The No. 61 Roush Performance Mustang Boss 302R and the No. 75 Compass360 Honda Civic Si took the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) class victories respectively at the Bosch Engineering 200 on May 14 at Virginia International Raceway.

The GS class was hotly contested with three unofficial lead changes in the final five minutes.  Billy Johnson, driving the Roush Performance No. 61 Mustang Boss 302R, held off by the Turner Motorsport BMW M3 driven by Bill Auberlen on the last lap to capture the victory.  AST Suspension – USA had a fantastic showing sweeping the top five spots for the race.

AST – USA’s general manager, Brian Hanchey said: “We’ve put a great package together and work closely with the teams and drivers to fine tune their setups.  We’re really excited to see the results race after race.”

Ryan Eversley and Karl Thomson brought the No. 75 Compass360 Honda Civic Si to victory lane in the ST class by surviving a wild race.  The final lap proved exciting, with Eversley beating Nico Rondet to the line by just .681 seconds.  This was the first victory for the Compass360 team this season.

GRAND-AM Continental Tire Challenge teams utilizing AST dampers include: Turner Motorsport, Roush Performance, Stevenson Motorsports, Fall-Line Motorsports, BimmerWorld Racing, Rum Bum Racing, DeMan Motorsport, CKS Autosport, Subaru Road Racing Team, Finlay Motorsports, A.M. Performance, i-MOTO, Trade Manage Racing, BGB Motorsports, Doran Racing and Compass 360 Racing.

The next race in the series is the Memorial Day Weekend Classic on May 28 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn.

AST Suspension – USA is the exclusive importer of AST Suspension products in North America.  AST Suspension sells high performance adjustable dampers for street cars, autocross cars and road racing cars in North America.

Ann & Andy Hollis’ “One Lap CRX” snared one of the coveted Top-10 Overall trophies at the recent 2011 Tire Rack One Lap of America.  The event covers 3651 highway miles with competitions at 11 tracks over the course of an 8-day period.   Comprised mostly of salvage parts, the “junkyard dog” stuck it to many of the high-strung, high-dollar efforts that either broke down or just weren’t fast enough to get the job done.  With an Acura TSX drivetrain, and Integra brakes bolted to the little CRX HF body, plenty of “stop and go” are on tap.  Suspension and wheels/tires are the real magic for quick lap times, though, and the Hollis car sports custom-valved AST 5300 coilovers, Eibach springs, 6UL wheels by 949Racing and Hankook Ventus R-S3 tires (225/45-15).  Add in a set of Chicken Hawk electric tire warmers for the rear, and the car hits the track ready for instant time trial action.

“The adjustability of the shocks was a key in adapting the setup to a variety of track and weather conditions, as well as dialing down to a comfy ride for the long highway transits from track-to-track”, said Hollis.  “Without the AST’s, we’d either have been slower on track, or in agony on the street.”

More details can be found at OneLapCRX.com

More Information on the One Lap of America event for 2011

This year’s route featured tracks in the eastern half of the country, with stops at Summit Point, Carolina Motorsports Park, the BMW Performance Center, Daytona, Circuit Grand Bayou, Barber Motorsports Park, and Autobahn Country Club.  In addition, competitors showed their motorsports versatility with an autocross on the expansive concrete at the Grissom Air Force Base and drag racing at the NHRA track in Gainesville, FL.  The week’s activities were book-ended by a pair of skid pad competitions, one wet and one dry, at The Tire Rack’s  test track in South Bend, IN.  Hollis had especially good performances in the autocross, where he finished a close second, and the dry skid pad, narrowly missing the track record to finish third overall.

More details can be found at OneLapofAmerica.com

-Andy Hollis

The Trade Manage Porsche Boxster #109 managed to shatter the Lime Rock track record for the PCA G class, with a 58.747 second lap.  Here’s how their weekend went:

Qualifying – On the pole..check

Race Result Saturday – Win…check

Race Result Sunday – Win…check

G class lap record – Broken…check

Not a bad weekend guys, sounds like the custom valved AST 5220s are what Charlie Sheen describes as “Winning!”

