Fenton's Integra Type S: A Change of Heart

“I used to be the biggest hater of FWDs,” he started. Despite his introduction to cars coming in the form of a Civic, he rapidly transitioned into rear-drive platforms when he took up track driving. After a pair of S2000s, he moved onto Porsche Caymans, 911s, and, most recently, a Subaru BRZ. What they all had in common was their rear-drive layout, which cemented in Fenton the belief that all other drivetrain configurations were beneath consideration.

Lately, he’s had a change of heart.

It was an unexpected decision to sell his BRZ. Oil starvation issues concerned him, but he had also owned the car for eighteen months and was starting to wonder what decent replacement was out there—something new, fun, and practical between fifty and sixty grand.

Actually, he was a little more particular than that:

1) It had to be track-capable.

2) It had to have been endorsed by Throttle House, savagegeese, or TheTopher.

3) It had to be at least as practical as the BRZ.

4) It couldn’t break the bank in the event of an incident.

Not much in that price range met his requests, but the faster Hondas, despite driving the wrong axle, were fairly close. But it was more than the drivetrain that deterred him at first.

“I remember when the base Integra was first announced, I thought Acura was disrespecting the Integra name. It looked like a boat; it had no resemblance to the DC2 or the DC5 and, I believed, was probably an overpriced Civic.”

A few months later, the Integra Type S was announced, and Fenton found himself torn. “I started to love the way it looked. Even though the general shape was the same, they tweaked the right areas to make it look like a driver’s car. This had proper flares, an aggressive rear diffuser, a vented hood, gaping intakes—it was unique and purposeful.”

“The Integra wasn’t really on my radar until, one day, I was bored at work and decided to configure a car on the Acura website. I specced out my ideal Type S, and figured I’d add my email to their list—why not?

The next day, Acura of Pleasanton, just seven miles from my house, contacted me and offered that exact car at MSRP plus $1,000 of non-negotiable dealer add-ons. One prospective buyer had backed out and my name came up on their list.”

At the time, he’d been considering the FL5 Civic Type R, though the markup was significant. Plus, the car has a number of creature comforts and tuning differences over the Civic that makes it a better daily. An Integra-specific re-tune of the K20C1 engine, shared between the two, provides much more mid-range torque. Additionally, the Integra’s electronic dampers benefit from new tuning to make it a more supple road car.

The case in favor of FWD was growing, but he still had his bias to overcome. “I used to believe that, if you cannot powerslide it out of a corner, it’s not a sports car.

However, he couldn’t find anything else under $60,000 that is spacious, has a backseat, has a manual transmission, is track-capable, and is rear-wheel drive. I realized that, in order to hit my price point, I’d have to make one or two concessions.

I figured I’d at least give the Integra a try. In person, it looked fantastic, and it felt like a $50,000 car inside. It was something I could live with on a daily basis. The shifter is nearly as good as a Honda S2000’s, the ride quality is phenomenal; with the dampers in comfort mode, it rides almost as well as a luxury car. It has minimal torque steer and phenomenal brakes. After driving it around the block, I was sold.”

He bought it that day.

Since then, he’s beaten nearly all of his previous bests. At Laguna Seca, Thunderhill East, and Thunderhill West, he’s beaten his bests in the BRZ by 2 to 3 seconds. Some of that has to be down to Integra having twice the torque, but, as Fenton’s learned, a FWD car might be easier to come to terms with.

“I can lean on the car more confidently, whereas the BRZ would break away more abruptly. I know that, on turn-in, it’s going to understeer, and while that might sound boring, it means I can get up to speed a little bit faster, especially on cold mornings.”

At Laguna Seca, he drove the tires off his car—literally. Underinflating the PS4S tires to try and keep them in their ideal range seemed sensible, but during turn-in to Turn 6, the front-right tire debeaded. “I only stopped a few feet from the wall. It taught me not to track 30-profile tires with soft sidewalls any longer.”

If there was one issue beyond that, it was the lack of support from the stock seats. “The OEM seats are inadequate for track driving; they are the same design as the base Integra with very little bolstering. The OEM FL5 seats are supportive and soft enough for daily driving and track duty. I’d happily exchange the Integra seats’ heating and electronic adjustability for the FL5’s greater versatility.”

And so he started adding the first round of modifications, beginning with a set of 18 x 9.5” + 45 Apex VS-5RS wheels wrapped in Kumho 265-35 V730s (the same as he had on his BRZ for fair comparison), as well as a set of Ohlins Road & Track coilovers.

The Road & Tracks have a reputation for being more road than track, but the Integra-spec 6kg front and 10kg rear springs are much stiffer than what’s normally offered. “The spring rates have helped a lot with tucking the nose. You can get consistent mid-corner rotation with a lift-off the throttle.”

Along with those mods, he added some Castrol SRF fluid and a set of Endless ME20 pads from RHD Japan since the yen is weak now. Their torque rating is much higher than the standard pads, which were at least resilient enough to run sessions at Laguna without fade.

