TimeattackR: The Bling Company & Zestino sponsor NZ Superlap coverage

“This is HUGE! The Bling Company and Zestino Tyres have come on board to bring you epic NZ Superlap Coverage — and we’re excited!”

The Bling Company is a well-known name among car enthusiasts in New Zealand for their wide range of performance wheels and tyres, and they've jumped on board with their semi-slick race tyre brand; Zestino Tyres to sponsor our NZ Superlap Series coverage. We couldn't think of anyone better to partner with for the series coverage, as we know first-hand just how amazing the Zestino tyres are after running them on our project WRX STi and we're excited for the brand to be infiltrating the local circuit and grip scene. For the money, they're a performance tyre that cannot be beaten, and we'll be running them on our next project 'Rodney' (more on this very soon).

It looks like the second round of the NZ Superlap Series will be a wet one, so bring your umbrella, semi-slicks, and we'll see you there!

TimeattackR: Gridlife Evo dominates Superlap Battle

There are content producers, and then there are content producers. Gears and Gasoline are in their own league when it comes to video content production, and when we stumbled upon this Global Time Attack hosted Super Lap Battle event video showcasing team Gridlife, we had to share it with you all. Team Gridlife from RS Motors, a grassroots underdog team take on a wide range of competition in their Mitsubishi Evo IX, powered by a stroked 2.2-litre 4G63 engine. Boosted by a Garrett GTX3582R Gen II turbo, it now produces a stout 680hp (507kW) at the wheels which was enough to take first place outright. Check out the story and enjoy the 4K wonders of Gears and Gasoline's filming talent!

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @gearsandgasoline

TimeattackR: Under Suzuki runs 50.75-second at Tsukuba

Probably the most amazing thing you will witness today; Under Suzuki runs a 50.75-second lap time with one of the cleanest laps we've ever laid eyes on. Enough from us, smash the play button!

Event Report: why is WTAC the Festival of Awesome?

“The Yokohama World Time Attack has claimed the title ‘The Festival of Awesome’ yet again, but how and why?!”

“Are you going to the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge again? You went last year!” Something I hear from almost every car enthusiast that hasn’t attended the crown snatcher of the world’s most kickass motorsport festival award. Yes, two straight days of qualifying might not seem like everyone’s cup of tea, so how does WTAC remain a forever-growing, fun-inducing, tear-jerking time attack international holiday? We’ll tell you why — but get ready, you’ll have to start thinking of ways you can convince the other half you’re in need of a holiday in Sydney, based in the state New South Wales, Australia.

Fast as bro
What do your so-called ‘car buddies’ think is a fast tin-top? Yep; V8 Supercars. Sorry to inform you, but they’re painfully slow around this part of town. How about nearly ten full seconds a lap time off the pace? The fastest V8 Supercar to ever lap Sydney Motorsport Park was a Ford FG X Falcon driven by Chaz Mostert.

As of this year’s festival of awesome, the fastest tin-top to lap the circuit is a humble Nissan Silvia S13 driven by Supercar legend Tim Slade, at a 1:20.9710 — enough to take the outright win and only one second off the outright circuit record held by an A1GP car. The kicker? That’s on a dot-rated, road-legal semi-slick tyre — no slicks allowed!

Tech-savvy
Not only does the festival of awesome have outrageously fast machinery to watch from the grandstand, for the tech-savvy the pits are a great way to take in the extraordinary and learn. Feast your eyes on Formula One-inspired race technology applied to a 20-year old Japanese chassis.

An engine made from billet aluminum only weeks prior. Carbon wings, on carbon wings, on a carbon wing. How do they go so fast? Ask the team, they love having a good ol’ yarn on race day.

International culture
Whatever your background, there’s a car competing from your corner of the globe. In the beginning, it was the Japanese that took an interest in the event, but now, contestants from Canada, the United States of America, Europe, and Asia, all travel thousands of kilometers to tackle on the world’s best lap attackers.

Local heroes soon find their place in the pecking order too. Walk the pits, and you’ll see a diverse culture base each with a common motorsport interest that brings them together for two days — there’s nothing more powerful.

Well oiled machine
World Time Attack is hands down the best-run event we’ve been too. From the well thought out media room, to the extensive media briefings, to the impressive time-keeping, and the events ability to cater to the thousands of VIP and general admission spectators — it’s simply incredible.

For base price, spectators get an amazing experience with hand-signed goods by motorsport legends such as Keiichi Tsuchiya. For the VIP chums? Well, they get slow-cooked roasts, beer, barista-made coffee, air-conditioning, and… you get the idea — it’s an epic experience.

Media hot-house
Speedhunters, NZ Performance Car, Speed Nation, local newspapers, local photographers, and every other media outlet you can think of are in attendance. Whether you’re here for the drifting, for the girls, or for the motorsport, there’s plenty of action happening. It’s incredible to see how these teams operate compared to our tiny one-man band!

Showtime
Although we’re not huge show car fans, the show and shine at WTAC is one of the best in the business. The level of build quality is top-notch, with keen enthusiasts from all over Australia building vehicles just for it, much the same as the circuit racers.

Whether you want to drool over a widebody NSX or crawl under a half-jacked Impala, they’ve got you covered. There’s plenty of local muscle too, such as a squad of slammed out Barra-powered Falcon utes.

Inspiring people
All it takes is one long (not too long) look at legends such as Under Suzuki, Keiichi Tsuchiya, Tim Slade, Garth Walden, and much more to know you’re in the company of the gods and they’re having a blast.

Watching the people’s hero Under Suzuki miss out on the title once again was emotional for many, but seeing a local hero fend off the overseas invaders was something particularly special.

Keiichi Tsuchiya brought along his N2-spec Toyota AE86, running a larger 7A block, ITBs, and beautifully-crafted headers. At one point, he double took as he saw me trackside, and gave me the wave of a lifetime (thanks, Ian Baker for inviting him along yet again!)

Memories
With World Time Attack Challenge, it’s all about the memories made, and CEO and founder Ian Baker has done an incredible job in this department. Awe-inspiring encounters await you at every turn.

Mazda 767B around one corner, and a pair of ex-JGTC weapons around the next. What’s that? Keiichi strolling past with a couple of promo girls? Yep! I’m going to remember that!

Short and sweet this post will be, but you get the idea. If you’ve thought about going, take the week off head out to Sydney’s Northern Beaches to catch a few rays, and then make your way out the forever-stunning Blue mountains. Make sure you head to the CBD too, as you’ll want to take in the fireworks at the Sydney Opera House, and the bars and restaurants in Darling Harbour. Once you’re done relaxing, head along to the best motorsport festival this side of the globe — you will not regret it.

Event Gallery: Stylized WTAC 2017

There's no denying the circuit racing at the 2017 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge is the main drawcard, but for some, the Stylized car show held on the circuit's infield is the main event.

With a wide range of vehicles including Japanese, Australian locally-produced, American, and European, there's something here for everyone.

The show has just kicked off, so here's a gallery if you can't make it!

Event Gallery: Yokohama World Time Attack testing

“The best of the best time attack racers in the world are finally all together at the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge, and we’re there!”

It has been a long time coming, but finally, we’ve got all of the top time attack racers in the world in place at the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge. We’ve got racers from the USA, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and a staunch crowd of local competitors. We made sure to get a few teasers for you, before today’s epic shenanigans.

New Zealander Andy Duffin of 3 Rotor Racing was out testing on old slicks and without nitrous-oxide. The team will be turning it up today, so we're excited to see how it performs compared to last year.

Under Suzuki, equipped with a larger Garrett GTX3584RS turbo, a tank of nitrous, and two billet blocks, he has definitely come to Australia for the win. I want to give this car the nickname 'Scorpion', as to me, that's how it appears. A large rear tail, and two front claws, ready to kill. It should be interesting to see just how low into the '20s Under Suzuki can push.