Some may have seen the recent article about SportCar magazine’s Toyota Yaris H Production car that raced at the 2010 SCCA Runoffs.  I know what you are thinking, why would anyone want to race a car that was built for the sole purpose of getting optimal gas mileage.  What’s next?  Spec Prius?

Now that you’re over the shock of building and racing a gas sipping Yaris, let’s talk about what they did.  Jason Isley built the car and campaigned it regionally to qualify for the Runoffs on less than ideal setups for the engine and suspension packages – but hey, they qualified.  Kudos to Jason and the folks working on the project.  It’s not easy when you have to develop a new car quickly, especially when there aren’t tons of other Yaris’ racing throughout the country.

Out with the “show” suspension, in with AST Suspension

That’s right, this Yaris started out as a show car.  It looked good standing still, but didn’t perform up to the level it needed to in H Production.

We talked to Jason about his set up and wanted to know how the car was behaving and how it would best suit his driving style.  After a few conversations, we determined that AST 5100’s with custom valving would be a good fit.

We do suspension packages on everything from Solo II to GRAND AM, how hard could it be to get a Yaris dialed in?  Not very…

Once Jason got to the Runoffs, he had a few mishaps, but got the car ready for qualifying.  He grabbed 13^th place in the qualifying session.  Over the course of the race, he moved up through the ranks and finished in a respectable 8^th place.  Not bad at all for a car that got sorted out at the Runoffs.

We’ll admit, we don’t look at the Toyota Yaris in the same light!

UPDATE: 2011 has ushered in more speed and success!  5 Poles – 4 Wins! – 2 Second place finishes!

Read the whole article – thanks to SportsCar magazine for including us in the magazine!

When you think of Porsche as a brand, speed is one word that comes to mind.  But, 234.6 MPH, that is CRAZY speed!  The more amazing feat is that this isn’t a gutted “race car”, instead, this is a full interior, street legal 997.1 with a lot of help from a Twin Turbo system, built and raced by AST Suspension – USA dealer, Evolution Motorsports.

Our friends over at Evolution Motorsports specialize in neck breaking speed for late model Porsche owners looking for more speed, elegance or balance.  We chatted with the guys a while back when they told us about “MAYHEM”, the 997 pictured.  They told us that the car was capable of hitting well over 200 miles per hour and needed a suspension that would help the Porsche stay glued at speed, a LOT of speed!

For those not familiar with the Texas Mile event, it is a Top Speed event where participants travel 1 mile from a standing stop.  They then have a half mile to shut it down and get back to normal human speeds.  The latest Texas Mile event was where this unnatural Porsche came closer than any Porsche street car to the speed of light.  Congrats on the killer run!

By the way, when is the last time you’ve seen a Porsche with a parachute?  A-W-E-S-O-M-E

Vehicle Specs:

MAYHEM, or the EVT1500, began life as a twin turbo Porsche 997 in 2007. It was acquired by Todd Zuccone of Evolution MotorSports with 6 miles on the odometer for the sole purpose of Extreme Testing. When the car had been in the EVOMS shop for less than 24 hours it began its transformation with a simple ECU performance flash. Since that day, it lives as a Research and Development platform for John Bray and the other EVOMS engineers.

The EVT1500 Performance System features an EVOMS built 4.0-liter twin turbo engine with horsepower of 1485 and Torque of 1320. This upgrade also includes all of the needed safety components, suspension upgrades, transmission modifications and all other needed aspects of the car to match the performance of the engine. The cars post a 2.5 second time in 0-60 and runs the ¼ mile in excess of 160 MPH. The complete car weighs approximately 3200-3600 pounds depending on options.

How does it handle?

MAYHEM utilizes at set of AST 5320s.  These 3-way adjustable dampers with 45mm inverted front struts and custom low and high speed compression were built with super high speeds in mind.  The crew at AST-USA knew that with speeds over 200 MPH, the shocks were of paramount importance because it gives the driver the confidence to keep their right foot planted.  We realize that much of this record is due to Evolution’s ability to pump out nearly 1500 hp, but we still feel like a big part of the record by giving the driver the confidence to keep the right foot planted (see video below from 1:06 to the end – THAT is keeping it planted!).  See what John Bray, senior engine builder for EVOMS had to say regarding their AST Suspension.

