Boersma Racing Back on Track for 2019! (GTA Road Atlanta Recap)

Boersma Racing Back on Track for 2019! (GTA Road Atlanta Recap)

Posted on by Konig Gfx

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Boersma Racing Back On Track for 2019!

Welcome to the 2019 race season, the team at Boersma Racing finally unveiled the new 2019 Time Attack car this past weekend at Global Time Attack Road Atlanta. After spending the offseason completely rebuilding the car from the ground up the team was excited to introduce the car to the world and showcase all the changes they had worked so diligently on.

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With all the changes to the car, the team knew they were going to have some figuring out to do. Basically, every part had changed from the previous season. The team had focused on improving every aspect of the car, power, aerodynamics, grip, suspension, and handling, electronics, pretty much everything!

The Thursday of the event is an open test day so the team used this to shake the car down and ensure that everything was functioning as expected, there were a few issues the team had to work through but for it being the first time the car had been on track everything was pretty minor.

The team spent the evening preparing the car for the first day of competition, doing a nut and bolt check, pulling logs from the Link Thunder ECU, making changes to the traction control profiles and changing wheels/tires to be ready to attack the first session on Friday.

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Friday kicked off with the threat of rain that never really materialized. The first session out for the car did not go as planned as starting his first timed lap Chris had the car unload through turn 2 which sent the car off track damaging the splitter. The team worked hard to fix the splitter and also raise and re-align the car to ensure this wouldn’t happen again. The team worked so quickly that they were able to make it back on track for the 2nd session of the day. With the car fixed for the 2nd session Chris headed back on track, only to find that there was a vibration in the car above 160km/h, the car was back in the pits and the team decided to change the tires out for the next session to see if that was the culprit.

The 3rd and final session of the day, the car headed out on track on new tires and the vibration issue was fixed. However, a new problem appeared, with the car starting to become uncontrollable at higher speeds from oscillation in the suspension, likely due to the new aero on the car. Chris managed to push through and complete a timed lap, but had to keep his speed under 200km/h in order to keep control of the car. At the end of the first day, the team was still sitting on the podium in 3rd place, not too bad considering the issues they had.

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Day 3, the final day of competition again saw the threat of rain that never materialized. The team worked throughout the night trying to make changes to the suspension in hopes that they could control the oscillations that were occurring. Unfortunately, the 1st session saw no improvement. The team worked again between sessions to try and get the issue rectified but saw no improvement throughout the rest of the sessions for the day. Chris did manage to get 1 lap in, again limiting his speed to keep the car in control and still managed to crack off a 1:34.097 lap time on the cars lowest boost setting. Unfortunately, this time was just shy of getting the team on the podium but they still wound up in 4th place out of a 20 car field.

Overall the team was happy with the results given how new of a car they had brought to the track and the amount of data they were able to gather has definitely set the team up for more success in the future. The team is going to continue working and testing the car before the next event GridLife MidWest to ensure that they can put their best foot forward for this highly competitive series

Boersma is running Konig Hypergram in 18×11 et 15 front and 18×9.5 et 35 rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

USR takes 1st place at GTA Road Atlanta!!!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Global Time Attack Road Atlanta 2018 Recap – 1st Place Street FWD

We, United Speed Racing, were hard at work preparing for the first big time attack event of the year. As power has increased and other modifications have allowed me to push the card harder on track, the coolant temp issue became even more of a problem. Previously we had been trying to keep from cutting the hood, or bumper in search of ways to help the issue that most other enthusiasts would be willing to do. Many things helped a little in their own ways, but ultimately we were still having the issue. We have been lucky enough to get plenty of opportunities to hit the track to test changes, rather than hoping it works.

