BlackTrax News & Event Coverage

BlackTrax Test & Tune #4 @ Thunderhill - Sign-up Here

2012-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

Just announced, BlackTrax will be hosting Test and Tune #4, a grip track event on Sunday March 4th. Limited sign-up for maximum track time so sign-up ASAP.

This will be a self tech'd, laid back test and tune day. DOT approved helmets and one tow hook is MANDATORY.

7am Gates Open
8am Mandatory Driver Meeting
9am Track is HOT!
12-1pm Lunch Break
Track Closes 5pm

3 Run Groups rotating at 20 min each throughout the day.

Group 1 - for advanced, SCCA or NASA licensed racers
Group 2 - for intermediate 5+ track days GROUP FULL REGISTRATION CLOSED!!!!
Group 3 - for novice 2+ track days (for those interested who have less than 2 days track experience, please contact us at blacktrax@blacktrax.net for more information).

*Skidpad available*

Photography by Jeremy Forbes: $30 for Hi-Res downloads of your car on the track.
You can check out his photos of past events:
Buttonwillow 2011
Thunderhill 2010
FormulaD Infineon 2010

$170 Early Bird Registration (Closes 1/31/12)
$180 Standard Registration (Starts 2/1/12)
Co-drivers +$10
Please send check or Paypal to blacktrax@blacktrax.net.
Intermediate Group Registration is CLOSED!!!!!!!!

Send Checks Payable to:
Blacktrax Performance
1819 Houret Ct.
Milpitas, CA 95035

You're welcome to stop by our shop to register. Additional inquires or photographers please contact blacktrax@blacktrax.net for details.

A look inside, Blacktrax Performance.

2012-01-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

To those of you that don't know me, my camera is always within reach. Working for Blacktrax these last few months has offered many great photo ops. Here's a small collection of what caught my eye during my stay, enjoy!

Formula D Irwindale Recap - Words from Matt Field

2011-10-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Formula Drift season was wrapped up at Toyota Irwindale Speedway. It was one of those events that had to be watched. The crashes changed up the standings and made for a hardcore battle with Tyler McQuarrie taking the win. This year was Matt Field's first nation wide tour missing out on one event in Florida due to a fuel pump issue. All in all this season, Matt proved he's plenty capable to run with the big boys. Given more opportunities next season, Matt's skill and strategy will only make him stronger. We're honored to include Matt Field to the BlackTrax Family. To close out this drifting season, here are a few words from him about Irwindale. We'll see you next season!!

"We left San Jose right after school on Wednesday, took the grueling 6 hour drive down south to Toyota Speedway Irwindale.Got in and checked into the hotel, watched some TV and tried to push past the excitement and fall asleep. Thursday morning came and I was ready to drift. Pactice was going alright; I was having some trouble riding the high line on the bank. The crew and I kept adjusting suspension, played with tire pressure and did as much as we could to get me high on the bank without sacrificing too much infield grip. By the end of Thursday practice we had a decent setup on the car, we left knowing that we had room to get better. The game plan for Friday was to dial the car in as much as possible to lay down a good qualifying run, then work on our night setup in Top 32 practice after qualifying.

Friday finally came around and I was ready to qualify. We made a few more adjustments on the car and we felt it was as good as it was going to get, so we were ready to do it. I was feeling good going into qualifying, not my usual nervous self. I was amped up, and ready to lay it down. I strap in and pull up to the line. Let’s do this! I slam it into 4th gear right before initiation, clutch kick and throw the car up towards the outer bank wall, here we go. I rode the bank well and came off it nice and high; I threw the car over the start finish clip and began to flick the car into the inner bank. "Ride that inner bank" I downshifted and use my angle to slow me down, then stood on the gas, pulled off the inner bank wall and began my transition to the next outer clipping point towards the end of the track. With an aggressive flick and large amounts of tire smoke I finish the run off strong with a 76.5. Not the best score but I made it in the show with this score. Feeling confident with a good score under my belt, I decided to throw down hard on the 2^nd run. The run started off well with my car up on the bank but as I transitioned into the inner bank I wasn't as close to the wall as my first run, and if you’re not on the inner wall, you’re not going to beat a 76. I threw the car as hard as I could into the last corner and spun, the run wasn't going to be as good as my first run so I tried to just get super gangster angle going in there and just did not have the speed to correct the mass amounts of angle I was getting and I spun. No biggy, I’ll take the 76.5! I ended up qualifying 17^th. I don’t like qualifying in the middle of the field because you normally end up going against the number 1 qualifier. Whatever, were in the show so let’s just stay focused on Top 32 practice. After debating with my crew and I decided that we were going to change out the rear sway bar in hopes that it would help me around the bank. I roll out on grid with just my crew chief in my passenger seat and a tire pressure gauge. I only had enough tires to burn up one set in this qualifying session. One set lasted about 3 runs. My first run out I could tell the car was 100x better, high on the bank and still sufficient grip on the infield. We played with tire pressure a bit and I went out for my second run. High on the bank with a wall tap on the inner bank. Perfection! Last run for the night was a follow run and it went great. I fell asleep confident on Friday night.

Morning sunshine, Top 32 here we come. We get to the track and the place is beginning to fill up. Crowds are gathering left and right, as the crew and I head out for Top 32 battle against Chris Forsberg. Chris really is my favorite driver in FD, He's a great guy and always willing to help me out, but now its game time! The first run I had to follow, as we initiate into the bank I start closing on him, I was a bit confused because I started to close in on him around the bank, As I reeled him in we came off the bank and threw it into the inner bank. I tried to close in on him as much as possible. We finished out the run and it was now my turn to lead. I take off down the straight and clutch kick into the bank; I ride the wall nice and high and come off the bank at full speed. I toss it into the inner bank and tap the wall, sweet. I come off the bank with my foot the floor and try to run away from Forsberg. It’s tough to run from that guy! The judges gave it to Forsberg, so my drifting weekend was over. I felt that the two runs against him were my best two runs of the whole weekend. The car felt great, I was feeling great, but I guess in the end he had some near perfect runs. I’d really like to thank my sponsors for all their help through the season. Without you guys this season would not have happened. I had an awesome time driving for all of you. I can't wait for next season; it’s time to bring the freakin’ HEAT!"

-matt field

S2ki Dynoday and Skunk2 Header Demo

2011-10-19T08:40:00.001-07:00

Photos by: Jeremy Forbes

EA Sports Fuel-N-Feast 2011

2011-10-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

Hot weather, cool cars, and some awesome food trucks all came together today at EA's annual Fuel-N-Feast car show. Special guest Matt Field came out with his 2011 Formula D S14! It sure turned some heads and kept the bees busy while I destroyed an amazing Shimp Po-Boy from Sam's Chowder truck. Hunting for shade I managed to snap some shots of what went down. Thanks for having us EA, we're looking forward to next year!

Photos by: Jeremy Forbes

Goodbye to Yesterday.....

2011-09-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

Quite often used is the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words". In this case, the more I look at these pictures the more I realized how lucky I was. I was on a Labor Day drive with friends Henry and John. We hadn't gone out on a drive together since 2006. Well overdue was just the beginning of what I was feeling when hanging out with these boys because they were my inspiration for wanting to own an S2000...(especially when Henry rolled up to BlackTrax in a brand new 2006 Laguna Blue Pearl, Honda's latest color release at the time). Two weeks of searching up and down the Bay, I found one sitting, unmolested on a Honda showroom floor with 4 miles on it. Needless to say I pulled the trigger and bought it on the spot. Up to this day, I've loved every second of driving the well engineered piece of machinery.

We took a local scenic mountain road for a cruise. It was a nice day. There were a lot of people out cycling, riding and driving, enjoying their day off as we were. All was wonderful up until I drove around a right handed blind corner and was caught by surprise. I find a car from oncoming traffic in my lane, directly across from me. The driver later reported she was attempting to pass a cyclist who was riding near the center of the road. Misjudging distance, the driver did not complete her pass before reaching the blind corner. As I see the car directly in front of me, Instinctively I slammed on the brakes and turned right as far as I could, to get out of the way.

Dropping two tires in the dirt and inches from rubbing the side of my car against the dirt mound, I was sandwiched in. I had nowhere to go. It was at this moment where it felt like all time had stopped. I could see the other persons eyes while saying to myself "BRAKE, BRAKE BRAKE!! TURN TURN TURN!!!", but shee didn't do either. With two hands on the steering wheel and one foot on the brake and one on the clutch, I braced for the impact to come. The impact was loud and it was hard. My car lifted off the ground and landed back on the ground without a left front tire. My body was thrown forward, my left hand hit the turn signal lever, my right hand received a burn from the gas that had exited the passenger side airbag and the shoulder belt gave me a nice sized bruise from my neck to my collarbone. I was left with the frame sitting on the ground. As the adrenaline kicked it, I became absolutely livid about the incomprehensible event that just happened. I took a few breaths to calm myself, realizing that both the other driver and I was came out of an accident pretty much unscathed. This was most important. If this incident happened on the cliff side, who knows what the turnout would have been.

Unfortunately my S2K didn't fair so well. The carbon fiber fender exploded upon impact as we hit driver headlight to driver headlight. The forces centralized on the tire, cracking my rim in the process.

The upper part of the spindle snapped right before the ball joint. The J's Racing camber joint held on for dear life stretching the lower control arm to it's limit before breaking.The spherical bearing of the Wicked front tow arms we designed stretched the rod end by almost 1cm before breaking away.

The impact was so hard, the inner gear of the rack and pinion steering snapped and was held together by the inner tie rod boot. And the through bolt for the tow arm miraculously survived fracture however was left with a most impressive bend.

This was my very first car accident....ever! Left with no choice but to total the car, I had to say goodbye to my baby. Out of the thousands of words these pictures tell, one word keeps calling me........ RESURRECTION! As I write this blog, I'm avidly pursuing a replacement Laguna Blue Pearl. A big thank you to Henry, John, Natalie and David for the support that day. Stay tuned, I'll be on the road very soon :) ~Jei Chang @ BlackTrax

Words from Matt Field - Vegas Drift Fromula D Round 6 After Dark

2011-09-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Round 6 of the 2011 Formula Drift season brought me to Las Vegas. We got there on Wednesday with enough time to drop the car off at the track and head back to the pool to relax. I really Like the vegas course, its risky and dangerous and a lot of people total their cars here, perfect. Thursday afternoon came along and
we got up, got some food, and headed out to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Thursday practice. Everything went well on thursday, I was getting the car more and more setup throughout the night. Setting tire pressure is important in vegas because of the huge difference in temperature as day turns into night. At the end of the practice day on thursday I was feeling great, the car was setup better than ever and I was ready to qualify.

