Second overall and second in the AWD group was YimiSport Tuning and its ’08 Impreza STI. YimiSport may not be a household name in the world of Subaru tuning (yet), but we knew when Geoff from Full-Race suggested the company’s STI as a competitive entry for the Shootout that it would have some serious horsepower, thanks to his gen2 twin-scroll turbo kit. According to Geoff, “We knew our street car could hang with some of the top race cars because of the broad powerband, AWD drivetrain, YimiSport’s tuning and Mike Speck’s psycho prowess behind the wheel.” Second place overall in a street car with air conditioning? Gotta love it, and with an ’08 STI of your own you could duplicate this setup easily enough.
Third overall and third in the AWD group was also our long-distance driving champion, Forged Performance from Marietta, Georgia (28 hours one-way). Sharif and Will really came through in a big way considering we shafted them by inviting them with just a few weeks to spare, leaving them with very little time to prepare. Thankfully, their weapon of choice wasn’t a machine that required a radical build. According to Sharif, “Our ’09 GT-R is the newest member of our stable. Although we didn’t have intentions of racing this car, after a few quick laps around Road Atlanta, we changed our mind. In bone-stock trim, we were approaching the lap times achieved with our fully prepped race car, in spite of the 1,000-pound weight and 100-whp power disadvantage. That was enough for us to gear the car up for time attack use.” With carefully selected modifications including JRZ triple adjustable shocks, 1,000-lb Hyperco springs and Cobb antiroll bars to go along with some weight reduction and ECU reflash, Forged’s GT-R was consistently near the front of the pack, and if not for the wheel sensor issue on the dragstrip, they might have been standing a spot higher on the podium.
Winner of the FWD group and fourth overall was Tage Evanson in his Hasport-sponsored EG Honda Civic hatchback. This ageless chassis just keeps on hanging in there against much newer and more powerful machinery, but that’s a big part of its appeal. According to Tage, “Hasport, TTM and myself love this FWD platform because it’s such an underdog and it is very satisfying to be able to compete with some of the top tuners in the country when we’re on an extremely tight budget from both a cost and time perspective. Brian from Hasport worked after-hours on his own personal time, and Josh from TTM and Joe from Locash Racing also put in a ton of effort getting the blower installed and tuned just in the nick of time. If we could have gotten the nitrous system working, I think we would have been more competitive in the time attack, but our team is still very pleased with the results overall.”
As it turns out, GST wasn’t our only repeat champion. ScienceofSpeed won the RWD class last year with its supercharged Honda S2000, and this year they were again the top RWD team with their supermodel sexy Acura NSX. The attention to detail on this car is astounding, a testament to SoS owner Chris Willson’s philosophy of “precision, performance and quality.” According to driver Brady Dohrmann, “This is the best all-around track car I have ever sat in. The Moton shocks had a giant range of adjustability, so it was damped perfectly in the rain, in the dry, on racing slicks and on street tires. Power delivery was perfect—V-10–like torque delivery, yet with strong pull all the way to redline. Plus, the sound was just amazing, and with the engine behind the seat and the nighttime conditions I felt like I was in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It just felt sexy to drive. Killer.”
Ksport put in a solid performance from beginning to end with its RHD DC5 Integra Type-R, earning them second in the FWD group and sixth overall. According to driver Brady Dohrmann, “This was perhaps the most difficult and challenging yet fun car I’ve driven.”