Chrono-X Test & Tune Event
I must apologize…but at least there’s a LOT of content!
This is a VERY delayed posting of this Chrono-X event that occurred 21-FEB-2010.
This Test & Tune was the inaugural event of the time trial series known as Chrono-X. There were 18 cars & their drivers participating. There would have been more, but many prospective competitors were participating in the 24 Hours of LeMons that was taking place that same weekend at MSR Houston.
Test ‘n Tune
I’ll showcase some of the variety of cars & their drivers that I met at this event…
First there was Jason & Josh with a 1988 RX-7. They describe their car to to be street legal, but “at the edge of inspection legality”. This different front logo/insignia is from the Efini model RX-7 from Japan. It’s different, like this car is…
I thought the over fender flares were of an interesting shape. I asked if they were custom made. I was told they are ready-made product that one can order.
And here’s that cool wing that actually does help in road holding…
Next was Colin with his 1999 Mazda Miata. He is actually from Lafayette, LA, but is currently working a long term project in the Houston area. Initially, I was fooled into thinking his car was a 2001 model or newer. He had swapped out the headlights & taillights from a newer car.
The coolness is under the hood, a Fast Forward Supercharger. In addition, to reduce weight & mechanical drag on the motor, Colin has eliminated the air conditioning & the power steering. He thinks his car puts out about 220WHP, & is in the process of sorting it out for the Miata Challenge Series.
Colin was able to provide me with one of his on-track videos – thanks Colin! BTW, that RaceRender.com video software is cool, all you need is elapsed time!
Then there was Chris & his buddy Scott, both driving Honda NSX’s in different states of tune & modification.
I assisted them with being a third hand in replacing a just drained blow off canister from Scott’s car (the gray one).
I did a multi-lap ride-along with Chris. At the end of the straight entering up into the Santa Rita turn (clockwise direction) we saw at least 100MPH! This was with a stock engine & street (performance) tires, upgraded exhaust & suspension…GOOD stuff!
Chris said he was running it at about 8/10′s, but it sure felt closer to 9!
The last person I briefly talked to was Jarrett, with his just recently purchased 2005 Honda S2000.
He is an avid kart competitor, but had no inclination to drive a car competitively. He had a chance to drive his friend Chris’ NSX (see above). He never realized one could have so much fun in a well-prepared car at speed.
The S2000 he brought today was just recently purchased. All the upgrades & modifications were already done, but it needed some proper tweaking to get everything to work right. He is well on his way toward some blistering laps!
There were others…but Racing Ready didn’t have time to visit with them, there will be more next time. I plan to participate at upcoming Chrono-X events, as my schedule permits. The next Chrono-X Time Trial event will take place on 1-May-2010. Till then…we’ll see you out there!
Dan