The week of GTA we made the decision that some cutting needed to be done. 1st on the list of venting the hood to achieve a few advantages. Give the heat trapped under the hood a place to escape easily and in addition help to rush air through the radiator, but also relive that pocket of air under the hood in an effort to achieve a little extra front downforce. Previous testing and data showed that the stock hood scoop wasn’t very effective for anything except looking cool. We removed the stock scoop as well as the aluminum ducting from the underside of the hood. We then cut out more area from the scoop portion of the hood. The idea was to fabricate an aluminum plate to fit this recess in the hood and cut louvers into it to help draw heat out as air passed over the louvers. We have used CNC cut panels to achieve this previously but with little time to work, and no cutter in house we started with a sheet of aluminum and went through the tedious process of cutting the shape, smoothing out the curves for better fit, making the cuts needed for the louvers and working on a mounting solution. After all was done, it was a bit rough around the edges, but would work well for the event. Next on the agenda was a larger oil cooler. We have been running a long cooler setup in the lower bumper opening just below the stock intercooler and it has worked well to lower the temps, but we have been testing a Mishimoto prototype intercooler that was much larger and lacked a bit of room to properly fit that cooler, but has greatly decreased intake air temperatures to improve power during hot track sessions. Previously we had looked into installing a side mounted cooler but had little room to work with, and didn’t want to make many changes to the car at the time. We decided to go back for a second look. Taking measurements, forming a mock cooler based on multiple cooler sizes available, we decided on the largest cooler we could possibly fit. This meant though that we would need full ducting, cut out the side grill opening, and would require the loss of the brake duct. The loss of the duct wasn’t a big issue with our higher end braking upgrade as well as running time attack. We got the cooler in and went to work mounting it, this part was a fairly simple task. Next was the ducting. Due to space and complexity this was a challenge, but I am up for a challenge when fabrication is involved. We used aluminum to create the ducting and attached it to the cooler and the chassis for simple removal and installation of the front bumper. All that was left was to cut the opening in the grill. For now we just made a simple cut rather than trimming out each honeycomb opening, then riveted in some aluminum mesh, removed the fog light and installed mesh here as well for added air flow. Finished the cooler off with new lines, and an exhaust vent in the fender liner. With these 2 new modifications we were eager to hit the track and had positive thoughts that we would see results closer to what we wanted.

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Other changes made was the addition of Konig Ampliform 18×9.5 +35 wheels. The offset was a little more than we wanted, but with the new Essex/AP Racing brake upgrade, clearance of the face of the caliper made wheel selection much less. Konig helped to check clearance based on measurements provided by Essex Parts and they were spot on. We added a 3mm space to help with expansion, but this extra .5″ of wheel width meant a 265 front tire would fit better, once we had a pair.

The day before GTA practice, we went over the car with a fine tooth comb, performance a nut and bolt, brake fluid bleed, fresh oils, fresh 245 Maxxis VR-1 tires all around, rechecked suspension settings and corner balance, etc etc. We felt there wasn’t much more we could do, but wished we had more time.

Happily the test day had great weather and it was Hot. We needed some hot weather to see how the cooling additions worked. First session and I was instantly happy, the coolant temps were staying lower, taking less time to heat soak, etc. I knew it would be a good weekend and was fully looking forward to the competition. We ran some more, made some suspension changes, tire pressure changes, and just worked on feeling out the car more….the Motion Control Suspension 2-way damper setup was still something we were learning, as well as the increased braking from the Essex/AP Racing Radi-Cal 355mm brake setup allowing me to brake harder and much later. We finished the day back at the shop, going over things once again, making sure everything was ready. We didnt want to have to do too much work at the track, instead concentrate on improving lap times, watching other competitors runs, and enjoying hanging out with friends. GTA is about the competition but we all generally get along, and it is more of a competitive track family.

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Day 1 of competition: It was hot, and got 10 degrees hotter each session. As I said still learning all the changes to the car, but now being able to turn 2 or more laps back to back without being overly concerned with coolant temps, this helped my confidence and allowed me to push harder and harder and even with the ambient temp rising, I was still able to drop the times little by little. By the end of Day 1, I wasnt down to the time I wanted and felt like I needed to make a change to help get more front grip. Lucky for me, the only 2 Maxxis VR-1 265/35zr18 tires in the USA were waiting for me, not far away. I went a snatched them up, headed over to our friends at Gran Turismo East, and even though I got there right as they were closing, they fit me in and swapped the front tires out and had me ready to go quickly.