Cat and mouse! Watching Andy Forrest's crazy Subaru WRX chase down much smaller pray was a sight to behold. With 1000hp of EJ-series power and a custom dual-clutch R35 GT-R transmission, Andy is hoping to win the event outright. During testing, it didn't appear that he was pushing all too hard, so hopefully things get a little more off the tarmac and onto the ripples strips today.

Team Vivac brought along their immaculate Mitsubishi Evo. I couldn't believe how clean it was, and how daunting it looks. Today we're going to find out more information on this beast!

Another car we're excited to see yet again is the Team Magic Mazda RX-7, which made its way over from Japan. Last year it was plagued with issues, so it was refreshing to look over the vehicle and to have seen the build quality increase. Last year the Mazda was running old tech, but now it's up to play with big items like the BorgWarner 9180 single turbo, and now outputs 700ps. Hopefully, with some more track time, times will tumble.

We'll be posting throughout the day, so keep an eye on our social media pages.

Event Report: Street Fighters 2017

“Finally; TimeattackR editor René gets project Rex out of the garage, and onto the racetrack to try out the most recent upgrades”

It’s a funny old thing, being a photographer and a writer; usually when I’m at the track, I’m capturing others having a blast, and writing about their highs, and their lows — capturing the event as an outsider looking in. This time though, Rex our 2008 Subaru WRX STi project got involved out on the circuit, with me behind the leather-wrapped momo-style factory wheel. The event; Street Fighters 2017, held at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in the ‘Track One’ configuration.

With the help of ST Hitec, we were able to attend this brand new event held by Guy Maxwell and Choice Events & Promotions, to try out our most recent upgrades and additions. This article won’t be a picture heavy one of my vehicle, as I struggle to photograph and drive, but rather some moments I enjoyed at the event — and there were many. After passing scrutineering on the Friday evening before the event, I was second in line come race day — chomping at the bit to put the pedal to the metal, longer than legally possible on the street.

After milling around in the rain for several damp minutes wondering where’d I store my camera gear for the day, I met a nice guy by the name of Cam Stephens. Cam had hired a double pit garage for the event, and had one spare. The bill was split into two, and I had myself a pit partner who was a fellow Subaru enthusiast. Cam’s WRX STi, a 2004 example, had been tastefully upgraded and tuned by Possum Bourne Motorsport to the tune of 220kW at the wheels and featured one of the loudest exhausts I have ever heard, thanks to a Titanium Tomei system.

So, what upgrades had I done prior to this event? Last time we came to this circuit, the Subaru was on street tyres and brakes. I managed to have the tyre de-laminate on the corners of the tread blocks, and I then proceeded to boil the brake fluid, and overheat the factory pads with ease. Yes, the Subaru has gigantic four-piston front Brembos from the factory, but the street pads could not handle heat well.

To remedy this, I ordered Project Mu B-Spec pads for each caliper, Hel stainless brake lines, Motul RBF600 brake fluid, DBA T2 slotted rotors all round, and a Cusco brake master cylinder stopper. Once installed, I noticed an immediate improvement in grab and feel on the street. To solve my tyre overheating issue, I had fitted a set of Zestino 07R Gredge semi slicks in the factory Subaru sizing to my recently acquired 18x9.5-inch (+30P) Work Emotion 11R wheels.

Simply put, the Subaru was a savage! The brake and tyre combo once warmed up stopped and steered the Subaru with an elegant ease. It made driving around slower, more street-orientated cars a breeze. Surprisingly, it managed to peel past plenty of other Subaru and Evos down the long Taupo brack straight, too (maybe it was my special Torco race fuel concentrate mix? hehe).

With cruising sessions much more casual than the race sessions, we were allowed an hour to cut laps with friends in the car, and drag race people down the back straight. It was similar to lining someone up on the highway, and giving them a good run until somebody eventually jumps on the anchors.

There were some seriously cool cars out on track too, like Bhavish Rathod's Mitsubishi Evo VII featuring a rad set of wheels, ride height, and grunt to boot. (Sorry about the water on the lens!)

One of the best things about the weekend was comparing Rex with other Subarus of the same generation. As we don't know what power it's actually making, it was good to know we pulled past a tuned 211kW at the wheels example. It managed to hold neck and neck with Cam's 220kW '04 example too, so I think it's putting out around about that power wise — cool!

I can't stress enough how good it was having an enclosed area in which to wind down between sessions and keep our gear dry. It truly made our weekend much more enjoyable — thanks again Cam. With a few tweaks, I think the Subaru will be a heap more fun on the track. I will be making the switch to a higher temp race pad, adding in my recently purchased roll-center adjuster kit, and I may even go to a wider 255-wide semi slick. None of this will be done before the cambelt, water pump, and baffled sump though! Thanks heaps for having us Choice Events & Promotions, and thanks to Iain Clegg of ST Hitec for helping to make this weekend happen.

Event Gallery: Cars and Coffee Round One

Well, definitely not circuit related, but we're not going to pass on freshly-roasted beans, massive turbochargers, and low-slung high-performance Japanese imports now, are we? We decided to take our project Subaru WRX STi along to a Cars and Coffee event, hosted by Platinum Wheels just north of Auckland at Albany's Hooton reserve. We were delighted to see such a variety of vehicles, including some American muscle, tucked up against a range of low-down Euros. Check out the gallery, see if you can spot our Subaru, and soak in the atmosphere. Enjoy!

Event Report: Prowear NZ Superlap Series final showdown!

The final round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series in association with Endless Brakes began under a thick blanket of fog. Delays at Hampton Downs while waiting for the fog to lift meant plenty of time for the drivers to check out the cars, many of which had gone through a fair bit of surgery following round 4 at Taupo's Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, to chase those extra seconds. Once the weather decided to play ball the first session out were blessed with cool air with a warm sticky track. That first session saw times tumbling, which would continue to be a theme for this record-setting round. Saturday’s midday session was a bit warmer and many competitors were hoping for another good set of lap times in the late afternoon session as the sun started to go down.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, and troubles on track in the class prior to Superlap, along with the track hours permit meant the final session was canned (that golden sunset still made for some stunning photos though, so not all was lost). Sunday morning saw a repeat of near perfect track conditions (and no fog). By the end of the weekend, 32 of the 38 drivers had set a new personal best, and the remaining six were within half a second of their existing best times. What a way to wrap up the season!

The Pro Open field was led start to finish by the Team RevolutioNZ Evo again, putting down a 1:06 straight off the trailer and eventually dropping down to a 1:04.988 — putting driver Tony Satherly within half a second of the Superlap track record set by Garth Walden in the same car at the start of the season. With only a few drives of the car under his belt, Tony is doing superb things behind the wheel and we look forward to seeing more from this partnership. Hans Ruiterman’s Nissan Silvia cut consistently fast laps all weekend with a best effort of 1:06.553, comfortably faster than his previous best which was set on full slicks (all Superlap classes are limited to DOT type tyres).

Shortty Racing Team’s Subaru WRX picked up the third spot, with driver Jason Shortt pulling a 1:11.793 out of the hat before running into some engine troubles and putting the car back on the trailer running on only two cylinders, which will no doubt keep him busy in the off season. Greg Hirst was looking to improve on his round one time (high 18’s) and smashed it in his Toyota MR2 by a good 3 seconds to finish on 1:15.952 wearing a smile from ear to ear.

David Brew’s drift machine 200sxGTR had turbo troubles in the very first session, causing him to have to make the sensible decision to load back on the trailer and save risking further damage to the turbo or engine – his first session time of 1:19.412 was enough to secure 5th place. Rounding out the Pro Open field was Maneesh Naidu in the 555 Motorsport Integra pushing just a little quicker each session and finishing the weekend on a very respectable 1:23.969.

The 2016–17 Pro Open season winner was, of course, Team RevolutioNZ. The Evo, owned by Scott Kreyl, was really humming this season and putting down consistent and reliable laps; including resetting the lap records for Pro Open at all three tracks visited. A clean sweep of the board with a win at all 5 rounds (the only car to achieve a perfect score this season) gave them the championship by an easy margin.

