Bueller

iTrader: (1)

For those of you who want to read about the details of my 2 BRP races you can read my post on my homepage:
http://www.ednazarian.com/


One video clip added for now. Im working on getting some in-car from my competitors. If they are ok with me posting it i will post it. But here is what Mike got from the tower for now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVwgAkB6-MU


Here is my somewhat brief post-race recap (we are working on the video):

This past weekend I was racing at BRP on configuration 13CW. It was a significantly important race weekend for me due to several reasons. For one, as a rookie racer I’m on a provisional racing license and I have to safely complete 4 races without incidents so that I can apply for my official racing license. I had already completed 2 races successfully at CS, and now I have successfully completed 4 races after my 2 BRP races. After the 2nd race I got the approval from the race director to apply for my official racing license. So in short, it was an amazing weekend! Tons of pressure to deal with since I was working on successfully completing my 3rd and 4th race. And if that wasn’t enough pressure to deal with, my competition was out there...the Mazda GT race cars. Since they run in another race series other than Super Touring 2, they skip CS, so I didn’t race against them at CS when I ran my first 2 races (March 28-29). Before I proceed I must say that those Mazda GT race cars are a force to deal with. I don’t know all their specs, but from what they have posted, those Mazda GT race cars have a tube-frame chassis with a fiberglass body. They are listed to weigh 1795 lbs, and apparently produce 265hp. I was told they are down on power right now, but it really doesn’t matter much based on how those cars were performing. Besides, my car isn’t even close to being near the weight/power ratio of Super Touring 2, let alone purposely built for racing like those Mazda GT race cars. With the help of my sponsors and supporters, in time my car will become better developed. If I can get the help I need, look to see my car getting faster and faster. But most importantly, I am so fortunate to be racing against such purpose-built race cars, because there are many of them, and the competition is fierce. My car is so much more different than those Mazda GT race cars, 1795 lb tube-frame chassis that is a purpose-built race car vs. a 3200 lb production car that has a cage and other safety bits to make it legal for racing. In the end we sort of end up balancing each other out, which makes for some really intense battles.

After my 2 races at CS (Cal Speedway), I was happy with how the car had performed, but I knew my car needed a significant amount of development for it to be a Regional front runner, let alone a Nationally competitive race car. Given my CW (competition weight), I am underpowered anywhere from 30-50whp. We put our heads together at RRE and decided to stick to our original plan, which involves focusing on removing weight, and to keep my OEM turbo while working to better develop my car with that setup. I don’t have the extra money to upgrade my turbo, besides, at this juncture I would much rather focus on other issues. On top of that I don’t want to turn up the boost, therefore, for now we are going to focus more on removing/transferring weight as opposed to adding more power.

At CS I estimated that I was down about 30-40whp. This past weekend at BRP it was a bit hotter during my 2 races, so I decided to turn the boost down a bit more. We’re already running low boost, but I’m in no big hurry right now to make more power. So at these 2 races I estimate that I was down about 40-50whp. I didn’t think it would be that noticeable running a bit less boost from CS, but it was. There is no way I can explain how intense those 2 races were against the Mazda GT race cars. Both races were absolutely intense and close from start to finish.

Before I proceed to my results, I want to say another big thanks to everyone at RRE. We had my car back at RRE after my 2 CS races to do some more work on the car. Mike got to work on my car and within a few hours took out a little bit of weight due to extra brackets and miscellaneous things. Unfortunately, it came out the rear, but we also have some plans for taking weight off the front. We also wanted to try to free up a little more hp with my OEM turbo, so Garcia did a little porting, and with a few more changes Scot did some more tuning. I figured if we can turn down the boost a hair and still make the same amount of power that would be great. Scot got ready to do some tuning and on about the 2nd or 3rd pull my clutch started slipping. Honda and Mike confirmed that my clutch would probably not make it through the weekend. They reassured me and told me not to worry because they were going to set me up with an ACT clutch. It was really late, and at that juncture we honestly didn’t care to put more time into tuning given the condition of my OEM clutch. They contacted ACT and set me up with a new clutch. Thank you ACT! I picked up my car ready to go Thursday evening. Did a little test drive and everything felt solid. I really liked the new clutch right off the bat. Simply put, the clutch engages much more quickly. Other than that it felt good and solid, not sure how else I can explain it. Given my new clutch, I figured it would be wise for me to do some mild testing before my 2 races. BRP had a test day on Friday for our NASA weekend, so I did the half day and did some mild testing. Everything felt great, so I was confident to move forward with my race weekend. Being confident with your race car is paramount, so it was a major relief to know the car was ready. So a big thanks to RRE and ACT for helping me resolve that issue last minute. Moving onto my results:

Saturday Super Touring 2 Qualifying times:
1. 98 - James Wagaman - 1:58.825
2. 35 - Josh Carroll - 1:59.253
3. 77 - John Van Caneghem - 2:00.634
4. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:00.745
5. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 2:01.169
6. 0 - Team Fast 7's /Dragoun - 2:01.714
7. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:02.987

Saturday Super Touring 2 Race results:
1. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 1:58.592
2. 98 - James Wagaman - 1:58.546
3. 35 - Josh Carroll - 1:58.594
4. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:00.812
5. 77 - John Van Caneghem - 1:59.616
6. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:02.517
7. 0 - Team Fast 7's /Dragoun - 2:01.223

* I was supposed to be grid up in 5th, but there was some sort of mistake and I ended up getting grid up in 6th. I ended up going from 6th to 1st, so I passed 5 cars in my class, and won the race. On top of that, at the end of our 35 min race the 2nd place driver was 2.109 sec behind me when I crossed the finish line, while the 3rd place driver was 4.709 sec behind. As you can see it was a really close race from start to finish


Sunday Super Touring 2 Qualifying times:
1. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 1:58.497
2. 98 - James Wagaman - 2:00.217
3. 0 - Dave Beatie - 2:00.792
4. 35 - Josh Carroll - 2:01.076
5. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:02.446
6. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:01.819
7. 50 - Mark Montoya - 2:03.628

Sunday Super Touring 2 Race results:
1. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 1:58.996
2. 35 - Josh Carroll - 1:58.600
3. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:02.567
4. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:04.480
5. 50 - Mark Montoya - 2:03.334
6. 0 - Dave Beatie - 2:04.528
7. 98 - James Wagaman - 2:01.449

* I was grid in 1st place. The lead was exchanged 4 times between me and Josh. I maintained the lead in the end for another major win as a rookie racer. At the end of our 35 min race Josh, who took 2nd place, trailed me by 1.692 seconds. So it was another close race that literally came down to the very last second.


So many people to thank. Thanks to all my sponsors and supporters, because without their support I would not be able to do all this. To everyone at RRE for all their hard work. A big thanks to Mike for showing up to my race. I was so focused on my race on Sunday that I honestly had no idea he was taking pictures. He even has some video footage that he is going to try to edit and send me. To everyone at Muellerized, thanks for going out of your way to take care of me all the time. Another big thanks to Girodisc for providing me with such great 2-piece rotors. I have no idea how my OEM calipers held up without brake ducting with just those rotors. Ask the people who saw my car after the Sunday race, my calipers are black. I definitely need some brake ducting because there is no way I can continue to race like this. Thanks also to ACT for helping me out last minute. I look forward to our relationship. Last but definitely not least, my friends Sean Bradley and Mark Homer. They were there helping me out, again. They also watched both my races and cheered me on. It is so awesome to have them there helping me out, watching my races, and cheering me on. Since the 3 of us have the same experiences, I know that they know what I go through, so they are probably the only people who really understand how significant and challenging these 2 wins were for me. I still can’t believe I won both races. If I had to explain it to someone else I know they will not understand. Sean and Mark are great drivers, multi-talented in various ways, and I feel like I don’t deserve to have them on my side. Thanks for being there for me, and I look forward to seeing you guys out there racing shortly!

If anyone is interested to come watch any of my races, my next 2 will be May 23-24 at Big Willow. I know the Mazda GT guys are going to bring it, along with maybe a few other Super Touring 2 racers.