Friday came around and it was time to qualify. On my first run I just wanted to get a score, at the last few rounds I messed up on the first qualifying run and had to rely on my second run to be enough to get me into the show. This time I laid down a conservative run. Scoring like a 56 or something I knew I had to step it up for the second run. This time I was comfortable throwing down a solid run. I tossed it as hard as I could into the first clipping zone. With a good solid run I received a 85, not what I was hoping for but good enough to qualify 16th. Not too bad.

It was Saturday and time for the main competition. I was going agains Aasbo and feeling confident. The first run I was to lead. Coming out strong I threw a hard entry. I had a great lead run, and I had the advantage going into the second run. As I was following him on the run up to initiation I got a little over aggressive and followed too close after initiation and went into the tires. I had the round won but my over aggressiveness did me in. Next event is Irwindale and I'm going to throw it down hardcore.

Matt Field // Parts Shop Max // BlackTrax // Formula D Vegas

2011-09-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

Check out this video from Parts Shop Max of Matt Field at Formula D Las Vegas. Parts Shop Max hooked up Matt with some really nice suspension components. BT helped set up his ride height and corner balance in prep for Vegas. "The car handled amazing", said Field.

Jaime Mendoza/Radix Motorsports 2011 Season Update

2011-08-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

Those who've been around the NorCal SCCA Autocross scene have either raced against or crossed paths in one way or another with Jaime Mendoza of Radix Motorsports. BlackTrax is proud to sponsor Jaime and his endless dedication to his passion for racing. Here are a few words from Jaime about his 2011 season so far:

This season has been a busy one, still trying to fine tune the Integra from 2 years of changes and 2 years of what was learned in the CRX.

The season was started with the Integra on display at the San Jose International Auto Show, the perfect way to re-introduce the ITR after 2 years. The car was on display among 12 other cars from different venues of the SCCA organization such as Road Racing, Time Trial. Picture attached to this message.

The early season SF region Divisional was wet and cold with temperatures in the 50's for Saturday, tried using Toyos R888 tires to beat the rain but the large puddles were no match for the tires. Finished in 2nd place with a street tire car taking first, much better at pushing through the puddles, first lesson of 2011, street tires for very wet events. The sunny second day was much better but the rain/tire combination created a gap to wide to fill.

Video of Sundays sunny run

SFR SCCA NORPAC Divisional Sunday , Run 3 - 50.546 + 1 from jaime mendoza on Vimeo.

Took 1st Place in the San Diego National tour at Qualcom stadium. It was smooth event with no problems, cording the tires was the only concern, which actually did 2 runs later at a local event.

SDTour 2011 - Sunday Run3 - 51.897 HD from jaime mendoza on Vimeo.

The first Pro solo was a bust, but a very good learning experience. Pro Solo is an autocross course with a tree light drag start, 2 cars side by side with opposing, but equal courses, one run in each side of the course back to back, then try again 2 more times, best times of each side are totaled together to make total best time.

A new element in the Integra, a very big lesson for changes to come.

Traction at the launch was a delicate operation. Too much throttle led to wheel spin until 3rd gear, not enough and it left a lot at the start. Traction and delicate throttle control have always been a technique that I had to learn, but this event taught some lessons in weight transfer, ride height and Flywheel weight to gear ratios.

I was able to improve the launch at Test and Tune, by increasing ride height in the rear to reduce the weight transfer to the rear. The test and tune is only for light launches, the rest of the course is not used. This change improved the front traction but hurt rear traction on corners making the car very loose for the first day. Sway bar changes helped for the second day but by that point it was too late and was too far behind to make up the time.

Video of the Sunday - 3D video of my best run can be viewed here. First test of 3d GoPro video recording, not the best media for autocross, not enough elements to make good use of the 3d effect

Anaglyph 3D - El Toro Pro - Right Side - Radix Motorsports from jaime mendoza on Vimeo.

The Duel At De Anza event was a success as well as taking 1st place in the class and 6th fastest time of the day.

Duel At DeAnza 2011 - Jaime Mendoza - 48.368 from jaime mendoza on Vimeo.

Changes applied from the previous events have helped and continued to show with the SF region round 9 event in Oakland with 7th of 160 entries and 8th in PAX. Video

SFRSCCA ROUND 9, 2011 OAKLAND, CA - 188 SMF - 51.521 from jaime mendoza on Vimeo.

Currently sitting in second in points for the San Francisco region with a few missed events this season and 7 events to go.

So far this season has brought big lessons and good results. Looking forward to the rest of the season and the new build.

Radix Motorsports partners are:

MFactory

Supertech Performance

Swift Springs

BlackTrax Performance

Bisimoto Engineering

Vex Motorsports
Craftwerx Concepts

Auto Image

Thank You

Jaime Mendoza

Brandon Kraus Third Win of the Season

2011-08-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Brandon Kraus for his third 1st place finish in US Touring Car Championship. At the last event in June, Brandon grenades his Prelude transmission. Thereafter, he brought his race car back to..

BlackTrax for a new transmission, track car maintenance and some more dynotuning. All the preparations made for this August event resulted in a 1st place win running a 2:00.479 at Thunderhill. Here are a few comments he made about that race:

"The race was great! We had 3 re-starts due to the BMW cars jumping the starts. We took off and I hit turn 1 in the lead. I went through traffic like no other. At one point I had a 12 second lead. I won by over 7 seconds and was the fastest car on track running a 2:00.479. The BlackTrax Roger Kraus Racing DW Pumps Honda prelude ran better than ever.....Thanks for all your help......BK....

2012 Formula Drift Round 5 Top 32 Results - Evergreen Speedway, WA

2011-07-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

It was a tough day for many including Matt Field who spun on his 1st qualifying run but was able to clench a respectable score that qualified him in the 21st spot, making Round 5's Top 32. Here are some videos from Driftstream.

FD Coverage Florida & New Jersey - video by AW Films

2011-07-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

Formula Drift New Jersey Recap: Words from Matt Field

2011-06-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a thrill having Matt Field back on track for another Formula Drift spectacle. Some of may have already heard that the car didn't fair too well in Florida. Matt's S14 was plagued with fuel system issues that ended his single qualifying session with a low score eliminating him from the Round 3. Instead of packing up, Matt, his family and crew made the best of the weekend by troubleshooting the car until issue was repaired. Their commitment paid off as he hit the ground running hard at New Jersey's Wall Speedway. Only here will you be getting the words, straight from Matt...

Field:

Rolled the car out of the rig on Thursday morning after a fun night in New York City. I figured out the fuel problems that kept me from competing in Florida. I started making adjustments on the car that I believed would help me on the intense and rough surface that is Wall Stadium. I went out for practice and right away, I felt good. I was able to run high on the bank and hold a good line through the inner course. With tweaks in air pressure helping me to gain traction with the 615k's, I began to have a very competitive line. Thursday ended on a good note with me and my spotter being very pleased with my runs. We brought the car back to the pits and began prepping it for the next day.

Friday came along and the car was ready, I was ready, but the weather was not. It rained all night and the track was flooded. They were cleaning it up all morning and by the time we rolled out for practice there was only a few standing puddles with 80% of the track wet and the bank almost dry. It was strange running an almost dry bank then transferring onto an icy slick, wet infield. The sun was out so the track was drying out quickly. Almost everyone was spinning out and could barely make a lap the track was so slick. After a few hours it began to dry up just in time for qualifying. My first run was just ok, scoring a 63.1 which got me into the Top 32 but much lower on the list than I wanted to be. For my second run, I knew I could go for it and with the increasing grip level on the track I was able to throw it down and score a 72.7 which put me in 16th in qualifying for the day. There were only 35 cars that entered the event and only 31 got points. With all the crashes and changing grip levels of the track, Wall Speedway showed us how tough of a track it can be. I was ok with my qualifying position, not happy, just ok. I know I could have done better. During the drivers meeting there was basically a monsoon that forced everyone back into their trailers. It took the Need for Speed tent and threw it on the power lines. Yes, it was that crazy of a storm. They canceled top 32 practice and added time to Saturdays morning practice.

When Saturday morning practice started up I knew the track would be different, no rubber left around the bank and loss of rubber on the infield made this once again a slippery, tough course. I wanted to take it easy in the beginning laps of practice. With a few laps under my belt the unexpected happened and the wall got the best of me. I slid up too high on the bank and scraped the rear and it pulled the front into the wall. Broke a tension rod, bent the LCA and screwed up a wheel along with a bunch of cosmetic fiberglass. We got it fixed in time to do ONE practice run, which I took it very very easy on. I was the first pair in the top 32 round because Ryan Tuerck (#1 qualifier) got a buy run because there were only 31 scores. It was me against Kenneth Moen. He was driving for Samuel Hubinette in the Challenger. I was unsure how the tandem would go. I have never run tandem with such a big car before. When we rolled down to the line I was to lead first. On entry, I rode right up the the top of the bank scraping my rear bumper on it and I hit it just soft enough where I was able to maintain drift. Coming off the bank, transitioning across the start finish clipping point, Moen hit my rear 1/4 panel, spinning me out. We lined up for our second run. I was to follow him. We took off and I noticed that we were initiating a lot slower than I usually would have. This confused me because I thought that 840hp monster would have taken off on me. I got a little over aggressive on the bank and got caught down low. I was able to come off the bank and close the gap to nothing going into the first inner bank. We were door to door with inches between us. Going across the middle section with all the jumps he pulled from me, but I caught back up going into the last inner bank and finished strong, right behind him. The judges awarded the round to me; the hit was too much for him to make up. We’re going into top 16 baby!