Hans Ruiterman made use of the new ‘best 4 of 5’ rule and opted not to run at the Manfeild round, which put a bit more pressure on him to post a good score at the final round but he did it comfortably and took out the second spot for the season. Jason Shortt came home in third after a mixed season of occasional breakages but consistent results on track.

Pro Street All Wheel Drive’s GT-R battle was just as exciting as ever. ST Hitec owner Iain Clegg decided to focus on some driver training in the absolutely mental 1450hp R35, while Andy Brooking’s R32 GT-R went under the knife for a single turbo conversion, utilizing a BorgWarner EFR9180 (more on that soon). Iain set a ridiculous 1:07.828 for the win, which is the fastest R35 GT-R to ever lap Hampton Downs in New Zealand on a DOT rated tyre — with a working stereo too! Iain has run a previous best on a full slick tyre of a 1:07-flat — just crazy for a road car, and another national record.

Remember that this class is all road legal cars and these times show the real commitment of the drivers to attacking their goals and making dreams happen. Andy joined the single digits club with very impressive 1:09.670 while keeping his signature low-key approach in the pits. Jason Xu had silver bullet back out of the stable to join the GT-R hangout, and after trying to convince us all that he wasn’t going to go fast he busted out a 1:12.200 in the shootout.

Following the GT-Rs were the three Evos in the class. Jaxon Sharp shaved three seconds off his PB to pick up 1:12.730 even with some fueling issues meaning he wasn’t able to quite get a clean lap.

Kat Benson had to do overnight repairs on a blown gasket and cracked exhaust manifold, only to run into trouble on Sunday and find herself getting some practice in practical application of fire extinguishers — Kat and the car were ok, and their Saturday morning lap time of 1:13.152 was enough to secure 5th spot for the day.

Steve Vodanovich clocked a 1:15.688 after a weekend in the 16s. Morris Mustchin’s bug eye Subaru WRX saw some last minute repairs but got to the track on schedule and laid down a 1:17.131. Rounding out the Pro Street AWD class was Shail Bhopal’s MPS with a best time of 1:21.624.

Pro Street Two Wheel Drive was headed by another single digit club member, Barry Manon in his immaculate Corolla – after being absent this season, Barry came along for the final round and set a scorching 1:08.852. Mark Collier’s super consistent MX5 looked like it might be cutting the weekend short when it went home on the trailer on Saturday, but he was back fighting fit on Sunday to run a 1:13.023. John Stewart’s Integra ran reliable 17s all weekend until the last session where he pushed hard and dropped to a 1:16.471. Brian Schofield shaved off more than 3 seconds from his round 1 time for a best of 1:16.914 in the Commodore. Jason Morris’ MPS had some brake issues but was still running a solid 1:18.252, with MacMorris Racing teammate Khan Mackesy in his MPS not far behind on 1:18.571.

Jamie Ross’ turbocharged Corolla was popular in the pits with spectators for it’s sleeper-styling, and on track it ran a 1:20.822 with upgraded brakes waiting at home to be installed after the weekend. Barend Bootha tried some landscaping in the MX5 but found better lap times down to 1:20.925 when he wasn’t off-roading. Cory Coburn stepped out from behind the camera to get behind the wheel of his s-chassis to set a 1:21.293. Bradley Haines also had his Silvia running great for a 1:23.408, while his dad made a bunch of new friends in the pits. Aaron Krinkel sat just a tenth behind on 1:23.524 to round out the ProStreet 2WD entries.

The overall season results for Pro Street saw the win go to Iain Clegg quite convincingly. Andy Brooking took out the round 2 win, but for the rest of the season couldn’t quite catch him (though it made for some fantastic rivalry and was amazing to watch both cars and drivers improve in leaps and bounds every event). The third spot for the season went to Kat Benson Racing in the Burgerfuel Evo – Kat, like Hans, opted to skip the Manfeild round and her consistent results throughout the rest of the season ensured she stayed in a podium spot.

Street All Wheel Drive was lacking for entries after a couple of Evos had their seasons cut short, leaving just two competitors on the grid this round. Simon Turner’s Evokits Evo was aiming for a 12 but on the day had to be happy with a 1:13.132 for the class win. Michael Nealis put down a 1:22.663 for the second place spot after missing a few laps due to transponder issues.

Street Two Wheel Drive belonged to Matt Gray’s Supra. Like Simon, he was aiming for a 12 and made it easily with a 1:12.269 with room for more to come. Darren McDonald’s Calais dropped down into the 15s for a 1:15.671, and his usual flair-filled driving style being a crowd favourite. Joe Ardagh enjoyed a weekend where most things went to plan and his Civic brought home a 1:19.176. Peach Ardagh was hot on his heels with a 1:19.355 (a whopping 10-seconds off her PB from the final round last season in her previous car). Adam Ostermeyer struggled with handling in his MX5 but was still able to break the 1:20 barrier for a best of 1:19.757. Jakke Haag’s Clio made its presence known on the track and recorded a 1:19.883. Texas Delaney had his MX5 back to the track for an improvement over his round 1 time to finish on 1:21.486. Matt Carter dipped his Civic’s toes into the Superlap pool and clocked a 1:22.420. Aaron Soole’s Civic smashed out a 1:24.054. Jake Ingledew had his new Integra out for a play and came home with a 1:25.956, while DTR teammate Jordan Williams piloted his MX5 to a 1:34.277.

The overall Street King title was the most hotly contested trophy for the season. Coming into the final round it could have been taken out by any of three cars: an Evo, a Calais, or a Supra. All three drivers needed to bring their A-game, and it seemed that all of the spectators and other drivers got behind the competition and had their own favourites to cheer for. Matt Gray’s new superlap track record proved too hard to beat and left the others in the dust for him to take home the trophy by a margin of a single point. Simon Turner’s Evokits Evo sat in second place, and Darren McDonald’s Calais taking the third podium spot. Such a variety of cars in the top spots really does show that, while some platforms may be more popular than others, great results can come from anywhere. Drive what you’ve got!

The end of season prizegiving isn’t just a time to reward those placegetters in their classes, but also an opportunity to recognise some special achievements outside of those classes, by way of the ‘off track’ awards.

Best Engineered Racecar (sponsored by Llama Engineering) was awarded to Mark Collier’s MX5, it’s a clean and reliable build with aero improvements that are showing real tangible results on the track.
Most Reliable Racecar (sponsored by Llama Engineering) went to Team Engineered to Feel. Joe has driven his car to and from each round this season, while Peach’s car has been consistent all season even if it’s a bit of a trailer queen.
Best Presented Racecar (sponsored by TimeAttackR.com) also went to a team, this time Team MacMorris Racing. Over the season the team campaigned four different cars, always presented in matching livery and polished up ready for the photographers.
Most Improved Driver (sponsored by Llama Engineering) was awarded to Brian Schofield not only for the improvements in his driving but also the work on developing his car for the series.
Most Fully Rekt (sponsored by The Lab) is a special ‘evolving’ trophy for a car that has experienced significant breakages – this year it’s gone back to its creator, Glenn Hodges.
Most Tenacious Driver (sponsored by Fobo Tyre NZ) went to Bradley Haines for his efforts in rebuilding to his signature show car presentation in a tight two-week timeframe after a tyre wall impact at Manfeild before the next round at Taupo – then getting out there to smash out a new personal best.
Best Sportsmanship (sponsored by Motul NZ) recognises the efforts of a driver to support others, with help in the pits, or general encouragement. Iain Clegg and the ST Hitec crew were an easy choice for this award.
Superlap Ambassador (sponsored by Fobo Tyre NZ) went to Jason Shortt for his work in promoting Superlap, including making himself available for the commentary box during events, flying the superlap flag (literally) at other events, and actively getting word about Superlap out there on social media platforms.

