Wiborg Engineering is back for 2019 season! TANU RD1 recap!

Wiborg Engineering is back for 2019 season! TANU RD1 recap!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

TANU: Ring Knutstorp – ROUND 1 | May 10th and 11th

An amazing start to the 2019 season!

During the winter the Wiborg Engineering Evo had undergone a massive upgrade program featuring a new engine and turbo/IC setup. Weight saving of close to 50kg, implementation of carbon brakes and a completely new front end aero package.

The team knew beforehand that the first race weekend was going to be a real challenge with all the new bits and pieces on the car, no prior shakedown and a double race weekend that started in Norway and the Rudskogen track with NTA series on Friday and the weekend would be finished with TANU on Saturday at the Knutstop track in Sweden.

The team arrived early Friday morning at a rainy Rudskogen track in Norway, the car was unloaded and all the tools and equipment set up in the pit box. The first 3 outings on the track were spent on a fully wet track with a very busy shakedown program where the new brakes were bedded in, the new engine is broken in, the new boost control setup tuned and some fine tuning of the engine ECU and new aero package started.

After 3 heats on full wets, the track was beginning to dry up and with more rain scheduled for later in the afternoon the team new, this might be the only chance this day to go for the tintop track record that was the aim with this trip. The boost was still on a very low setting (2.0 bar) due to the limit time to set up the car. The track was judged to be dry enough to head out on slick tires. Slicks showed to be the correct choice but the track was still damp and very slippery but one attempt on a fast lap was done but it was impossible to get a good enough lap time in to brake the current record due to some of the corners still being fully wet. Despite this a time of 1:24:8 was but down only 3 seconds of the record before the heat was red flagged due to an accident.
The team hoped for the weather to stay dry for another 60 min for a chance of a run on a fully dry track but unfortunately, it started raining heavily again. The amount of water on the track meant the planned schedule also had to be canceled. The car was later in the afternoon sent out in the heavy rain for a run in the finals to secure the overall race win, the time set was good enough to win with almost 10 seconds and the team packed up quickly and prepared for the trip back to Sweden and Knutstorp where some sunny weather was forecasted. Although the record could not be broken the team was in very good spirits after a great event by NTA and the car seemed to be working perfectly so far.

Saturday morning after only a few hours of sleep the team again unloaded all the gear into a pit box this time at Knutstorp and the first race of TANU series. The weather for Saturday was perfect with sun forecasted for the entire day. The plan was to continue the aborted shakedown program during the first 3 heats and then go for the tin top record in the final (4th heat).
The 1st heat, however, did no go as planned as a fatigue failure on the OEM steering rack caused the car to go off track and hit a banked grass section with the splitter first. Mikael and the team managed to do some quick repairs of the failed rack and patch up the splitter that luckily only suffered cosmetic damages but for this meant another heat was lost which was a big issue due to the limited track time available.

For Q1 the car was sent out still running at the low 2.0 bar boost setting, after 3 laps a time of 57,9 was put down only 0.9 sec of the overall tin top record. For Q2 the boost was raised to 2.2 bar and some new Yokohama super soft compound slicks fitted and another 3 laps put in. The result was an impressive 56,2-sec lap a full 0.8 seconds faster than the current tin top lap record and the setup and balance was now spot on.

With the tin top record already broken the overall lap record seemed to be within reach standing at 55.5 seconds. a further 0.7 sec was needed and prior to the final, the boost was raised to last years max levels at 2.4 bar (2.8 bar is the intended race boost level for 2019). The car setup was absolutely spot on and after 2 attack laps, the clock showed an amazing time of 55.177 a new absolute track record with a 0.3-sec margin and a the tin-top record was now broken by 2 seconds. This meant the 10-year-old record overall track record had been broken and not by a formula car!

So to summarize the first weekend of 2019 it seems the changes done for the 2019 spec Evo performed exactly as intended and that there will fall a lot of records this summer.
For the next race, the last tuning on the boost control and engine ECU will also be finished to enable the max boost of 2.8 bar to release the last bit of speed.
A huge thank you to the team that consists of Mikael, Jimmy, Martin, Marcus and Lucas and of course all our partners that make this possible.