Day 2 of competition: We were starting an our earlier, which meant the first session would be a good one. I knew that the front tires were fresh and would come in, and just aimed to make the best of the weather. Instantly I noticed more front grip and was able to turn in harder and get on the throttle sooner. I dropped my fast time by just over 1 second, pretty good with just a wider front tire. Second session ambient temp was about 8 degrees higher and still went a bit faster, and set what would be my fast time for the event, 1:38.635, and good enough for a 1st place victory in Street FWD. I had been a little faster previously, but with ambient temps 20 degrees cooler and pretty much perfect track conditions. For GTA we had United States Formula 4 Championship running as well, they kept having incidents and putting fluid on the track which even after cleanup with decrease traction in areas and lower confidence to push beyond the limit.

Overall we are very happy with our performance and how well the car performed. We will continue to develop the car with modifications and tuning the current setup, as well as helping customers and other CTR owners across the globe to improve their experience. In 1 week we will be driving the car up to Dominion Raceway in Virginia for Type-R Expo East, followed by more testing at Road Atlanta, Atlanta Motorsports Park, Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, and some others possibly. Our next competition event will be GridLife South Festival at Road Atlanta in August. It will be hot, but we are working on new changes based on Data collected during GTA, to further help cope with the heat, and hope to shave another 2 seconds off our lap time.

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We thank our sponsors for your continued support which is greatly appreciated and helps us to achieve our goals:

Maxxis Tire
Motion Control Suspension
Hasport Performance
Ktuner
Essex Parts Services
PTP Turbo Blankets
Konig Wheel
Gran Turismo East
Hybrid Racing
JZilla Track Days
Spec Clutch
Mishimoto
Setrab USA
Liqui Moly
Coast Lighting
PRL Motorsports

Jason is running Konig Ampliform in 18×9.5B et 35mm in Bronze all around. The Konig Ampliform is Flow Formed.

Josh Mcguire Formula Drift Orlando Pro2 Round 2 Recap

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**** GUEST BLOG – BY JOSH MCGUIRE ****

Day 1 at Formula Drift Orlando was the Practice day, we were trying to build our confidence back up from the electrical issues we ran into while driving in FD Atlanta. Not having a solid test a prior, we were unsure that are repairs had fixed the car.

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Being rushed during Orlando’s practice everything basically fell apart because of stress and I couldn’t seem to throw together a qualifying line. The heat was taking a toll on my body, making it difficult to think straight during practice time. We did our best to dial in the car even though the runs were not consistent, or our best.

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Qualifying quickly approached, and the pressure was on to make a solid run. Still not 100 percent confident that the car would maintain running while we’re throwing it in at the wall as we left the start line only thing I remember saying was “don’t lift!”

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Our first qualifying run was a 68. It wasn’t our best run throughout the day, but we were pleased to be able to put a score on the board. Once we were confident that the car was running solid to complete the course, we lined up for our second qualifying run. Leaving the start line on our second run, I made myself mentally motivated to drive 100 percent or crash trying. We threw it in at the wall, immediately we made contact with the wall, dragging the rear bumper throughout the entire wall. We were aggressive throughout the remainder of the course, and on close proximity with all the clipping points, which scored us a 74. Putting us in 10th for qualifying.

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Day 2 My mind was clear, my body was hydrated, and the team was focused. After a few repairs to the car. We were waiting for our time to practice. Practice session went well, we got about 4 laps in, feeling comfortable in the car, and having fun.

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In top 16, we were paired up with Jeff Jones.  Inside I didn’t feel there wasn’t any reason I couldn’t win this battle. So we lined up, Jones lead first, as we left the line, we charged towards the wall, I clicked 3rd gear, and quickly had to lift dramatically. Jeff Jones’ car was significantly slower then I anticipated. Jeff Jones jumped in a small gap, which we were able to close immediately. Being conservative on the follow run, but keeping close in proximity we both finished the course with no faults or errors on either driver.