Pics from Sunday:

boomn29

iTrader: (47)

Ed, nice job! I didn't expect you to leap to the front of the pack in the first 2 events!

Also, thanks for the writeup. I know a lot of us here appreciate the time spent and it helps our future aspirations/goals to see the path another fellow TTer/Racer is going!

Bueller

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Nathan. Rest assured that its harder than its seems! Honestly, when i was looking into ST2 i thought based on my lap times it was going to be relatively easy. Boy was i wrong. I know it sounds silly but i dont know how i won both days. It was extremely difficult and mentally exhausting. There are so many things happening in a race when your competition is fierce. Sensory overload to the maximum. Well, im really hoping that Mike was able to get some decent footage from the tower. If it works out i will post it up.

apex electric

I smell those new Hoosiers tires in the garage, right on Ed way to go!

s.e.a.n.

iTrader: (10)

Whats the specs on wheels and tires?

Bueller

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Dave! I had such huge battles both days. That was the first time i realized how challenging it is to race against fierce competition. What a blast!!! Between you and me, we should represent the Evos well in Super Touring 2 from the east coast to the west coast.

Bueller

iTrader: (1)

I was running 18x9.5 5zigen fn01rc wheels coupled with 275/35/18 R6s.

theshadow

You, sir, are the man!

And even more so for winning on my birthday LoL

Mucho props for being one of the few to be properly circuit racing an Evo and congratulations on the wins; I love the brownbos too. Hopefully some good ducting will sort that out. :-D

Balrok

iTrader: (15)

I agree 1000% with your moto "spend money on the driver, not the car" for starting out at any level. Tis why my sig has said the same, but rather blunt, moto since i joined evom

Bump for more info on the car/setup. Your website is lacking

Bueller

iTrader: (1)

Here is a little bit of video footage Mike got from the tower. I will incorporate this link into my first post also. I know its not much but its all i have for now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVwgAkB6-MU

Im working on getting in-car footage from my competitors. So if theirs came out ok and they are ok with me posting it i will post it up.

Bueller

iTrader: (1)

Thank you very much. And happy birthday. We will see what we can work out for ducting before my May 23-24 races. Again, i have to give credit where its due. I am so impressed by these Girodisc 2-piece rotors. You guys have no idea how intensely i was fighting to maintain my lead through our entire 35min race, from start to finish. I have never been so hard on my brakes. Its really a testament to how superb these rotors are. Without them there is no way i would have finished the race, let alone won it. However, i definitely need ducting, because there is no way i can continue to race on tracks like BRP that are really hard on brakes. I can probably get away without ducting at Big Willow and CS, but not at tracks like BRP.

Bueller

iTrader: (1)

Thanks a bunch. I am going to race with what i have as long as i can. But my car needs some serious development before it can be a Regional front runner, let alone a Nationally competitive race car. If you read my detailed write-up you will see by how much im underpowered. Even if i get my w/p to where im allowed to have it, i still need to work on aero, and various other factors. In high speed sections my car feels like a parachute, so there is no way i can keep up with cars like Vettes without some better aero. And thanks to my friends who were watching my BRP races, it appears i need a new undertray also because it hangs severely, and flip flops all over the place.

apex electric

Whether you race cars, fly aircraft, mountain climb or do any extreme sport, its all about understanding what time you have on earth and how to use it. Enjoy your racing Ed and keep writing!

Bueller

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Dave! Youre right! Im having so much fun doing all this. So many things involved. Just watching my car develop is fun in itself. Cant wait to see how we develop it the next few months.

Balrok

iTrader: (15)

I hear ya, we just want to know the setup anyway, cause we're all at that same stage. Just like parts, don't need to divy out any setup/alignment secrets. I'm pretty much setup exactly like you, also considering the turd like aero of the evo. It's just aero is so damn expensive Do you get a rear tray/diffuser, or a different bumper, but if you get a different bumper, you have to build a bar, and maybe rethink the tow hook, etc etc etc lol. Trying to do it all systematically is hella fun, until you review the cost . Good luck bro!