With the first round of modifications in place, he took it to Thunderhill West and ran a 1:24 in his second session—some 2.5 seconds faster than he ever went in his hardcore S2000 on Federal tires. “It felt adjustable; it wasn’t a battle against understeer in every corner. You can transfer weight with the inputs and rotate the car in small, measurable increments. That’s something I find a modern GTI just won’t do.”

Most recently, Fenton ran Thunderhill East Bypass for a day that he found encouraging, if not a little frustrating. After spinning in the first session and getting the black flag, he found himself without traffic in the second session and logged a 2:01. “I believed I could find another one to two seconds in the third session, but one of the flaws of the car held me back.”

In order to completely avoid fuel starvation, the tank needs to remain above half-full. After dipping below the middle hash five minutes into his third session, he spent the remainder dealing with fuel cut. He couldn’t leave too miffed; he’d only had one real session to push the car, and with that 2:01 indicated on his Garmin, he’d already gone three seconds faster than he ever had in the BRZ.

Considering he’s only done three modifications and is already three seconds faster than the BRZ, he has no regrets. “I might not be powersliding it everywhere, but it’s taught me that there are other, subtler ways of manipulation.”

Beyond all this, I can drive to and from the track in complete comfort. With radar cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring, heated seats, a premium ELS sound system, and even a sunglasses holder—I’ve never been so comfortable on my way to and from the track before. Going from a partially gutted S2000, to my mostly-practical BRZ, to this, I’ve experienced three distinct improvements in comfort. Plus, I can ferry people around. There is plenty of space for four adults—roughly the interior space of an Accord from fifteen years ago.”

It’s still a little too quiet to hear with his helmet on, so he’s planning on upgrading to a modest exhaust that should make it easier to gauge where he is in the rev range, reduce backpressure, and find a little more grunt. That said, it’s not lacking in that department; it has more than enough torque to run third gear through most of Thunderhill West. Oh—it could use more front camber.

In Fenton’s eyes, it deserves to be seen as Acura’s flagship sports sedan—it’s a deserving successor to the DC2 Integra Type R. “It’s a compromised car at the end of the day, and yet they have kept all those compromises from adversely affecting driving enjoyment. To me, it’s the perfect compromise.”

Alex's AP1 S2000: Earning His Spurs

Though this AP1 wasn’t Alex Caruso’s first track car, it was the car with which he truly earned his spurs. A few years before buying this car, he got his feet wet with an NA Miata, then later an Integra GSR. Thesef two taught him about car control and patience with the right foot, but they lost their appeal with time. Eventually, he wanted to try something a bit more exhilarating. By then, Alex was no longer a student just scraping by, and he had a little more to spend on a special sort of car.

When this car popped up in his feed, he immediately checked his bank balance. Hardtop, great paint, totally stock, and basically a blank slate with which he could express his creative streak. There was one problem, though: he couldn’t quite afford it. Undeterred, Alex committed to finding the money. With the help of his supportive wife, he scraped together enough for a down payment and brought it home.

Not long after, he started leafing through those old lists of dream parts he’d scrawled away when he was a daydreaming, broke college kid. The first round of mods were intended to make the motor indestructible. Because the ‘01 models didn’t receive the piston-cooling oil squirters the following year’s motor did, he retrofitted those to fit his motor, careful not to crossthread anything down there. Following that, he added AP2 valve retainers, then sent his valve covers out to be drilled; the AP1’s valve covers need to be perforated to help move some of the blowby.

Though these drilled valve covers works with the stock PCV system, Alex added a catch can—one which doesn’t need emptying until the fifth track day.

With the powertrain bulletproofed, he started running his car to the 9,000-rpm redline and enjoying the honeymoon phase, spins and all. The AP1’s nervousness was thrilling, challenging, and hugely educational—even if he had to clean plenty of grass out of his wheel wells. “Once I started pushing, I looped that thing so many times,” he laughed.

Though AP1’s dynamic toe curve kept him busy and certainly accelerated his steering corrections, he felt it prevented him from totally trusting the rear. “It almost felt like the rear was taking two sets in every corner,” he explained. In an attempt to get closer to his car and predict its movements better, he started with the second round of improvements.

Wisely, Alex went for a full set of Blacktrax sphericals, Hard Race motor mounts, and solid LSD collars. The added responsiveness and transparency of the car grew in proportion to his confidence. However, there was one glaring shortcoming he still hadn’t addressed.

That pesky toe curve could only be truly changed by swapping out the old AP1 subframe for an AP2 subframe. The first weekend out, the car was predictable and encouraging in a way Alex had never felt before, and so the second honeymoon phase began.

Never once in his four-year relationship with the car has he felt bored with the car, but he has always wondered if the wear items would let him down. To give him peace of mind, he reinforced the flimsy spot where the front upper control arm connects with the chassis. While at it, he swapped all four hubs out for Karcepts items and rid himself of another potential nightmare.

Finally, after a year of tracking his stout and predictable AP1, he started searching for more speed. The first round of go-fast goodies consisted of Sake Bomb Garage’s brake kit, a set of JRZ RS Pros, and a few engine bolt-ons—the last chosen mainly for noise.

