must not be going faster. 

Although he’s going against the grain, Jared Floyd and his J-swapped S2000 reveal you can still have fun developing, driving, and competing in an older sports car after two decades of ownership.
 

Jared drove his brand new Honda S2000 off the lot in April of 2002. The same car he competes in Global Time Attack with today, nearly 21 years later. Jared tells us that he's “always been a Honda fan. I appreciate the simplicity and engineering of Hondas. My dream car was an NSX. After graduating college and working as an engineer for a few years, I decided to splurge. At the time, used NSX’s were about the same price as a new S2000. I had driven both and liked the smaller and more nimble S2000 and thought it would be a better fit for daily driver, auto-x, and track use.”

Jared got into motorsports back in the 1990’s. “I started autocrossing in college and wanted to get on track.  My first time at a race track was a time trial competition at Lime Rock Park hosted by a local auto-x club. Three cars were totaled that day on track and I decided I really wanted to run more track events but needed proper safety gear (roll bar, harness, etc). Life happened and I continued competing in auto-x in my 1990 Civic Si. Once I bought the S2000, I continued to auto-x but fabricated a roll bar to start running HDPE events and time trials. I really enjoy the competition and the process of optimizing the car setup and driving performance”. Something that many today don’t have an appreciation for. The commitment to developing something over time is a lost art. We live in an on-demand world where words like development and craftsmanship aren’t applicable. 

Today his ’02 S2000 is fitted with J32A V6 from a 2002 Acura TL Type S. Certainly not your ordinary F22C1 under the hood. The swap certainly wasn’t a quick process but the personal sense of accomplishment from completing such a project, is what drove Jared to do it.

A few highlights of his build:

• 255/40-17 Yokohama A052
• Radium Engineering Fuel Surge Tank and Competition Catch Can
• Custom Wire Harness by @trever.mcdermott
• Spherical Bearings in all A-Arms provided by BlackTrax/Kingpin Machine
• Urge Design / Essex AP Racing Front Brakes
• Ohlin Shocks
• APR GT-250 Rear Wing
• Fluidampr S2000 crank pulley from Urge Designs
• P2R CNC Ported Cylinder Heads and intake runners
• Hawk Brake pads
• Custom parts by Sector One Design: Shift knob, vented hood, roll bar, rear lower tie bar, X-Brace, starter spacer, baffled and winged oil pan, alternator mount, CD-5 Dash mount

“I had been racing time trials with NASA NW and was competitive locally, winning two regional championships and setting some track records”, he tells us. “I raced at the NASA National Championships at Sonoma though and realized the top cars were all detuned to maximize power to weight throughout the usable rev range. My Rotrex supercharged 2.2 liter had a very peaky power band so the majority of time the power was significantly less than peak and power to weight wasn’t competitive.”

He ultimately suffered some ring damage that scored up his cylinder walls after that season. Rather than running it back and building another F22 based supercharged engine that might cost him an arm and a leg, he decided to go a different route that would be more competitive and more cost efficient in the long run.

“I thought an NA motor with more torque would better fit the hp to weight formula. InlinePRO makes engine mounts and a flywheel adapter for the stock trans so that part was easy. Everything else was custom. Wiring harness, coolant plumbing, oil plumbing, intake, exhaust, etc. But the engines are cheap. Mine is a junkyard $360 engine. Everything else adds up in a hurry but is a one-time purchase.  If I nuke the engine, it's very cheap to replace. My engine is all internally stock. I'm running ASP headers and homemade stainless exhaust. The heads are P2R CNC ported with stock cams and Supertech springs/retainers. I use a 2009 Acura TL AWD SH intake manifold which is magnesium and has a larger T-body inlet and I designed a 3D printed aluminum T-body adapter to mount a Hybrid Racing K-series T-body.  I'm also running S2000 injectors, crank pulley, and alternator.  The car now makes 285 whp on a dynojet and is tuned on an AEM Infinity ECU”. There wasn’t really an instructional manual for Jared to follow, but it was a labor of love that involved fabricating and innovating a lot of components himself. Having the opportunity to design things the way you want it to be, can be very rewarding, it just takes time and dedication.

When it comes to handling Jared admits the S2000 chassis leaves something to be desired. His motor swap wasn’t the only key ingredient in dropping his lap times. “Upgrading the suspension was the most important modification I made”, he tells us. “S2000's are a bit diabolical at the limit with the stock suspension. I'm running custom built Ohlins that started life as rear motorcycle coilovers. I revalved them and machined new upper and lower mounts.  The car is still very lively, but much less likely to snap on you... usually.” 

When it comes to developing the other half of the equation, Jared turned to a data acquisition system. “I purchased a Racepak G2X in ~2008 (still using it) and it changed everything. Both the immediate lap time feedback and predictive lap time and pouring over data provided significant gains in lap time from optimizing car setup and driving line/technique. They say that engineers aren’t boring people; they just get excited about boring things. I'm guilty of this as I spend lots of time staring at squiggly lines. I really enjoy analyzing the data to find tenths here and there.” As most of us know, discovering where those tenths are hiding and how to actually shed them from a lap is more difficult than it looks. It takes development, practice, and time.

Jared points to the competition and the camaraderie that the track community offers as to what brings him back every year. “It's great to have close competition with your friends. Everyone is very supportive and helpful and we all want to see each other improve. Some of my favorite memories were losing by tenths of a second. That's much more fun than winning by 6 seconds. The PNW time attack community is growing and the driver progress is staggering.  A few years ago, it was very rare to have drivers lapping the Ridge Motorsports Park under 1:50.  Now all the fast drivers & cars are in the mid 1:40's”. 

In over 20 years of competition with his S2000, Jared has won 5 championships between Auto-x and time trial events. He also holds several track records including at the Maryhill Hill Climb. A few of the recent accomplishments since completing the V6 Swap:

• 1st Place Season Championship 2022 OnGrid PNW Shootout Time Attack, Touring Class
• 1st Place 2022 OnGrid PNW Shootout Round 5 Time Attack, Ridge Motorsports Park - Touring Class
• 3rd Place 2022 OnGrid PNW Shootout Round 4 Time Attack, Oregon Raceway Park CW
• 4th Place 2022 Global Time Attack July Ridge Motorsports Park - Street Class
• 1st Place 2022 OnGrid PNW Shootout Round 3 Time Attack, Portland International Raceway - Touring Class
• 1st Place 2022 OnGrid PNW Shootout Round 2 Time Attack, Ridge Motorsports Park - Touring Class
• 2nd Place 2021 OnGrid Ridge Wars Time Attack, Ridge Motorsports Park - Modified Class
• 2nd Place 2021 Global Time Attack July Ridge Motorsports Park - Street
• 1st Place 2021 Global Time Attack April Ridge Motorsports Park - Street

Moving forward Jared does have a GR Supra build in progress. But unlike many other enthusiasts of today’s era, Jared will be holding onto his S2000 for the time being. He admits that “there are still a lot of other mods I'd like to develop / fabricate for the S2000 including more advanced aero”. With regards to his motorsports goals he plans to continue competing at local time attack events with his sights set on one day winning a National Time Attack Championship. He also wants to try his hand at some wheel to wheel competition. We look forward to following along with Jared’s future endeavors on track and his upcoming developments to S2000 and Supra.

Check out his onboard video from The Ridge Motorsports Park on LapMeta HERE.

Follow Jared and Sector One Design on Instagram at: @sectoronedesign