The Cyrious Report – DMCC Round 4

DMCC made a return to Riverside Speedway, just outside of Quebec City for round 4 of the championship. Unlike the last time we were there a few months ago, the weather was set to be dry and sunny all day!

Leading up to this round we had to rebuild the FA20 engine in the FR-S due to a spun rod bearing the previous round. With only 2 weeks in-between rounds it was a tight turnaround to get it done, but we made it happen and were actually able to do some testing/filming at Shannonville raceway the Tuesday before the event. The test session went great, the FR-S was running spot on, I was feeling good and looking forward to round 4!

This event was a one day event, so my focus in practice was to dial the car’s set-up in and nail down a line that I liked around the course. Within a few laps I was feeling really good about our set up and was having fun drifting the FR-S. I was placing the car in all the right spots on the course and the car was running what felt like the best it ever had!

My first qualifying lap though did not go so well. I blasted down the straight into the first corner with an entry speed of about 145kph (90mph), dragged the e-brake for a few hundred feet sliding along the wall, dropped the e-brake and got quickly back on the gas into the first bank. Mid-way through the bank there was a loud "BANG" that came from the back of the car and instantly I lost drift. Right away I could tell it was a broken axle. I rushed back to the pits where my team was ready to attack the axle swap in the 25-30 minutes we had to do it. The boys got it done with about 5 minutes to spare! It’s always tough going into the second lap of qualifying knowing you have a score of 0, and if you don’t make it happen on this run your weekend is over. I stayed calm and did a decent lap, not my greatest run though, but it was good enough to qualify us in 13th! We were in the show!

In the top 16 I was to go against Kevin Moran. He's pretty consistent and his car has loads of steering angle which he likes to use, so I knew it would be a fight! I was to follow him first. I stuck very close to him all the way around the course, but when we got to the final corner he transitioned his car to quickly almost causing himself to spin, and because I was so close, I ended up bumping into him, luckily only doing some cosmetic damage. On my lead lap I ran a great lap! Kevin spun behind me so we were given the win!

In the top 8 we went against Tomy Boisvert-bellemare. His car, just like Kevin's, has loads of steering angle and he was looking pretty good all weekend so it wasn’t going to be an easy battle. Once again I was to follow first. Tom ran a decent lap, but I made some mistakes following so I knew he had an advantage going into the second lap. On my lead lap I gave it everything I had, and ran a pretty much perfect lap! When I looked back after the final turn Tom was nowhere to be seen. It turned out that he had broken an axle, earning him a 0 score on that run. Because of that and the mistakes I made on my first run, the judges called a OMT. Unfortunately for Tom, he was unable to get his car fixed in the 5 minutes allotted to fix his car, so we were awarded the win!

On to the final 4, we were to go against Alex Michaud. He is always a tough competitor so I knew I was going to need to go all out to beat him. I was to follow first. We initiated together, and I basically stuck my FR-S to his car around the entire course! It was one of the best follow runs I have done in the FR-S, only problem being was as we rounded the final corner just about at the point of the shutdown line, 4th gear in my transmission decided it had enough and broke apart. With only 5 minutes to fix the car we knew there was no way we could install the spare transmission in time, so our weekend was over. In the end we finished in 4th place.

It was really looking like I was going to get my first podium in the FR-S this weekend, but it just wasn't meant to be. Overall though I was very happy with how we performed. My team worked very hard to keep the car on track, and we're proving that the FR-S can be a killer in competition! We have a little less than 3 weeks before the next round, so we have time to set up our new Tremec transmission which should easily hold up to the power the FR-S is making. Also we are upgrading the rear axles to 1000hp axles, so breaking those should be a thing of the past! In the points standings we are in 10th place with 2 rounds to go, so I'm hoping for a strong finish to the season!

Speed Academy Drops First Targa Newfoundland Scion FR-S Build Video

Speed Academy’s Dave Pratte and Peter Tarach (formerly the editors at Modified Magazine) have just released the first of a series of videos chronicling their grassroots effort to transform a former Tuner Challenge Scion FR-S into a road-legal rally car they will be campaigning in one of the most challenging and unique motorsports events in the world, Targa Newfoundland.

According to Dave, "Competing at Targa Newfoundland has been a long-standing dream of ours, and we're doubly excited to be taking on this unique motorsports adventure in one of the best handling sports coupe on the market at any price, the Scion FR-S. We've also partnered with some of the finest performance parts manufacturers and distributors in the business as we prepare the FR-S for the extreme conditions it'll face in Newfoundland, including KW Suspension, Rays Engineering, Whiteline, Recaro, Takata, Motovicity, Essex, SPEC, Tomei, Downforce USA, Spyder, and Alpinestars."

Peter added, “Driving flat out on twisty public roads in a Scion FR-S is truly the stuff that car-guy dreams are made of. The fact that we get to modify our loaner FR-S ourselves also means we'll be able to dial it in to our specific needs while forming that special man-and-machine bond every gearhead can relate to.” As you’ll see in this project intro video, removing the old roll cage was a bit of a daunting task, but they’ve since moved on to bolting up some of the go-fast goodies you’ll see in the subsequent videos.

The Cyrious Report - DMCC Round 3

Round 3 of the DMCC Championship took place at Autodrome Montmagny. This track is a big oval with a switch back in the center, the banks are high speed and all of the action takes place right in front of the fans! I've always enjoyed drifting this track and usually do very well there.

Leading up to the event, we made a few small changes to the car and had Sasha from OnPoint Dyno worked his magic and found a bit more horsepower in the engine. Also we had done some testing at Shannonville the week before, so going into this event I was feeling very confident with the FR-S!

