Motorsports

Archived Posts from this Category

500+ HP Mazdaspeed3, AccessPORT Tuned

Posted by on 12 Jan 2012 | Tagged as: AccessPORT, Drag Strip, Featured, Mazda, MAZDASPEED3, Motorsports, Product Updates, Uncategorized, Vehicles

Over on the Mazdaspeedforums.org message board, username doubleflusher has taken his 2009 MS3 to over 500 horsepower using pump gas, meth injection, a FP HTA3582R, and AccessPORT tuning. The car is pushing over 30 psi and ran an 11.91 @ 122.48 at Atco Raceway. Head on over to the forums to check out this impressive power and visit COBBtuning.com to learn more about the AccessPORT!

The COBB Tuning Ford Focus Project – Part 1

Posted by on 16 Dec 2011 | Tagged as: Announcements, COBB Tuning, COBB Tuning Motorsports, Focus ST, Ford, Motorsports, Video

The COBB Tuning Ford Focus Project started as a collaboration with Ford Motor Company to demonstrate what could be done with the current Ford Focus SE. In Part 1, you’ll hear about how we were chosen by Ford to build a Modified Class Time Attack vehicle, why we are excited for the new Focus ST, and how the project is coming to life. Don’t forget to stay tuned for updates on tuning, testing, and potential future race dates! If you want to know more details about the build, check out our earlier COBB Tuning Ford Focus Revealed posting and don’t forget to leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

LIC Motorsports’s COBB Tuned Subaru STi takes 1st Place and a Class Record at GTA Finals

Posted by on 01 Dec 2011 | Tagged as: AccessPORT, Announcements, COBB Tuning, COBB Tuning Motorsports, Events, Motorsports, Product Updates, STI, Subaru, Vehicles

Side view LIC

A brand-new motor, a rain-slick track, and rivals running quicker lap times are not the best elements to make for a successful racing weekend. The LIC Motorsports and their Subaru STi were facing an uphill battle for Global Time Attack’s 2011 Finals at Infineon Raceway, but with the hard work of the LIC Motorsports crew, and some help from COBB Tuning’s Gary Sheehan and Tim Bailey, everything came together perfectly. Not only did LIC Motorsports take home 1st Place, but they set a new class record utilizing an impressive chassis and AccessPORT Alpha Speed Density Tuning.

Pit Stop

Adam and Noah Levy of LIC Motorsports needed a motor to match the chassis development from the previous seasons of racing. The motor build was completed using a sleeved block, pistons, bearings, a GTX turbo, and a higher capacity oil pan. LIC Motorsports also decided to eliminate the BPV to increase turbo and throttle input response. Everything was buttoned up only 10 hours before hitting the track. The outcome? “Power delivery is awesome!” Gary Sheehan was also impressed with the driveability of the car compared to previous years. “The car is now very stable and predictable on corner-exit, allowing me to accelerate out of the corners hard.”

Gary Sheehan

Tim Bailey of COBB Tuning took advantage of the new AccessPORT Speed Density tuning, currently in Alpha testing, to ensure the LIC Motorsports STi could optimize the upgraded engine internals. COBB Tuning’s AccessPORT Alpha Speed Density is able to eliminate the mass airflow sensor and use a comprehensive volumetric efficiency model to calculate airflow and load based upon manifold pressure and temperature. This combination offers a simple solution for tuning high horsepower vehicles. An experienced tuner like Tim Bailey can take advantage of any tuning software to create a great running vehicle, but his response to the AccessPORT Alpha Speed Density software was telling: “In a word, it is nothing short of elegant.”

Tim Tuning

The final piece of the puzzle came together with the race weekend management from LIC Motorsports. After putting together a great car, it only took a long Friday night and a few alignment adjustments to get the car where it needed to be. The result was an almost perfect Saturday! Gary Sheehan was able to push the team in to 1st place with a Limited AWD class track record of 1:41.888 and a giant gap of 1.3 seconds to 2nd place. But, “The Underdogs” know one win doesn’t warrant gloating. Noah says “It’s doing it consistently and systematically…time proves if we are a force to be reckoned with. If we have the means to continue down this path, we will ensure this becomes the norm for our team.” This success also helps emphasize to their customers that “standalone ECUs are not necessary when there is a product like the COBB AccessPORT.”