“Our EVT1500 Porsche 997.1TT had great stability at high speed, especially above 200MPH. Additionally, due to the full adjust-ability we were able to tweak the suspension at the track on the weekend. We are looking forward to hitting 240+ next time out, and AST will be there!”

So what does 234.6 MPH look like?

More Photos: http://bit.ly/la1AgE

We appreciate Evolution Motorsports for sharing their story.  Evolution MotorSports also features performance upgrades for Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, VW, Audi as well as a full line of upgrades for all late model Porsches including the new 2012 Panamera turbo.  For more information, View the company websites at www.EVOMS.com and www.EVOMSit.com

When Ford announced that the 5.0L engine was making a comeback, you could feel the ground shaking, word spread like wildfire, but we wondered if it would just be another “marketing ploy.”  As the early 2011 Mustang GTs started to hit the street, it was apparent that the new 5.0 was everything Ford fans had been waiting on since the deletion of the 5.0 emblem from Mustangs in 1995.  It actually turns out that the new Mustang’s “world class value”  (less than $30k, 415 hp and BIG 14″ brakes) has broadened its owner base and is attracting new customers that were looking at all world performers such as the BMW M3.  Actually, it looks like Ford did a pretty good job hanging with the world class BMW M3 – check out this article.

Vorshlag, one of our  AST Suspension – USA dealers decided to see what all the hype was about, so they picked up a shiny new red 2011 Mustang GT last fall.  They bought the car in hopes of campaigning it in NASA Time Trial events and in STX (SCCA Autocross).  Keep in mind, these 415hp Mustangs still feature a live axle out back and a MacPherson strut front suspension, not exactly a purpose built suspension, but it will work (quite well actually).

The planned modifications are somewhat limited because of their chosen class.  A short list of their mods to date are below:

GRIP:

• AST 4100, single adjustable dampers
  
• Vorshlag S197 front camber (and caster) plates
• 450# front springs
• 175# rear springs
• Eibach ‘05-’10 Front adjustable swaybar – 35mm
• Energy Suspension polyurethane front control arm bushings
• 18”x 9” Wedsport TC105N wheels with Toyo R1R 265/35 tires
• Cobra Suzuka seat (1 autocross run and you will realize that stock seats weren’t meant for racing…)

POWER:

• Steeda Cold Air Intake
• SCT Custom Tuner

How does it handle?

Most of the 2011 season has been spent “dialing in” the car.  Obviously, with our 4100 damper package, there is a lot of adjustment range to help maximize grip, response through slaloms, driving style and balance.  Terry Fair, owner of Vorshlag (and chief test driver) says that “the AST’s(struts/shocks) are unbelievable.  They really helped to balance the car; it’s more responsive in slaloms and much more composed under braking on track.  It is amazing how well these new Mustangs respond to just a shock and spring change!”

The guys at Vorshlag have tried a few different spring combos and are working on getting the car set for their drivers.  The testing they’ve done has helped us improve the performance of the “off the shelf” S197  4100 package.  The 4100, single adjustable shocks/struts are a great street/track combo for daily driven Mustangs, autocross, track and race (some classes only allow single adjustable dampers).

More Info on the AST 4100′s

The AST 4100 series dampers used on this Mustang feature:  shortened shock bodies, custom valving (job well done by AST-USA’s very own Stuart Maxcy), non-inverted front struts and non-inverted rear shocks.  The front struts have a non-digressive piston and the rear shocks have the Grand Am spec digressive piston.  The digressive piston helps increase low speed rebound which helps “blow off” the forces a shock will receieve when rebounding, while not effecting the speed at which it rebounds.  Basically, it means that you’ll get a more “planted” tire when external forces are applied to the suspension, such as hitting big curbing or bumpy track surfaces.

To learn more about Vorshlag’s 2011 Shop car, check out their latest blog post or their main website.

The crew here at AST-USA has been feverishly working since December with our GRAND AM teams preparing for the 2011 season. Currently, there are 9 teams running our AST 5220 series shocks through the first two races of the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season.

