WTAC 2017, what a time to be alive……
With just about any large project its handy to set goals and timelines, for me it was to have the PS13 project mechanically completed before this event.
For those that were there last year and saw the car you might be fooled that for thinking that I hadn’t done a whole lot but let me tell you that last 10% of any build counts for a huge amount of time and effort.
I had it all sorted in time and in the trailer a week early, I needed to because this month required a stack of planning on my part.
But first let me show you around the event and fill you in on a few must see’s.
I think the biggest draw card of this event is the complete attendance of many peoples hero cars, they come from all over the world and the chance to see them and hear them makes the choice an easy one.
I had about 15 seconds spare between running my own stand to take the camera and see what was happening in the pits.
The historic cars that paved way for high tech motorsport in Australia.
Im sure this was hi-tech at one stage.
But things have changed a little in the performance 4 cylinder department.
Almost any weak link can now be upgraded with the help of tools like a 5th axis CNC mill.
When you order your complete billet engine you can now add your favourite………
Transmission that also gleams like a jewel only ever to be seen by those needing to service it.
Mike built another Mazda and loaded it into the container, with only a few laps under its belt it was a proven package that he knows well.
Daigo Saito was back and ready to strap in for the fight.
Aswell as Jake Jones with his new BMW bodied competition car.
Hometown hero Beau Yates was back looking as menacing as ever.
I’m not sure he would approve of this though?
One car that stopped me dead in my tracks was this murdered out Datsun.
I love cars that have this level of finish beneath a blank canvas.
Stunning.
But I didn’t see it hit the track, oddly it was entered in the drift class.
Who cares its amazing.
But the action is always in the pit lane with the WTAC competition looking for every advantage.
Noise maker!
The Japanese cars still always seem so overly cluttered in the electrical department.
Tim Slade wast fussed though, he knew that Murray and the MCA crew bought the biggest gun to a knife fight.
Off Instagram and in the car he sat there waiting for the signal.
You know I am a fan of Murray, ever since I worked with him at his home in QLD I have the biggest appreciation of what he does and how he goes about it, he’s not caught up in anything other than going fast and preparing the worlds fastest RWD car in the process.
A quick look over the data and its time to fire the car up.
He waits for a cloud to roll past the sun as an overcast track provides the milliseconds of time he’s looking for.
Its go time, Tim Slade fresh out of his V8 Supercar prepares to go faster than anyone before him.
Because if he doesn’t do his job right then theres others that are quiet happy to take his place.
Under Suzuki.
The king of Japanese Time Attack.
He seems to never settle and is always fighting for more performance.
As were the rest of the field.
The PR Tech Porsche is a sight to behold, I am sorry this all I have of it but I just stood there and appreciated the level that this car is on.
Its the wild aero that first grabs your eye, but look deeper and its features like a complete billet engine, 3d printed Titanium Bellhousing and torque tube (that withstands 1300nm of torque and weights next to nothing) and thats just scraping the surface.
Andy Forest came over with some innovation this time, chain drive front wheels, transaxle gearbox, 5th spring setup just to name a few features.
Hero cars everywhere.
Straight off the boat and onto the track.
The original kings.
Its not all about grip.
But thats not true, grip here is king too, thats why 1200hp is on tap and ready to unleash on the drift competition.
As the sun dropped so did the hammer.
I didn’t get to see much as I was packing up but from the clouds of smoke and the sounds of engines like Jakes RB it seemed like everyone was having a good time.
I would like to thank all the amazing people that made my weekend what it was, Celia my wife for working so hard on the stand, every single person that reinforced their passion for the things I do, the event staff and last but not least Ian Baker for making this bigger every year.
Get ready for 2018.