To learn more about LIC Motorsports, visit www.LICmotorsports.com. To learn more about COBB Tuning and the AccessPORT, visit www.COBBTuning.com.

COBB Tuning Insider – Rob Irish, BMW Extraordinaire

Posted by on 22 Nov 2011 | Tagged as: Autocross, BMW, COBB Tuning Insider, Featured, General, Motorsports, Subaru, Vehicles

Step 1: Plug the AccessPORT in.
Step 2: Wait 20 minutes.
Step 3: Smash the gas pedal and feel your extra horsepower.

Just like an iPod, the AccessPORT seems so simple. But going from a cold metal Engine Control Unit sitting on your desk to the sleek plug and play AccessPORT takes more than just a few button clicks. A COBB Tuning Reverse Engineer spends months finding a way to talk to the ECU. Then, Rob spends more months discovering what each section of code controls, and how it interacts with the other sections of code. And only then can Irish start tuning an actual car. That long process is what motivates COBB Tuning Reverse Engineer Rob Irish to wake up every morning.

If you have a BMW and you’ve spent anytime at all on E90post or our COBB Forums, then you know Rob@COBB. Rob, better known by his last name Irish, is a reverse engineer and BMW Expert Group lead at COBB Tuning HQ in Austin, TX. Between a few dyno sessions and some ECU hacking, I was able to sit down with Rob for a few questions.

RobCars

Where are you from and how did you learn about COBB Tuning?

I am originally from outside Boulder, CO: the land of all-wheel-drive Subarus and Audis. In 2005, I had the itch modify my Subaru STi which naturally led me to COBB Tuning’s products. One night while drooling over my next modification, I ran across an embedded software engineering position at COBB in Salt Lake City. After emailing my resume and a cover letter, the next thing I knew was myself, my dog, my car, and everything I owned were loaded up in a moving truck and headed to SLC for a new job.

You’ve done well at some recent SCCA Autocross events! How did you get in to racing?

Thanks! Some of my recent finishes are:

1st Place 2011 Lincoln ProSolo
1st Place 2011 Lincoln National Tour
1st Place 2011 Colorado ProSolo
2nd Place 2011 ProSolo Finale

I have had a competitive spirit for as long as I can remember. Being a car nut and competitive, I needed some kind of outlet for speed other than the street. I turned to autocross and track days so I could satisfy my need for speed while still being allowed to keep my license.

How did the BMW group start at COBB Tuning?

The BMW group grew as the project grew, originally starting with me. I don’t know if I had even started at COBB when I started talking to Trey about hacking into the European cars. Finally, around 2008, I was given the green light to tackle the MINI N14 and BMW N54. Shortly before the release of the BMW AP it became clear I could no longer be the sole member of the team. From there we have added the people that make the BMW AP, its service, and support what is today. I could not have made the product what it is without my team.

How do you go from knowing nothing about an ECU to being able to tune the car?

Generally, the first step is to analyze what we do know about the ECU: Is there information we already know? Are the potential weaknesses we can easily find? Then, just follow the bread crumbs from there. You have to try several different avenues and most of the time it seems like you are beating your head against a wall. There’s no real “how-to”; it takes an open mind with some out of the box thinking. The most rewarding part is breaking through those obstacles and then being able to apply that knowledge to making cars faster!

RobWork

What was the biggest hurdle to providing BMW N54 AccessPORT support?

You seriously only want me to pick one hurdle?!? The most difficult hurdle has been wrapping my brain around all of the intricate systems in the ECU and how they interact with each other. That is still something we tackle every day! All the systems in the ECU (timing, fuel, load, boost, VANOS, etc.) all seem to have a hand in each others pot. It requires a delicate balance to keep all of these systems happy at the same time under varying driving conditions. I spent countless time and energy trying to understand why changing one system would affect a seemingly unrelated different system. Nothing in the BMW ECU family has been quick or easy to implement, but the reward has always been worth the pain.