Frederik is running Konig Hypergrams in 18×9.5 et 25mm all around in Race Bronze. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

Federik Wiborg recap of TANU RD1 at Ring Knutstorp in Sweden!!!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

TANU: Ring Knutstorp – ROUND 1 | May 11th and 12th

After pulling of somewhat of a miracle the team lead by Mikael W managed to have the car finished and engine started for the first time after returning from the dyno at 20:00 on Thursday evening, this came after working more or less 24/7 for 3 months to catch up to the first round.
So on friday 05:00 the team headed towards Knutstorp to take on round 1 of the 2018 TANU championship.

Knowing that the car was more or less completely new there was for sure gonna be issues during Friday free practice, amazingly during the first heat cruising around for 3 laps everything seemed to be working flawlessly, all systems were running ok and the car seemed to behave as supposed. After going over everything the team headed out for free practice nr 2, on just the second lap upping up the phase the power steering went down, the coming 4 heats where just about trying to figure out why the power steering did not work. After the Friday practice and only running 10 laps at cruising speed the power steering issue was still not solved.

Entering Saturday and race day all hoses, pump reservoir had been exchanged, rerouted and the pump reservoir had a bigger return valve welded on. However this still did not fix the issue and the warmup was aborted after just 1 lap. Coming in to Q1 help arrived after JapTuning and Stefan Påhlsson had brought a backup power steering pump, pump reservoir and hoses. Although replacing all this parts the power steering was still not working so Q1 was aborted with no real time set. Coming in to Q2 the team started to realize there where probably no issues with the power steering system itself, the issues was more due to the steering forces on the rack being to high this year causing the belt to slip on the pump demanding to much pressure. So as a last attempt to at least make it better a new “to short” belt was forced on causing higher tension on the belt then intended by the belt-tensioner.

However going out in Q2 it was soon obvious this wasn’t working either. So knowing there was nothing else to do for the final it was just to accept the situation and deal with it best possible. After only runing 15-20 laps at cruising speed and without a working power steering it was just about trying to get a time set. Although not having driven the car on attack and having to roll through the quick section and overall struggling to turn the car a 59:0 time was set taking the overall win and being less then 0.5 sec slower then current Time Attack track record, showed som real potential in the car. Now the team has 3,5 weeks to fix some small issues and most importantly fix the power steering issues before round 2 at Kinnekulle. I would like to take the opportunity to thank some people involved in this build making it possible to do what we are doing.

Mikael Wiborg – The mastermind (and most likely Swedens no 1 chassis manufacturer) behind putting this incredibly vehicle together, putting almost every free second for the last 8 months into building this beast from scratch. Not only is it incredibly light and strong and fast but if you have the chance to take a look at the car in real life. Make sure to pay attention to all the small details and amazing solutions to shave of a few grams here and there.

Stefan at KBM Racing Engines – Amazing work in making the engine mapping during the winter and the support for the 2018 season.

Patrik at Street Performance – Our first sponsor on board this project supplying us with great parts from D2 and AEM.

Scott at Konig Wheels USA – For providing us with some amazingly light and strong racing wheels.

Pelle at Würth Svenska AB – Tools, bolts, machines, glue, paint whatever you might need in the garage there is nothing Wurth can´t solve.

Stefan at JapTuning – Although not been a partner of Wiborg Engineering Stefan always helps out when in need of spares or just having questions regarding the Japanese tuner engines.

Not to forget is, Martin, Jimmy, Lucas, David, Adam, Marcus, Helge and Peter helping out in the garage.

See you at Kinnekulle in 3.5 weeks.

Frederik is running Konig Hypergrams in 18×9.5 et 25mm all around in Matte Grey. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

Lawrence debuts in FD PRO with back-up car

Posted on by Konig Gfx

FORMULA DRIFT LONG BEACH, CA – ROUND 1 | August 8th and 9th

What’s up everybody! Kevin here with my recap of the Formula D season opener at Longbeach, CA.