“The coilovers really transformed the way the car handles over rough or uneven pavement. I knew the stock suspension was already well-tuned by Honda, so I didn't want to skimp on coilovers that would ruin the handling characteristics the Honda engineers worked so hard to develop. After popping my right rear upper ball joint out of its control arm coming at Laguna Seca, I knew wanted to get something that could control the chassis better without bottoming out as frequently or harshly.

I happened to make a connection with a JRZ vendor and scored a deal on a set of RS Pros. Now, not only is weight transfer much more immediate, I don't have a second thought about the car unsettling over bumps, like the Dorito at Thunderhill West. Having two-way adjustable coilovers also opens up a whole new world of suspension tuning that I'm slowly learning about. The ability to adjust the handling balance at the track and the peace of mind that the dampers will soak up any bumps I throw at them make these coilovers worth their weight in gold.”

The focus on the foundation, the time spent learning an imperfect car, and the carefully chosen selection of performance modifications all paid off in the first session following. Running on the same set of Hankook RS4s he’d used the time before, he dropped his times at Thunderhill West by two seconds.

There’s not much more this dependable car needs. It’s lively, reassuring, and while it’s not the punchiest car in the field, it is one of the most agile. Because he prioritized predictability and transparency over any other performance trait, he might opt for an aftermarket differential—Seigo Ma’s shown him how important they are. Maybe a little aero in there for good measure, but beyond that, all he needs is good weather and the time to spend with his second love.

“With how much I’d dreamed about this car before buying it, I was worried that I would be disappointed with the S2000, but I can safely say it's lived up to all of my expectations and then some. It's been rewarding to work on, to fix, to push myself with, and it's the exact tool I needed to get comfortable on track.”

James Snell's Supercharged S2000: Bold is Better

Four years ago, James hadn’t even considered tracking a car. Though he was definitely a dedicated gearhead, he preferred lowriders and rock crawlers, mainly. Some of his friends had taken the track day plunge, however, and a few of them were adamant he branch out a bit.One Saturday morning, he drove out to Streets of Willow with a few eager buddies and everything changed.

The giddiest of his friends also had good taste; he brought his S2000 along and threw James the keys. He also had trust and good manners—he only asked that James bring it back in one piece. The casual introduction had clearly had an effect, because, just one month later, James had bought one for himself.

Good Hands

It was no ordinary S2000, either. This AP1 was previously owned by a Ballade Sports employee, so it’d been given lots of love and attention. Along with some choice body modifications, it came fitted with KW V3s, a square set of RPF1s, an exhaust, an intake, a halo-style seat, and an F22C motor with roughly 40,000 miles. For someone dipping their toes in the water, James couldn’t have been luckier—the price he picked this one up for would irritate a lot of prospective buyers these days.

The car came with an OEM AP2 front bumper and CR lip, a replica CR trunk wing, and a full carbon hardtop weighing only seventeen pounds.

As nicely sorted as this example was, the AP1 is not a forgiving car. “The first few times I drove it, I probably spent more time spun off-track than I was on-track, but I didn’t care. I set a 2:14 at Buttonwillow 13CW and I felt like a rock star. I may’ve been going off a few times every event, but—and I can’t stress this enough—I was having the time of my life.”

“My motto then was: ‘If you’re not spinning, you’re not trying.”

However, he adapted rapidly. “Smooth is fast in that car. The more I softened my inputs, the better the car responded. My lap times fell, and I set my sights on a pretty significant goal early on. The aim was to set a Buttonwillow 13CW lap under two minutes on 200TW tires without the help of any aero.”

As James learned, trimming the first few seconds is easy. Three years passed before he was able to whittle his times down to something nearing his goal, but he didn’t care too much. Again, the thrill of driving and learning the nuances of the S2000 were the wind in his sails.

One of his biggest hurdles with the car was learning how to gel with its nervous behavior. “I was usually leaving some on the table because the rear was on a knife edge,” he said. It would give him the willies when the S2000 would rotate at higher speeds, but James realized that he had to suppress his instinct to lift his right foot. Backing out in that situation doesn’t always work well in this very pointy car.

After getting enough experience with the car’s edginess at higher speeds, he returned to Buttonwillow on a set of A052s which were well past their prime. Even after spinning the car six times, he didn’t falter. That day, he was determined to find those last few tenths.

When he saw a 1:59.7 appear on his AiM Solo, he whooped. “I went from setting a 2:14 in the same car, essentially. Sure, I moved from a Nexen to an Advan, but the car was identical otherwise. That gave me the permission, if you like, to take the next big step with this car.”

Forget Incremental Improvements

At this point, James was nearing his sixtieth track day in the car. To give it a commemorative special touch, he decided to douse it in a shade of green most often seen on Porsches. “I’d wanted a GT3 RS in Lizard Green, but I couldn’t justify the cost—I could buy a duplex for that money.”

