“Not one to do things by halves, Kat Benson decided a new engine setup would be the go for this season. After seeing how it went on low boost, we’re extremely excited for the remainder of the season”
Image: René Vermeer
Unfortunately, we missed Team TimeattackR driver Kat Benson in the first round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series as there were a few minor bumps to iron out with the new engine combination. For the second round though, Kat Benson, the team, and the 400kW on low boost Mitsubishi Evo were all ready for action.
Image: René Vermeer
Kat Benson and crew left Auckland at 5.30am for Bruce McLaren Motorsport on the Friday before racing for a much-needed test day. Unfortunately, though, New Zealand was hit with a freakish storm, leaving motorways blocked, and race tracks knee-deep in water. Lucky for Kat though, she competes in Pro Street, which means with a WOF and Rego, some road testing was done on the back-streets of Taupo.
Image: René Vermeer
Come Saturday, Kat spent the first session getting to grips with the extra torque and response thanks to the 2.3-litre stroker kit supplied by Pure Performance Motorsport (PPM) and the much larger BorgWarner EFR8374 turbo. For more details on the new setup, click here.
Image: René Vermeer
With a dry track, the new setup easily propelled Kat to a new PB of 1:38.813-seconds, which, on low-boost is a scary, yet exciting thought.
Image: Damian Smuts
With wet conditions most of Sunday, Kat had fun being behind the wheel, with no real pressure of running faster lap times. And, with three sessions there was plenty of seat time to be had, she tells us, “I continued to build confidence throughout the day and really enjoyed having fun back behind the wheel. Smiles for miles!”
Image" Glen McNamara
With power figures sitting at 400kW at the wheels on only 18psi, Kat plans on taking the car back to E&H Motors before the next round to unleash the beast. Hopefully, we’ll see new PBs at each new circuit the car goes too. Kat finished up the weekend with second in Pro Street and a fourth place overall.
Image: René Vermeer
“Thanks to my sponsors, my crew (Andrew/ Tristan) and everyone that has supported the new build. To all that follow the NZ Superlap Series, stay awesome!”