Huge thanks to HRC for hosting the event, and all of the officials and volunteers who make these days run, also to 4&Rotary and V Energy for their long-standing support of the series. And last but most certainly not least, to the drivers for investing the time and money to bring their pride and joy out of the garage to take part in the series – it’s been an amazing season and we can’t wait to see updates as off-season upgrades get under way.

Images brought to you by ST Hitec Ltd courtesy of René Vermeer/Glen Mcnamara

Event Report: Prowear NZ Superlap Series RD4

“Round 4 - Barry Algie Memorial: Taupo International Circuit - Images brought to you by ST Hitec Ltd”

April 2017 marks the celebration of a decade of Superlap in New Zealand. A lot has changed since the inaugural NZ Performance Car Superlap competition, but it’s even more special to see that so many faces from the first few years are still active in motorsport and time attack racing. The ProWear NZ Superlap Series in association with newest series sponsor, Endless Brakes, returned to the Taupo International Circuit for round four of the 2016–17 season. Riding on the tail of Cyclone Debbie it was hard to get a measure on what track conditions to prepare for, but the weather stepped up for a weekend of sunshine and a dry track both days.

The Pro Open battle was close, with only a few hundredths of a second between the top two cars in the shootout, but the weekend belonged to Scott Kreyl and Team RevolutioNZ. Kreyl won the first Superlap competition back in 2007 with the very same Evo 8 he still campaigns today – although it’s no longer road legal and has been through a heap of development and sports much crazier aero.

Kreyl put up the original trophy for grabs for the fastest lap of the weekend – but it wasn’t a total surprise to anyone to see it go right back to him with a time of 1:31.976.

Second place went to Hans Ruiterman after smashing a gearbox dog ring on Saturday in his Silvia and having to find a replacement part overnight and rebuild the gearbox trackside on Sunday morning instead of having a relaxing breakfast – all worth it though, as he pulled out a 1:32.524 in the shootout.

Third spot on the podium was the Shortty Racing Team Spec C WRX, also sporting a fresh gearbox rebuild from earlier in the week and running well to bring home a new PB of 1:39.665.

Greg Hirst had a fantastic weekend, knocking a couple of seconds off his target time of a 46 to achieve a 1:44.309 in his V6 MR2 racecar. David Brew was still chasing engine troubles and ended up heading home on Saturday but not before setting a 1:51.004 which was good enough for 5th. Kerri Mareeba took the SRT WRX to stretch it’s legs around the track on the Saturday morning session for 1:54.513, Maneesh Naidu returned with the 555 Racing Integra to smash out some fun laps and get down to 1:55.801. Rounding out the Pro Open field was newcomer, Nicholas Willis setting a 1:56.703 in his Corolla.

Pro Street AWD continued to be the realm of GT-R Skylines. The win and a new NZ Superlap Taupo International track record went to Iain Clegg’s 1450hp Nissan GT-R R35 monster with 1:34.472. If you’ve never heard this machine out on a circuit, you’re missing out. It sounds like a jet taking off, and then you realise there’s a man inside trying to tame it.

Andy Brooking’s Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 was just a few seconds off pace, but still putting down consistent fast laps and a best of 1:37.913. Next up was Kat Benson’s eye-catching Mitsubishi Evo — clutch issues meant limited hot laps for Kat and a fastest of 1:39.923 which is a good few seconds away from per PB on this track. Not wanting to damage the Evo any further, Kat retired for the afternoon to get the Evo back to Auckland for a check over.

Jaxon Sharp was able to break into the 40s with 1:40.683 while hot on his tail was Jason Xu’s R35 Skyline ‘silverbullet’ recording a 1:40.755 with William Yu at the wheel. Steve Vodanovich returned to Superlap after getting some good results at the Jamboree round — he was setting consistent 45s all weekend but the late morning Sunday session finally saw him dip down to a 1:44.931.

Morris Mustchin decided that his WRX no longer required 3rd gear on Sunday morning – cutting his opportunity for some fast laps and finishing on a 1:45.962 — Morris had headed back to the garage to make sure the WRX is fighting fit for the final round.

Pro Street 2WD honours went to Mark Collier’s MX5 after only completing Saturday’s sessions and posting 1:41.211 — then Mark was back on the road to race in a different series on Sunday - double duty for the little car. Jason Morris’ MacMorris Racing MPS made the jump up to second and 1:47.067 after spending most of the season picking up third placings.

John Stewart’s ITR integra nudged into third spot with his time of 1:48.197 set in the very first session of the weekend. Brian Schofield ran a 1:49.177 but had an otherwise dubious weekend; a flat tyre on the tow up and brake issues. We heard a rumour that he’s just going to drive the race car from Wellington to Auckland next time he needs to race, which may provide even more colourful travel stories.

Barend Bootha’s Mazda MX-5 pulled out a best lap of 1:50.184, while Aaron Krinkel has his sights set on the prize for entering the most different classes over a single season, this time back in his MPS but with different tyres, though he couldn’t quite match his time from earlier in the year and had to settle for a 1:53.419. Sahil Bhopal made a flying visit down on Sunday and almost missed the first session after leaving his transponder at home, but got it all sorted and made it to grid on time and ran a 1:55.256.

Bradley Haines had a very busy few weeks repairing the Savage Performance S14 after his wall-kiss at Jamboree, but he got it done and beat any shaky nerves to get back on the track and smash out a new PB of 1:56.395. Khan Macksey had to leave the MPS in the shed after some issues but came down as MacMorris racing support in his Mazda 6 daily – I’m sure nobody was surprised to see him fit up a fire extinguisher, slap on some track wheels and head out onto the circuit on Sunday for a bit of fun north of 2-minutes.

Street All Wheel Drive is looking like a hospital ward for Evos at this end of the season – some great close contenders at the start of the season being out for a variety of different reasons. The last Evo standing is Simon Turner’s Evokits racecar. Simon came close to the car’s existing record but fell a few tenths short, he will still be happy with a 1:41.457, but less happy to encounter more issues over the weekend — back to the garage before the final round we suspect. Second spot after completing just one session on the new engine was the Subaru Legacy GT-B wagon driven by Michael Nealis, opting not to head back on track after noticing a fluid leak issue and deciding to play it safe and bank the 1:55.192.

Street 2WD was shaping up to be another close battle between the Supra and the Calais, but Matt Gray’s Supra was really humming and took out the class by almost 3 seconds with a 1:41.210 — an incredible time using street-legal Westlake Sport RS tyres.

Darren McDonald piloted the 555 Racing Calais around in 1:43.922 and, more importantly, showed his great driving skill and car control to narrowly avoid what could have been a very unpleasant collision after the Evokits car spun at turn one. There were plenty of gasps from spectators watching that one.

Peach Ardagh took home third and a new PB of 1:48.147, while husband Joe came within a breath of catching her and posted a 1:48.754 after battling car troubles throughout the day. Adam Ostermeyer joined the series for his first superlap event, pulling out a 1:49.906 and some very consistently fast laps. Jakke Haag set his best time of the weekend in the first session, clocking 1:50.037 then staying in the 50s but not quite able to squeeze more out of the car. Aaron Soole shaved 4 seconds off his January time and got a 1:54.863 out of the Civic.

Iain Clegg’s crew member, Leo, took out his daily for a play and managed to push it under the 2 minute barrier for a best of 1:58.997, while the MacMorris Racing Mini with Raewyn Morris couldn’t break the 2 minute barrier but set some very consistent laps the entire weekend.

Thanks to the drivers, crews, supporters, officials, volunteers and marshals who come together to make these rounds happen. It’s not long now until the final round on the Hampton National track on May 6–7, and the season prizegiving.

Plenty of drivers are pushing not just for good series results, but also hoping to set new PBs and track records at Hampton, so we can’t wait to see the outcome of all the developments that are happening in sheds right now. We’ll see ya there!

Event Gallery: Prowear NZ Superlap RD1 through the eyes of Glen McNamara

When you're in a pickle, it's those who help you out that are the true legends out there. One of those legends who helped TimeattackR.com out, was Glen McNamara, as we were short a photographer for the first round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series starting at the end of 2016. We asked Glen to shoot for us on the regular if possible, so here's a bit of a background on the lad. Enjoy the album from Sunday of the first round, brought to you by Glen. Over to you Glen!