Top 16 rolled around after a lot of fiberglass repairing, trying to get my car to look like a car again. I was to go up against the #1 qualifier, Ryan Tuerck. On my follow run I started to gain on him on the bank and I closed in a little too close coming off the bank and had to slow down so much that it threw my entire line off. I almost over rotated into the first inner bank and had a correction. I’d have to throw it down like no other in order to even get a chance for a One More Time. I pushed a little too hard in my lead run and over the jump section in the middle of the course, my car caught air and when I landed, I spun out.

I had a great time at this track, I really enjoy drifting on it, the fans were great and the car performed well. I can’t wait for Evergreen.

Matt Field New Jersey Vids @ Round 5 Wall Speedway

2011-06-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

A round of applause to Matt Field for making top 16 today. This being his second top 16 this season, it's definitely a big accomplishment for the new up-an-comer. Matt handled it against Kenny Moen and left a piece of his rear bumper there.

2nd round eliminations was a bit harder to swallow. Matt Field tried to keep it together and keep his drift precise and clean. Unfortunately, toward the end of his leading run, his spinout eliminated him from gaining top 8. Matt's proving to be a truly talented driver. See you guys in Washington! For more coverage of this event visit FormulaD's Blog

Formula Drift Top 31 Standings New Jersey Wall Speedway

2011-06-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Congrats to our boy Matt Field qualifying in at 16 of 31. Fuel pump issues kept him from qualifying in Florida. With new gear from Aeromotive, Matt got his Retina Burning Yellow S14 back up and running like a champ for NJ. Unfortunately, weather conditions halted the rest of the day. Let's hope tomorrow is a better day for these guys!

1. Ryan Tuerck – 91.2
2. Vaughn Gittin Jr. – 89.2
3. Daijiro Yoshihara – 89
4. Conrad Grunewald – 84.2
5. Tyler McQuarrie – 85.9
6. Chris Forsberg – 84.2
7. Justin Pawlak – 83.9
8. John Russakoff – 81.5
9. Ryan Kado – 81.4 (Takes 9th due to higher speed)
10. Ken Gushi – 81.4
11. Ross Petty – 79.2
12. Joon Maeng – 78.2
13. Otto Graven – 76.7
14. Kyle Mohan – 75.7
15. Darren McNamara – 74.6
16. Matt Field – 72.7
17. Kenneth Moen – 72.6
18. Fredric Aasbo – 72.4
19. Michael Essa -71.3
20. Matt Waldin – 69
21. Odi Bakchis – 68.9
22. Charles Ng – 68.6
23. Eric O’Sullivan – 67.6
24. Toshiki Yoshioka – 65.2
25. Matt Powers – 64.7
26. Luke Lonberger – 61.7
27. Walker Wilkerson – 61.7
28. Dennis Mertzanis – 60.9
29. Taka Aono – 55.6
30. Dean Kearney – 53.2
31. Jim Guthrie – 27.9

Buttonwillow Trackday 5/13/11

2011-05-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

To everyone who decided not to play hookie you sure missed out. These photos should speak for themselves, it was a killer day out there and I shot non stop. I still have tons more that didn't make it into this preview mix so if you want to see the rest of your shots hit me up with your car number and I'll get back to you. Thanks again to Jei and Natalie for putting this event together and inviting me out. It was great meeting new faces and hanging out with the old, hope to see you next time! jeremywforbes@gmail.com (don't let the thumb display fool ya, there's 4 pages)

Photos by: Jeremy Forbes

Brandon Kraus Makes Two Wins In A Row - US Touring Car Championship

2011-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

A big Congrats to Brandon Kraus once again for winning 1st in this weekends US Touring Car Championship. This now marks two 1st place finishes in a row and he's got his sites on the Trifecta. Brandon's H-powered 4th Gen Prelude engine built and tuned by BlackTrax is showing to be a top contender in this racing class. Keep up the good work BK!

Excerpt from ustcc.com

CHECKERED FLAG: KRAUS MAKES IT TWO WINS IN A ROW, AIMING FOR A TRIFECTA

May 14, 2011, Willows, Ca. – Brandon Kraus in the #9 DW Pumps/BlackTrax Performance/Roger Kraus Racing Honda Prelude takes win number 2 from pole position for the Nitto Tires U.S. Touring Car Championship Round 2 Race of Thunderhill Raceway. Kraus scored the fastest lap of the race with 1:58.013, besting his pole qualifying time of 1:58.408.

Words from Brandon Kraus
RACING RECAP: WORDS FROM BRANDON KRAUS
Well it started out realy well for the DW Pumps Roger Kraus Racing BlackTrax Honda Prelude....We were fastest in practice and qualifying and in the Sat race we pitted on the wrong cheakered flag....We should have taken the 2nd flag...See they had 3 races going on at 1 time....The map sensor started to go bad on us so the Dodge srt4 caught back up to us by the last lap but we beat him to the line and won by .166 second.....The closest race finish in USTCC history...People were on there feet......Awesome day for the team....And we beat the track record....We ran a 1:58.016 in the race......Day 2 was great until the race were the alt went bad and the batt went dead and we did not finish....But untill that happened,we sat on p1 and by turn 1 we were in 2nd...I made the pass on the outside of turn 3 getting hit by the Dodge.....We then went into turn 1 at 125 mph and he turned me sideways then hit me right in the door....We fell back to 2nd......Then i ran him down again and passed him back,had a 8 second lead untill the batt went dead...We were Fastest in the race with a 1:59.00....We had the best car out there and the fastest car....We helped Pete and Kurt get there cars faster....We had Petes car down to a 1:58.40........Till he blew his motor........Thanks to BlackTrax/DW Pumps and Roger Kraus Racing for all there help and support.......Next stop Sears Point June 11/12 2011.....

Recap of Formula Drift Round 2 - Road Atlanta: Words from Matt Field "no S in Field"

2011-05-14T01:02:00.000-07:00

Formula Drift Round 2- Road Atlanta

My trip started out well, our flight was suppose to land us in Atlanta at 6:45 pm. Too bad we missed our flight connecting us from Arizona to Atlanta. Haha no biggy, we took the next flight out and got there at 10pm. I thought this was going to be a problem because I needed to go unload the car off the rig it came to ATL on. However, the rig wasn’t there. So Thursday came around and it was time for practice, and my car still wasn’t here. I walked around the pits talking to people and watching EVERYONE else practice, it sucked. My car finally showed up at 3am Friday morning. I unloaded it, worked on it for a second, went back to the hotel and went to sleep.

I woke up at 8am with a little more than 2 hours of sleep. Sweet, time to qualify. I was able to practice with the pro-am guys, as well as practice in both FD groups, but I still only got so many runs. Oh-well, its time to qualify. First run, didn’t account for drop in temp on track and went out with way too much air pressure. I initiated and went right off the end of the course. Not good. Now it is a waiting game, wait for people to do their runs, wait for people to do their second runs, wait for the track to get cleaned up. Ok cool, now its my turn. I get in my car, burn out and wait for Ross Petty to do his run. BANG! His engine explodes and drops oil all on the initiation point, right in front of me. Great. More waiting. The get the track as cleaned up as they could and send me out. It was more slippery than usual that’s for sure, but I made a run. Dirt dropped, but its ok. I qualified low but at least I’m in the show.

Saturday morning rolls around and we get to the track. Top 32 practice went well, more track time is always helpful. The crowd here is freaking awesome! I couldn’t believe how nuts and excited these people get. This is what we drift for. When it came time for my run against Matt Powers I felt ready, prepared, confident. On my follow run I stuck with him charging down the hill, Initiated and tried to throw as much angle as possible. I was close to him, yes, he didn’t get away. Coming into the horseshoe I was on him, didn’t give him an inch. As we exit the horseshoe and begin to floor it going down the hill, he pulls away a little bit. That’s ok, he has like 200hp on me. Its expected. All in all a great run, I really feel it was one of my best follow runs I have ever had in FD. Ok time for me to lead. Leave the line hard and don’t look back. I initiate and begin to slow down, catch grip, catch grip, catch grip I’m thinking to myself. It didn’t. I dirt drop one wheel and keep going. Because I dropped that one wheel it threw my line off and I drop another on the other side of the track, come into the horseshoe and try to cut his line off, it worked. He straightens out right in front of the judges. I finish off the run strong slightly pulling on him as we exit the horseshoe. I knew I screwed up, but I was hoping for a one more time at least. 2 of the judges voted for Powers, one for me. (thanks Tony). He got it, I’m disappointed, but life goes on. All in all it was a good weekend, I actually qualified with very little practice and it being my first time ever at this track, it wasn’t too bad. I had a great time and I can’t wait for next year at ATL!

FormulaD Atlanta Matt Field Shows Agressive Angle and Style

2011-05-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Officially sponsored by BlackTrax, driver, Matt Field hit the grounds of Atlanta running last weekend. After waiting for the Formula Drift Transport Rig which arrived late at 2am on Thursday, Matt still managed to get some practice runs in to qualify 26th out of Top 32. Unfortunately his momentum was cut short as he was knocked out by Need for Speed sponsored, Matt Powers in his S14.

Here's the vid of the final qualifying run and judging. Keep an eye out for Matt Field. His gangster angle and wicked drifting style will be gaining points among the crowds on the East Coast very soon!

Hondata Releases New Product: Hondata CPR

2011-04-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

New Product Releases in June // The Hondata CPR or Coil Pack Retrofit is the latest advancement long awaited by Hondata enthusiasts. The CPR allows you to convert your D / B / H & F- series distributor ignition systems to a coil-on-plug systems sharing similarities to the K-Series and S2000 F-Series engines. The retrofit will replace the stock igniter, coil rotor and spark plug wires. The direct coil on plug system will allow for more spark energy at wider plug gaps. OEM Honda Coil packs are sold separately (P/N: 30520-PVF-A01) BlackTrax is now taking pre-orders at the Store.

Brandon Kraus Wins at U,S. Touring Car @ Thunderhill Raceway

2011-04-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Brandon Kraus for taking the win this weekend in US Touring Car Championship at Thunderhill. A correction to what was described below by USTCC, Kraus, with one lap to go received a meatball flag for noise caution which required him to come in for a stop and go penalty. From there, it was a quarter mile drag race to the finish for the 1st place win. Here's an excerpt from USTCC.com about his win.

