“With a season full of misfortune last time around, Kat has tackled much-needed maintenance on her Mitsubishi Evo and picked up new sponsorship along the way to give the competition a serious nudge!”
TimeattackR.com: How did your last season of NZ Superlap go? Did you have any major issues with the Evo?
Kat: I guess you could say we finished the season with a Backfire which erupted into a Flamethrower and finally shifted gears into a Burnout during the final round with our fire at Hampton Downs. Flying off the back of a really epic Trans-Tasman experience at the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge, the BurgerFuel Evo felt solid. We continued to smash our PB's with the help of a new KAPS dog-engagement gearset and was really enjoying being back behind the wheel and continuing to work on my driving skills.
What was the plan for the upcoming season; a quick freshen up, or has it received a range of new upgrades? If so, what is the direction you've taken for this upcoming season?
I think to be fair the fire at the final round of the season kind of forced a hand that we had been thinking to play for the last couple of years. I find my method has always been a balance of upgrade wear and tear items when required/really think about big picture when it came to improvements and work on my driving style. I generally try and keep level headed when it comes to thinking about reliability and longevity of the series.
Exciting! So, what exactly has been upgraded and modified?
This time around, we decided to build a brand new motor. This new unit consists of a Pure Performance Motorsport 2.3-litre stroker kit, with a Ralliart oil pump, ARP head studs, ARP main studs, and ARP rod bolts. With the extra capacity, we thought it best to utilise it as much as possible so made the switch to a much larger BorgWarner EFR 8374 turbo, which sits in a new location thanks to Sinco Customs and their beautiful twin-scroll turbo manifold they fabricated for us.
For boost control, we’ll be running a Turbosmart 45mm Progate. We’ve undertaken a few maintenance tasks too, which involved replacing the OEM coil packs and leads, and the OEM shifter cables. E&H Motors have undertaken this build for us, so it has definitely come out just how we want it. To add, we have just picked up Link ECU as a sponsor, so we’re running a new G4 computer, four-bar map sensor, fluid sensor, air temp sensors, knock sensor, ethanol sensor, and lambda.
Who do you plan on hunting down this year, or are you just going to worry about perfecting the new-found grunt, and car setup?
My main focus in the early rounds of the season will be for sure around car setup; understanding and utilising the new response and power to its full potential. One of the things I have really enjoyed as a driver throughout the progression of the race car is that I have been able to focus and improve my driving along with the build process and continue to do so to this day. I think I need to be realistic in that I may be a bit rusty not having the pleasure of wheeling the car for a few months, so we may encounter a few teething issues as with any new build, but I am still staying positive and I look forward to my new challenge.
Are there any new strategies you're bringing into this season, or is it business as usual?
I'm so blessed to have the support system of sponsors and crew behind me. We plan for business as usual at this stage but knowing motorsport, this may evolve in the coming months.
Thanks for chatting with us Kat, we can’t wait to follow your progress this season!