Sgt.Gator Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 Wish I had the tires or the funds for the Time Attack on the 5th but alas, I have neither Putting her to bed for the season. Man, I need to get my license, love to co-drive in that enduro! Well get on it! Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 License expired last year. Otherwise, yeah, I'd drive. Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Talking to Kip about going to Portland to crew on the 19th. Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 Talking to Kip about going to Portland to crew on the 19th. That would be great. I'm likely to jut run the 2hour, I can't find a codriver for the 4 or 8 hour. However I'mm paddocked/partnered with Retro Racing so they or one of the other teams wil want help for the 4 and 8. I'm still hoping one of the Retro Team will decide to codrive the 4 with me. Depending on how I do in the 2 hour I can win the season Championship. I drove up at ORP toady, the STI ran great! From Wastegate to 24.5 PSI maps it ran smooth and is in prime shape for the Cascade Enduro. We also put a new right front wheel bearing in and new front pads. The Blue Sake Bomber is ready for battle! Let me know. Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) The deciding race for the Northwest Mini Enduro Championship Series was run yesterday at PIR in the 2 hour portion of the Cascade Festival of Endurance. It was a day of sometimes rain with partly sunny skies. That makes for a special challenge in racing skills to recognize the changes before they bite you. The race attracted some pro level teams we don't see in our NW ICSCC racing. There were three prototypes and a Mercedes AMG FIA GT4 car. The AMG is a factory built race car for the FIA GT4 group of races. He came complete with German mechanics. Absolutely beautiful and a marvel of engineering. He was smoking fast, almost as fast as the prototypes, and in our class! The track was cold and wet for the start. First driver in was my friend Chris from Retro Racing. He would drive the first hour, then I would hop in for the second, take the 2 Hour checkered flag, then swap for another of Retro's driver for hour 3 then back to me for the fourth hour. Endurance racing rarely goes by plan. There were several cars that lost it in the cold & wet and crashed into the wall. One driver was injured badly enough to be transported to the hospital. (It was his 3rd or 4th concussion. Probably the end of his racing if he's smart.) Unfortunately the AMG GT4 was one of the drivers who needs more practice racing in the rain. $300K race car, $100K in bespoke composite damage. At the end of the two hour I had collected enough series points to win the NWMECS championship and was presented our trophy: A couple of pics of us getting ready for the LeMans style start: .. The black car next to us is our race partners at Retro Racing from BC, it's a Miata with a turbocharged Honda K24. And just beyond them you can see the silver AMG GT4. Refueling with an Action shot of Boxkita manning the fire extinguisher! : At 3 + hours into the 4 hour the left rear wheel bearing gave up and that was the end of our racing for the day. Apparently I need to change all the wheel bearings every 3 races instead of once a season. Next year I'm hoping to run our Subaru powered 818 in fair weather and keep the STI for bad weather. The 818 should be a lot less expensive to operate. I want to thank our Tier 1 sponsor Subaru of Bend for their support. It's great to win a championship with them! I also want to thank our tuners and fabricators, ArcFlash in Bend, and Surgeline in Portland. And a shout out for Boxkita coming down to Portland to be our Crew Chief, many thanks! Edited November 6, 2019 by Sgt.Gator Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 banzai!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Congrat's. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derp Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Nice that Subaru of Bend sponsors you, and well done on returning their investment! Nice job. I could suck start a snow blower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 The 818R 5 Speed tranny has been rebuilt by ZF Design, now with a cooler system. The trans oil comes out the bottom, thru a pump, thru and Earl's cooler mounted in the rear vent, then back into the top rear of the tranny: .. Transponder mounted up front in the nose: And the best house mod, a new driveway that took the HUMP out of the street to driveway apron! It was so tall the 818 would high center on it, and the Palatov was impossible. Now it's a nice low entry: And as long as I'm under house arrest for Corona Virus I guess I could have worse jailers than the Three Sisters and Broken Top: Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Nice! See you at the ACCO day, (I think?!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 you didn't take the opportunity to expand the garage out or up? Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 Nice! See you at the ACCO day, (I think?!) I hope so. ORP is closed for now. And I'm not too excited about instructing novices in their closed cars....so we may have to cancel the novices. you didn't take the opportunity to expand the garage out or up? Nope. With the Corona Depression coming there may be some industrial properties suitable for automotive fabrication coming up for sale at less than 2008 prices. I missed my chance back then, so we are watching what is happening in that sector closely. Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Just leave enough room in your purchase for the Legacy so when I move out I can rent a space monthly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 (edited) Just leave enough room in your purchase for the Legacy so when I move out I can rent a space monthly Or you could buy ORP. Not quite at bargain basement pricing yet: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/93811-Blagg-Ln-Grass-Valley-OR/17885062/?fbclid=IwAR3uOAhrnRDokSm-PtzwZfbB-bE-rzjFr86oWzEALfXZLq4TV9g8xmWFYqQ Boxkita, that would be a good job for you, Track Owner! Edited April 2, 2020 by Sgt.Gator Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 ^^^ It came across FB last week. Mrs Boxkita started searching for 10 best divorce lawyers after I showed her the ad. Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Pacific Raceway is 40M, so looks like a deal Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Pacific Raceway is 40M, so looks like a deal I wonder what the price is next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 meh, I want something in Bend so I can be close to the car to tinker with it. Too far to drive to ORP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted April 3, 2020 Author Share Posted April 3, 2020 Back to the Blue Sake Bomber, Winter Update: We replaced all the wheel bearings. Big bucks to go oem. I'm doing a better job of tracking how long they last so hopefully I can replace them on predicted maintenance schedule before failure at a track. The resonator was burned thru, replaced that. The BIG change was we removed the power steering system. The pump, lines, cooler, reservoir all gone. We pulled the PS rack out, de-powered it, welded up the quill to take out the last bit of slop, and re-installed. There's guys on NASIOC who have done it to their street cars...I can't imagine how that could be a good idea at all. It's bear to drive in the parking lot. I have yet to get it on track to see how it works there. This may be a big mistake or it may be a good idea, only some track time will tell us. I've been doing extra arm/shoulder/chest workouts during the enforced home arrest of the Corona Virus in anticipation of driving it this way! And in the endless money pit update, I had OutFront use the Manley billet crank from the last bad engine and the heads to build a new Ver 3 Closed Deck longblock, 1/2" arp studs, CP 99.75 pistons, BC Cams, OF ported heads, Outfront crankcase and head AN breather fittings. Basically as close as possible as the current engine in the STI to make a swap fairly easy if needed. For now it sits in the Arcflash shop, ready to go. Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 A Boxkita long block? Omg! You're going to dominate at the track! Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigBADbenny Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 5mt cooling mods noted for proposed lotus 23b build with a 10k rpm itb nismo SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted April 6, 2020 Author Share Posted April 6, 2020 5mt cooling mods noted for proposed lotus 23b build with a 10k rpm itb nismo SR Both the 6 speed STI and 5 speed 818 have tranny coolers now. The STI is setup to easily add a diff cooler, but for now we are just watching the diff temp on gauge. IMHO, Any track car that will be running for more than 40 minutes straight needs a trans cooler. 25 minute HPDE and even Time Attack usually don't, but a temp sensor logged or on a gauge is still a good idea. Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 (edited) ORP was finally open last weekend from the COVID shutdown for very limited testing. We had the STI and the 818R out for their first sunshine since last fall! We removed the power steering and welded up the quill over the winter, this is the first test session. The Pros: the road feel was incredible, every tiny change in the road surface was transmitted directly to the steering wheel. And as the weight shifted from braking, acceleration, and turning, I could really feel the change in the wheel. As the car crested the hills the instant feedback of the front wheels lack of traction was great. The Cons: With big R comp tires and aero downforce it is a major workout. To make smooth turns I had to anticipate each one in advance and be ready to apply brute force. Instant major line corrections were very difficult. I can probably handle it for a 30 min sprint session but a 2 hour enduro would be a killer. Some of the folks who share the enduros with me couldn't possibly have the strength for even 30 minutes. The Decider: Twice going into Turn 13 a seam in the track I was crossing under braking grabbed the front tires and spun them to the right, while I'm setting up to turn left! I flatspotted two sets of front tires trying to keep from going off the track and down a ravine. So the no P/S was an interesting experiment but we will be re-installing a power steering system. You Tube: Edited May 16, 2020 by Sgt.Gator Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 wow, crazy I can totally tell what you're talking about just by looking at your cockpit inset camera angle. Yeah, hit the weight room to make it longer than 30 min Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Gator Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 Quick Update: A 2015+ STI P/S rack is going in this week mounted on a MSI Mooresport sub-frame and a Volvo electric power steering pump, to be remote mounted on the passenger floorboard. More to come soon! Nothing like a race track to find the weak points in man and machine. "Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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