Thank You AMS
Thank You AMS
I wanted to take a moment and thank AMS for all their help this year. After some conversations with Ryan Gates last year, I was encouraged to buy an Evo X since I wanted to do some Time Trials and was looking for a competitive reliable car. He had great things to say about AMS and their support of the new Evo X. Once I bought the car, I immediately sought out AMS since they were a reputable full service shop with Evo experience. They not only knew how to repair the cars, but also knew the tricks to making them go fast and be reliable. The fact that AMS built their own parts gave me confidence in their understanding of the intricacies of this car.
I built the car up over the winter (see www.Evol21.com for details) with AMS’s assistance, many hours over the phone with Eric mind you, and had my first track event in April while the snow was still falling. The car was amazingly quick with lots of torque and grip. Chris from AMS provided me with several different engine maps depending on which fuel I was using and how aggressive I wanted to be with the boost. He was always a phone call away and after over 20 long days of testing and racing, I still have no problems with the engine.
Credit is due to AMS and Brian from JRZ in providing me with a winning 2 way piggy back coilover setup. The compression and rebound matched the springs so well that I could use this setup for daily street use in addition to the demands of different race tracks. The shocks were very easy to adjust and allowed me to dial out the inherent “push” in the car. These shocks gave me confidence in bringing more speed into a corner while getting on the gas sooner out of the apex. Brian helped me understand the differences between adjusting the compression and rebound together or independently and at what point to do so.
AMS and JRZ provided me with a car setup that won every race I entered while being totally consistent and durable. My goal was to win the NASA Nationals event in the TTA class at Miller this year. My first day of Nationals was on Thursday afternoon after two trailer tire blowouts in BFE Utah the night before. I missed the first 2 sessions but knew I had through Sunday to test and log some fast laps. My first session was 4 seconds faster than the second place car. I’d never been on this track before but knew all of us would get much quicker over the 4 day event. During the tech inspection Thursday evening, we encountered a problem with my point’s assessment and I needed to put my stock rear sway bar back on the car to be legal for the TTA class. NASA let me test in the race sessions while I waited for the sway bar to be shipped to me. In the meantime, my times were dropping by 1-2 seconds per session. I did encounter a problem with my transmission early on that plagued me the entire event. At first, the car was intermittently slipping out of 3rd gear, but after more and more runs, I couldn’t use 3rd gear as the syncro was completely damaged. This caused me major concerns because 4 of the corners required 3rd gear. After trying 2nd gear and 4th gear instead, I opted to use 4th gear and left foot brake to keep the boost up through the corner. This method proved to work good enough that I was still able to post faster times with each session.
My sway bar arrived on Saturday afternoon and I started the swap. While doing so, the NASA officials came by to inspect my car of the change. They were unfamiliar with the car in general and had a concern with the stock large wing and the front bumper. They thought my wing was a possible “option” which added more points to the cars classification. They also thought I had an aftermarket front bumper on the car which I didn’t. Another part which caused some confusion was the fuel surge tank AMS built for me. The officials thought it might be increasing my fuel pressure and providing more power. After some discussion, they insisted that I race in the faster TTS class and at the time I accepted. There was one more TTS session that day so I went out charging, attacking the track with an 8th place standing.
That night at the hotel I started thinking about the modifications to the car, the competition and the race in general. I had a strong argument that the car was indeed classed correctly in TTA and that my driving experience and the car setup made this a winning combination. My times were 6 seconds faster than 2nd place and I still thought I had more in the car. I also thought about the other competitors and how they would feel if I were to be moving back and forth from one class to another. The faster TTS class was more competitive and had possibly better exposure but the chances of me winning were pretty slim (actually 7 seconds). A podium spot was about 3 seconds away. Since it was Saturday night and I only had 3 more session on Sunday before the event ended, I decided to stay in the TTS class and push as hard as I could using all the track and my abilities.
Sunday morning was very cool and we all thought we would get our fastest laps then. Several of us opted to use softer compound tires. I was able to drop another second this first session which put me in 5th place. I needed another 2-3 seconds to podium which I just wasn’t sure I could do. Ryan Upham with his Evo 8 and I had some very exciting races that day and it was great to have another AMS car beside me. In the end, my fastest lap came on the last run of the day at 4:00pm. Most of the racers had packed up and left but the die hard Time Trialers were still searching for that last 10th or 100th on the track. I found another .5 second and finished in 4th place, 2.8 seconds behind 3rd place. Not bad for a slower TTA classed mildly modified Evo X with 60hp less than the competition, no additional downforce or weight reductions and a car which I drive on the streets.
To conclude, I take great pride in thanking AMS and JRZ for their support this season and being by my side through this year long battle. My goal was to buy, build, race a car in NASA TT and win. I bought an amazing car and thoroughly enjoyed the late nights and weekends in my garage building it. I found an amazing shop who provided the best parts and support a racer could ask for. And, I almost won. Next year is right around the corner so bring on the goodies AMS and let’s see what kind of damage we can do. : )
I built the car up over the winter (see www.Evol21.com for details) with AMS’s assistance, many hours over the phone with Eric mind you, and had my first track event in April while the snow was still falling. The car was amazingly quick with lots of torque and grip. Chris from AMS provided me with several different engine maps depending on which fuel I was using and how aggressive I wanted to be with the boost. He was always a phone call away and after over 20 long days of testing and racing, I still have no problems with the engine.