Willows, CA. April 17, 2011 - Brandon Kraus of Brentwood, CA started off the 2011 Nitto Tires United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) season with a win as a large field gathered at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA on April 16-17, 2011. Kraus, driving the DW Pumps, Roger Kraus Racing Honda Prelude had a fantastic race at his first USTCC race ever. Kraus finished ahead of Felipe Cebezas who was driving the TNI Racing Mazdaspeed 3. Finishing third was Pete Bovenberg in the MBO Motor Sports Honda Civic. But Kraus’ almost lost the victory and just made it across the finish line in first place by a hair.

Kraus started the weekend poorly with electrical problems. Twice the car had to be towed back to the paddock which meant he had very little time to tune the Honda. With a scheduled one hour race, the odds were against Kraus keeping the car going for the entire race. With help from his biggest rivals, the MBO Motor Sports team, Kraus fixed the problems and was confident at the start of the race charging from the back of the pack to the front and leading the pack until with one lap to go, a black flag for a pass under yellow meant he had to come in for a stop and go penalty. Kraus enjoyed a healthy margin which evaporated as soon as he pitted and continued. From there it was a drag race to the finish line which was about one quarter of a mile away between the Honda of Kraus and the Mazdaspeed of Cabezas. Kraus won by 1.3 seconds.

Friday the 13th! Play Hookie with Blacktrax @ Buttonwillow Raceway 05.13.11

2011-04-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Just announced today, BlackTrax will be hosting a grip track day on Friday May 13th. Play hookie with BlackTrax and let's go driving! Limited signup for maximum track time so signup ASAP.

This will be a self tech'd, laid back test and tune day. DOT approved helmets and one tow hook is mandatory. Gates open at 7am, mandatory driver meeting at 8am, and out by 5pm.

Track is HOT at 9am! 3 run groups rotating at 20 min each throughout the day. Track closes 5pm.
*Group 1 - for advanced, SCCA or NASA racers
*Group 2 - for intermediate 5+ track days
*Group 3 - for novice 2+ track days (for those interested who have less than 2 days track experience, please contact us at info@blacktrax.net for more information).
*Skidpad also available
*Photography available by Jeremy Forbes - $20 for hi-res downloads of your car on the track.

Please send $140 per car by check or $145 for Paypal to blacktrax@blacktrax.net.
Co-drivers $10
Send Checks Payable to:
Blacktrax Performance
1819 Houret Ct.
Milpitas, CA 95035

You're welcome to stop by the shop to register as well. Additional inquires or photographers please contact info@blacktrax.net for details.

Matt Field Moving Up The Rankings at Formula Drift Round 1 Long Beach

2011-04-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Big congrats to Matt Field, rookie from last year pushing his way up the rankings at Round 1 Long Beach. Matt qualified 12th out of Top 32 on Friday, beat Alex Pheiffer in the first round of eliminations to put him in the Top 16 spot. Here's the video of Matt vs. Alex.

Second round of eliminations to get to Top 8, Matt was paired with Rhys Millen in his proclaimed 700hp Genesis. Unfortunately, our boy Matt was eliminated by Rhys in this round but an awesome effort nonetheless. Look out for this rookie, he's a force to reckon with!

Formula Drift Top 32 Standings - Matt Field #12 In the Lineup!

2011-04-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here's his qualifying run.

Sneak Peak: Matt Fields New LS1 S14 Chassis for Formula Drift 2011

2011-04-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak of what Matt Fields new S14 chassis. Moving up from his SR20 powered S13, he opted to go with the LS1 for the new S14 chassis. Dynotuning performed at BlackTrax.

Formula Drift 2011 kicks off at Long Beach this weekend. Sleepless nights and hard charged effort from family and friends have put this car together to what it today. A much more sound chassis than his previous S13, this new V8 powered S14 will be highly competitive. It's coming down the wire and the car is coming together nicely. A few more suspension tweaks and he'll be ready to battle. Best of luck to Matt Field for 2011!

WekFest 3 : Fort Mason : SF 2/20/11

2011-02-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

It goes without question that everyone covers the standard "front of car" photos. With that said my mission for wekfest3 was to bring something different to the table. I'm obsessed with the details that usually go overlooked. Originality is the name of the game so here's my take on wekfest3.

All was shot with my OG D200 and a 12-24mm 2.8f

Photos by: Jeremy Forbes

BlackTrax Raffle Winners @ Wekfest SF 2011

2011-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Wekfest 2011 was a great event. Big thanks to Weksos for organizing it. Also thanks to the hundreds of people who stopped by our booth to chat about projects and to join our raffle. Check out the short flick as we pick our winners. Congratulations to all the winners! We'll be in touch with you soon!

REMEMBER: "It don't matter how good your car looks. If it runs like $@%#, you shouldn't be calling it your car. Function precedes form..."

PRIZE WINNERS:

1) Free 1 Hr Dynotune

Ticket# 7758408

Henry Lazaro

2) Free Baseline Dyno - 3 pulls

Ticket# 7758303

Andy Nguyen

3) Free BT Shift Knob

Ticket# 7758198

Earvin Mendoza

4) Free Still Sideways T-shirt

Ticket# 7758662

Gil Tapia

5) Free BT Lic Plate Cover

Ticket# 7758302

Son Vo

6) Free BT Flat Bill Cap

Ticket# 7758533

Paolo Mendoza

7) Free Track Car Ride Along

Ticket# 7758734

Kyle Leong

BT Valve Adjustment DIY Day 2/12/11

2011-02-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

Orchestrated with S2K International Bay Area, BlackTrax held a Valve Adjustment Demonstration Day showing tips and tricks on how to perform a valve adjustment on F20/22C engines. Donuts and Coffee started off the day followed by a 1hr demo by Jei Chang. Thereafter, Aki Maseba and Jei Chang performed valve adjustments for the group of S2000's. Simultaneously S2ki.com members interested in tackling the job themselves were offered tables, gloves and assistance. Having this day actually helped identify cracked valve spring retainers on one of the cars preventing him from future catastrophic engine failure. All in all it was a perfect sunny day to educate and work on your ride outdoors!

Photos by: Jeremy Forbes

Dyno Page: Hytech's N/A S2K Header

2011-02-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

There has been much anticipation for the release of this S2000 header designed, tested and fabricated by John Grudynski of HyTech Exhaust Inc. Those who've used Hytech products are familiar with the material and weld quality, the precision taken to the merge collectors and his patented anti-reversion chambers. We had the opportunity to get our hands on Hytech's N/A 2010 model header and put it to the test on on our Dynapack Dynomometer. Though this header is lighter in weight than OEM (all s2k aftermarket headers are), we were only interested in power results during this test.

All tests were performed with the Hytech header are on an '08 S2000 CR. Comparison dyno charts were performed on 2006+ S2000's. Tuning was performed with Hondata Flashpro.

Click to Enlarge

Here is a comparison between an OEM stock CR vs Hytech Tuned vs Hytech Tuned with a more effective intake system. Note gains from 4500 to redline. Also note the powerband carries past the stock redline to 8500 rpm.

Click to Enlarge

This is our best comparison between the Hytech vs Stock Header using Hondata Fpro Tuning for both. The Hytech header allows for vtec to be lowered to 4500 yielding respectable mid-range gains over the OEM header. Top end gains are realized but not as significant as mid-range.

Click to Enlarge

This is another good comparison between the Hytech's 4-2-1 header vs Comptech 4-1 header (Fpro tuned and untuned). The 4-1 design by Comptech yielded respectable numbers after 6k rpm, however Vtec crossover could not be lowered under 5200rpm.

BT's Conclusion:

A general rule of thumb is a 4-2-1 header will make mid-range gains where a 4-1 header will make gains at the top. In our case, Hytech's 4-2-1 2010 N/A Header clearly shows what a properly designed header is capable of resulting in gains across a broad powerband.

1. Which offers the broadest area under the power curve?

Hytech's 4-2-1 does over OEM and Comptech

2. How are the gains from the Hytech header attribute to the design?

The gains are attributed to design (stepped tube diameters, tube length and 1-3 & 2-4 pairing)

3. Craftsmanship?

Hytech's quality and craftsmanship is quite top notch

4. Cost?

Hytech hurts a bit with ~$1700 for header and test pipe vs Comptech's ~$900

5. Are the gains significant enough to justify the cost?

This question is subjective....see next question..

6. Which header would benefit from a sanctioned racing class rules which allow for external bolt on modifications?

Hytech will give the engine every edge in this racing environment

7. Revert back to question #5?

Ultimately, it’s truly up to you to decide if you need this caliber of a header for what you plan to do with your car.

S2000 Hytech Header Install and Dyno..Results Coming Soon!

2011-01-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

NYE Grip Day @Thunderhill Raceway Photos are LIVE!

2011-01-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

Photos by: Jeremy Forbes

Jei Taking the Street Car to the Fun Runs @ Sac Raceway

2011-01-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

It's been 2 years since my last drag race. The S2000 has spent almost all of its time at the road courses of Buttonwillow and Thunderhill. With the weather looking dry, and an itch for some heads up racing, I took the Voltex wing off the car and go drag racing at Sacramento Raceway. I would have had to take off the front splitter if I hadn't left it on the infield at T-hill :). The track was cold and slippery. The first run almost put me into the left side wall. The sun came out by 2pm and helped a bit with traction resulting in a 12.97sec @ 109mph, couple tenths short of my personal best. All in all it was nice to drive to the track, race then drive back all while keeping my my tools, camera and extra fluids in the trunk...not bad...It was great to see some old faces. The die hards from the 1990's are still there. It's been so long but I look forward to doing this again, hopefully in March!

New Year's Eve Grip Day @ Thunderhill - Go Hard or Go Home!

2010-12-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

Just announced. BT will be hosting a grip track day on 12.31.10. Come out and end your last day of the year with a blast down the T-hill straight! Limited signup for maximum track time so signup ASAP.

This will be a self tech'd, laid back test and tune day. Gates open at 7am, mandatory driver meeting at 8pm, and out by 5pm.

Track is HOT at 9am! We will have three 20 min sessions:
*Group 1 - for advanced, SCCA or NASA racers
*Group 2 - for intermediate 5+ track days
*Group 3 - for novice 2+ track days (for those interested who have less than 2 days track experience, please contact us at info@blacktrax.net for more information).
*Skidpad also available
*Photography available by Jeremy Forbes - $20 per CD per car of Hi Res photos.