Getting the professionals to paint it that color wasn’t cheap, either. Instead of forking out enough to buy two new motors, he set up a makeshift paint booth in his garage, studied YouTube, spent a thousand in materials, and gave it a whirl.

Not surprisingly for a car with such battle-worn exterior, prep took far longer than anything else. So much of the original panels were beaten beyond the point of sensible continuation. In the place of the old panels, he added J’s Racing front fenders and rear bumper, as well as a set of ASM rear over fenders. Over the course of four months, he spent three-hundred hours replacing panels, sanding, and swearing. The painting itself only took a few hours.

Then came a Voltex Swan Neck and a Racebred Components 3” front splitter. Along with the aero, he added a set of JRZ RS Pro coilovers and a Karcepts front sway bar which made a “night and day difference—it was almost a new car. I think the V3s were well past their prime, and I might’ve handicapped myself with those. When I finally got the right equipment, I immediately dropped my best at 13CW to a 1:55.7.”

Ready for Some Overdue Jam

The motor had been through the ringer and in July 2020, the motor dropped a valve. He spent the summer rebuilding another 2.2-liter Honda short block with a Port Flow Design cylinder head built by Tom Fujita. With Supertech dual springs, valves, and retainers, he’d be able to beat on it without worry. However, it was still lacking a little jam.

For that reason, he unsheathed his credit card one Black Friday and ordered an HKS GT2 Supercharger. That was the first of many modifications needed to double an F22C’s output.

With the guidance of Son Vo and FormulaS, the new engine package was fortified with a V-mount intercooler, plenty of ducting, 1300cc injectors, an AEM V2 ECU, and all the custom piping needed to keep the motor running cool.

Plans for a Forced Induction Future

The beauty of this supercharged motor is that it will remain as tractable as it was pre-blower, but with nearly twice the power at the top-end. Because of its linearity, it should be tractable, even with the stock differential.

To ensure over 400 horsepower is put to the pavement cleanly, he’s also widened the footprint a little with a set of Titan7 T-R10 wheels measuring 18X10.5”. Though he hasn’t settled on a specific tire, he’s thinking a square set of 295-section Hoosier A7s. Not only will the car put the power down, but it will stop in a fashion that might let him reuse his original braking points. Well, maybe.

“After seventy-five track days, I’m still ear-to-ear. Actually, I’m like a kid on Christmas the day before a track day. I purposely don’t drink caffeine from noon onwards so I can sleep. It doesn’t really work; I end up getting up at 3 AM and watching racing videos on YouTube until I leave.”

“What I’m looking forward to more than anything is that, once I pass Sunset, I’ll no longer feel like checking my e-mails.”

With the major drop in time he enjoyed after the last big step in modification, maybe his new goal of a 1:49 at CW13 is in the cards. Whether it is or isn’t, it’s certain that he’ll be grinning the whole way there.

Jake's S2000: Balance and the Best of All Worlds

The first 5-10 track days went well. Jake Montinola’s E36 M3 was so forgiving, so comfortable, and so beautifully balanced that the start was without many worrying moments. That changed when he tried an S2000 on the tenth event. He was hooked immediately, and the ease with which he entered into racing was replaced with trepidation. But that justifiable concern was tied to a sort of excitement that Jake knew he needed more of in his life.

The breakaway in the S2000 was faster, the reactions faster, and the need to drive it more smoothly forced him to alter his style consciously—one of the first things he changed. Gary Yeung and Gary Wong were huge influences who helped reshape his style to be smoother, neater, more considerate of things like the rate of brake release, and much more concerned with keeping the rear underneath him. Some people can drive the S2000 with a lot of slip angle very effectively, but the inherent pointiness of the car requires a delicate touch, regardless of driving preferences.

Gary Yeung of Elite Performance also lent a hand with the servicing and upgrades. For a long while, all the car had was an HKS exhaust and a set of Winmax pads. That was enough—Jake had been struggling to keep the fidgety car pointed in the right direction. “I probably spun it every other session the first couple times I took it out,” he laughed.

The softness of the S2000’s stock suspension became an issue he didn’t want to deal with any longer, so to try and minimize some of its willingness to oversteer, he installed a set of Ohlins DFVs. The body control improved, but he came to find that he liked the S2000 with stiffer suspension underneath it. In the Ohlins’ place, he moved onto the HKS SP coilovers that “made a world of difference.”

That didn’t mean it became an inert lump of metal. The car turned fantastically when he replaced the stock wheels with a set of Weds Sport TC105s and 255-section Advan A052s. “Turn-in was immediate after that. Then Gary [Yeung] helped me neutralize the car with a few setup tweaks. I added a front sway bar, which helped stabilize the car. I then played around with the rear dampening, as well as a more aggressive alignment with more rear camber helped improve rear traction.

Always a fan of the ASM cars, Jake made his look like one with their front bumper and wider fenders.