Glen McNamara
Ever since I was young I have had an obsession with taking photos and a love for cars. I was always eager for Dad to bring his camera out so I could use it. I have a massive interest in the automotive scene, previously owning a worked Subaru Legacy B4 RSK and a Toyota AE86.

I got my first DSLR kit set in 2013 and that's where the addiction really took off — I have upgraded my gear a lot since then to a more professional setup. I've shot numerous large motorsport events in New Zealand including the official photos for D1NZ and V 4&Rotary Nationals. Other major events I have photographed include Hampton Downs 101 and the NZ Festival of Motor Racing. My brand is Omegah Photography, and I've also photographed for Speed Nation, and now, TimeattackR.com. Enjoy the album guys and gals!

Event Report: Prowear NZ Superlap RD2 through the eyes of Team RevolutioNZ

During a race series, such as the Prowear NZ Superlap Series, it’s easy to make assumptions. From the outside, it might appear that a team has things under control, or their driver can’t drive, or that’s just simply how well, or how poorly their vehicle performs. This happened plenty last season, mainly with the Team RevolutioNZ monster Mitsubishi Evolution. From the outside, times weren’t what they should be, and many out there didn’t know any better. At the end of last season, Team RevolutioNZ reached out to us and told us of their troubles with the Evo. A cracked block had been the stem of most of the issues last season, so this season we asked if we could be updated after each round so you all know what is going on with the fastest time attack car in New Zealand. After all, we all have much to learn from Team RevolutioNZ. Alright, enough from us, over to you Team RevolutioNZ.

Team RevolutioNZ.

We struggled at the second round of the Prowear NZ Superlap Series, mainly with setup issues. This resulted in Garth driving around issues, such as ‘hop’, with our data showing a 30kph discrepancy between the front left and right wheels.

Another issue this season has been the Schedule A aero rule, which we think in total has cost us 1.4-seconds around Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. Pushing hard to overcome this, we also torched a brand new set of Advan A050s without any noticeable improvement in times over an older, used set.

As a comparison, the Tilton Evo gains two seconds per lap on a set of green tyres around Eastern Creek. Basically, Schedule A is seriously limiting our lap times. Alongside these issues, our data showed we were experiencing clutch slip under power, but even after softening the power delivery, we lost 0.3-seconds.

Another issue we had at this round was heat. Despite making up an intercooler sprayer which emptied five litres of ice cold water during just one lap, temperatures peaked at 78-degrees celsius by mid-lap causing a power loss of 140hp at the wheels by the top hairpin.

Although times have improved since Taupo last season (which we knew they would) it was only by 1.5-seconds. This was a bit disappointing considering we ran the earlier event on a five-year-old set of tyres and had a massive boost leak, but had our big aero. Problems aside and with the big front splitter, we should see times in the 1:26-range. The current data from the weekend had the car at a lap time of 1:27.4 if we joined our best sector times into one lap.

Because of the intake temp issue, the car is having a turbo and intercooler upgrade prior to the Manfeild round (RD3). We will be installing a BorgWarner EFR 9180 and a custom Hypertune-built aero-tube intercooler. We will miss the Mad Mike Summer Bash round due to this upgrade but are planning to attack the final round at the international track in an attempt to beat whatever time is set under the current NZ Superlap governing rules.

Until then,

Team RevolutioNZ.

Event Report: Prowear NZ Superlap Series RD2 2017

Photos: René Vermeer

The Prowear NZ Superlap series kicked off the new year with a weekend at Taupo’s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park’s international circuit. The rain stayed away, and although the track got a little slippery later in the weekend it was still good enough to smash the current NZ Superlap track records in all three classes — yes all three!

The Pro Open field was missing Andy Duffin’s 3 Rotor Racing RX-7 this weekend, so some might have expected the Team RevolutioNZ Evo 8 to take it easy — however, this wasn’t the case at all. Scott Kreyl is finally starting to see some real results from this car, running extremely consistent and out on track all weekend.

With three-time World Time Attack Championship winning driver Garth Walden behind the wheel, every lap posted was at least a second quicker than the previous track record that the team had set last season. Their best time of the weekend, easily taking out the class was a 1:28.487 — Garth is an absolute animal!

Second place went to Hans Ruiterman’s Nissan Silvia S14. After doing some early testing laps on slicks, Hans switched over to an older set of semis to put down a 1:33.918 before heading home early to try and beat the holiday traffic.

This result also puts Hans into second spot on the series leaderboard. All of this with minor head gasket issues!

Rounding out the podium was Jason Shortt of Shortty Racing’s Subaru WRX STI, looking much sharper after getting some paintwork sorted over the holiday period. Jason started the weekend well with a 1:41.171 but fell off a ripple strip in the second session resulting in a buckled wheel. Overnight repairs (read: large hammer and friendly Taupo garage) saw Kerri Mareeba take the wheel on Sunday morning for a slow test lap somewhere over the wrong side of 2 minutes, but enough to decide the car was safe enough to send Jason out again for some hot laps, however he wasn’t able to beat his Saturday time.

Fourth place in the Open class went to David Brew, who spent a chunk of the weekend trying to coax his Hybrid Nissan 200SX GT-R into going straight rather than sideways, which can be an effort at the best of times on the twisty Taupo track, let alone when you’re driving a car that has been setup for drifting. David teamed up with David van der Haas (of Dave Science) to play with tyre pressures and other extraordinary wizardry cut times down to a solid 1:49.826.

Pro Street All Wheel Drive was a return of everyone’s favourite battle of NZ’s fastest street-driven GT-Rs. Andy Brooking’s first session on track in his R32 was a 1:37.230 (beating the Pro Street record held by Barry Manon’s mental Toyota Levin AE92, by 0.3 seconds).

Iain Clegg was a second behind in his R35 but kept pushing through the weekend to get down to a 1:37.511 on Sunday morning. Iain’s GPS laptimer was on the blink and showing quicker times, so Iain came out in the afternoon on slicks — using up his daily tyre change before realizing his official times hadn’t quite matched Andy.

Gutting for the ST HiTec team, but they still had a lot of fun in the shootout on full slicks for a new personal unofficial best.

Third place went to Katherine Benson in the Burgerfuel Mitsubishi Evo VII. Kat missed out on the Taupo rounds last season, so took a few laps to get back in the zone before punching back hard with a 1:38.208 as her best time of the weekend.

Morris Mustchin made the most of the top 10 shootout late on Sunday to do his best lap of 1:46.714 in his Subaru WRX STI V7. You know you’ve got a versatile car when you can drive it to the track, race it, sleep in it, race it again, then drive it all the way back home without missing a beat. Sahil Bhopal didn’t run on Saturday, so just had a few laps on Sunday to get his Mazda down to a 1:58.517.

The Pro Street 2 Wheel drive class had a shake up with the appearance of Dion Clerke we’ve seen Dion in Superlap before with his Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T, but this weekend he had his Honda Integra at the track and was pushing it hard against Mark Collier’s ‘WEE 1’ turbo MX5. There wasn’t much in it, but Dion was able to take the class win with 1:46.857 while Mark slid into second spot on 1:47.082.

Brian Matchett spent the weekend chasing, but wasn’t able to better his first session time of 1:47.832. Team MacMorris Racing were up next, Jason in the black #333 Mazda MPS with a 1:47.912 (pulling double duty after coming directly from a holiday road trip) and Khan Mackesy in the red #77 Mazda MPS on 1:49.560.

Brian Schofield’s Commodore ran all weekend, including Friday for practice and driver training, without missing a beat for a best time of 1:51.257.

David van der Haas was another competitor who had taken the race car out for a holiday road trip vehicle followed by a side step to the track complete with all camping gear packed into the back of his 3SGE Beams-powered Toyota Carina. David laid down a 1:51.661 in between taking photos and doing research on car setup for about half the field. Barend Bootha had his first Superlap outing in his immaculately presented MX-5, for a 1:52.314 before alternator issues cut his weekend short.