What percentage of time do you spend on the dyno versus on the computer hacking?

In the beginning of a project, it’s pretty much 100% hacking. As the project progresses, our focus slowly changes to research and development tuning on the dyno. During that process, we reverse engineer the ECU logic to understand how the ECU controls the mechanics of the motor.

BMW has turbo on the mind for the future! What do you love about the current 335i shop car and which one are you most excited to get your hands on?

Our 2009 335i shop car has so many great features from the looks to its day-to- day driveability. For me, torque is the key to a great daily-driver and this car has effortless passing power in every gear. But for the future, I can’t wait to get my hands on the new turbo ///M cars in the pipe.

What are you doing when not racing or hacking ECUs?

Well I love to run and mountain bike, but mostly that’s a cover for being a foodie and beer snob. My fiancee and I both love good food and drink.

RobDyno

COBB Tuning Ford Focus Revealed

Posted by on 15 Nov 2011 | Tagged as: Announcements, COBB Tuning, Events, Focus ST, Ford, Motorsports

The COBB Tuning Ford Focus race car was finally revealed at the 2011 SEMA Show on November 1st in Las Vegas, NV. This is COBB Tuning’s first build project using a domestic sport compact car and we are excited to show everyone what we have done and what we plan to do with this new Ford Focus. In addition, the COBB Tuning Ford Focus race car represents our official entry into the Ford Focus ST market. This is the next vehicle platform, and family of performance enthusiasts, that COBB Tuning will be supporting in 2012!

Where We Are Going

The 2012 Ford Focus ST is an exciting new car that will be making its way to the U.S. in early 2012 with a turbocharged 2.0L EcoBoost engine producing 248hp and 250lb/ft of torque. Upon its arrival, the Ford Focus ST will be getting the full COBB Tuning treatment, similar to the turbocharged Subarus, GT-Rs, Mazdas and Mitsubishis that came before it. This includes the popular AccessPORT hand-held flashing device, AccessTUNER tuning software, supporting power bolt-on upgrades to the intake and exhaust systems and more. We are still waiting for the first Ford Focus ST to arrive, along with everyone else, so we have quite a bit of development ahead of us once this hot new compact hits our shores.

Since the Focus ST has not arrived, you might be wondering why we went ahead and built a race car out of the Ford Focus SE. Well, any time you take a street car and turn it into a race car, you can’t help but learn quite a bit about how the car is built and what makes it tick. So, while the Ford Focus ST will be the vehicle to get COBB Tuning product support in 2012, the Ford Focus SE was used as the starting point for this race car and gives us a head start on understanding the powertrain, chassis and control systems used in this platform.

The new Ford Focus is a World Car, meaning that it will essentially be the same car from region to region around the globe. While we expect the ST to have the additional power of the EcoBoost turbo 2.0L engine and more aggressive running gear to match, many critical components in the car will stay the same. Our engineers have leveraged a great opportunity to see how the Focus is constructed, which pieces go where, and how new COBB Tuning products might be designed to best fit the new Focus ST.

 
The Start of the Journey

When Ford announced this year’s SEMA Project Car Program for 2011, we jumped at the opportunity to get our hands on the new model Focus. Our race car was one of the most comprehensive builds involved in this program. The COBB Tuning Ford Focus looked great at SEMA and received a lot of very nice compliments from Ford Motor Company and SEMA spectators. Just a few steps away from our spot, Ken Block, Vaughn Gitten Jr., Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan whipped their crazy-fast cars around the Ford Out Front drift pen.

The COBB Tuning Focus was very well received by Ford execs and show attendees alike. The compliments we received on the build quality of the car and how cool people thought it looked made all of the hard work and attention to detail worth it. But most exciting was the feedback from Ford Focus fans about how happy they were that COBB Tuning was going to be supporting the Focus ST. Many were previous COBB Tuning customers that had owned Subarus, Mazdas or Mitsubishis and they were looking forward to the same level of products to be available for the Ford Focus ST!