In addition to having this extra pointy front end at his disposal, he had a fantastic braking system with real anti-dive to help the platform stay solid so the driver could absolutely stomp the middle pedal at the beginning of the brake zone. “The stock brakes were great, but eventually I upgraded. The Stoptech ST40 front, a reasonably priced setup, has paid off some of the initial cost with pad savings over the last couple years. “Plus, the brake feel stays consistent through a session, and I never have heat problems. I might’ve cracked one rotor, but I think it’s a great kit for the price.”

The motor went on for years, but once he passed the 170,000 mile-mark, it let go. He turned to Gary for a rebuild, who was mindful of Jake’s budget, so he used OEM parts where he could—including OEM AP2 valve springs and retainers as they’re a little stronger. Along with those, he added a Ballade baffled oil pan as well as a valve cover baffle to reduce blow-by.

Over time, he got tired of the Silverstone Grey and went with a variation of Porsche Chalk.

Though some friends felt he ought to try and spend more time learning the car before adding aero, he couldn’t resist grabbing a J’s Racing Type 2 wing. The snappiness at the rear was still noticeable—though Jake acknowledges it could’ve been his driving—so he went to the next logical step. With Megan Racing rear toe arms and rear roll center adjusters, he could correct the geometry with the rear sitting as low as it was.

With that, he’d nailed the setup. “I had 100% confidence in the car. I was attacking the esses at Sonoma and actually had a few scary moments, but I kept pushing. The car was perfect.” With a subsequent string of flawless track days, Jake hit his personal bests at Sonoma, Thunderhill West, and Laguna Seca in a short time.

Well, almost. Jake’s always loved the looks of the ASM S2000s—cars that have been able to get around Tsukuba in 56 seconds without the help of a turbo, so he grabbed himself an ASM IS11 replica front bumper to help balance the rear downforce with a little more front bite. Along with that, ASM’s vented front fenders made it possible to add a square set of 17x9.5” Volk ZE40 wheels wrapped in either Yokohama A052, Nankang AR1, or the new Nankang CRS. With all the grip available, Jake now was a little worried about something snapping.

The most renowned failure points, the hubs, had to be replaced. The front hubs are new Honda items and the rears are Karcept’s replacement hubs, which are filled in solid where the weight-reducing cut-outs are on the backside of the already thin OEM hub flange. These beefier items remove the factory rotor retention screw holes for reportedly twice the strength of the standard hubs. Along with those, he replaced the wheel bearings with standard Honda items and added ARP extended studs at all four corners.

There’s not much more he feels is needed to make this car just about perfect. A better set of Penske 8300 coilovers are currently on their way. Following that, he’ll upgrade the bushings, add a 4.3 final drive, and install a Cusco 1.5-way differential. Hopefully this diff will save him the headache of popping stock diffs—he’s been through a few already.

“I feel it’s better to keep it closer to OEM,” Jake asserts. “That way, I’m working more on my driving and worrying less about something going wrong.” The package has been built well and sports some strong parts, which should make it more than enough for consistent, stress-free, fun driving.

That’s it for the winter mods, but then there’s the change in mindset: he has a plan to go back, attack, and hit a few new PBs. He’s just been calming down a bit, enjoying the drives, and using it as a coaching tool lately—and that is no criticism of the car. It only shows that a car can be equal parts fast, fun, reliable, and challenging. Only some cars can wear a few hats well, and this lightly-tuned, rock-solid S2000 is certainly one of them.

A Letter to Our Open-Top Drivers: Is a Rollbar Necessary?

If you’re a Miata driver like me, you’ve been through a bit researching rollbars. They’re a necessity that worsens the practicality of an already impractical car. However, they do make life much more enjoyable when it comes time to tracking.

Purposeful looking, potentially chassis stiffening, and, of course, safety adding. Considering how the list of essential trackday modifications for a lightweight car like a Miata is quite short, the additional $500 needed to help ensure an unscathed exit from the car is money well spent. Moreover, the relief which comes with knowing you’re decently shielded from an impact, you gain the confidence to go harder and experience the thrills your time and energy should be rewarded with. Isn’t the whole point to feel comfortable enough to push?

This Harddog M1 rollbar set me back a mere $350 and only took a couple hours to install.

Though the initial investment isn’t much, you’ll have to pay in other ways. Say goodbye to some space inside the cabin. Also, make sure there’s proper padding in place. The last thing you want to do is spend the time and money installing a rollbar and then clonk your head on it. Though the padding may seem unreasonably stiff to the touch, it’ll deform just the right amount when your head hits it at high velocity. 

For those of confused on the definition, let’s spell it out in perfect detail. A roll bar (defined here as a protection hoop with four mounting points) will help protect the occupants in the case of a roll over accident. Additional plusses include stiffening and a place to mount your seat, harnesses, camera, fire extinguisher, and whatever else you need in your cabin. It does come with some setbacks, however: a heavier car and reduced rear visibility being the main two. 

We adhere to the usual broomstick test. This test, usually verified by laying a broomstick on top of the the rollbar and the a-frame, is meant to determine if the highest point of the helmet is beneath this line between the two highest points on the car. Obviously, any helmet protruding above this line will not be sufficiently protected in a rollover.