After losing the engine in my S14.3 on the dyno just a few days before leaving to Long Beach, The team and I revised our plans and decided to run Enjuku Racing’s R32 Demo car as this was our quickest option to have a car ready for Long Beach. We scrambled to bring the R32 up to tech regulations for Formula D competition as well as swapped over my last seasons nitrous kit and Garrett 3582 turbo to try and get some more power out of the R32. After a last minute trip to Tampa, FL to see my tuner Martin from RS-Enthalpy we were table to turn the R32s power up to 685whp from 505whp and off we went to make it out to Long Beach. After the 2.5 days travel filled with traffic stops and loosing parts of the roof of my trailer we finally arrived to the venue and loaded in for tech inspection, we passed tech with flying colors and then we were ready for practice and qualifying the next day.

FRIDAY

Friday morning after warming up the car in the pits I headed off to get in line to take my first practice pass. However after entering the burn out box and doing a few circles I heard a pop and realized my left rear axle had snapped. I scrambled back to our pits where the team confirmed the axle was broken and we got to work swapping it out. Unfortunately the spares we brought were a different length and would not just swap right in, we had to swap the outter stub that broke from the new axle to the old one in order to get the car back out to make a pass. This took a bit of time but we finally got it done and back out. After waiting in line again I was up next for a pass, this time no pop in the burn out box so I pulled up to the start line. Off I went and entered into the first turn of the tight course, I probably went into this pass with way more trust than I should have but I did alright for the first turn. Coming into the second one I pass the touch and go and then realize im going in too deep towards the Judges wall. I pitched more angle and pinned the car to try and dig out away from the turn but the impact was still going to happen. I tagged the rear wall which in return pulled the front of the car into it as well. I got the car back to the pits for evaluation of the damage and was suprised to find that other than all the cosmetics of the car the only suspension
part to really take the hit was the front lower control arm. We swapped that out as well as hammered out the chassis as best we could to keep the fenders from rubbing the rear tire and I rushed to try and get in a pass before qualifying. Unfortunately practice was called when I was about 3 positions back from making a pass so I would move on to qualifying with out making a full complete pass.

Pulling up to the line to take my first qualifying lap also my first ever full pass at long beach it felt as if there was a building sitting on my chest. I did my best to put all that aside and was able to take a very conservative pass and not hit any walls and earn a score of a 68. Knowing that was good enough to put me in the show I did what I could on my second pass to tidy it up a bit which worked and netted me a score of a 71. After the qualifying meeting I was informed I would battle Chris Forsberg in the Top 32.

SATURDAY

I was able to get in 6 complete passes before my battle with Chris, all of which I dialed in a bit better than the run before. Chris being the higher point qualifier was up to lead first. Light goes out and off we go, I was excited to see that on the run up I was able to keep up with him in our R32 demo car on the straight. We enter into the first corner and thats exactly when I realized he had way more grip in his car when in drift that what I had. We did take a bunch out in hopes to prevent another axle breaking. He is able to gain some distance on me and I do everything I can to keep up. Coming into the final transition I reach over to down shift from 4th to 3rd and the car accidentally shifts into 5th causing me to bogg out and loose more distance from Chris going into the final turn. Now my turn to lead I knew Chris had the advantage on me going into this half of the battle so my best defense was to put down the best lead lap I could in hopes that Chris would make a big mistake behind me resulting in us getting a OMT call. We leave the line and I give this pass my all, I honestly would say it was the most comfortable / cleanest pass I have had all weekend. I was hoping for Chris to make a mistake on this pass behind me but hearing his car not far behind me I knew that he wouldn’t let me have the win that easy. He kept right up with me and followed my line just as the judges asked. Chris would be awarded the win and this would wrap up my first time driving Long Beach as well as my Pro1 debut in Formula D.

I want to extend a huge thank you to my Team, Sponsors, and Family for all their absolutely amazing support and keeping me going and not letting me give up on this event. Everything it seemed was going against us to not make it out to Long Beach but we never gave up and I was able to get out there, Qualify, and run my First Pro 1 battle with our Demo car turned Pro1 legal car with that was done with in under a weeks time. Again thank you all so very much for everything I cant wait to get the S14 back together for the next one.

Kevin is running Konig Dekagram in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Dekagram is Flow Formed.

