Imagine a team of two traveling over 3500 miles to race 9 events in
eight days at some of the most demanding road courses of the eastern and
Midwest United States. Throw in a drag race event midway through the
competition along with a wet and dry skid pad event to kick off and end
it all and you’d think you’d already have a rough challenge ahead of
you. Now imagine you have no transport vehicle, the whole journey would
have to be traversed in your race vehicle and you have to do it all on
ONE set of tires! That’s what Leh Keen
and Doug Wilks had to do in their TopSpeed Motorsports GT-R along with
roughly 80 other competition vehicles for a chance to win the 2011 Brock Yates’ One Lap of America.
This year, TopSpeed Motorsports
chose the 2011 Nissan R35 GT-R for its well-rounded performance
characteristics knowing it would excel in every aspect necessary to win
the One Lap. Although the GT-R has already proven itself an extremely
formidable all-around performance vehicle in stock form, amidst the
stiff competition of One Lap, it wasn’t certain if well-rounded would be
good enough. Aside from having two extremely qualified drivers, every
ounce of speed and potential had to be extracted from the GT-R in order
to stand a chance.
For a power upgrade, TopSpeed relied solely on an AMS Alpha 9 Package
and their very own custom TopSpeed exhaust. The results were
outstanding to say the least as Leh, Doug and the TopSpeed team swept
all nine race events throughout the 8 days of competition and broke the
OLOA drag time record. In fact, the lead they commanded over the
competition was so great that Leh was able to relax and have some fun –
turning his final performance at the skid pad event into a full-fledged
drift and burnout session.
AMS Performance would like to congratulate TopSpeed Motorsports and
drivers Leh Keen and Doug Wilks on their win at the 2011 One Lap of
America. In addition, we wish to thank them for their confidence in us
and the AMS Alpha 9 Package. Their efforts at the 2011 One Lap of
America exemplify and embody the type of performance we strive for in
regards to the development of parts for the Nissan GT-R and the racing
community as a whole.
History of One Lap Some may have seen the movie, but not many realize the Cannonball Run was an actual event that took place annually for 5 years back in the early 1970’s. The event – founded by senior editor of Car and Driver Magazine, Brock Yates – demonstrated the endurance of man and machine in which experienced drivers made a mad coast to coast dash across America in a no-holds-barred race. Although the Cannonball was a success throughout its 5 years with a best time of 32 hours and 51 minutes, Yates felt it was only a matter of time before he would be targeted by individuals protesting the event and decided to end it all on a high note. Yates created its successor known today as the One Lap of America. Although high speed racing was now taken off the streets and onto track, the challenge proved to be even more grueling. Competitors now faced over a week of sleep deprivation, the stress of road course and drag racing and an assortment of unknown setbacks that most would consider inconceivable.
Via : Alphaperformance.com
Leh Keen takes another win at
Daytona reaching speeds in excess of 180+ mph. Mind you, this is still
street car with full interior, leather seats, A/C and stereo system.
Video Link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txyj2kFNNV4&feature=player_embedded
With no need to earn more points for the overall win, Leh’s
final performance on the skid pad turns into a drift and burnout
session.
Video Link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_fGO_Z5K-Y&feature=player_embedded
| TopSpeed drivers Leh and Doug’s on the AMS Alpha 9 GT-R Performance Package
The AMS Alpha 9 Package can be summed up in one word… Perfect….. With stock drivability on the street and massive performance on the track, it truly was perfect for us in the One Lap of America… Not to mention the rock solid reliability… From a drivers standpoint, it’s all about management and power curve. Being able to use the power at hand and having enough power to smoke the competition…. With a conservative road race tune, we saw over 600 wheel horsepower and a flat torque and power curve. As a driver there isn’t much more I could ask for…with torque down low to pull out of the low-speed corners and power up top to hit 180+ mph on the straights. This package is a “no brainer” for anyone with a GT-R looking for optimum performance… whether it be drag racing, auto-x, or road racing…. (we proved that with wins in all those events during OLOA 2011)…. -Leh Keen Winner of the 2011 One Lap of America Professional Endurance Race Car Driver – TopSpeed Motorsports To sum up the ALPHA 9 Package into one word would be “FLAWLESS”. Being able to use aftermarket parts that have, if not better than, factory reliability is awesome in any motorsports program. The AMS Alpha 9 Package gave us the ability to make more power than stock while keeping the mapping on the ECU safer than it comes from the factory. I can say without a doubt there isn’t another kit I would recommend for any GT-R – daily driven or tracked. - Douglas Wilks Winner of the 2011 One Lap of America President and Tuner – TopSpeed Motorsports |
History of One Lap Some may have seen the movie, but not many realize the Cannonball Run was an actual event that took place annually for 5 years back in the early 1970’s. The event – founded by senior editor of Car and Driver Magazine, Brock Yates – demonstrated the endurance of man and machine in which experienced drivers made a mad coast to coast dash across America in a no-holds-barred race. Although the Cannonball was a success throughout its 5 years with a best time of 32 hours and 51 minutes, Yates felt it was only a matter of time before he would be targeted by individuals protesting the event and decided to end it all on a high note. Yates created its successor known today as the One Lap of America. Although high speed racing was now taken off the streets and onto track, the challenge proved to be even more grueling. Competitors now faced over a week of sleep deprivation, the stress of road course and drag racing and an assortment of unknown setbacks that most would consider inconceivable.
Via : Alphaperformance.com
No comments:
Post a Comment