Many open-top race cars come equipped for rollovers from factory.

Sadly, the seriousness of the build isn’t the determining factor when considering which rollbar to buy. Some cars, like the Miata, require one to be added to run most HPDEs. Some cars are equipped more adequately for track use from the factory, and require no such addition. However, a little extra safety isn’t a terrible idea when the speeds are consistently rising. The question remains: how hard do you feel like pushing?

When it comes time to start investigating the various safety options out there, it’s good to remember that there are some shysters happy sell you some scaffolding that wouldn’t support the weight of a golf cart in a rollover situation. We’ve listed a few proper rollbars which won’t crumble—and will give you enough confidence in your car to get after it.

Even if it’s not strictly required by the sanctioning body, some additional rollover protection for the open-top car isn’t a bad idea.

Acceptable roll bars include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Hard Dog units including the AC, D (center-braced model only), AB-M1 Hardcore, TB-M1 Hardcore Hardtop, 9B-M2 Hardcore, and NB-M2 Hardcore

• Auto Power Street Roll Bar, Street-Sport Roll Bar, and Race Roll Bar

• Blackbird Fabworx (Miata / MX5/ 2017 Fiat 124) SD (for NA and NB), RZ (for NC and ND), and GT3 (for NA, NB, NC, and ND)

Known Convertibles that will pass tech “as is” from the factory

• Targa top vehicles — OK

• Audi A4 / S4

• Audi TT Roadster (2009)

• Aston Martin DB9, DBS

• BMW 1 & 6 Series

• BMW Z3 (Optional pop-up bars)

• BMW Z4

• BMW E36 (Optional pop-up bars)

• BMW E46

• BMW E90

• Chevrolet Corvette C8

• Chrysler Crossfire

• Dodge Viper

• Ferrari 355

• Ferrari 360

• Honda S2000

• Honda Del Sol (top on or off okay)

• Infinity G37

• Jaguar XK8 / XKR

• Jaguar F-Type

• Lamborghini Murcielago / Gallardo

• 2002+ Lexus 430sc

• Miata NC & ND

• Mercedes SL (1990+)

• Mercedes CLK, SLK, E Class, C Class

• Mini Cooper 2009+

• Nissan 350Z / 370Z

• Porsche Boxster

• Porsche 991 / 996 / 997

• Saab 9-3 (2004+)

• Volvo C70

• VW Eos

• Some newer Beetles — years pending

Obviously, the list of acceptable convertibles is growing. If your vehicle is not on the list, you must provide factory documentation stating that your make and model have rollover protection. Factory-produced sales brochures and websites (a link may be sent), letters, or emails—which must be on letterhead or use the manufacturer’s domain—from an employee of the factory are accepted. The letter must state very specifically that the vehicle does indeed have rollover protection. If it was an option (e.g. pop-up roll bars), then you need to prove your car has these.  If your car isn’t listed, contact info@speedsf.com and let us know.

Though the chances of a rollover are slim, it’s important to prepare for the worst. But more than that, having the right safety equipment will help a driver make the most of their time on track and rest knowing that they’ll be fine in the event of an incident. That reassurance will help them push and gets nearer to the limits more of the time, and that’s what it’s all about.

Seigo Ma's S2000: Grip and Reassurance

Photo credit: Jebin Huang

Seigo’s had a thing for lightweight Hondas since day one. His foray into track driving came through an RSX, and after about four years of that, he tried his hand at FR with an AP2 S2000.

With Gary Wong’s car in his reticle, Seigo started building this Silverstone Silver AP2 into a car that could run at the sharp end of S3. He began with a set of HKS Hipermax 4 SP coilovers, Stoptech ST40s at the front, and whatever inexpensive tires he could get his hands on. Cheap was the operative word with rubber choice; seat time was everything at this stage—especially if he wanted to get anywhere near Gary and his clean, measured, unruffled driving.

Photo credit: Jebin Huang

Despite it being his first FR, Seigo took to the S2000 quickly. Being an AP2, the rear is slightly more stable than its predecessor’s, but that doesn’t take away from the the accomplishment of adjusting so quickly to a very pointy car. Modeling his S2000 after Gary Wong’s car, he made some of the same changes to setup which help Gary drive quickly without taking in too many liberties.

After he grew tired of the silver paint, he applied a metallic green wrap to help his car stand apart.

He made sure the car remained stable and predictable at the rear so he could push comfortably. “The OS Giken differential, man! After I rode in Gary’s car, I saw how much better the car could exit corners. He’d just stand on it and the rear would take it,” Seigo said.

While the pumpkin was off, he changed the final drive to the “happy medium” 4.3. This was just enough to keep the motor out of its lackluster mid-range more of the time without the inviting constant shifting a 4.44 would require.

And if he was going to get a more stable rear, it only made sense he’d find more composure everywhere. The addition of a set of JRZ RS Pro 3-ways, found secondhand for a steal, he could hustle this car over rough spots, berms, and undulations like never before. “After the JRZs, the dorito at Thunderhill West was just afterthought,” he laughed.