Please send $160 per car by check or $165 for Paypal to blacktrax@blacktrax.net.
Co-drivers $10

Send check payable to:
Blacktrax Performance
1819 Houret Ct.
Milpitas, CA 95035

Youre welcome to stop by the shop to register as well. Additional inquires or photographers please contact info@blacktrax.net for details.

BlackTrax + KleenSpeed + UCDavis

2010-12-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

Jei hits me up with word that something pretty sick is going down at the shop. I show up to a stock looking miata on the dyno. For reals? I expected something a bit more crazy. Then I gave it a much needed double take. I notice the Kleenspeed Technologies logo and a crew of UCDavis students. I quickly realized there was more to this picture.

Hello 100% Electric Conversion with a 5Speed!

Students from UCDavis + Kleenspeed Technologies + BlackTrax Performance worked hand in hand to capture priceless dyno data. This was the first time that the UCD students had access to raw data of this type. From my outsiders perspective it seems that they gained exactly what they were looking for. I cant disclose exact figures but for what its worth I was highly impressed! -JForbes

Gymkana Dec 4th @ Irwindale Speedway

2010-11-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

This video was too funny not to share. Irwindale Speedway this Saturday.
Watch it live here: http://www.justin.tv/gymkhanagrid

FD Irwindale Flick

2010-10-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

Just ran into this sick video which really captures what it feels like when you're standing next to barriers when watching these cars fly past!

Fatlace Mark Arcenal's S14

2010-10-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Check out this vid from Kenny Chow. We were dynotuning unti the weee hours last night to dial this Mark's S14. It'll be on out the track near you very soon!

THREEPEAT National Champ Action Shots

2010-09-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Check Out 8:00 & 29:36

2010-09-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

BlackTrax Tuned Cars Takes 1-2 Victory at Miller for HC Nationals

2010-09-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

A big congratulations to THREEPEAT winner Graham Downey for bringing home the win at Nationals for the 3rd time in a row. Also a huge congrats to Brandon Kraus for taking his new Prelude to the #2 spot. It goes to show that if built properly, an H series motor can still run with the best in H1. Of course the win, like last year was without drama, but as of yesterday IT IS OFFICIAL, Downey and Kraus for the 1-2 finish for H1 Nationals!

Formula D : Round 6 : 2010

2010-09-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

Fullscreen, Enjoy!

Formula Drift : Round 6
September 10-11th 2010
Infineon Raceway, Sonoma CA
Photos by: Jeremy Forbes

Matt Field Tuned by BlackTrax, Still Sideways @ Formula Drift Sonoma

2010-09-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Field's Vid from Vegas

2010-09-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Another flick from Shawn Browne. Support your local drifters!

KBLOCK GYMKHANA 3 PART 2

2010-09-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Formula Drift Sonoma Qualifying Results

2010-09-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

Who's THIS guy? Congrats to Matt Field for barely squeezing into the Top 32 tonight, making this two Top 32 consecutive events. 1st round Matt's paired up vs. NOS Energy's Chris Forsberg. Best of luck tomorrow!

Here are the results from today's qualifying:
1. Tyler McQuarrie
2. Chris Forsberg
3. Kyle Mohan
4. Ryan Tuerck
5. Daijiro Yoshihara
6. Fredric Aasbo
7. Alex Pfeiffer
8. Ross Petty
9. Samuel Hubinette
10. Stephan Verdier
11. Conrad Grunewald
12. Michihiro Takatori
13. Justin Pawlak
14. Vaughn Gittin
15. Joon Maeng
16. Patrick Mordaunt
17. Tanner Foust
18. Taka Aono
19. Ken Gushi
20. Darren McNamara
21. Bill Sherman
22. Ryuji Miki
23. James Dean
24. Tony Brakohiapa
25. Rhys Millen
26. Matt Powers
27. Nikolay Konstantinov
28. “Mad” Mike Whiddet
29. Jeff Jones
30. Dean Kearney
31. Matt Field
32. Dennis Mertzanis

Formula Drift Live Feed

2010-09-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

A Taste of the Pro's! Matt Field Makes Top 32 @ FormulaD Vegas

2010-08-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Matt Field for making it into the Top 32. His car received some new upgrades to the roll cage, alignment settings, engine upgrades and more BlackTrax dynotuning. Making another 60+hp over his last setup at Seattle, the "big wing" S13 initiated and held the drift with ease at Vegas. This was the first time the rookie had a taste of drifting against the pro's. Unfortunately, his spotlight was cut short during the first round vs. Darren McNamara. Regardless, not too shabby for making top 32 by his 2nd event! Look forward to seeing Matt Field represent the Bay at Round 6 "Point of Impact" @ Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Sept 10-11. Also check out this sweet vid created by Shawn Browne.

Here were the qualification stats:

No. Driver: Speed 1: Speed 2: Score:
1 Sam Hubinette 80 35.7 93.5
2 Kyle Mohan 77.1 35.6 91.2
3 Conrad Grunewald 84.4 34.4 89.4
4 Chris Forsberg 78.6 34.1 88.9
5 Vaughn Gittin Jr. 78.8 33.8 88.2
6 Tyler McQuarrie 81.1 36.4 87.1
7 Michihiro Takatori 80.1 32.4 86.3
8 Dai Yoshihara 77 33.1 86.2
9 Mad Mike Whiddet 81.1 33.7 86
10 Justin Pawlak 79.6 30.7 83.8
11 Darren McNamara 79.2 35.1 82.6
12 Ryan Tuerck 75 35.5 81.1
13 Charles Ng 73.1 34.1 80.9
14 Joon Maeng 79.6 35 79.8
15 Ryuji Miki 80.3 40.9 79
16 Tanner Foust 81.9 28.9 77.4
17 Eric O’Sullivan 80.4 34.3 75.9
18 Alex Pfeiffer 74 33 75.6
19 Jeff Jones 73.3 36.4 74.5
20 Fredric Aasbo 74.8 32.2 73.2
21 Ross Petty 70.6 32 72.7
22 Matt Field 76.5 31.8 72.2
23 Matt Powers 78.6 34.4 71.6
24 James Deane 77.9 37.1 71.3
25 Taka Aono 78.1 30.8 69.7
26 Tony Brakohiapa 71.5 31.9 68.6
27 Michael Essa 78.8 27 68.3
28 Brian Wilkerson 78.3 33.1 67.3
29 Rhys Millen 68.4 36.2 67.1
30 Patrick Mordaunt 69.9 36.2 65
31 Nicoli Konstantinov 72.8 33 63.7
32 Jeff Abbott 74.9 30.1 59.6

In Awe & Inspired

2010-07-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

This video really caught my attention as it reveals such passion for cars and in this case an NSX. We're glad to be apart of today's car culture.

Owen's S2000 Track Car

2010-06-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this car at some of the NorCal NASA events, S2000 Challenge or Redline Time Attacks. Owen Guo from Ren Motorsports and driver of this AP1 recently swapped in the larger 2.2L engine for 2010 season. We had the opportunity to tune his car using AEM EMS, extracting 230 whp out of the stock F22C. Good luck this season Owen!

Check out his recent feature on the The Octane Report.

BlackTrax the Matt Field Project

2010-06-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Last season Matt Field earned his Formula Drift license. We recently tuned his SR20DET in preps for FormulaD @ Evergreen Speedway, WA., July 9th & 10th. Keep an eye out for this rookie America cause he's got talent :P

The Truth About Car Forums

2010-06-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Swagger Wagon by Toyota

2010-05-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

We had to put this up. Who wants to mod a Sienna :)

HC @ THill - What a Weekend, What a Race....Tell me about it!

2010-04-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend, it was our own Mark Dowey's first H2 Honda Challenge race. It was also the first time we revealed our new EG 2.0. Using the input and feedback from the Redstone Motorsport drivers: Liam, Graham and Mark, we built a new and improved EG. This couldn't have been possible with the help of a few key players: Tony @ TC Design, Aki @ BlackTrax and Mark, Graham, Liam, Brent and much more. We'll be posting up pictures soon. In the meantime check out Mark's in car on Sunday piloting the Redstone EG 1.0, Liam Downey's H2 car. Sunday podium finishers was Mike Lock, Graham Downey and Mark Downey 1-2-3.

S2ki.com Alignment, Dyno & Dent Day @ Auto Innovations

2010-04-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Bay Area S2ki.com members organized an event for S2000 enthusiasts to get their cars aligned, dyno'd and dent repaired all in one location @ Auto Innovations in Milpitas. BlackTrax Performance provided the dyno service and West Costs Dents provided dent repair service. Good food, great cars, great people. Thanks to Auto Innovations and S2ki.com for hosting and organizing the event.

Pictures courtesy of Arlin Wong Photography

Matt Field's Blacktrax Sponsored Nissan 240sx at Formula Drift LB

2010-04-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Recently went to Formula Drift Round One situated on the streets of Long Beach. While walking around and smelling the tire smoke, I stumbled upon the car show section hosted by Fatlace, there it was Matt Field's car parked at the AutoFashion/Fatlace booth. You might have seen this car before at the Hella Flush III event as he was parked out infront. Well turns out, Matt's going to be running in the Formula D season this year along with his grassroots events. If you see him at the upcoming Formula Drift events, tell him what's up !

Jei's Kraftwerks Powered S2000 @ S2K Challenge, Buttonwillow CW13

2010-04-13T22:24:00.001-07:00

The inspiration behind building this S2000 was from Sport Compact Car Magazine's Ultimate Street Car Challenge. We participated in the challenge in 2007 with Aki's LS1 powered 300ZX. The goal was to build a full interior street car that could do a respectable lap time at any local track. Besides the wing and splitter, the car drives on the street as you see it here.

This was our very first race event in the S2000. The car was having oversteering issues all day. The wind and dust didn't help the track either. We spent all day changing rear tire pressures, shock settings, aero and toe but were still limited on traction. Best official lap time was 2:00.8sec taking 1st in Unlimited and 3rd best lap time overall for the day. Check out the in-car footage.

BlackTrax Kraftwerks Supercharged S2000 @ Buttonwillow CW13 from Jei Chang on Vimeo.