 
Next Steps

The 2011 SEMA Show is just the beginning of what we have planned for the COBB Tuning Ford Focus. Once the build is final and the car has been tuned and fully tested, we will be campaigning the car in select events that include Time Attack and potentially Wheel-to-Wheel races. We will also be bringing the COBB Tuning Ford Focus out to a few popular Ford meets, as well as showing the car off at a few of our retail stores during First Thursday car meets.

Due to the need to get the Focus ready for presentation at the 2011 SEMA Show, we had to “focus” on getting the appearance of the car up to show-level quality. While most of the car is race ready, there are a few items that need to be addressed before the car hits the track for testing. The Focus will get 60mm wider with a custom carbon fiber wide-body kit to accommodate the 18” x 9.5” HRE R43 wheels shod with 275mm wide Hankook racing tires. We will also be swapping out the stock Focus SE front knuckles with those from the UK Focus RS for the improved steering geometry and larger wheel-bearing package. Then, once the final engine tuning is completed on our in-house Mustang AWD dyno and our initial power target of 400whp is achieved, we will be headed out to the track for some real world testing experience to prepare for the 2012 racing season!

Build Specifications

Base Vehicle:

  • 2012 Ford Focus SE 5-Door
  • 2.0L Ti-VCT Direct-Injection I-4 Engine
  • 5-speed manual transmission

Engine:

  • COBB Tuning customized Cosworth forged pistons
  • BorgWarner EFR-6758 turbocharger
  • COBB Tuning equal length tubular exhaust header
  • COBB Tuning 3” straight-through turbo-back exhaust
  • COBB Tuning front-mount intercooler
  • COBB Tuning boost tubes
  • COBB Tuning SF Intake
  • COBB Tuning Turbo Inlet
  • COBB Tuning oil cooler system
  • COBB Tuning aluminum oil catch can
  • COBB Tuning aluminum radiator reservoir
  • Koyorad aluminum racing radiator

Drivetrain:

  • Mazda MAZDASPEED3 6-speed manual transmission
  • COBB Tuning Double-Adjustable Short Shifter
  • COBB Tuning COBB Knob
  • Cusco limited slip differential
  • Ford Focus/Mazda Mazdaspeed3 hybrid axles
  • ACT racing clutch and lightweight flywheel

Chassis:

  • StopTech Trophy Kit 355mm big brake kit
  • StopTech stainless steel brake lines
  • Cobalt XR2 Brake pads
  • Eibach Multi-Pro-R2 coilover suspension
  • Eibach adjustable front and rear sway bars
  • COBB Tuning suspension bushings

Wheels & Tires:

  • HRE Performance R43 Monoblok 18” x 9.5” wheels
  • Hankook Z214 D.O.T. R- Compound 275/35R18 racing tires

Exterior:

  • COBB Tuning carbon fiber splitter
  • COBB Tuning carbon fiber side skirts
  • COBB Tuning carbon fiber diffuser
  • COBB Tuning carbon fiber vented extractor hood
  • COBB Tuning lexan windows
  • Aeromotions R2.Two active wing
  • Aerocatch front and rear pin latching system
  • Full circuit board graphics wrap
  • Amber tinted headlights
  • Ford Racing tow hooks

Interior:

  • Pectel Direct Injection SQ7Di ECU engine management
  • Motec PDM15 power distribution module
  • Cosworth ECPro digital dash
  • Ford GT Start Button
  • COBB Tuning roll cage
  • Racetech 4009HR racing seats
  • Racetech 6-Point HANS harnesses
  • Safequip window nets
  • Safecraft shoulder nets
  • Safecraft net quick releases
  • Sparco steering wheel
  • Splash quick release steering wheel hub
  • FireSense fire suppression system
  • Painless battery/engine kill switch
  • Gutted interior
  • Gutted door structure
  • COBB Tuning wiring harness
  • COBB Tuning door cards
  • Braille racing battery
  • COBB Tuning battery tie-down

Stay tuned for episode 1 of the COBB Tuning Ford Focus video documentary covering the initial build up of the race car and our trip to SEMA, expected to release at the end of November. In the meantime, keep an eye out for additional blog posts as we dig deeper into the building of the COBB Tuning Ford Focus!
 

