rta rd.8 spring mountain

Redline Time Attack hosted it's fifth west event of the year at Spring Mountain's 19 turn, 3.1 mile circuit outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. LIC Motorsports and the Takata Time Attack Impreza were in attendance to continue their pursuit of a Modified AWD Championship.

"All year we have been battling issues relating to brake bias and rear end grip," said Adam Levy of LIC Motorsports. "With a two month break in the series we decided to take the opportunity to make some significant changes in hope of making an improvement. We removed the ABS system, added a driver adjustable brake bias proportioning valve, and completely rethought and redesigned our rear suspension. On two separate occasions prior to the race we visited our local track to ensure the changes were dialed in before we made the eleven hour drive to Las Vegas."

As James took to the track for his Saturday morning practice sessions, the improvement in rear grip became quickly apparent as two consecutive rear axles were broken. The atypical axle failures indicated that the axles were seeing higher stress levels than in the past. With some slight adjustments to the car and James' driving style, additional failures were averted. As the practice day progressed temperatures increased and the serious desert heat over-stressed some cars forcing them to an early retirement. The Takata Impreza was not immune to the heat either as the engine's head gasket began to fail. Despite limited practice, the team opted to park the car until Sunday's Time Attack to reserve the engine's performance and avoid tempting complete failure of the gasket.

Sunday's Time Attack again challenged teams with extreme heat. Fortunately the Takata Impreza was able to withstand the heat despite a compromised head gasket. Even under higher boost levels used for the Time Attack sessions, the LIC Motorsports' racing radiator and oil cooler maintained a safe temperature for the engine. James claimed 3rd in Modified AWD for the team in the Time Attack. The performance allowed the Takata Impreza to start the Super Session sprint race on the front row with Brian Lock in the Cobb Tuning GTR. With both the Takata Impreza and Cobb GTR battling the heat, the 15 mile Super Session became a test of endurance. Both cars broke away from the rest of the pack with the Cobb GTR out front. James maintained a close gap to the GTR throughout the race but was unable to find a passing opportunity, giving Takata Time Attack a 2nd place finish.

"I am so impressed by the changes Adam and Noah have made to the Takata Impreza," said driver James Elterman. "I now have great confidence in the braking system and we are clearly out braking our competition. Furthermore the rear end grip is exceptional and I can accelerate out of the corners significantly sooner which enables us to achieve higher speeds on the straights. Above all I am grateful for the reliability of the car which has allowed us to collect points in every event thus far, which is something that can not be said of any of our competitors."

After 5 events Takata Time Attack looses its lead in the Championship for the first time giving Brian Lock in the Cobb Tuning GTR a 5 point advantage. The series resumes on October 24th and 25th for the penultimate round at Infineon Raceway in Northern California where LIC Motorsports hopes to make the best of their home-field advantage.

*Photo Credit: Kyle Lewis

Thanks to our sponsors:
Takata / LIC Motorsports / Nitto / COBB / Wheeldude / Seibon / JE Pistons / Hawk Performance

LIC Time Attack STi Specs
Model: 2004 STi
Weight: 2850 lbs. (Dry), 3050 (Loaded w/ fuel and driver)
WHP: 550
Torque: 450
Fuel: e85
Motor: LIC Motorsports 2.5L Longblock
Turbo Kit: GT35R Turbo w/ LIC Motorsports Custom IC Piping, Perrin FMIC
Fuel Supply: Fuel Safe 12 Gallon Cell, Turbo XS Surge Tank, Dual Bosch 044 Pumps, Aeromotive Fuel Rails
Tuning: Cobb Accessport
Injectors: Injector Dynamics 2,000cc
Drivetrain: ACT Clutch, Cusco LSD's (Front/Rear)
Suspension: Triple Adjustable JRZ (Custom), M1 Front Knuckles/Control Arms (Custom), LIC Rear Control Arms (Custom)
Brakes: Front Brembo 6 Piston 350x34mm BBK, Rear Brembo (stock)
Exterior: Aeromotions Widebody Wing, LIC Fender Flares/Splitter (Custom)
Wheels: Wheeldude.com Rota DPT 18x10 e35 (5x100/5x114.3)
Tires: Nitto NT01 275/35ZR18
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