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My lead run against Jeff, I charged at the wall 100 percent, had a high line and made slight contact as I left the wall. Which upset the car a little. I quickly adjusted but it put me off the first inside clip farther then I wanted to be. However it did not interfere with the rest of our line finishing out the rest of the course aggressively and solid.

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Unfortunately the initial bobble in my run gave Jeff Jones the win. Knocked out early in the competition, we spent the rest of the day speaking with fan and supporters at the event about the car and amazing products we use.

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Looking forward, we have a few months of off time, we are going to test and play with some more car setups for FD Texas. We have a positive outlook, and excitement for Texas being my home track.  Stay Tuned and thanks for following along.

– Josh

*** Josh McGuire runs Konig Hypergram Wheels in 17×9 et25mm offset front and 18×9.5 et25mm rear.  Josh races on behalf of Enjuku Racing. ***

Nate Hamilton Formula Drift Orlando Pro2 Round 2 Recap

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**** GUEST BLOG – BY NATE HAMILTON ****

Family, Friends, Team members, Employees, Acquaintances, Sponsors all coming into town to support and create the environment we race in. Round 2 of Formula Drift was hosted in my current home town, Orlando Florida. Its safe to say its one of the most important rounds of our Pro2 season.

here we go:

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As a team our goal was simple, prepare and create positive results. We worked hard in-between Round1 and Round2, making sure I’m comfortable, fixing and adapting issues we ran into at Round1 Road Atlanta. Our crew Chief, Bub Robarge knows the importance of comfortability for Kevin and myself behind the wheel. Its our job to put on the best show possible for our fans and sponsors. We went into this round with confidence.

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Day One: Thursday, Practice and Qualifying

Practice was progressive, smooth lines and consistent laps. The car was on point and I was ready. After two practice sessions we ran into qualifying, I landed myself in 4th place with score of 83. Thanks to my dude, Ant Rupchand for guiding me on line and angle.

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Day Two:  Friday, Main Event

Friday, the day we get to show everyone our focus and hard work. This is the busiest day of the weekend for us. All the eyes are on Pro2 competition. With the help of Fortune Auto and Matt Purvis we had everything in place for my first battle in the Top16.

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My first battle was underway, I would be competing against Dan Burkett. I felt calm and ready for this battle, I felt I had the speed to follow him and stick it to his door. Being that I qualified higher than Dan I would lead first.

This is the part of the story I hate, ha!

I took my lead run and had “a clear advantage” said Ryan Sage representing the Formula Drift’s judging panel.

Although once I completed my run it was clear I had a de-beaded rear tire.  For those who don’t know what that means, its the basic idea that our tire’s mounted on our rim and on certain tracks or rare occasions we can bust the bead from the tire causing all the air to release from the tire. Meaning we have no air pressure and the tire is able to fall off the rim. Our team did what was natural, we used our 5 min competition time out. We brought the car back to the hot pit and thats when we got hit with a swift kick of reality. My Falken Tire de-beaded coming off the bank, I finished my run strong, but unfortunately once you de-bead a tire in competition your day is done. You are NOT allowed to air the tire back up, You are NOT allowed to change the tire, You are also NOT allowed to run a de-beaded tire for safety reasons, literally there is no option.

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This single mechanical error caused my entire weekend to end way to soon. We had the momentum building and we had the consistency to really earn some points at this event. Unfortunately this was out of my hands and I was knocked out. Another event, another hard lesson learned. We are really pushing to report good news to you guys, but sometimes motorsports can be a tough game.

I personally want to thank everyone inside our camp for all the hard work it takes to prepare these machines for drifting. Huge thanks to my Family/Friends for lifting me up as I keep working thru a seemingly hard season. We can’t forget the Enjuku Media team, Corey Denomy and Jessie Ann for all the great content being created. Thanks again everyone, Lets make it happen in Texas.