Rounding out the 2WD field was Bradley Haines in his Savage Performance Nissan Silvia S14, smashing out a new pb of 1:57.877 for the Taupo International circuit — not bad for an SR20DE!

Street All Wheel Drive was a small field, made even smaller by a ripple strip drop-off in the first session for Luke Wellacott’s Evo X, cracking two rims and putting an end to racing for him before even getting to post a laptime.

The class win went to Team Evokits owned by Simon Turner. With Hans Ruiterman behind the wheel they set a new Street class record of 1:41.023 (beating out the previous record of 1:42.175 set by Glenn Hodges’ 300zx in the two-wheel drive class last season).

The Evokits Evo then saw regular driver Simon Turner step back in and get behind the wheel for a 1:42.465. Second place went to Luke Parker, who was also spotted in Taupo making use of the services of the friendly tyre guy at the ‘Wheel Addiction’ garage. Luke managed to get down from the mid 1:50’s to a 1:46.379 over the course of the weekend. Michael Nealis had the Subaru wagon out for it’s last run on the current engine, putting down a 1:53.080 to take out the final podium position.

Our final class, Street two-wheel drive was taken out by Darren McDonald again, carefully sliding the big family car around the track for a 1:43.694. Matt Gray tried everything to keep up, including taking off the big wing from his Supra (and quickly putting it straight back on after noting it was three-seconds slower and a lot more sketchy without the aero assistance).

Matt also had some dramas with his heater hose going for a walk, but was able to sort that out quickly and ended the weekend with a 1:44.242.

The Engineered to Feel husband and wife team took out third and fourth. Peach Ardagh in her black ‘Coke Zero’ K24-powered EK9 Civic Type R managed a 1:49.193, while Joe Ardagh followed closely behind in the maroon B18CR-powered EK3 Civic with a new pb of 1:50.318.

Joe appeared to have a few mechanical issues but was able to get them all fixed trackside and not miss out on any racing.

Just three points separate Joe and Peach on the season leaderboard at this stage.

Jakke Haag’s unlikely racer, a Renault Clio is deceptively quick and came home with a 1:50.848. Aaron Krinkel’s MPS was consistent all weekend and set a best of 1:52.238 on Sunday morning. Texas Delaney’s MX5 ran 1:53s for most of the weekend but was able to pull out a 1:52.973 early Sunday. Greg Hirst was back behind the wheel of his red MR2 (affectionately known as ‘gutless’) while his blue Pro Open MR2 is still out of action. ‘Gutless’ put up a good fight and came home with a respectable 1:56.403. Aaron Soole was on the wrong side of 2 minutes, achingly close to breaking the barrier until the very last session where he smashed it hard and ducked under for a great 1:58.979.

Series Coordinator Kaz Kostiuk Warren took the BMW E30 for a kick around and will have been happy with a 2:02.169 and a working car to get him home safely at the end of the weekend (next time out we hope to see his new car debut).

As always, a huge thanks to the event hosts, HRC and all of the officials, volunteers and marshals who are out there all weekend in the heat and the wind making sure we can have fun on the track – don’t forget to give these folks a wave and a smile when you see them around. It’s a long hiatus till our next points round, 25th & 26th March at Manfeild Park (combined with the V 4&Rotary Jamboree). If you can’t wait that long to see some of these Superlap cars in action, check out the Super Rounds: Mad Mike’s Summer Bash at Hampton Downs Raceway Feb 18, and the South Island Super Round at Highlands Motorsport Park in late February.

Until next time!

Event Gallery: NZ Superlap RD1 through the eyes of Maria Panova

When I received the unfortunate news that I couldn't make the trip to the first round of the current Prowear NZ Superlap series, I was gutted. Who would cover one of the coolest racing series in New Zealand? As soon as I realised I needed a photographer, there was one name who sprung to mind; Maria Panova. She's got some serious skills behind the camera and when she told me she was available that weekend, I was over the moon! Enjoy the complete photo set from the event and we'll see you at the second round, January 7–8, at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park!

Images: Maria Panova

Event Report: Prowear NZ Superlap Series RD1 2016

The Prowear NZ Superlap Series season kicked off at Hampton Downs Raceway with the largest field it’s ever seen. It was great to see so many of last season’s drivers returning and a lot of new faces welcomed into the fold.

Track conditions were great for the weekend, but the summer heat posed a few challenges for keeping running temperatures within optimal range (Scott Kreyl was seen running with bags of ice a few times, while Jake Ingledew appeared to be looking for a cooling setting on his pink hairdryer to get his car back on track).

When it came down to the final shootout on Sunday afternoon the top cars were giving it everything they had and almost all of them shaved time off to record their best lap of the weekend. It was an absolute pleasure to walk down the grid lineup and see three cars who have represented New Zealand multiple times at Ian Baker’s Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park, in Australia.

Pro Open had Andy Duffin’s 3 Rotor Racing Mazda RX-7 chasing down Garth Walden piloting Scott Kreyl’s Team RevolutioNZ Mitsubishi Evolution all weekend. Both cars were running Yokohama Advan A050 semi-slick tyres, to comply with the changes to tyre regulations in the series, but the times certainly did not suffer from a lack of full slicks.

Garth took the win with a new Hampton Downs National Circuit superlap record of 1:04.487 while Andy was on his tail with 1:05.797.

Hans Ruiterman’s circuit racer S14 Silvia clocked a swift 1:07.487 for the third spot. Jason Shortt’s Shortty Racing Team Subaru Impreza dropped seconds all day Sunday but not quite enough to match their previous PB, however, they were happy to take home a 1:13.536 and a working car – word is they will be running a fresh livery in the new year so keep an eye out for that.

Greg Hirst battled mechanical issues in his MR2 but managed to drop a second off his times from last year for a 1:18.840. Newcomer to the series, David Brew, had done some handling modifications to his drift 200SX GTR to try his hand at grip racing and put down a 1:19.599.

Glenn Hodges’ unique Nissan March build made its debut with a 1:20.454 before an incident on the track on Saturday afternoon, we all wish Glenn a speedy recovery and look forward to what he has up his sleeve next.Rounding out the Pro Open field, Kerri Mareeba put down her clipboard for long enough to sneak in a cheeky lap in the borrowed Shotty Racing Team Impreza, at a leisurely 1:31.525.

Pro Street All Wheel Drive was the battle of the GTRs, with Iain Clegg’s R35 and Andy Brooking’s R32 neck and neck for most of the weekend. Andy headed home on Sunday after putting down a 1:10.623 and feeling like he couldn’t get any more out of the car without some adjustments, and this left the door wide open for Iain to pull out all the stops and keep pushing until he could not only take the class win, but also drop down to single figures and a new PB of 1:09.910.

Kat Benson’s Burgerfuel Evolution was super consistent over the weekend, chipping away at the times to also see a PB for her into the twelves at 1:12.936.

Morris Mustchin stayed up till the wee hours of the morning to make it to the track, fitting a replacement gearbox and just couldn’t get the car down to his target lap times so had to make do with a 1:21.255.

Sahil Bhopal’s Mazda MPS managed to complete the most flying laps of anyone over the weekend and finished with a best of 1:22.233.

Pro Street 2 Wheel Drive was taken out with a scorching 1:14.707 from Mark Collier’s little Japanese Classics series MX5. Second place went to Brian Matchett in his HSV GTS who dropped a solid four seconds off his best time last season to get down to 1:16.067.

Third and Fourth went to the MacMorris Racing team, Jason Morris on 1:18.221 very closely followed by Khan Mackesy with 1:18.748. Brian Schofield made the long drive up from Wellington towing his Holden Commodore for his superlap debut, setting a respectable 1:20.511 before running into fueling issues.