Rob's S2000

2010-04-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Rob Burch came up from Bakersfield last night to iron out some cooling issues and to corner balance and dynotune his F20C powered S2000. This car is setup for Time Attack and S2K Challenge. We were very impressed with the results. The stock F20C with intake and exhaust netted 221hp 152tq which was 10+ more than his baselines, tuned with an Apex-i AFCII. The VAFC is of of the best dollar per horsepower upgrades for the S2000. Check him out, he'll be at Buttonwillow this weekend for S2K Challenge. Good luck Rob!

Graham Downey runs H2 Class @ Infineon Raceway

2010-03-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Graham and his H2 win at Infineon Raceway. Here's some good in car of Graham Downey driving Liam Downey's H2 Civic. Great battle between him and Mike Lock in the black 4th gen Prelude.

Detailed by an Addict

2010-03-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

After a few track days the S2k started to look pretty rough around the edges. This car has seen more miles on the track and going to the track than all the daily driving miles added up. Thanks to Leo from Detail Addict for polishing up the car. The end results were AMAZING! One thing Jei forgot to mention was to have them hold back on the tire shine.....not so good for the Toyo R888's :) For more on the step by step detail procedure of Jei's S2k, visit there site at DetailAddict.com

H-Series Shakedown @ Infineon Raceway

2010-03-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Brandon Kraus attended the Honda Challenge season opener to further dial in his 4th gen Prelude. The H22 motor built by BlackTrax was designed to compete with the K-series. Needless to say this H1 spec 240hp motor is hanging with the best of them out there. Things Brandon changed to improve handling included upping the spring rates to 1100 lbs front and 1600 lbs rear, new speedway sway bar settings, new alignment specs and the addition of a front splitter. "The car handled much better than the first shakedown at the end of the season last year." It was unfortunate the day had to end early because of a RF axle popping out. Brandon used his back up axle but it also popped out. The car was brought back to Roger Kraus Racing for disassembly. Jei from BlackTrax found a loose bearing in the intermediate shaft which may have contributed to the axle popping out from the other end. During disassembly, they found broken 1-2 synchro sleeve that will also need replacement. This guy keeps driving hard even when the clutch hydraulics go out. Stay tuned as BlackTrax upgrades the transmission and hits the track again. Hopefully it'll take a bit more abuse Brandon gives it :)

Hella Flush ThreePointFive

2010-02-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

We attended another track day over the weekend, this time it was the Team Drift Championship presented by Fatlace. We came down to Buttonwillow Raceway Sunday morning with hopes of no rain throughout the day. Luckily, the weather was good with short little drops of rain, but no big showers, considering the 50% chance of rain according to the weather site.

In this photo are Jei and Andrew Gillis from Gillis Motorsports battling it out behind the M3 which was past the next corner by both of them.

Jei and Natalie were out racing their cars in the Advanced group having a great time.. a little track time for the weekend is always a plus. Jei in the S2000 and Natalie in her STi.

It was great to see Mike out in his 510, he was having a great day out there and Ham(his dog) was his pit crew.. how cute.

I think Jei should've had a "Slow traffic move to the right" on his windshield because he was sure passing a lot of cars out on track with his Kraftwerks Supercharger working flawlessly all day long!

Hella Flush 3.5 was as strong as ever considering how far the track is for most people.. Always good to catch up with old friends!

Three car tandem was an exciting to watch as all of them were "go hard or go home" for the $1000 first place!

Calvin Wan brought out his Personal FD for some fun, he had Phillip from 360vm out filming, could a new video be in the works? Probably...

It was a joy watching the Hella Flush competition bring some heat as they made their laps around the track.

To see all of Tom's photos click here!

HellaFlush 3.5 @ Buttonwillow

2010-02-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

It was a day of drifting, gripping and showing all in one. The rain stayed away keeping the track dry for the entire day.. Follow us on our Facebook page for some quick pic uploads. More to come

Import Tuner April 2010 Issue - HF III @ BlackTrax

2010-02-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

Still one of the best gatherings we've had in a while. Thanks to Fatlace x HellaFlush, Import Tuner, the photographers, and of course all you people who continue to support the NorCal scene. See you at HF 3.5 Buttonwillow this Sunday!

HELLO 2010!

2010-01-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that its already 2010! Where did the last 8 years go? It's crazy to think back on the last 8 years we've been around and all the crazy things we've done, places we've been to and great friends we've made along the way.

I wanted to take a look back at a FEW of them wonderful times through the last 8 years. Stay Tuned for more as I dig them out of our archives!

photos by Natalie Bressem

1. Hiro Fujita and the awesome Hondata tuned AE86. We used this picture for an advertisement before the movie @ Century Theaters... yes it was for F&F Tokyo Drift!

2. Our first trip D1GP. An awesome experience for any team to be a part of.

3.24 Hours of LeMONS Round2.
heres an example of the dedication we have when racing, while I was on the track @ night, the motor gave out, and suffering from blows (LeMons was kind of real life bumper cars back then) that both Brent and Liam achieved earlier, we towed the car back to the shop and did a motor swap only to find out the headgasket was bad, drove to Gilroy got another motor then got back to the track just in time for drivers meeting!
Stay tuned for more pics!

Jay Pizzaro's LS1 Swapped Lexus Featured in Modified

2010-01-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

Congrat's to Jay Pizarro and his cover feature in Modified Magazine this month. Details of the feature found HERE

Bob's Donuts II - Thunderhill Track Day

2009-12-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

From a photographer's stand point, the track infield was wet & muddy, but no rain throughout the day. I believe Jei had a great time tuning his car for the event, and then at the event. Notice the new parts on the Laguna Blue S2000. A Lot of supporters came out to Thunderhill this past Sunday, yet there were plenty of room for each other. These are some of the shots I managed to capture. Enjoy!

Rest of them can be seen here.

Old Red EG Bares New Stripes

2009-12-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

Some of you may recognize it when Liam Downey was piloting it in NASA's Honda Challenge 2 or even at the Bob's Donut Track Day last Thanksgiving weekend. Redstone Motorsport and BlackTrax Performance team up for some last minute strategic tuning in prep for the 25 Hour of Thunderhill this weekend. Here are two spy shots of the car via camera phone during vinyl wrap done by Epic Images. It's going to be freezing this weekend. Bring something warm if you plan to watch!

HellaFlush III @ BlackTrax Video

2009-11-25T16:37:00.001-08:00

Check out this sick vid by Phillip Velasco of 360video.

Hella Flush III from iPhilms on Vimeo.

Jay Pizzaro's LS1 Swapped Lexus Dyno

2009-11-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

Hella Flush III @ Blacktrax Performance

2009-11-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

Coverage of Hella Flush III @ Blacktrax Performance

See more of the Hella Flush III vehicles

See more of the Hella Flush III awards/models/crowd

Great Flicks from HellaFlush III @ BlackTrax

2009-11-17T12:36:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all who supported the Southeast Asian Disaster Relief, Fatlace/HellaFlush and BlackTrax. Over 1500 people attended and this event. Pics are coming but check out some of the vids that were shot.

Here's a nice vid of the crew that came up from LA to attend our event:

300+hp BMW

Graham Downey's In Car Footage - MUST SEE!

2009-11-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

Redstone Motorsport have just released their full in-car video footage from the final Laguna Seca race, compliments of our sponsor RaceKeeper.

By now many of you will have watched the Speed Channel coverage of the final Speed World Challenge Touring Car race from Laguna Seca, California. As always, fantastic coverage from the WCVision group and the SCCA, showing all of the exciting highlights from the race.

Want to see some more in-depth in-car coverage from the mid pack? Want to see the wheel to wheel and bumper to bumper (literally!) racing between Downey, Saini, Thomas, Foss, Curran and Lindsey?

"Watching the in-car footage back, I didn't realize how close the racing was for the 26 laps, and how many position changes their were" said Downey. "This is really exciting, clean wheel to wheel racing, very exciting to watch"

Downey took the hard charger award for the race, his rookie appearance at Speed World Challenge Touring Car, and although a local to Laguna Seca, his first official race at this track. Starting out 13th, Downey worked his way up to 7th towards the end of the race, falling back to 8 with 2 laps to go, with Thomas finally getting back by, and losing out to Saini in the last corner of the last lap to finally finish 9th.

" I'm very happy with 9th, and although I held my own throughout the race, Thomas and Saini had more power on the straights than me, and they finally made their way back through. But, this makes from great video footage" said Downey.

Although there is no matching the fantastic coverage by the WC Vision team, and the exciting race on Speed Channel, the in-car perspective gives the viewer a much closer view of what it's like fighting it out in the pack. There was some great racing from 5th to 11th place throughout the race, and Downey's camera captured the most of it, up close and real. See the bumper rubbing, the tire smoke and lock ups, the dust clouds, and loose moments, as if you were sitting in the passenger seat.

See the latest press release on the Speed World Challenge website http://www.world-challenge.com/news/story.php?ID=1512

Noah's SR Powered Bluebird - What a Beautiful Ride!

2009-10-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recognize this one of a kind RHD Bluebird. Noah dropped it off for a tuneup and dyno. Stay tuned as we tear this work of art back down to the bare shell for a full on resto by BT!

Team Redstone Motorsports Takes 9th Place and Sunoco "Hard Charger" Award at Speed World Challenge Touring Car Race at Laguna Seca Raceway

2009-10-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

Graham Downey, racing privateer grassroots racing team Redstone Motorsports 1999 Honda Civic Si, finishes 9th overall at the season finale Speed World Challenge Touring Car Championship at Laguna Seca raceway, Monterey California. Downey, running his inaugural rookie World Challenge race event, put on an amazing performance against a very competitive field of professional drivers and teams.

With a driver and manufacturers championship to be decided on the day, competition was expected to be fierce between Acura and Mazda, and Realtime versus MazdaSpeed, the rookie Downey had to balance aggression with common sense, and ensure he could finish the race yet not inadvertently interfere with a critical championship.

Downey, running a stock Honda K24 TSX motor and transmission in his very trusty Honda Civic knew he would be out powered on the straights by the manufacturer sponsored Acura TSX's from Realtime, as well as the MazdaSpeed 3's and 6's. But Downey was confident of his driving ability, setup, and reliability of the lone Honda in the Touring Car class. "Power isn't everything", said Downey, as he did his final preparations for the race. " Braking and apex speed make a big difference at Laguna, and my Civic will gain back time in the corners".