First MS3 in the 11s, COBB AccessPORT Tuned

Posted by on 02 Nov 2011 | Tagged as: AccessTUNER Race, Announcements, COBB Tuning, Drag Strip, Featured, General, Mazda, MAZDASPEED3, Motorsports, Vehicles

11 second quarter miles times usually come with names like GT-R, Z06, Viper, or 911. But now there’s a new one: Mazdaspeed3. Anthony in Idaho is the first MS3 owner to run an 11 second 1/4 mile time, a feat even more impressive noting that he is 3000 ft above sea level. Using an ATP GTX3071 stock location turbo, 25” Toyo slicks, and tuning via the AccessPORT, he hopes to get these times even lower.

Side View

Anthony started drag racing in high school with a ’59 Short Bed Ford truck with a 251 Cleveland. At the time, he thought his 15.9 was insanely fast. Over a span of 12 years, he’s accrued 3 track championships in bracket racing, raced his 2005 Evolution, and now pulls 1.7 60ft times in his MS3. His tricks of the trade? “60ft time are the key to good E.T.s. Though a high trap speed is always more fun!”

Engine Bay

The base tune on the car was done by Tim Bailey at COBB Tuning Surgeline in Portland, OR. Since then, Anthony has used AccessTUNER Race to adjust for his various modifications. Using the AccessPORT, Anthony can monitor live data, take logs taking advantage of the factory wideband O2 sensor, and switch maps quickly to go from his daily driver tune to his all out racing maps. Future plans include an aftermarket intake manifold and a nice set of cams, but first on his list is upgrading the brakes. “All that extra power needs to be kept in check!”

Congratulations to Anthony and his very impressive Mazdaspeed3 ¼ mile times! You can keep up to date on his progress on the mazdaspeedforums.org forums and learn more about the AccessPORT at COBBtuning.com.

11s Time Slips

The Underdogs: 2011 Special Episode

Posted by on 22 Aug 2011 | Tagged as: AccessPORT Racer Spotlight, Motorsports, STI, Subaru, WRX

The Underdogs from LIC are back on track again for another episode of “The Underdogs” documentary. As we reported a few months ago, the car has undergone some extensive modifications since it raced in the Redline Time Attack in the 2010 season. Now racing in Global Time Attack, this AccessPORT-tuned, 500+whp STI is sporting a new livery, reduced weight and a new driver.

This car is the culmination of LIC’s years of racing and engine development and the tuning expertise of COBB Tuning’s own Tim Bailey. This combination of 35R turbo, Cosworth engine and COBB Tuning AccessPORT are good for over 500whp, all controlled by the stock ECU.

The team plans on continuing racing as much as it can this year in the Global Time Attack series. Also, COBB Tuning would like to extend our best wishes to Noah Levy and his son, Dylan, who have recovered from their liver transplant operation and are both in good health!

To see past episodes of the Underdogs Documentary, go to www.theunderdogsdoc.com.

AccessPORT-Tuned AMS Alpha 12 GT-R Goes 8s!

Posted by on 01 Aug 2011 | Tagged as: Drag Strip, GT-R, Motorsports, Nissan, Racer Recap

AMS has once again broken the “Fastest GT-R in the World” record with their 1500hp, AccessPORT-tuned “Alpha 12″ R35 GT-R. The crew recently took this unholy beast to the drag strip and laid down some serious rubber to run through the traps at 8.975@169.49mph! In addition, the team smashed through the 60-130mph acceleration record for a road car with a time of 3.34 seconds. AMS claims that “this makes the AMS Alpha 12 GT-R the fastest recorded street car to date from 60-130 mph!!!” This amazing record-breaking run was made on the stock ECU with an AccessPORT and the AMS “Alpha 12″ turbo and engine package. The AMS Alpha 12 package is good for 1500hp, with all tuning is done via the stock ECU, a COBB Tuning AccessPORT and COBB Tuning AccessTUNER software, proving once again that you don’t need a stand-alone ECU to make big GT-R power.