David van der Haas struggled with mechanical gremlins but still managed to get a couple of sessions in the Toyota Carina for a 1:24.962. Bradley Haines made the step up to Pro Street this season after taking out the third spot in Street RWD last season. His S14 now sports a number of aero and safety improvements, and a new PB of 1:27.325. Barry Manon’s absence was certainly felt, but we look forward to seeing him at a few rounds this season to throw a spanner amongst the 2WD results.

Street All Wheel Drive was a trifecta of beautifully presented Mitsubishi Evolutions. The win went to Simon Turner with a 1:14.197, second to Luke Wellacott on 1:16.654, after Leon Scott took the wheel for a few testing laps on Saturday to help get the car set up, and third to Luke Parker with 1:16.957. Ali Park was doing his first superlap round and logged a 1:19.444 while Michael Nealis’ Subaru Legacy wagon knocked off a second from last season to finish with 1:23.433.

Street 2 Wheel Drive was the largest field for us this weekend, with 13 entries. Darren Mc Donald was seeing great results from the new aero on his Commodore dropping him down into the fifteens for 1:15.744 and the class win. Matt Gray was only around for Saturday but that was enough for him to easily hold down second on 1:16.077 in the Supra.

Johnny Lam’s Silvia steadily improved over the weekend to end on 1:18.165.

Team Engineered to Feel had Joe Ardagh’s Civic down to 1:20.534 for fourth place, while his teammate and wife, Peach, pushed her Civic around in 1:21.692 for sixth place (she might have even gotten closer to catching him if she hadn’t left the transponders in the toolbox on Sunday morning!).

Fifth went to Texas Delaney in his MX5 with 1:21.607. Jakke Haag surprised people with his unusual choice of superlap vehicle, a Renault Clio and set a time of 1:22.510. Aaron Krinkel’s MPS recorded 1:23.311, while Jake Ingledew’s new turbo setup in the MX5 smashed 18 seconds off his previous PB for 1:27.386. Aaron Soole’s Civic ran a 1:29.310, followed by Jamie Frew’s RX7 on 1:32 flat. Newcomer Jordan Williams got down to 1:34.015 just ahead of Doneel Moran who had mechanical issues with his WRX and returned to the track with a last minute replacement Civic from his sponsors, Enhanced Motors, to throw it around a bit for a 1:34.161.

Huge thanks to HRC for hosting the event, and all of the officials and volunteers who make these days run. Round 2 takes us to Bruce Mclaren Motorsport Park in Taupo, on January 7–8, 2017 — we hope you all have a great summer break and we’ll see you back on track in the New Year.

Keep your eyes peeled for a MASSIVE photo gallery tomorrow!

Words by Kerri Mareeba, Photos Maria Panova

Event Gallery: Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge show

Unfortunately, we aren't the biggest 'show car' enthusiasts here at TimeattackR.com. We do however appreciate a lot of the builds we spotted at the 2016 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge. JDM, Euro, and even the odd American-muscle build thrown in — there was plenty to take in if you could brave the intense sunshine.

Check out the gallery below and let us know what your favourite car was in the show.

Event Blog: Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge top moments!

The 2016 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge was off the charts. The Festival of Awesome gets better every year, and as we witnessed with our own two eyes, is the best motorsport event on this side of the world. Lucky too, as we were handy in Sydney at the time, so we certainly made the most of it. We're going to walk through some of our favourite moments as a team of photojournalists covering WTAC — get ready, there were plenty!

One of the best moments at WTAC was hanging in the pits with Under Suzuki. The man's a total legend in time attack circles for obvious reasons, and it was great to see how his talented team operates. Noodles for lunch, breakfast, and dinner kept the team on form and we witnessed Under Suzuki attack as hard as he could all weekend in his SR22VET-powered Nissan Silvia S15. With a finished lap time of 1:23.1, Under was on fire.

Witnessing his fastest lap was intense. Our small media team stopped shooting, and listened for the radio as the lap time came through. A sense of joy for the team was felt by all, as we know how hard they'd been pushing for this. They weren't in the top spot for long though, but it was awesome to see nonetheless.

Without a doubt one of the biggest highlights at WTAC was seeing the Kiwis do some damage. Andy Duffin of 3 Rotor Racing freighted over his absolutely mental nitrous-fed 20B Mazda RX-7 FD. Andy has always been a NA rotory fan, so when it was decided a little more power was needed it was a no-brainer.

It's usually difficult to get a good flame shot, but not with Andy's machine. Every corner entry results in a metre-long flame, which is why the rear muffler is so long! Andy was on fire (pun intended) all weekend and finished the event with an impressive 1:30.4. We're excited to see which direction Andy takes for next year's event.

Kat Benson of Kat Benson Racing is one helluva cool Kiwi chick. Being the only female entrant must've been daunting, but that didn't get to Kat the slightest. With partner Andrew Redward close by and NZ Prowear Superlap regular Hans Ruiterman heading the mechanics, Kat had a fantastic support system.

To say Kat had a frustrating time would be an understatement. Most runs were flagged for a wide range of reasons (thanks to other drivers etc), which meant that only a couple of good solid laps were run. Kat's quickest time of the weekend was a 1:39.759, around three seconds quicker than last year. It was an awesome moment seeing Kat take on the world, and we can't wait to see what she brings for the Prowear NZ Superlap Series.

Another one of our favourite moments was when Tim Slade, driving the MCA Suspension Nissan Silvia S13 'Hammerhead', took out last year's record set by Garth Walden in the Tilton Interiors Evo. We were right there, in the pits the moment it happened and boy what a feeling.

When you're strolling through the pits the one thing you don't expect to happen is spot Keiichi Tsuchiya sitting in the JDMYard Honda Civic EG. It turns out the DK was a huge fan of the Civic, and wanted to drive it, motioning for the owners to move the seat forward for him, which was unfortunately bolted to the floor. That must have been a humbling moment for the team and we were glad we could catch it.

After all the hype from previous years and seeing the Tilton Interiors Mitsubishi Evo destroy lap after lap, it certainly had been built up something crazy. Seeing it in the flesh, though, confirmed that this machine is extremely serious and deserves every single shred of hype that it has been given. It's 1.2-metres wider than a stock Evo, packs nearly 1000hp and sounds EXTREMELY angry at full noise. We were graced with a few laps at this year's event, and it was a sight to behold.

Daigo Saito!! One of the world's absolute drift LEGENDS attended WTAC this year in his cool looking Lamborghini. We've been hanging out for months to see this thing in action and it did not dissapoint, nor did Daigo's crazy driving style.

Ok, if there was one car in the entire WTAC field that we could take home and keep forever, it would hands down be the Sutton Brothers Racing Nissan Silvia S15. It's simply a work of art and to top things off, it was driven by...

... Nobuteru Taniguchi! Not only was it a dream for the TimeattackR team to lay eyes on this very individual, we got to hang with him too! Nob' spotted the SBR S15 a few yars back, liked what he saw and asked if he could one day drive it. The SBR team obliged and Nob' wanted to get the S15 below the 1:30 barrier, which he did by the end of the event with a 1:28.45! Please SBR team, keep the S15 looking like it does now. It's simply perfect.

Another one of our proud Kiwi moments was when Nico Reid showed the Aussies how to drift. The aggressive style of Nico always has us entertained and it was no different at WTAC this year. The RB25-powered S15 always looks good, and the amount of lock this thing has is insane!

We'll be back with plenty more action and coverage from the event, so stay tuned!

If you're after any shots from TimeattackR.com, flick us an email to timeattackr@gmail.com

Event News: Kat Benson welcomes Turbosmart and upgrades Evo leading up to WTAC

BurgerFuel Racing pilot Katherine Benson has secured further support for her 2016 Yokohama World Time Attack campaign, announcing that her Evo VII time attack machine will be receiving a number of finely engineered improvements as she officially joins Team Turbosmart as a brand ambassador.