Downey was running within 0.7secs of the Realtime TSX's in practice, but the Acura's and Mazda's found some extras qualifying time on Saturday during final practice, Kleinubing taking poll position with 1:37:042, Clay's BMW at 1:37:371, and Peter Cunningham 3rd at 1:37:358. Downey qualified 13th at 1:38:853, 1.5 seconds behind Cunningham, but his best time of the weekend. " I was hoping for a top 10 qualifying, but 13th was as good as we could have expected considering the fast time of the Acura's on Saturday. I knew the race would come back to my pace on Sunday, as I expected the race pace to be in the mid 1:38's which is a comfortable pace for my Honda"

Downey started well from the green flag, picking up 3 places within 2 laps, and running consistently in the pack. For the majority of the race Downey was wheel to wheel with Jason Saini, the championship leader going into the final race, Seth Thomas from Bimmerworld, and Eric Foss in his Mazda 3. The Acura's of Kleinubing and Cunningham, along with Clay in his Bimmerworld BMW took a commanding lead, the the rest of the top ten running bumper to bumper. Kuno Wittmers' Realtime TSX lost a rear wheel coming out of the corkscrew in lap 10, bringing out a full course yellow for 4 laps.

The race restarted with Kleinubing, Cunningham and Curran again pulling well ahead of the remaining top 10. Downey continued his bumper to bumper battle with Saini and Thomas. 4 laps to go and the 7th to 10th cars started to mix it up more aggressively. " I saw what was coming, and said to myself I could take advantage here if I hang back just a little, and let the boys duke it out. And that's exactly what happened. I saw my opportunity between turn 4 and turn 6, and pulled up 3 places to 7th. I knew it would be hard to keep 7th, but I decided to go all out and sprint to the finish"

Thomas finally got back around Downey with 2 laps remaining, putting him back in 9th in front of Saini. With both sprinting for the line once the white flag was waved. Downey and Saini went bumper to bumper. Downey, heading off Saini up the last corner before the start/finish straight went wide on Turn 11 allowing room for Saini to cut inside, and pipped Downey for 8th at the line.

Downey finished 9th overall, and received the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for the driver that made up the most places in the race. Read the full race report here http://www.world-challenge.com/news/story.php?ID=1495

After the race Downey commented, " I'm ecstatic with 9th place. To be able to go out there and race my very first pro level race, with a field like this, and finish like I did is amazing. The difference for me was the reliability of my Honda, the great setup from my team, and the braking and cornering ability of the car. My car was getting faster as the race progressed. If we only had about 3 more laps, I'm sure I'd have pulled a few more spots. My tires and brakes were great, never faltered or faed for the whole race, and were still perfect at the end. But, I'm happy with the result".

"We'll be back next year for Speed World Challenge", commented Downey, " We'll either run a Honda or an Acura, depending on rules and contingencies, we haven't decided yet".

Downey is also the current NASA Honda Challenge National Champion, wining this title at Miller Motorpsort Park, Utah in September. This is his 2nd National title with NASA, and the only Honda Challenge driver to win back to back championships.

Team Redstone would like to thank our great team for all the hard work dedication to get our very first Speed World Challenge race in the books, with an amazing result.

A special thank you to our primary sponsors, Blacktrax Performance, RaceKeeper, Carbotech, Roger Kraus Racing, Hasport Performance, and Gillis Motorsport for all their help, sponsorship and support throughout the year.

11.14 - Hella Flush III Meet at Blacktrax Performance FLYER

2009-10-11T02:46:00.000-07:00

FINALLY. HELLAFLUSH III is here. Saturday, November 14th 11-5pm. Hosted by Fatlace & BlackTrax Performance in Milpitas California. More details will be announce as well as major sponsors for the event in the next couple days but REGISTER TODAY as there are only 150 HELLAFLUSH Spots available. ALL CREWS WELCOME.

Also we’d like to turn this event into a fundraiser to help out the people that have lost everything from the natural disasters that have been occurring this past week. We will be requesting a $20 Donation when you arrive at the event. From the Philippines, Vietnam, American Samoa and Indonesia, please send your prayers to the families who’ve lost loved ones and prayers and support for those fighting to survive. Storms, floods, typhoons and earthquakes have taken the lives of hundreds this week. Do what you can to help out those less fortunate than you…from the way things are going, it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better.

Spread the word. You know this is going to be an event not to miss. Thanks all for supporting us for the past couple years.

Speed World Challenge - Update

2009-10-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Thursday practice lap times were low 1:39's. A change on tires and suspension settings dropped us down to 1:38.8's. Friday's qualifying put Graham Downey in 13th position for the race. We tried to keep the Twitter updates going but the race got too exciting, typing via Blackberry stopped being the priority. By the 1st lap Downey moved from 13th to 11th position. By the 3rd lap Graham moved up to 10th trailing behind the championship leader Jason Saini. A battle between the two led Graham ahead to the 8th position but unfortunatly wasn't able to hold due to some contact. Congrats to Graham Downey for receiving the Sonoco Hard Charger recognition for the most overtakes in that race!

Two-Time Champ Graham Downey's In-Car Video

2009-09-19T12:19:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Graham Downey and his deserved win. These videos tell a clear story of what happened when the double yellow came out at about 2m 30sec into the video.

Good little battle between Jonathan Meris and Downey. So much so that they were waving at each other on each pass. Unfortunately, Meris had to pull back because of a cracked wheel hub but it would have been a good race between the two.

NASA Nationals H1 2009-Graham Downey-Redstone- Miller MSP from Liam Downey on Vimeo.

Graham Downey Wins Nationals 2 In A Row!

2009-09-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Not without drama Graham Downey officially takes 1st for the 2nd year in a row. Check out what happened 3min into this video that started all this drama:

Feel Like Jumping a Truck

2009-09-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to put Bruce Field's Class 8 Baja Truck on our dyno yesterday. The thing was a beast and with 30" of suspension travel we really wanted to see jump across Montague Epwy! This 5000lb torque machine definitely gave our Dynapack a workout..

Great BT Representation @ Honda Challenge Thunderhill

2009-08-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

What a great event it was for BlackTrax Performance. They had 4 cars representing: Liam and Graham Downey from Team Redstone Motorsports H2, Brandon Kraus from Roger Kraus Racing H1, Andrew Leach TT and Jim Markarian HPDE.

This was Brandon Kraus' 1st shakedown weekend. He won 1st on Saturday against Prima Racing's Andrie Hartanto. On Sunday there was another great race between the two of them. Unfortunately Brandon did not finish due to an oil pressure gauge problem which led him to pit. All in all it was a successful weekend for Brandon as he hit a 2:00.1 lap time, just about 1-2 seconds shy from his personal best with his original 4th gen Prelude. With the help of Andrie lending Brandon higher rate springs, Brandon was able to shave off another second off his lap time. We have high hopes that once this Prelude it gets dialed in, it will be a strong competitor against the K series engines in H1.

With the new addition of a adjustable wing, Andrew found was able to settle the rear of the car down but logged a slower lap time when he installed the front splitter. Removing he splitter, Andrew did his personal best of 2:06 in TT in his ~200hp full bodied 5th gen Prelude.

Jim Markarian had us set him with with Wicked Tuning front pillowball LCA's, new wheel size and offset with Enkei RPF1's and new Toyo R888's. Graham Downey and Jim took turns shaking down the car. "that car handle's great now" says Graham Downey.

Stephan Verdier wins Round 6 of Formula Drift

2009-08-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

Photo by Steve Demmit

The final round was going to be a solid battle between Ken Gushi in his RWD Scion TC vs. Stephan Verdier in his Subaru Impreza. Ken leads and straghtens out right before the apex. The car appeared to be damaged. Gushi with what looked like a lost cylinder, forfeits to Verdier and Ryuji Miki takes third in his well tuned FD.

Photo by Steve Demmit

Photos by Jei Chang

Darren McNamara demonstrating tire blistering torque in his V8 powered Saturn Sky.

Dai Yoshihara posing with BC connecting rod in his hand.

Bay Area local Calvin Wan's FD.

Blacktrax S2000 Dyno Day Coverage

2009-07-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

Please view the gallery for more pictures.

Special thanks to: Blacktrax for hosting the dyno day. DJ Joocy & DJ Kevin of Bayfunktion Ent. for coming out to provide music and also all the visitors throughout the day!

- Tom Nguyen of Fatlace.com

S2ki.com Dyno Day 7-25-09

2009-07-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

BT will be hosting a 2nd Annual Dyno Day and car meet for S2ki.com. Exclusive to S2ki.com members and all S2000 owners. Event starts at 9am and ends when we fall over! Show us your keys and we'll show you something else......maybe a burger or hot dog :0)~

$50 for baselines, 3 pulls with Wideband A/F Monitor
$100 for 1 Hour Max. Tuning

For more details: http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=706738&st=0

JP Martinez S2000 Featured in Honda Tuning June 09 Issue

2009-06-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Congratulation's to JP for building such a beautiful ride and getting it featured on Honda Tuning Magazine June 09 issue. A mix of JDM rarity and creative touches really made this car a showpiece winner. Shane Sampson, member of the BlackTrax Fam did the custom paintwork on the valve cover which made it pop with the help of the Password JDM Carbon/Kevlar intake. For more pictures visit: http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/features/htup_0907_2001_honda_s2000/index.html

JP thanks all those who were involved in the build:

Sherry Hernando

Joaquin Leveriza

Jon “Judy” Martinez

Rob Thill, Zach Wong & crew

Neil Martinez

Vince Martinez

Rodney Asistin

Yves Cuyugan

Vu Barnes

Anish Ramrakhyani

Jake Timoteo “Soapy Jake Approved”

Jeff Wu

Joey Kwan for the late night installs

All my Bay Area S2Ki peeps for the help, insight, support & drive to keep going!

Jei & Natalie Chang of Blacktrax Performance

Shane Sampson – awesome valve cover work!

