The Prowear NZ Superlap Series last season was anybody’s game. There were fast entrants, terrible weather on some rounds, and more than one driver wanting the outright win. However, there can only be one champion and this year the champion was Leon Scott of Leon Scott Motorsport. We had a quick catch up with Leon recently to see how the season went, what the team thought and to talk about how his Evo performed.
During the offseason, Leon told us that the Evo had to be retuned. With a new power output on E85, of around 500kW at the wheels, Leon was itching to use it in the first round at Hampton Downs Raceway. Unfortunately, though, the LSM team were still waiting for their new Albins dogbox, so the high-boost E85 tune was unable to be utilised. The team were also running last season’s 265-wide semi slicks and battled with ignition issues. Alas, the LSM team managed a second in class.
Yet another Hampton Downs round, round two was to be an extremely wet one. The LSM team had resolved the misfire issue and made the switch to a 295-wide Hankook semi slicks, so things were looking promising. Running their lower boost setting, Leon Scott managed to run a 1:10-second lap time in the damp, but dry conditions. After these sessions on Saturday, Leon made the call to not run for the rest of the weekend, which paid off, as it was extremely wet for the remainder.
With the recently purchased Albins installed, Leon was excited to attack Pukekohe Park Raceway, as it’s not often the Superlap series runs there. However, the newly-installed gearbox blew fifth gear on its first pull, which was a disaster for the team. That and their tyre supplier supplied a medium/hard tyre compound instead of the soft compound ordered. This meant that the target lap time of 1:08 went out the window, and a 1:13 was the result.
After round three’s gearbox issues, the LSM went hard to work repairing the Albins gearbox. The found issue was repaired and the team was ready to attack the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. Disaster struck once again and fifth gear yet again blew. That night, the team made a quick trip to Tauranga to raid parts from a spare Albins gearbox they had lying around. With the new parts in hand, the team worked hard throughout the night to have the Evo up and running for Sunday’s sessions. Disaster struck Sunday. Fifth gear blew yet again, however Leon managed a time quick enough to secure the second spot, behind Garth Walden in the Team RevolutioNZ Evo.
After solving their mechanical issues, the LSM team took a trip down to New Zealand’s most southern North Island circuit: Manfeild Autocourse. With only one round this far south, the team was keen to attack it as hard as possible. “There wasn’t enough track time to dial the car in properly , but we still went quick and grabbed the second spot again. Things were looking up and we had a comfortable lead!” Leon told us.
Round six would be another Taupo round, at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. Leon was confident in their vehicle setup for the circuit, and as he told us, was beginning to have a whole lot of fun behind the wheel. With a late entry from Andy Duffin of 3 Rotor Racing, Leon managed to nab third place, as triple-rotor RX-7 is one serious machine.
With a comfortable amount of points in the bag, Leon Scott was amping for the series finale held at Hampton Downs Raceway. Power levels were increased to the high-boost tune and Leon managed a 1:09 with the use of semi slicks — something the team is very proud of. What this meant for the team was that they would walk away with the overall championship win, which is something they’ve been chasing for a long time. Well done team, we can’t wait to see what you manage next year!
“My team and I had been chasing the win for five years and studied what was needed to pull off the victory. To win, we knew we needed a reliable setup and a good team, and also a fast as f#@k car capable of lap times to keep us in the top three.”
Fastest lap times to date:
- Hampton Downs Raceway: 1:08.85
- Pukekohe Park Raceway: 1:09.88
- Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park (long): 1:34.7
- Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park (short): 1:13
- Manfeild Autocourse: 1:12.1
Setup
Engine: 4G63, 2.3-litre Tomei stroker kit, CP Carillo and Manley forged internals, ported and polished head, 272/280-degree cams, Hypertune intake manifold, 100mm throttle body, Holset Pro HX40 turbo, TiAL 50mm external wastegate, TiAL 50mm BOV, 1200cc injectors, HKS fuel rail, Bosch fuel pumps, surge tank, fuel cooler, Sparktech coil-on-plug, VSD ignition booster, 3.5-inch front pipe, three-inch straight through exhaust with side exit, Fenix radiator, twin 12-inch fans, HKS F-Con V Pro Gold, custom breather setup, wet-sump based off HKS CT230 Evo
Gearbox: Albins dogbox, revised final drive, Exedy triple-plate carbon fibre clutch, Chromoly flywheel, modified AYC, centre-diff pressure controller
Suspension: BC ER series coilovers (external reservoir), custom spring ratesBrakes: Girodisc two-piece rotors by Prosport Auto, Brembo F42 calipers, Endless pads, Endless fluid, ducting
Wheels and tyres: 18x10.5-inch TBC wheels, 295/30R18 Hankook Z221 semi-slicks
Exterior: Factory W83 white, custom graphics, Voltex widebody Cyber kit, custom aero, Lexan windows
Interior: Bride Maxis III Racing series (head restraint), OMP suede steering wheel with high-boost button, NRG quick release, 40mm steering wheel spacer, HKS gauges, HKS IR Pro boost controller, HKS attack meter, two-way adjustable radio
Performance: 440kW (590hp) at the wheels on 98 octane, 510kW (683hp) at the wheels on E85/98 blend
Driver: Leon Scott
Age: 30-something
Location: Auckland
Thanks: Simon at Hyper Drive, Kevin at Jtune Engineering, Iain at ST Hitec, Steve Murch, NZ Motorsport Imports, my family and friends, Rayn at Full Throttle Performance, my understanding girlfriend