Congratuations to AMS on this monster achievement! To learn more about how the AccessPORT can give your GT-R huge power, visit our GT-R AccessPORT Page, or call COBB Tuning at 1-866-922-3059. Be sure to catch the end of the video as the GT-R paints the pavement black with big fat strips of rubber!

Rob from COBB Takes on the Colorado SCCA ProSolo, July 8th-10th 2011

Posted by on 19 Jul 2011 | Tagged as: Autocross, Mitsubishi, Motorsports, Racer Recap, Staff Zoo, Uncategorized

Mike, Kevin, and I.

A couple months ago, some friends and I were talking about running at the CO ProSolo in Colorado Springs, CO. Since Colorado Springs is around 870 miles from Austin, TX it seemed unlikely that I would be able to bring my 2006 COBB STU STI to the CO ProSolo but I really wanted to run the event. As luck would have it, a good friend and long time customer of COBB Tuning, Kevin Schultz, was kind enough to offer me a ride in his STU-prepped 2006 Evolution MR. Who could turn down a ride with the Dark Side? So with my ride secured and a weekend of fast cone-dodging on the way, I hopped on a plane to Colorado.

I arrived at the event Friday afternoon to practice starts and launches, and immediately noticed the start was on a decently steep incline. Stock EVO clutches are known to be weak, so this did not bode well for a clutch with some miles on it. Neither Kevin nor I had launched an EVO at a ProSolo and we had some experimenting to do between keeping the car from rolling out of the staging lights and learning how to launch.

Kevin was up first trying to slip the clutch at 6,000 RPM while manually holding the emergency brake up. This did not work so well as the clutch slipped leaving a cloud of smoke. A few more launch attempts didn’t work out well ending in a bog or burning clutch. With a hot clutch we decided to let it cool before I took my first try at launching the EVO.

Incoming weather cut the cooling time shorter that we would have liked. Being an STI guy we launch them hard and fast to get wheel-spin. The strategy going in was to get the EVO spinning wheels with as little as possible clutch slip. On my one and only attempt to launch, the clutch slipped but held around 5,000 RPM before gripping, no wheel spin. Further attempts to launch the car were only going to hurt it so we decided to call it a day.

Saturday morning I was to be the first driver of our pair out not knowing how to launch the car. I had no idea if we were going to limp the launches or be able to go hard. The first launch out of the gate was hard and fast getting some wheel spin. We were pulling 1.8-1.9 60-foot times up hill which was fantastic. Kevin’s EVO felt great for the first two runs until the tires warmed up and then started to get loose. It seemed the car was picking up a rear wheel, then spinning that wheel when attempting to throttle up. Even with the wheel lift, the morning session went well and I was sitting on top of the class.

For the afternoon session, Kevin and I decided to loosen the rear sway bar from full stiff to full soft to try and improve the handling. The afternoon session came and went with no improvement for me. The car was feeling better while still being a bit too loose for my taste. However, Kevin hopped into the car and ran some great times boosting him into second place.

Sunday morning was time for a little “strategizing.” After a bit of talking with other competitors and a course walk with Kevin, we come up with a strategy. Our plan is to tighten our lines to keep in the “line”. Our strategy works like a champ. Kevin and I both drop another 7-8 tenths keeping our 1-2 class finish in STU and I’m the 7th qualifier in the Super Challenge.

Sadly, Kevin missed the cut off for the Super Challenge yet was gracious enough to let me run his car even though he had a 600-mile solo drive back to Salt Lake City, UT. The first round of the Super Challenge put me up against a well prepped CSP Miata on cold race rubber.

The course is split into two tracks, with each competitor running both to achieve an overall best time, these runs are made “head-to-head” so that both cars are attacking mirrored tracks at the same time. After the first “right side” run I was up 8-tenths of a second so I decided to take it easy on the left side to play it safe to staying off the cones. It turned out I took it a little too easy as we were staring at each other coming around one of the final turns. I decided I needed to go all out and I ended up taking the win by 3-tenths of a second.