Photo credit: Jessie Ann

Josh McGuire Formula Drift Atlanta Pro2 Round 1 Recap

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**** GUEST BLOG – BY JOSH MCGUIRE ****

Day 1: Practice session, we were super excited and nervous at the same time. We looked forward to getting out on track to drive because it’s a track that we had not had the opportunity to experience so we did not know what to expect. Once out on track, we were given minimal practice time, with one practice lap while conditions were dry we put together a blind run to establish whether we needed set up changes or not. I felt comfortable in the car, so we didn’t make any changes. Then it started to rain. The rain was beneficial in a way to see how the track and car handled in wet conditions. We were conservative while in the wet conditions, and we were only one of a few cars that didn’t go off track during these conditions. Going into qualifying: Definitely we were nervous because we were only allotted a couple practice runs. We were able to complete a run that locked us in for 6th position in qualifying.

Day 2: We were excited about our qualifying position and couldn’t wait to battle in top 16 when we went out for practice we had ignition problems with the car that would let the car run for only an allotted time and then it would shut itself down. Knowing this we knew we were gambling to be able to throw down a solid run. This added a stress but my crew members and I tried to fix the problem before our first battle we thought we had it fixed, when I went out on my first run, the car shut itself down at the top of the horseshoe, claiming us a zero. We called 5 minutes to make repairs on the car. Which we were able to complete in the 5 minutes. We then re-lined up to do our follow run, knowing we were at a big fault, it didn’t change my mindset on how I should drive, giving my 100 percent. In our 5 minutes of repair time, track conditions changes immensely, causing the car to grip up, which we had not planned for. So we ended up shallow on our first inside clip, I quickly corrected and fell back into the follow position keeping close proximity for the remainder of the course. It however was not enough to compensate for the zero on the first run.

Over all even though we didn’t advance, it was a great learning experience. We are looking forward to Rd 3 in Orlando, and also to return to drive again at Road Atlanta in 2017.

-Josh

Nate Hamilton Formula Drift Atlanta Pro2 Round 1 Recap

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**** GUEST BLOG – BY NATE HAMILTON ****

Hey World, Nate Hamilton here, this is my first written recap for Konig Wheels, the first of many during our 2016 Racing season. My goal is to be as honest and transparent as possible. Lets get into it, here we go!

Tuesday afternoon, arriving at our first competitive event of the season. We rolled into Road Atlanta.

Tuesday marks our official technical inspection, this process is mandatory, Kevin Wells representing Formula Drift inspects our Pro chassis. Weight, Subframe pickup points, Tire size, Safety, plus way more is looked over and double checked.   With attention to detail provided during the builds from our lead fabricator, Bub Robarge, our cars were ready and approved to hit the track.

This rolls us into Wednesday, we took the day to dial in our home base/pit operations. While at the same time using the day to knock out media obligations, smile for the Camera say’s Corey Denomy as Kevin, Josh and I filmed the “Faces of Konig” videos, you will see them soon enough.

Driving in the Pro2 class, Thursday is a busy day for our program. We have our First and last practice sessions unfolding right into qualifications. Total practice time: 2 hours, split between 24 drivers. Qualification is 2 runs. This in total was 10 laps on the technical track of Road Atlanta. Writing this and looking back on the day, it really does fly by.

My results shook me up as I was struggling with my car setup. After 8 runs still struggling with the entry/steering. I was forced to lay down my qualification runs. These runs did not represent my team and our hard work over the offseason. I was uncomfortable, without having the seat time in the new chassis to recover from the issues, I was not able to qualify. This was a big hit to our program and was surprising to most. I am forced to look past this performance and chalk it up as a second shakedown with the new chassis.

Looking forward we brought the team together to study film and analyze the characteristics of the car. We wanted to know why I was struggling. With a great group of people in one circle, we found valuable information. A combination of my driving mixed with some front end settings we now have a base outline of what I like and don’t like.

We are now back home located in Clermont, FL working daily at Enjuku Racing. We have the car in the air, making the progressive changes we learned in ATL. We will come back with confidence and more practice in the newly setup 2016 chassis. Our next stop on the schedule: The Hyperfest event located in Virginia at the VIR facility.

Lastly I want to give my upmost appreciation to the whole Team and great group of sponsors we have onboard this season. Thanks to the whole Enjuku Racing staff for making this possible. Also, Thanks to Konig Wheels for supporting our dreams and goals we are chasing, its amazing to have a company striving for the same goals. Until Next time, talk soon guys!

