Willow Springs Red Line Time Attack Event

The Fontana Nissan Racing Team made the arduous trip to Willow Springs International Raceway. The trip lasted about five minutes including the three minute delay at the gate. It's good to be racing at the home track again!

After completing the paddock set up on Friday morning the team was ready to start testing the improvements made to both the teams 350Z and the 2009 GTR. Mike first laid down some baseline laps in the GTR. Bone stock with the OE tires he ran a quick 132.1. The first change to evaluate was the new 18" CCW wheels and Nitto NT-01 tires. Bolting on this package with no other changes resulted in a 2.5 second improvement with a time of 129.6. The car still suffered from too much under steer. We took the GTR back over to the shop to change to the JRZ shocks.

We started testing the 350Z and after our engine failure at Buttonwillow were extremely cautious and looking for any detail that would indicate trouble. After a few short runs it was clear that the oil pressure was still marginal. We had a larger capacity oil pump ready so we decided to install that pump to insure the reliability of the engine. After installing the pump the pressures were up but still not as designed. We continued testing the 350Z and achieved a time of 122.9. We had high hopes that during the Time Attack sticker tires and a qualifying effort would result in an expected time of 120.5.

During Round 1 of the Time Attack the tires and handling were way below our expectations. The car was struggling to run a low 125.0. We decided the best thing to do was to run a used set of tires and reset the handling. Mike did a good job and ran a 123.8. Our time was way off of what we had set out to do but we did get a lot of valuable data and the engine survived the weekend. We are confident that with some more testing the car will run the expected mid 1.20 laps.

The GTR ran in Round 1 of the Time Attack and ran a 130.6 with the new JRZ shocks. This performance was also disappointing as we felt we should improve 2 seconds a lap with the better shocks. Mike's input tells us that with some spring changes and a bit of tuning we will get the improvement from the JRZs.

Also during the weekend we ran the Cronin's 1967 Firebird vintage race car. The car had not run in about 10 years. We had some battery issues but did get Mike out in a session and the old bird ran some impressive laps, the best being a 130.3. It is interesting to note that the 1967 car and the 2009 car ran about the same time with two totally different approaches to performance.

The team is now back in the shop working through a long list on all three cars to be ready for the next track session.

Fontana Nissan Transporter Tour Part II

Once we get to the track with our fine truck and trailer, the circus begins. Raise the big top!

First step is to unload all of the equipment and cars. We need access to the cart that carries the Kiwi Tile. Kiwi Tile is a fantastic invention consisting of .33 meter squares of a very hard mesh plastic that connect together endlessly. We carry our tile pre-assembled in 3 tile by 5 tile sections on a cart that was fabricated specifically for this application. When the tile is off loaded, the cart becomes our fuel cart. Multi-functionality at its best! The tile is carried section by section into the proper spot and snapped together to form one very large working surface. This surface makes jacking up the car, rolling around on a creeper, and just about every other task much simpler and cleaner. Sometimes we can be paddocked on grass, gravel, or just plain old dirt and the Kiwi Tile makes life wonderful.

Next up is setting up the framework for the transporter awning. The rafter poles hook to the side of the trailer and are connected at the outer ends by poles.

Next comes the actual awning fabric. Ours (and most other race teams) was sewn by Larsen Sails in Santa Cruz California. They used to be a top sail maker for boats but have switched to sewing transporter awnings for teams in every major racing series. The awning consists of a top main awning cover, side curtains for all three sides, and a hospitality area awning. Once the main awning is pulled through the track on the roof of the trailer it is secured to the rafter poles and raised into place. The smaller hospitality awning is then set up in similar fashion. It connects to the main awning. Once the awning is up it is very vulnerable to damage from winds. We carry 1200 pounds of weight to tie to the awning poles, 100 pounds on each pole, plus we tie the whole apparatus to any conveniently located truck, building, car, etc. if available.

This is what the finished set up looks like. The hospitality area is to the right with the half wall privacy panels in place. We can fit and work on up to five cars at the same time. In this instance we displayed three cars for Fontana Nissan and ran the race car out of the fourth and fifth spots. Outside of the awning we use crowd control poles to keep all of the bikes, scooters, and quads neatly organized in one place.

Working on the cars out of the weather and sun makes all the difference. Spectators can easily view the cars and talk to the crew.

The hospitality area is used to entertain guests and sponsors as well as feed the crew. It is a great place to take a break and sit down with a cold drink. We can seat sixteen. We serve three meals a day here instead of going to the snack bar or having to wait in line at Denny's at six in the morning.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of the Fontana Nissan Racing truck and trailer. See you at the races!

Fontana Nissan Racing Engine Dept. Visits Cosworth

On April 9th Chris Schroeder, my engine builder, and I visited Cosworth in Torrance CA. A few weeks before that my wife and I were spending some time on the coast in central California. During that time we toured Hearst Castle. The tour guide mentioned several times that "it is nice to be a Hearst! ". Well, touring Cosworth I said several times "it is nice to be Cosworth!"

When we arrived we waited at the reception area for about 15 minutes. Apparently Eric Hsu is a very busy guy as he is as hard to see in person as he is to get on the phone. When Eric finally appeared he escorted us to the conference room and then went off to find Ken Anderson. Both Chris and I have considerable experience with Cosworth produced engines so the 10 minutes we waited for Eric and Ken was well spent perusing the display engines that ring the conference room. I love history and museums so looking at those 20 or so engines would have been worth an admission price.

When Ken and Eric returned they were carrying the sample internal components of their new 3.8 liter VQ kit. These pieces were pure automotive art. It is clear that when Cosworth decides to do a project they produce parts that are simply the best in existance.

Chris and I studied the parts, asked a few questions, and both knew right away that using Cosworth components was in our immediate future. We spent a few more minutes discussing the business side of things. It is interesting to note how much Cosworth has embraced the Time Attack model as a place to showcase and sell their performance line of parts.

Ken had a meeting so Eric gave us a tour of the facility. As I said before, it is nice to be Cosworth. The 23,500 sq ft. facility contains everything a proper engine shop should contain. In fact, it contains several of everything a proper engine shop should contain. During the tour it became obvious that the resources that Cosworth has and the experience that Cosworth has enable them to simply be the "best".

It will be strange to be using a "kit" from a supplier. I have not built an engine in years that did not contain parts, especially pistons, of our own design.

We finished our tour, asked a few more questions that would be answered by the "UK", and left the facility a little starstruck by our experience. We then set off to meet with Jason from Mine's to start on the GTR project. More on that later.

Jackson

The 2009 Nissan Cube is Here and it's Cool!!

Check out the new Nissan Cube!

For the Buttonwillow Redline Time Attack Event, Fontana Nissan sent up a new, not yet available, Cube. The dealership will be receiving their inventory in late April. Many fans were able to see, touch, and sit in the Cube. If you are tired of driving a car with zero styling, this car is for you. Nissan calls this the "bulldog in sunglasses" look. What a cool car.

The Cube will start at $13, 990 msrp. It features a "water theme" throughout, with concentric circles radiating out from the headliner, flowing curves and oblong vents and a beautiful dashboard. The Rockford-Fosgate sound system rocks, and Bluetooth, XM Radio, iPod Interface, and Intelligent Key/Pushbutton Start complete the tech savvy features. The car has a roomy cargo area and seats 5.

The Cube is powered by a 1.8 liter inline 4 producing 122 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. Order it with either a manual transmission or the CVT. Mileage estimates are 27 city and 33 highway.

I think the racing team needs a Cube crew transporter!

Melinda