Further improving the stability of Seigo’s S2000, he went for a little aero. “I didn’t want to spend thousands and wait months for a real one, so I got an Voltex Type II replica that I eventually replaced with a swanneck-style replica.” Now, the S2000, which he’d just recently wrapped a metallic green, had much more stick at the rear than most in its league.

To help the aero balance, Seigo added a trick Racebred Components front splitter—the pretty one with tunnels. These help produce more downforce than the traditional flat splitter. In theory, the tunnels work with the fender vents to help reduce front end lift.

By that stage, he’d addressed the main aims regarding balance and grip, arguably the most important traits with a track-focused S2000, so a few power adders were in order. The list was short: a Blacktrax tune, a 70mm Ballade exhaust, Mugen header, and an AFe Performance intake. The total output wasn’t much on paper, but 230 horsepower at the rear wheels in a 2,700-pound car with the right gearing is a surprisingly quick thing.

Still, horsepower was never its thing and will likely never be. “Power adders are expensive, so I’m just going to focus on weight reduction for now,” Seigo added.

Never feeling torque-limited has payoffs—namely in corners where the tires are thrust into the pavement. With a flat underbody extending all the way from the splitter to the Spoon replica diffuser, he’s able to take some quick corners without much concern. With Thunderhill’s Turn 8, it’s just a matter of turning in and staying flat—all at around 108 miles an hour.

“It’s so easy to drive at the limit now! It does exactly what you want it to do, and although it doesn’t have that much power, it can catch more powerful cars—even at Thunderhill East. They walk away in the second half of the track, but I can close the gap in from Turn 1 through 8, though they’re still a little faster in Turn 7.”

Eventually, he had to address one of the S2000’s few shortcomings. With a kit consisting of RX-8 rear calipers and Mustang vented rotors, he got rid of the overheating problem which plagues the stock rear solid rotors. While at it, he decided to upgrade the rear hubs to Karcepts. He’d seen the way Gary Wong’s hubs had given up at Thunderhill West and had no desire to experience that himself.

For now, the desire to put him in contention with Gary Wong and not damage his bank balance has given him one route to follow: weight reduction. With a lighter Shorai battery, APR carbon mirrors, and a carbon fiber hardtop, he‘s trimmed a good hundred pounds from the car, but it’s still about a hundred away from his target weight. He hasn’t committed to the idea of turning this car into a rough, amenity-free track scalpel, but with the indecisive way he’s been casually removing interior panels, it’s not hard to guess where he’ll be in a year.

. With a little dieting, there’s a chance he could give Gary a good fight.

Exterior:
-Fender Roll/Pull
-Replica Voltex Type 7.5 1700mm
-K1 Style Ducktail
-Alumalite flat floor
-Voltex Style Fender Flares
-Racebred Components Splitter with tunnels
-CR Style Lip
-Fender Vents
-Mugen Style Hardtop
-DF Style Side Skirt
-APR Mirrors
-OEM Hood with Trackspec Hood Louvers
Wheel/Tire: Titan 7 17x9.5 with 255/40/17 Advan A052

Interior:
-Momo Mod 78 330mm
-NRG Short Hub
-Worksbell Rapfix GTC
-Recaro RSGE Bride/Cusco Zeta III Sport C with Bride Rails
-CR Shift Knob
-Cusco 6 Point
-Hard Dog Roll Bar
-Innovate Oil Pressure/Temp with SOS Gauge Mount
-Shorai Scorpion Lightweight LiFePO4 Battery (2.75lb)

Suspension:
-Hard Race RCA w/ Camber Offset
-Spoon Gusset Plates
-Origin Fab Front Offset Bushings
-Random Mix of Hardrace/Ballade/ESM spherical bushings
-Megan 32mm Front Swaybar - 2 Position
-Hardrace 30mm Rear Swaybar - 2 Position

Brakes:
-Stoptech ST40
-Raybestos ST45 Front and ST43 Rear Pads
-Reilly Racing RX8 rear caliper conversion kit with Mustang GT Rotor
-Project Mu G-Four Fluid

Engine/Drivetrain
-Ballade 70mm Exhaust
-70mm TP
-Mugen AP2 Header
-AFE Takeda Intake with Oiled Filter
-Flashpro Tune by Blacktrax Performance
-Vibratechnics Fast Road Engine Mounts
-Moroso Baffle with Trap Doors
-Schmuck Built Coolant Reservoir/Catchcan Combo
-Koyo Radiator
-Spoon Clutch Disk/ Ballade 10lb Flywheel
-4.3 Final Gear
-OS Giken 1.5way LSD
-Road Runner Fuel Tank Baffle

Best Laptimes:
Thunderhill East Bypass: 1'58.2
Thunderhill West:1'22.0
Laguna Seca: 1'40.07
Sonoma: 1'47.8
Buttonwillow CW13 - 1'55.5

SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - JUNE 16, 2019 - ROUND 6 @ WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

Introduction

Oh my goodness, what an event! This course again proved to be everyone’s favorite, as not only were both days featured full slots across all run groups, but 35 drivers filled this SpeedSF Challenge at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with the S3 and S4 classes being the most stacked, with 8 and 10 drivers respectively.

