It was a whirlwind of a weekend for the drivers of Mechanical Advantage Racing at GingerMan Raceway, not only was this their first event of the 2020 season, but they fought extremely hot weather Saturday- which brought on overheating of cars and probably a few people – and multiple storm cells moving through Sunday that lead to very wet track conditions. Unfortunately, the Ultra Miata was unable to run this event but get pumped because Grant will be unveiling all of his hard work he put in during the off-season at Gridlife Mid-Ohio, July 31st – August 2nd. Although he was unable to run the event, Grant was there helping out in any way he could – this is what being a team is about!
TAYLOR STECK # 440
I was so excited to get the car on track after an off-season that felt like it lasted a year (or two). The new additions to the car this year revolve around my safety and comfort, so nothing too big changed externally besides the vinyl. I went with a square setup, instead of the staggered, running the Konig 18×10.5 +25 matte grey Hypergrams and Nexen SUR4G 275/40s all around. Some forums said it couldn’t be done in the front! But we made it work – with a spacer, some camber and lots of fender rolling, of course! Saturday was hot with a heat index of 104° – so if you wanted a decent run you had to get it in right after the out lap or else your tires felt like they were all over the place. I was mainly out to get acquainted with the new modifications, making sure no tire rubbing occurred and all my new brake components held up (I had some squishy pedal issues prior to refreshing the lines, rotors, and pads). With traffic in my run group and tires getting hot I wasn’t able to land the time I wanted anyway. I ended the weekend with my first experience driving in the rain! I was pretty nervous, as I no longer have ABS or traction control. The car did really well, just had a driver mishap out of turn 11 and ended up spinning into the grass. I learned going off track isn’t too bad as long as there is runoff space. Now I’m looking forward to my first time running at Gridlife Mid-Ohio on July 31st! Big thanks to Grant Walker, Ian Manger, Josh Province, and Chris Bickford for all their help and support with getting the car ready.
DAVID OTTOBRE #776
This event was the first time both the SCAR_S13 and I have ever driven on a race track. Sitting at a conservative 290WHP for the event and with street brake pads, I knew I’d have to make up time in the corners and carry as much speed as possible. With Konig 18×10.5 Hypergrams and Yokohama AO52 265/35s on all four corners, that’s exactly what I did! The level of grip out of the car was incredible, and action shots were showing the car lifting the inside front wheel, so there is room for improvement with suspension tuning! The car ended up having some overheating issues that were finally solved by cutting out the front bumper for more airflow to the intercooler and radiator. Each session on Saturday, I moved up until I was P2 in the final session. After the warmup lap, I gave the STI in front some space and went for my first hot lap with no traffic. The car laid down a 1:43.5 and had a ton left in it! My second hot lap was looking to be even faster until I carried too much speed into turn 5 and went off track. My one open hot lap put me 2nd in my class and 13th overall (of 100). Sunday, the rain came and the car wagged its tail through track sprints, so I packed up before the final event in an effort to preserve the car for #GridLife. Although I wish I would’ve stayed, I keep reminding myself it was my first track day and rain driving takes a lot of experience! I can’t wait to see what is possible as the car and I develop together. Seat time, diff, seat time, aero, seat time, brakes…..you get the picture. The quest for continuous improvement is never-ending, but I’m happy my wheel and tire selection was something I did right the first time.
Steck is running Konig Hypergram in 18×10.5 et 25 all-around in Matte Grey. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
Ottobre is running Konig Hypergram in 18×10.5 et 25 all-around in Race Bronze. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