WATCH MORE OF NATE IN HIS FACES OF KONIG VIDEO!

Formula Drift Round 2 – Road Atlanta

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Formula Drift kicks off Round 2 at Road Atlanta for one of the most anticipated events of the 2016 season, “Road to the Championship”!  Drivers will be hitting accelerated entries and tight turns of the Road Atlanta course, back where Formula Drift started with it’s inaugural season back in 2004.  The 2 day drifting extravaganza will feature Pro and Pro2 classes with Konig sponsored drivers Nate Hamilton and Kevin Lawerence of Enjuku Racing as well as Patrick Mourdaunt in his Drift Paddock Nissan 350z.  Check out the  teaser video below or watch the live action via Formula Drift’s broadcast!

WATCH: Formula Drift Road Atlanta Teaser 2016

Formula D Round 2

Posted on by Konig Wheels

Don’t miss out on the next round of Formula Drift this Friday & Saturday, May 8th & 9th.!

Formula D Road Atlanta

Konig sponsored Pat Mordaunt #90 who drives the DriftPaddock.com Nissan 350Z on Konig Milligram wheels had a “GREAT 8” finish at Round 1 in Long Beach, CA. and will be looking to continue his run at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA.  Be sure to check out the round 2 sneak peak below.


Formula DRIFT Road Atlanta Tease (2015) by driftstream

 

Mertzanis Puts Down Best Qualifying Score in his Career

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Before the Fuel Culture S13.4 was shipped to the East Coast to Road Atlanta, the car headed to the Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca for the huge 2012 bicycle show. Over 60,000 people came through the doors in Monterey, California, to see the show and catch a glimpse of the drift car. The 240sx was parked in the center of the Kenda Tire booth who built out a virtual garage around the car to attract visitors. This was one of the only vehicles at the whole show this year, gathering tons of attention.

After leaving the Sea Otter Classic, the car headed east across the United States to Atlanta, Georgia in preparation of Formula Drift Round 2. Some tweaks to air pressure and our KW Suspension between rounds really set the team up for success after Road Atlanta.

During qualifying, Dennis managed to put down his best career qualifying run of 89.5 at his hometown course Road Atlanta. The car didn’t require as much setup adjustments to accomplish this huge career accomplishment. He was one of the few drivers to meet the speed trap minimum for the weekend.

After qualifying, we found out that we would be lined up against Top 10 driver, Kyle Mohan, who didn’t qualify at his usual top level performance which gave us one tough draw in the first round. Dennis and the team made some last minute adjustments and put down some of the best lead runs he has driven in his career by far. After one round, the judges were stuck at 1 vote for Dennis, 1 vote for Kyle, and 1 vote for OMT.

On the OMT tandem battle, Dennis performed top notch on his lead run but made a wide turn on his follow run which let Kyle Mohan pass into the Top 16 with 2 votes for Kyle and 1 vote for Dennis. A tough break for the team who performed near perfect all weekend but we are looking forward to Palm Beach International.

The next day after Road Atlanta, the Mertzanis Racing team attended what might be the last event at Turner Field with several other Formula Drift professional drivers. The city council in Atlanta, Georgia, signed an ordinance that bans drifting specifically in the city of Atlanta within 1,000 feet of residential zoning. This made it very personnel for Dennis Mertzanis as he first learned how to drift and hone his skills in this very parking lot.

Sadly, the weather didn’t cooperate with this final Turner Field event but Dennis brought out his Fuel Culture S13.4 in the rain to tandem with local drivers and promote the sport within the local area. He talked with various media outlets on the importance of the sport and the need to continue in grassroots events and why it’s best to create events and have safe, controlled environments so as to keep drivers off the streets.

It has been a busy month in back to back travel. And with Round 3 at Palm Beach International Raceway just right around the corner, Dennis Mertzanis will continue onwards and upwards by shooting for another career best finish at Round 3.

//Images courtesy of Fuel Culture & Wrecked Magazine 2012//