In December, AST-USA was buzzing with activity as many GRAND AM teams were finishing their 2011 cars for the upcoming season. We worked with each team to optimize their shock and spring packages, meaning, we spent countless hours on the shock dyno making sure that each team had the numbers they were looking for, to get proper baseline before testing in Daytona.

Daytona Testing
The AST-USA crew made the long haul from Texas to sunny, but not super warm Daytona Beach, Florida in early January. Test week at Daytona is a grueling week for AST-USA. The teams we support head out to shake down the cars, make adjustments, study the data collected and then head to the AST-USA trailer for adjustments. Many of the teams we support have newly completed race cars that have never turned a lap until they arrive at Daytona. Our days are mostly filled with conversations with the a team’s engineer or crew chief to talk about the setup and how it is working, then making shock adjustments on our shock dyno. It is amazing to see the progress these cars make in a few short days.

GRAND AM 200 – Daytona, FL – Race Day
We’re the new kids on the block. Daytona was our debut race. Everyone at AST-USA was on edge leading up to the start of the season. We felt nervously optimistic that the AST suspended cars would do well since they were fast in practice and qualified well with the Rum Bum M3 on the pole with a new track record (its got to be the shocks right?) In the back of our minds we know racing is unpredictable.

The race like most GRAND AM races had it’s ups and downs, but ended on an extremely high note for our maiden voyage into GRAND AM racing.
AST teams took SEVEN of the top Ten finishing positions: 1st (Rum Bum), 3rd (Turner), 4th (Fall-Line), 5th (Fall-Line), 6th (BimmerWorld), 8th (BGB Motorsports), and 9th (Fall-Line) Places in GS!

Kia 200 – Homestead, FL – Race Day
The AST-USA prepared teams were fast right off the truck at Thursday and Friday’s practice sessions. On Friday afternoon, qualifying ended with several AST-USA outfitted teams near the front,including the #61 Roush Mustang in 2nd and the #9 Stevenson Automotive Group Camaro GS.R in 3rd place.

Once the green flag dropped, the GS and ST class cars battled hard for position. The 200 lap race featured seven lead changes among seven drivers and offered the close racing that the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series is known for. At times, the racing became too close causing several full course caution laps, further emphasizing the importance of qualifying well.

AST-USA equipped teams finished 1, 2, 3, 4. The #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M3 finished in first place, followed by #61 Roush Mustang in second and the #45 and #48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 entries finished 3rd and 4th.

Overall, the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series has started off great for AST-USA. The coolest thing about our success on track is that it really reinforces what we do for the average AST-USA Suspension customer. The information we learn from our GRAND AM teams helps us fine tuning of our street, track and race shock offerings. Be sure to check us out on Facebook. We usually provide some updates during the race weekend.

Check back next week, we’ll have updates from the Barber 200.

Also, follow our AST equipped GRAND AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series teams: Turner Motorsports, Roush Performance, Stevenson Motorsports, Fall-Line Motorsports, Bimmerworld, Trade Manage Motorsports, BGB Motorsports, Doran Racing and Compass 360 Racing.

Earlier this year we talked with Edmunds.com about an interesting concept. Can you make an Evo X still streetable yet fast enough to beat a Nissan GTR on the track? Since one of our test cars is an Evo X that drives to AST every day AND we race it in NASA Time Trial, we thought we had the right combination.

Edmunds.com has had the suspension on their Evo X GSR for almost a year now. The final installment was this test at Streets of Willow. Check out the video!

While I was at AST in The Netherlands this week I shot a short video of the new air jack with elephant’s foot.  While a normal air jack lifts the car enough to change tires during fast pit stops, the elephant’s foot allows the race car to be raised even higher for major work. No more floor jacks, simply extend the air jacks, lock them into the elephant’s foot, extend the air jack again and place the safety stand in place!

The 2009 SCCA Solo2 Nationals was the breakout event for AST Suspension. If this independent YouTube video is any indication of the popularity gaining with ASTs, I’m not sure what is. Pay attention to the large number of AST stickers on various makes and models. . Nationals video.