Ding takes on Mio-Ohio for #GRIDLIFE – Track Battle Rd1!!!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

GRIDLIFE – Track Battle Round 1 – Mid-Ohio | April 14th and 15th

Mid-Ohio has always been a demanding and tricky circuit to tackle, and for this year’s Gridlife TrackBattle season opener it proved to be no different. However, for Fiona and I, just making it to the event was a victory all by itself…

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Rewind to a weekend before Mid-Ohio, we arrived at Gingerman Raceway for a shakedown, to make sure both my highly-reworked S2000 and Fiona’s new-to-her E46 M3 would work as intended. Much to our surprise, everything that could go wrong, DID go wrong. My S2000 experienced some major oil pressure problems that left the health of the engine in serious doubt, while the M3 suffered a pretty serious fire after an off. Most of the driver-side wiring were toasted, as well as a couple of sensors for the engine/trans and some bodywork, but luckily the car survived mechanically and Fiona escaped unharmed. At the end of the weekend, we were left with two barely working cars and absolutely exhausted, but there was little time to breathe.

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Calling the week that followed “hectic” is an understatement. Not only were we caught up in school commitments and exams, but we had to find a way to resolve the issues and ensure they are ready to race before the weekend. Huge thanks to our sponsor Brian of BaoHouse Racing, who was able to squeeze in a last minute check for both of our cars, as well as Mikey of Xenocron Tuning, who helped analyze the issues with my F22C engine and reassure me that it was luckily okay. Although there remained a few issues, we were out of time and had to set off for Mid-Ohio.

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Pokemon onesie is now the official TeamARF team wear, because Fiona said so…

As we arrived at the track, we quickly realized that the weekend will be defined by a single factor: the weather. Every source suggested that the weekend will be filled with rain starting right around our first session, and Mid-Ohio itself is notoriously difficult in the wet. If we were to be successful this weekend, we would not only need a fast lap time, but to set that fast lap as quickly as possible.

Saturday morning, and the news was good. The track remained dry, but the forecast was not pretty. The pressure was on, and I came up with a sneaky plan… You see, in time attack, traffic is the worst nightmare. You can be 2 seconds faster than your previous best, and one slow car at the wrong point on track will completely ruin your efforts. In order to get as many clean laps in as possible, Fiona and I lined up early to be at the front of Group B, just behind Levi Brown in his incredibly fast TrackMod Civic EF Hatch. The strategy proved invaluable, as many of our competitors ended up stuck in a train of slower cars. With Mr. Brown ahead of me acting as a target and Fiona behind chasing me down, I settled down and gave it my all.

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My lap was far from perfect, and the tire pressure setting had skyrocketed during the session, but we still banged in a 1:39.098, obliterating the old Street class record and a stunning 1.9 seconds faster than the next fastest car in Street, a Corvette C7. In fact, that lap would’ve landed me in a podium spot in any RWD category, whether it be StreetMod, TrackMod, or Unlimited. I was happy with that result, but not with the my lap. I knew the car had plenty left in it and I could’ve improved to a 1:37 by the next session or two. Fiona, meanwhile, went faster every lap as she got to grips with the M3 and Mid-Ohio, and managed a 1:48.372, 8th fastest in a highly competitive 17-car Street RWD field and also the fastest E46 M3 out of 3 entries in Street.

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Unfortunately, our fun was cut short just before the start of the second session, when a light drizzle began to fall. However, it quickly turned into a monsoon that soaked the whole track and buried the hope of any dry running for the rest of the day. Sunday was much of the same, and although we had a lot of fun slicing and dicing in the rain, the time charts remained unchanged. I walked away with a victory, which was my goal right from the get go, but doing so before the others got a chance to does make it a little less enjoyable. Fiona, meanwhile, is also unhappy with the outcome. As much as I told her that it was a very valiant effort and a great first showing on a new track with a new car, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed, as she had prepared so hard for the event in the months before.

Overall, it was certainly a perfect start to the season for me in terms of results, gaining a lot of valuable points on the competition at a track we expected to excel at. Fiona’s performance is also getting better by the weekend, and we can’t wait to head down to Road Atlanta in three weeks for Global Time Attack!

Jackie is running Konig Dekagrams in 18×9.5 et 35mm all around in Semi Matte Black. The Konig Dekagram is Flow Formed.