Erik @ Multi-Craft Auto Body, Burlingame

Collin & Adam @ Weksos Industries

Tommy @ GoTuning.com

Steve @ Password JDM

BT Time Attack Results 1:31.645 @ WSIR - Modified Class

2009-06-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

Great results this weekend at the Redline Time Attack at Willow Springs International Raceway. It was our first shakedown since a new motor change and additional Wicked Tuning protoype suspension for the Z32 300ZX chassis. The initial plan at the beginning of the year was to pull the LS1 out in favor for an LQ9. Unfortunatly, the LQ9 we purchased had a bad cam bearing which took us out of that event. To make it to this event, Aki opted for the LM4 engine which is a smaller displacement engine at 5.4L. The lower displacement engine has other positive characteristics such as larger ports and a lighter rotating assembly. Combining this with a bigger cam we were able to rev this motor to 7k rpms which was helpful at the high speed track.

Items changed since the Ulitmate Street Car Challenge 2007:
-Weight reduction from 3400 down to 3000lbs wet with 190lb driver and 5 gal gas.
-Spherical bushing lower arms
-Carbotech xp 12 brakes
-LM4 engine tuned and raced on 91 pump gas making 350whp
-removed high flow cats (used for USCC 2007)
-APR GTC 300 Wing

The tires used this weekend were the same Khumo V700 Victoracers that were used almost wasted during the Gross Display of Horsepower challenge 2 years ago. There was some tread left so Aki opted to finish these tires at this event. With Graham Downey piloting the car, the shakedown practice laps were averaging 1:33-1:34. Ajustments made on the wing as well as tire pressures dropped Grahams lap times to a very best of 1:30 but unfortunately that was during practice. Best Time Attack Lap was 1:31.645 which resulted in 4th overall in Modified. This lap was done with a blown left rear shock and worn tires. Some of the cars we raced against should be competing in Unlimited. We'll keep sticking by the rules and shave our times. There's more glory in that :0)~

Big thanks to Graham Downey from Redstone Motorsport, and to our Sponsors:
Tire Rack
Golden Apple - Nex Suspension
Wicked Tuning
Carbotech Brakes
Redstone Motors

Keep your eyes peeled for more BlackTrax & Redstone racing. We're ready to make waves.

Race Report from Andrew Leach NASA TT @ T-Hill

2009-05-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

Words from Andrew Leach:

Well April 25th and 26th 2009 was an interesting weekend at Thunderhill normal direction. I ran in Time Trials C class for the 3rd time this session. Winding up 3rd place on Saturday and Sunday to 1st place veteran Bob Blackwood who is a 25 year veteran to racing and with NASA and won Nationals last year.

When I got there on Saturday and pulled the car out of the trailer, the rear toe link had come loose and my rear driver’s side toe was completely out of my specifications. Luckily with my Wicked Tuning rear toe links from Blacktrax, the adjustment was easy. I adjusted it by eye and took it for a spin in the pits area and it seemed to be dead on.

Started the first session with front tire pressure at 30psi and rear at 29psi; ended up running a 2:11.6 with the rear end not holding on tight enough. Dropped tire pressure to 28psi front and 27 psi rear. Ran a 2:07.8 and the car held tight in late braking and exiting corners but still a little unstable at the entrance to turns 1, 2, and 5. 3rd session was run the same way but half way through the session the power steering blew the high pressure hose and my front brake pads broke off from their backing. I down-shifted my way in and installed new pads. Thank God that the rotors didn’t get messed up. I also removed the power steering belt and put silicon on the leaking hose to stop any extra leak.

Ran 4th session with no power steering and tire pressures at 27psi front and 26psi rear, when measured cold. Came in with a best lap time of 2:07.002.

Sunday started off at 45 degrees out and with no power steering and tire pressures at 28/27 front and rear. Ran a best of 2:05.967. Came in after 1st session and my alternator bracket had broken. I rigged up a tie-down strap to ratchet tight the belt by wrapping the tie down around the radiator support bracket and hooked onto the front toe hook. Continued to run this same way the 2nd and 3rd sessions. Came in after 3rd session and noticed the power steering line was still leaking so I called it a day.

SYTFU BBQ/MEET '09

2009-04-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

Currently uploading.. but to view them click here.

Redstone Motorsport @ Time Attack Buttonwillow

2009-04-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Mark, Liam and Graham spent Saturday setting up the Liam's EG hatch. This was their first trial test with the Toyo R888 tires. Running a stock Type R engine they ran a 2:01.0 lap time in the Unlimited FWD class and placed 2nd overall. Congrats to the Downeys!

Radix Motorsports Wins at 2009 San Diego National Tour

2009-04-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Written by: Jaime Mendoza

Starter problems when unloading the car from the trailer in San Diego started to give the feeling of a bad weekend, but all was fixed that afternoon with a replacement starter and the results could not have been better, even though we missed the opportunity to test and tune.

In a field of 13 cars I was able to lock in 1st place win for the San Diego National Tour with a 0.5 second lead and 2.5 second difference between 2nd and 3rd place. Our first big event of the season with only 4 previous events in the CRX and 1 with the new TOYO R1R tires.

The weather was not on our side with an overcast day on Saturday and a wet course for the 1st run of 3 on Sunday. Blacktrax Performance did a great job to fine tune the ECU on the previous Wednesday to give us a smoking gun up the hill of Qualcomm Stadium.

For the Regional Events, we are now in 1st place in points for the San Francisco Region Championship with over 10 events left in the season.

This is becoming a very exciting season for us, and look forward to the competition along the way until the National Championship in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Read about the ST and STS class wins:

http://www.toyoeditor.com/Race_report.html

Upcoming events are:

-SF region Championship Event Round 6 - April 17th
-42nd Annual Duel At DeAnza - May 17th
*We are preparing the Integra Type R for the 09 Hoopa Hillclimb in July

Radix Motorsports is sponsored by:

Supertech Performance
Swift Springs
Team MFactory
BlackTrax Performance
Craftwerx Concepts
Redstone Motors
Steve Osborne Motorsports
AutoImage.net
Lubrify.com
Genitrix Motorsports

Jaime Mendoza
Radix Motorsports.com
jmendoza@radixmotorsports.com

April 18, 2009 - Annual BayAreaPrelude.Com Dyno Day

2009-03-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

BayAreaPrelude.Com will be holding their annual dyno day at BlackTrax Performance. Honda Prelude owners as well as other cars are welcome to join, hang out and talk cars.

More Details Visit:
http://www.bayareaprelude.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=23487

HIN "Kick Off Event"

2009-02-22T22:04:00.001-08:00

To view more, please visit DFINED.ORG or My Gallery.

Jei will post all the award stuff very soon. Stay tuned.

Edited by Natalie

UPDATE: Awards WON by the BlackTrax Group

Best Honda - Jei Chang

Best Toyota - Alex Kuang

Best Street - Tim Oakes

Best Group Representation Overall

Best Photography/Model Hijaking - Tom Nguyen VDMTom

WEKFEST COVERAGE `09!

2009-02-14T10:56:00.001-08:00

Who likes teasers?

There's A LOT more where that came from. Click Here

BlackTrax Builds A One Of A Kind AE86

2009-02-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Alex Kuang has had his eyes set getting featured in Sport Compact Car Magazine. With the unfortunate news that SCC was going to be cut, we thought that all prep work for the photoshoot was wasted. Luckily, photographer Steve Demmitt was able to take his pictures and feature them on JTuned . We're very happy the way these pictures turned out and we're proud to be a part of this project. This car was actually prepped and painted by Alex with Spies-Hecker paint, honestly one of the best paint jobs we've seen come through our shop. You've probably seen it at many of the NorCal gatherings and shows. Please visit www.jtuned.com and check out some of Steve's sick pics!

Redstone & BlackTrax Team Up At 25 Hour

2008-12-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

Redstone and BlackTrax teamed up to race in the 25 Hour of Thunderhill with Liam Downey's B16A powered EG Civic. The team kept consistant 2:05 and 2:12 lap times with the best time set at 2:02.703 by Devin Raynal. Unfortunately due to oil starvation, we lost a rod bearing which took us out of the 5th place position. Shout outs to the drivers: Liam Downey, Graham Downey, Derrick Welch & Devin Raynal. Check out these pictures taken at the 25 Hour at Thunderhill by Jeremy Forbes.

Graham Downey Takes 1st at NASA Nationals Honda Challenge H1 @ Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course - Sept. 14, 2008

2008-11-15T21:53:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Graham Downey who took the pole on Saturday and won 1st on Sundays H1 NASA Nationals race. It was definitely worth the 48 non-stop hour trek to Mid-Ohio. Also congratulations to Jonathan Meris who placed a very close 2nd place finish.

"I had a great time at Nationals. I had my most fun race ever with Meris. He raced me clean and gave room when it was needed. Definetly two thumbs up for the brilliant driving by Meris. Congrats to Meris on his awesome finish, racing thru the pack and finishing 2nd! great drive! First I have to thank my parents (Liam & Loyola) for helping me get to Nationals. If it wasnt for them I definetly would'nt have made it to Mid-Ohio. It was so fun spending 9 days with my family on the road and at the track. Even though after 5000 miles of driving I was a little fussy!Huge thanks to my girlfriend Ashly for taking time off work to go with me to Ohio! She was super helpful and a great spotter on the radio. I couldn't have done it without her being there!
I also have to thank the following sponsors,

- Redstone Motors for suppling the car and spares and for allowing me to take 10 days off work!
- Blacktrax Performance - Jei for his tuning, Aki for his welding, Mark for being my crew chief, and Natalie for making all the arrangements to get the guys from CA to Ohio
- Roger Kraus Racing - Big help from Brandon for setting up my car. He always does killer alignments and the corner weights are always dead on! Thanks for mounting and balancing all my tires too!
- Prima Racing - Andrie Hartanto for providing me with driving tips, car set up and race strategies. Great guy and super knowledgeable!
- Epic Images - Thanks to Waldo for making me stickers at the last minute! Thanks to Austin for picking them up for me!
-Thanks to John W. for the shifter box and Edik & Harut Stepanyan for the grease and 10mm nut.

Hope to see everyone in Utah in 2009!"

BlackTrax Garage Sale/Car Meet 10-26-09

2008-10-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

Our trash, your treasure! Parts were flying off the lot at $1 prices! Thanks all who attended! The next day we still had to recycle about 10,000lbs worth of parts.