Turbosmart marketing manager Richard Shumack met Kat during her debut at the 2015 event and said, “Kat is a fantastic athlete who has done great things both in and for the motorsport world in New Zealand, and with her coming back for a second time to represent on a global stage at World Time Attack, she seemed a perfect candidate to represent Turbosmart. As a global brand, New Zealand is a very significant market for us, so supporting local New Zealand racers and the Kiwi racing scene is something that we see as an incredibly important activity. “

Kat and her team are incredibly thankful to have secured this partnership and are excited about the opportunities in front of them both internationally and on the domestic scene with their Prowear NZ Superlap endeavours.

The eagle-eyed will spot a set of MCA suspension has made its way underneath the Evo and a new set of Evo X Brembos will provide much greater stopping power, all fitted under the watchful eyes of NZ GT champion Hans Ruiterman, who will travel as crew chief and spotter.

The number of upgrades ensures the 2016 campaign is something well worth keeping your eyes and stopwatches on, and as the only female entrant this year, Kat is proud to be flying the girl power flag.

For further updates follow Kat via Facebook, Instagram, and keep your eyes peeled here as we'll keep you updated as the vehicle is closer to completion leading up to the event.

https://www.facebook.com/katbracing/?fref=ts

Event Gallery: why the final NZ Superlap round was AWESOME!

The next season of the Prowear NZ Superlap season is fast approaching and because of this, we thought it would be a great time to look back at the most intense round of last season — the final! This time, though, we are going to look back at the final round through the lens of photographer Alexandre Bon-Guerra of Fine Lines. Alexandre, with a landscape, event, and wedding photography background has a unique eye different to most motorsport photographers, so it was quite a treat to have him on board for the event.

The final round was a nail biter for various reasons. It was always going to be exciting seeing who would take the event out overall, and who would take out each class. Leon Scott managed the overall win for the event, which was great to see. It's been a long time coming for the team, that's for sure.

Being back in New Zealand for the final round was awesome. I was able to catch up with drivers I hadn't spoken to in a while, and hear their thoughts on the sport, the series, and the cars around them. The thing I love most about time attack racers is their passion for the sport.

Another reason it was great being back was to check out the new and improved Hampton Downs facility. Note the pink high-vis? Yep, standard Hampton Downs Raceway attire now... Am I going bald? Eeek!

So much awesome in one photo. The Superlap pits are always brimming with powerful and unique Japanese tin (minus the Commodore). As you can see, the Superlap family are all close, all share, all help each other, and all amp each other for the win. Even the hatchbacks get turned into bench seats, for the girlfriends and wives waiting around at the event... nice work Jason and Khan!

One lad that is growing on me is Bradley Haines. Initially, I could never understand the reasoning behind some of his upgrades, but then I remembered that everyone is different and if Brad wants to do things backwards, then so be it! Aero first, power later — bring on the haters, as Bradley would say. There's also something admirable about learning to drive without power first, so for that I commend you. Bradley is also great for a laugh, so track him down in the pits and have a yarn.

After going for a ride out on the street in Iain Clegg's absolutely bonkers Nissan R35 GT-R that packs over 1000hp, I was eager to see it out on the circuit. With a set of slicks strapped on, Iain managed an impressive 1:08. That was with the heavy stock seats, Bose stereo, heater, AC — you name it! What you might not know is, Iain and the ST Hitec team helped me get back to New Zealand to cover the event for everyone. If you haven't had a chat with Iain, track him down in the pits, he's probably one of the nicest guys I have met in my life!

One driver I am excited to follow in the future is Brad Jesson. With a determination like no other and a mental fast Mitsubishi Evo VII, he'll be one to beat in the future. When we're back in New Zealand next we'll be sure to take a closer look at his car. Up and coming drivers such as Brad are what make the sport so exciting, as you never know how quickly they'll climb the ranks.

One of the last things that made the final round so awesome was seeing Mazda man, Andy Duffin attack Hampton Downs in his 20B-powered Mazda RX-7. If you haven't heard this machine in real life, you need to. Think F1 mixed with a tin of angry hornets — it's simply insane. It shoots kickass flames too!

Take the time to look through the gallery below, as there might just be a new shot of your time attack racer waiting for you! Until the next season guys, oh, and good luck with those builds!

Event Report: Nulon Nationals RD3 Sydney Motorsport Park (part one)

After missing the second round of Nulon Nationals, round three held July 23 at Sydney Motorsport Park, was shaping up to be a stonker. As we’re into serious time attack machines, we were delighted to find out that in attendance were some very serious cars. Andrew Hawkins of Motive DVD announced JET200 would make it down, and so did PMQ, Pulse Racing and the BYP Racing crowd. It was safe to say, we were extremely excited, and besides, we’ve never photographed at Sydney Motorsport Park before.

Arriving before 7am most certainly has its perks. Fuzzy-eyed competitors had started to unload trailers, shout for coffee, and attend drivers briefing. This gave us an excellent chance to grab some shots during the morning’s golden hour, hang out with the friendly scrutineers, and talk race cars — our favourite subject.

What was disappointing, was seeing drivers roll their cars into the scrutineering shed, only to be told they wouldn’t be racing today due to a missed component, out-of-date fire extinguisher, or expired helmet.

Devastating yes, but much better than to see a car up in flames at the other end of the circuit that is unable to be extinguished. Being a scrutineer truly is an admirable motorsport role.

With drivers briefing out of the way, engines were fired, tyres warmed, and pit lane began to fill out like a game of Connect Four. That was indeed our queue. They call it sprint racing for a reason — there I was sprinting to the top of the hill above the entrance tunnel, to catch the action. What amazes me about this circuit is its ease of access. You can be at any given corner within minutes, if you sprint of course.

With group one out on track, I was ecstatic to see such a variety in the field of competitors. Everything from mid-’90s Evos to classic hand-rolled aluminium Ford GT40s… What a mix! What a sight seeing a classic supercar tussle with a modern one — I doubt I’ll see that ever again.

Group two seemed to have much more pace than group one, and it was at this point I realised that they’re grouped by lap times. Clever right? Andrew Hawkins in the JET200 Silvia told us his S14 was only running low boost, at around 18psi making 340kW. You certainly couldn’t tell, though, as the SR20DET sounded extremely pissed off, hooking through gears up and over the crest. A new front-end splitter had said to have reduced drag a little too, so we’ll be curious to see what lap times were like.

In group three, the pace quickened yet again. There was more boost, more rotors, and many more cylinders. The Pulse Racing Evolution, with its gigantic three-storey rear wing, sounded as though it was in complete competition mode. I wasn’t complaining, but rather enjoyed up the sound of the highly-strung 4G63 engine. I’ll have a much closer look at this Evo in an upcoming feature.

I really was amazed at how many Mitsubishi Evos there were out on track. All colours, all models, and to all extents of modification. Full aero, factory aero, you name it, it was there. Our favourite, besides the PMQ example, was this white late model Evo. It had the right wheels, flares, and wing to appear as the ultimate StreetttackR machine!

Standing near turn three and four had its perks around 11am, as the drifting demo took off and I was already in the right spot to shoot it. However, as this is a time attack website, we’ll only post one cheeky shot... sorry, not sorry.

During scrutineering during the earlier hours of the morning, we stumbled upon this bulldog-looking Mitsubishi Mirage. Under the bonnet, a 300kW powerhouse drives all four wheels. A responsive, yet potent package according to the owner. I just can't get over those rear wing diffuser plates, very unique!

Hawk-eye Subaru WRXs usually aren’t my first pick, however, this example was wearing extensive battle armour and had a boxer-bark that sung the song of its people out on track. Being a team affair, there was another blue Subaru WRX GC8 out on track too. Time attack teams are the best teams!

As my photos are downloading from my memory card, I just thought I would throw together a quick preview post for everyone that couldn’t make it today. There’s so much more to come from this event including spotlight features, more event coverage, and driver profiles, so keep your eyes peeled! Well done Nulon, you’ve done a great job bringing the automotive community closer together. A well-rounded event with circuit racing, drifting, a car show, and a skid pan day — bravo!