Credit is due to AMS and Brian from JRZ in providing me with a winning 2 way piggy back coilover setup. The compression and rebound matched the springs so well that I could use this setup for daily street use in addition to the demands of different race tracks. The shocks were very easy to adjust and allowed me to dial out the inherent “push” in the car. These shocks gave me confidence in bringing more speed into a corner while getting on the gas sooner out of the apex. Brian helped me understand the differences between adjusting the compression and rebound together or independently and at what point to do so.
AMS and JRZ provided me with a car setup that won every race I entered while being totally consistent and durable. My goal was to win the NASA Nationals event in the TTA class at Miller this year. My first day of Nationals was on Thursday afternoon after two trailer tire blowouts in BFE Utah the night before. I missed the first 2 sessions but knew I had through Sunday to test and log some fast laps. My first session was 4 seconds faster than the second place car. I’d never been on this track before but knew all of us would get much quicker over the 4 day event. During the tech inspection Thursday evening, we encountered a problem with my point’s assessment and I needed to put my stock rear sway bar back on the car to be legal for the TTA class. NASA let me test in the race sessions while I waited for the sway bar to be shipped to me. In the meantime, my times were dropping by 1-2 seconds per session. I did encounter a problem with my transmission early on that plagued me the entire event. At first, the car was intermittently slipping out of 3rd gear, but after more and more runs, I couldn’t use 3rd gear as the syncro was completely damaged. This caused me major concerns because 4 of the corners required 3rd gear. After trying 2nd gear and 4th gear instead, I opted to use 4th gear and left foot brake to keep the boost up through the corner. This method proved to work good enough that I was still able to post faster times with each session.
My sway bar arrived on Saturday afternoon and I started the swap. While doing so, the NASA officials came by to inspect my car of the change. They were unfamiliar with the car in general and had a concern with the stock large wing and the front bumper. They thought my wing was a possible “option” which added more points to the cars classification. They also thought I had an aftermarket front bumper on the car which I didn’t. Another part which caused some confusion was the fuel surge tank AMS built for me. The officials thought it might be increasing my fuel pressure and providing more power. After some discussion, they insisted that I race in the faster TTS class and at the time I accepted. There was one more TTS session that day so I went out charging, attacking the track with an 8th place standing.
That night at the hotel I started thinking about the modifications to the car, the competition and the race in general. I had a strong argument that the car was indeed classed correctly in TTA and that my driving experience and the car setup made this a winning combination. My times were 6 seconds faster than 2nd place and I still thought I had more in the car. I also thought about the other competitors and how they would feel if I were to be moving back and forth from one class to another. The faster TTS class was more competitive and had possibly better exposure but the chances of me winning were pretty slim (actually 7 seconds). A podium spot was about 3 seconds away. Since it was Saturday night and I only had 3 more session on Sunday before the event ended, I decided to stay in the TTS class and push as hard as I could using all the track and my abilities.
Sunday morning was very cool and we all thought we would get our fastest laps then. Several of us opted to use softer compound tires. I was able to drop another second this first session which put me in 5th place. I needed another 2-3 seconds to podium which I just wasn’t sure I could do. Ryan Upham with his Evo 8 and I had some very exciting races that day and it was great to have another AMS car beside me. In the end, my fastest lap came on the last run of the day at 4:00pm. Most of the racers had packed up and left but the die hard Time Trialers were still searching for that last 10th or 100th on the track. I found another .5 second and finished in 4th place, 2.8 seconds behind 3rd place. Not bad for a slower TTA classed mildly modified Evo X with 60hp less than the competition, no additional downforce or weight reductions and a car which I drive on the streets.
To conclude, I take great pride in thanking AMS and JRZ for their support this season and being by my side through this year long battle. My goal was to buy, build, race a car in NASA TT and win. I bought an amazing car and thoroughly enjoyed the late nights and weekends in my garage building it. I found an amazing shop who provided the best parts and support a racer could ask for. And, I almost won. Next year is right around the corner so bring on the goodies AMS and let’s see what kind of damage we can do. : )
Wow, congrats on getting 4th place on a class you didn't really belong to, very impressive.
Keep us posted with the progress of your racing adventures, AMS tuned/equipped cars never dissapoint!!!
BTW, your car should be called something like "The Twin".
Keep us posted with the progress of your racing adventures, AMS tuned/equipped cars never dissapoint!!!
BTW, your car should be called something like "The Twin".
I raced shifter karts many years ago, been an instructor for BMW CCA for over 18 years as well as instructing for several other organizations. Drove some Formula Mazda's etc. Quite a lot of experience.
The car should stand out more next year if I end up building it as a wheel to wheel race car. We'll see......
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GREAT JOB CLAY!!!
We could not be prouder! We will always be here if you need help and we look forward to making you even faster for 2010. Thank you so much for the writeup. I think I was smiling the entire time I was reading it
Eric
We could not be prouder! We will always be here if you need help and we look forward to making you even faster for 2010. Thank you so much for the writeup. I think I was smiling the entire time I was reading it
Eric
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Defiantly congrats on your hard work and your patients. All that stuff pays off at the end. 
And can't go wrong with AMS. Good guys with good work and quality stuff!
And can't go wrong with AMS. Good guys with good work and quality stuff!
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