A notable appearance was made by a Ferrari 488 Pista driven by a capable owner in Class X, as well as a pair of McLaren 720Ss that tried to keep up with the Ferrari.

Now that we have that out of the way, it’s time to move on to the regular cars on the field!

Class S1

Again known as the Porsche GT3 class, this group featured 4 drivers, 2 of whom were in the 1:37s! Maksym Lytvyn brought his 2014 Porsche GT3 ready to dominate, and he surely did as he placed a healthy 1:35.712, earning him a great 1st place win. That was not only the fastest time of the group but was also fastest time of the entire day, beating the 488 Pista by ~.901 seconds! Great work by him here!

2nd place was claimed by Hai Peg Sun in his GT3 thanks to a 1:37.013 fast lap time, while Bruce Lee took home 3rd place with his 1:37.822 lap time with his Camaro ZL1. Pretty close fight!

Class S2

Someone thought he was in S1, because 1st place winner Gary Yeung threw down a 1:37.701 lap time in the Dirty Mango S2000, beating the previous S2 lap record for Laguna once held by Andrie Hartanto and his Porsche GT4. That lap time was a 1:37.974, and Gary didn’t need a Porsche or 6 cylinders to beat it! Congrats on the Wine Country Motorsports $50 gift certificate!

2nd place winner Steve Chi put in a 1:39.030 lap time with his almighty 2010 BMW M3, while Geoff Richards and his 2008 Porsche 997S did well to take home 3rd place thanks to a great 1:42.449 lap time.

Class S3

The S3 class featured consistently fast drivers; the same faces we have seen throughout the season. 1st place winner Gary Wong took “TayTay” the white 2004 Honda S2000 for a thrill ride, resulting in a 1:40.430 lap time. Gary certainly “Shook Off” Gary Yeung’s old Dirty Mango Laguna lap record, which was a 1:40.618 lap time. This earned Gary Wong a $50 gift certificate from Wine Country Motorsports thanks to some great heroics on display! 2nd place winner

Patrick Chio drove his red missile BMW M3 for a great 1:41.033 lap time while Kenneth Yip was rounded out the podium in 3rd place thanks to a 1:42.713 lap time in his 2011 BMW M3.

Class S4

The continuing domination of the S2000s in classes S2 and S3 extended into S4, as the ever-so-competitive Sohan Kota took his own 2000 S2000 around Laguna for a 1:43.581 lap time. What looks like as fresh from the showroom, Nash Ramar’s 2019 Mazda Miata carried him to a 2nd place win thanks to a 1:44.408 lap time, while Joe McGuigan drove the stickered-up FR-S to a 3rd place finish, putting down a 1:45.893 lap time.

Class S5

S5 Miata Club featured close lap times for the podium place winners, as they all hit the 1:49 lap time wall. With tenths separating each other, this was a nailbiter. Wa H brought along a Spec Miata and earned his 1st place due a 1:49.183 lap time. Scott Smith, less than .400 seconds off, drove a fine 1:49.564 lap time. Daniel Doerr and his 2016 Mazda Miata Club (wow a not-Spec Miata) was very close to 2nd, but ultimately had to settle for 3rd place with his 1:49.626 lap time. Great close driving by everyone in S5!

Class X

Ah yes, back to our star players: the Ferrari 488 Pista, McLaren 720S, with the 2 co-star purpose-built racing cars: a Lola Sports Racer and a Radical!

1st place winner was Frank Fun, whose 1:36.613 lap time in his Ferrari 488 Pista removed all doubts as to which would be a faster car on the track. The McLaren 720S piloted by Fui Lam was driven to a well-earned 2nd place thanks to his 1:37.299 lap time, putting him a little over .600 seconds ahead of 3rd place winner David Colbert’s lap time. The 1:37.925 lap time in the 1980 Lola TS40 D Sports Racer was hard-fought for, as the honorable mention goes to 4th place’s Nady, who, in his own McLaren 720S, was only .007 seconds away from getting a podium finish! Wow, that is close!

CONCLUSION

This was a great day out for all of our drivers. The S2000’s dominance was displayed once again in classes S2-S4 with Gary Y, Gary W, and Sohan “Gary X” Kota respectively leading the way in showing the S2000 prowess.

Excellent job to our who won their places and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge! For those who are still chasing podium finishes, more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of the track will certainly get you there!

As we look forward to Round 7 of the SpeedSF Challenge at Buttonwillow Raceway on June 30th, we want to say that we truly appreciate our sponsors and participants as it would not be possible without them! 

We thank our sponsors Wine Country Motorsports, G-Loc brakes, Titan7 Wheels, Necksgen, and Charles Schwab for their continued and valued support. Please visit their respective websites to show your support and let them know SpeedSF sent you!

Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be held at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, CA. Again, please check out the event website by clicking here. We will see you at our next event!