building the mr-s for RTA (pt.1)

Good day friend,

I've just now had something exciting come up that pushed me to write to you again. Just last week I signed up for the Redline Time Attack which will be held at Buttonwillow Raceway on March 29th. This is the real test to see if my home built car is capable of delivering competition worthy of mention.

I researched information about last year's competitors as well as the regulations for each class of competition. The way the car sat would place it in modified class, which was dominated by baller ass shops such as Evasive Motorsports, so it left me no choice. I had to comply to meet a level of competition I can stand a chance with. So it begins.

The two things that held me back were tires and a catalytic converter. I was able to come up on a set of re01-r for cheap and replaced the rear r888 on my Enkei rpf1's. The front tires are now hankook rs2. They are now mounted, balanced, and installed on the car. the catalytic converter is one tough job. The RTA rulebook says a catalytic converter must be installed on the vehicle, but does not have to be in the factory location. So I began to get creative on the design. My idea was to make the catalyst a part of the axleback, this way I can swap the muffler out if need be without having to sabotage the midpipe. Catalyst is not complete yet but parts are on their way and I hope not to worry.

Aside from the necessities to compete, I'll be tackling past issues. I will be working on the aerodynamics department very much for RTA. The car suffered from understeer due to unbalanced aerodynamics of the rear wing and lacking of a working front splitter. This time, version 2, will be more developed and braced properly to ensure stability. The splitter again will be made of 1/2" plywood. Additional brackets were installed to support the stabilizer rods to the splitter. Also it will be bolted at 8 different locations between the bumper and the splitter. To keep air from being trapped in the center indentation on the lip, I have filled the void using greatstuff expanding foam, purchased at homedepot. Just a note, wear gloves when working with this stuff.

The rear bumper has been cut in half horizontally to eliminate as much drag as possible. The way it looks is raw. I can't help but think I need to make a new rear diffuser to give it a more complete look. I will look further into designing a new diffuser if necessary. Also new is installed brake ducts. Although using carbotech xp8 pads on a light car, I had experienced brake fading before. This light weight addition will help cool down the brakes after heavy use in the front and rear straightaway. I am very proud of this work.

I will be updating the work log as work progresses. For now enjoy these few of recent work...

this is the first few cuts i made on the plywood for the splitter.


it starts to take form, complete with adequate spacing for the tire to maneuver.


the splitter mounted on the car without a bumper. i'd really love to drive it like this once.


here shows the newly installed brake ducts, as well as the bracketry for splitter support.


lunch time, dirty dogs!


expanding foam on the lip, very messy work.


my attempt at bodywork and paint. just fixing a few blemishes from 2 years ago.