With the event being all on one day, once again we had only 2 hours of practice before qualifying. I focused on what was going to be the best line around the course, and our tire pressure/suspension setup. We were able to do 6 laps in practice and had a set up/line that I liked. The FR-S was feeling the best it had ever felt! My first qualifying lap went well, I hit all the clips and carried good speed and smoke throughout the entire course, but I was a few feet off the top of the bank. Even with the small mistake we were able to get locked into the top 16 with a qualifying position of 6th place!

Going into the top 16 competition we were to go against Claude Poirier. I had a chance to follow Claude in practice; our speeds were pretty even so I knew it would be a good battle. I was to lead first. On my initiation, the FR-S went to a bit more angle than I expected, causing me to have a lower line in the bank, and I also made a small mistake on the second bank. Claude stuck with me though the entire course, so with that I knew I needed a really good follow lap. On my follow, I was about 2 car lengths behind Claude, he made a few mistakes and I was only able to really close in on him rounding the last 2 corners. I was hoping it would be enough to get the win but the judges called a "one more time". My next lead lap went great! I put the FR-S in all the right spots, and Claude was about 2 cars lengths behind through the entire course. On my follow lap I stuck with him all the way through and got door to door and the last 2 corners! The crowd went nuts and I was awarded the win!

In the great 8 we got matched up with Maxim Lemoine. Max had beaten me in the previous round due to a mistake on my part, so I was not going to let that happen again! He was to lead first, we launched down the start line, I was right with him and we initiated together. As soon as I went to get back on the throttle, the engine felt down on power. I clutch kicked the FR-S 3 times to get it to spool up, but by that point I was really low on the bank and Max had started to take off from me. I drifted about half way through the course but by that point there was something really wrong with the engine, so I shut it down and coasted the rest of the course so that we would not do more damage to the engine. We suspected it was a spun rod bearing so at that point I had to forfeit my lead lap and call it quits.

Back at the shop now we are pulling the engine out of the car and should hopefully have it ready for Rd4 in less than 2 weeks. Overall I was very happy with how I performed, and I'm really feeling comfortable drifting the FR-S. The more I drift it, the more I feel one with the car and things just happen naturally instead of me thinking about what I'm doing. I really feel it's only a matter of time before we stand on the top spot of the podium once again!

The Cyrious Report – DMCC Round 2

This past weekend was DMCC rd 2, and I'm proud to say we finished 4th!!

The week leading up to RD2 we knew some changes to the steering setup on the FR-S needed to be made, so we pulled it all apart, modified the front cross-member and steering rack mounting position. What a difference! The FR-S's steering had never felt so good! I instantly felt much more comfortable with the car!

This round took place at Icar circuit, just outside of Montreal. The course was basically 2 corners with entry speeds hitting about 145kph. Morning practice went well, we spent time finding a good set up on the car and got our tire pressures dialed in on the Advans. We actually had lots of grip on the concrete surface and were running higher tire pressures than we normally would. I was feeling good about the car and the track, and was really enjoying drifting the FR-S!

Going into qualifying I just did what I had been doing all day, laid down a clean lap and qualified 8th! That locked us into the top 16 competition. We were paired up to go against Kevin Moran, who is fairly aggressive and likes to use lots of steering angle. I was first to lead. I hit all the clips and put my car in all the right spots. Kevin followed closely but made mistakes giving me an advantage. My follow lap I stayed clean and on line, and was rewarded the win! This marked the first time I have made it to the top 8 with the FR-S, it felt great!

Next up we were to go against Alex Michaud. He is extremely aggressive and was also the number one qualifier. I was to follow first. We launched from the start line, I stuck with him all the way in, we initiated at the same time, but Alex was going a bit too hot. He hit the wall causing him to straighten out, I passed down the inside and finished the course, big advantage to me! Alex knew he had to do something amazing to get the win. On my lead lap he stayed beside me the entire straight into the first corner. The follow car is supposed to tuck in behind the lead car, but he didn't do that. I initiated drift, Alex was right beside me putting him in the totally wrong spot. He bumped me about 3 times at which point I lost drift as he was blocking my line. The Judges quickly awarded me the win and we moved on to the top 4!

Next up was Jonathan Guitard. His car has quite a bit more power than mine, so I knew it was going to be a fight to keep up. I was to follow first. We launched together, and he gapped me about 4 car lengths into the first corner, but as soon as we got sideways, I started to close in on him in the braking zone. Great thing about having a light car like the FR-S is that you can close gaps very quickly in braking, something I've always love doing. This time though I was coming in a bit hot and on max angle. I couldn't hold it and spun out. My lead lap was good but so was his follow on me, so he was rewarded the win.

For the 3rd place spot on the podium, we were to go against Maxim Lemovne. Him and I have battled many times and we always put on a good show for the fans! I was first to lead. I laid down what was probably one of my best laps all weekend! Rounding the final turn I checked my mirrors, Max was close but not right on me. My spotter was trying to relay to me how Max did behind me, but I was having trouble hearing the radio. So on my follow I decided I would give pretty much 100% to get the outright win. I followed him into the first corner, he gapped me a couple of car lengths, but as soon as we got sideways I started to close in on him in braking. It was all looking amazing but once again I was closing in a bit too fast. I bumped into Max, causing my car to spin and basically giving him the win. Our end result was 4th place.

I was disappointed but still happy with how we did. We come out of this round with a new found confidence in the FR-S and in myself. The fans were coming up to me saying it was great to see me out there driving the FR-S like it was my AE86! We still have growing to do together but its only getting better! We will continue to make some changes to the car over the next few weeks before RD3, one of the major ones is hopefully having our Tremec transmission ready to install, which will really help us out with gearing, and is a major piece of the puzzle to making the FR-S even better! Also we will try to get a new radio setup, as spotter information is very important and can make or break a weekend.

Thanks so much for the support!