Round two put me up against an STS CRX. After the first right side, he was able to break out by two tenths and was able to build a 4-tenth advantage on me. On the left-side I felt like I was going faster than I think I had all weekend; then I blow a tight turn around. At the finish I’m another two tenths behind and the CRX who has broken out again! Either way, I was eliminated after the second round in the Super Challenge.

Even though I didn’t take the Super Challenge the great courses good people made for a fantastic weekend. Kevin and I will be making a few more changes to the car coming back for the Colorado National Tour at the end of the month. Many thanks go to Kevin for his graciousness in letting me beat on his AWD monster.

Posted by on 01 Apr 2011 | Tagged as: Autocross, Jon, Motorsports, Rob, Staff Zoo


Photo Courtesy of GotCone.com

It has been a long, cold, snow-filled winter for most of us and that means few opportunities for motorsports events. However, with the coming of spring means the big thaw and once again, petrol heads are filling parking lots full of cones. That’s right, autocross season is upon us! COBB Tuning hot-shoes Rob Irish (BMW and MINI ECU Guru) and Jon Pomrenke (Subaru ECU and Software Engineer) hit the course recently to clear the cobwebs out of their STU class STI along with long time friend and COBB Tuning customer, John Hale.  After nine months away from racing, Rob’s 2006 STI returned to the 2011 Mineral Wells ProSolo with a 1-2 finish! John Hale contested the event in his own car, a 2005 STU-prepared STI, and finished third behind Jon Pomrenke.

Winter is a time for racers to rebuild and refit. However, sometimes quick rebuilds take a bit longer than expected. The STI was torn down nine months ago for a suspension rebuild but the car was not completed until the Thursday before the Houston event! In that time, the turbo-back exhaust was replaced with a COBB Tuning turbo-back exhaust for better power, sound, and ground clearance. The intake was replaced with the stock airbox at a loss of top-end in exchange for cooler air. Suspension was replaced with all new remote reservoir coilovers to properly control the high spring rates.

Just one weekend prior, Jon and Rob contested the first round in the 2011 Houston National ProSolo Tour (2nd and 4th place finishes) in Jon’s S2000, so while they had a little bit of seat-time to get back into the groove, the STI was still in pieces waiting to be reassembled. With that event behind them, the team quickly completed the STI to make it ready for the Mineral Wells event just a week away. The suspension was installed Monday-Tuesday, alignment done Wednesday, tires mounted Thursday with the race on Saturday and Sunday.

With fresh, unscrubbed tires and untested suspension, both Jon and Rob came out strong Saturday morning to end in 1st and 2nd after the first session. More seat time and a faster course allowed the class to find more time in the afternoon session. Jon managed to hold 1st through afternoon runs, but Rob slipped to 3rd. With more rubber on the course and the cold morning temperatures, they headed out for the final session. The 1st place position was lost and regained repeatedly through the weekend, with the top three drivers all holding 1st place during the final runs of the weekend! Jon fought and held 1st until Rob’s last run, which catapulted Rob from 3rd to 1st.

Jon and Rob use the COBB Tuning AccessPORT to tune their ride. Not only this, but the pair use the map switching capabilities of the AccessPORT to quickly change from a pump gas calibration to a race gas map at the event. They drive to the track on as little pump fuel as possible. Then, they take off the fuel return line and drain the tank trackside. Then they fill up with race gas and switch maps for more horsepower! At the end of the day, they drain the race gas and switch back to pump fuel and the pump fuel map!

Jon and Rob will be looking to continue their winning ways this year with both local and national events being contested. Check out Cobb Tuning.com for more information on the parts they use to take their STI to the top of the class!

1st- Rob Irish
left: 43.669s, .544 R/T, 1.820 60′
right: 43.929s, .567 R/T, 1.873 60′
total: 87.598s

2nd- Jon Pomrenke
left: 43.930s, .534 R/T, 1.795 60′
right: 43.763s, 0.530 R/T, 1.814 60′
total: 87.693s (0.095 from 1st)

3rd- John Hale
left: 43.807s, .582 R/T, 1.811 60′
right: 43.877s, .646 R/T, 1.856 60′
total: 87.784s (0.091 from 2nd)

Rob’s Best Run

Jon’s Best Run

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