Apollo WRX at Redline Pro Rd 1 – 1st Place
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(WILLOW SPRINGS, CA) Preparation and planning were the two things that the team had in the back of their minds when it came time to getting the Apollo Performance Subaru WRX ready for its first ever Redline Pro Time Attack event at Willow Springs International Raceway on March 5th – 6th in Rosamond, CA. Dubbed the “Fastest Track in the West”, the team used one of the other fastest tracks on the West Coast at the Autoclub Speedway in Fontana, CA as a shake down session to ensure that the Subaru will be in full functioning form at Willowsprings International Raceway the previous weekend.
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“We’ve run through this motor well over a dozen times to make sure that we’ve done everything correctly. Even some points, I think we over compensated by adding a lot of fail safe systems into the car but it’s for the good of the Subaru” said Team owner and Driver Gino Reyna. “When we began the testing the car felt great. Power came on strong with the help of our Garrett GT4088 Turbo and our Outfront Motorsports built motor.” continued Reyna as he looked over the car. Testing went well until a cylinder stopped firing and the car went back to the headquarters at Apollo Performance in Upland where Danny Reyna, crew chief of the team, figured out that the valve train went bad.
Without hesitation, the team took the heads off of the built motor and sent it off to Outfront Motorsports in Orange, CA and their team added a new dual valve spring set up where it would allow the car to rev faster and have quick response on the throttle. As the clock ticked closer to the season opener of the Redline Pro Time Attack, the team also added necessary safety items and a set of Cosworth TGV Deletes that rounded out the engine bay.Saturday morning of the event rolled up as the team registered and settled in. Team Owner and Driver, Gino Reyna commented on the event “Redline Pro Time Attack has really stepped it up this year with a good presence and a lot of event production. We’re looking forward debuting our Apollo Performance Subaru WRX in front of a lot of teams, media, and fans.” Not only was the Apollo Performance team was bringing out their newly skinned WRX, they announced their new driver Clint Boisdeau. Clint’s history in racing is a strong with championship wins in Time Attack including taking the Street Tire Front Wheel Drive Class in 2009 and 2010. With such a talented driver, Apollo Performance asked Clint to come on board. His valuable input about the WRX’s set up extremely vital to its success. “The Apollo Performance WRX is extremely well built. The power comes on properly and the handling thanks to the Bridgestone Potenza Tires and the Buddy Club Coilover system really do help the Subaru go through the track effortlessly. I have a lot of confidence that our Subaru WRX will do extremely well at this track,” said Boisdeau as he got in the driver’s seat for the Time Attack.
A last minute decision was made that Clint would drive in the final Time Attack session to see if he can bring in a faster time in the Street All Wheel drive category. When the session ended and the dust settled, Clint Boisdeau brought in a winning lap time of a 1:34.288 giving the team their first ever win at a Time Attack and first place win of the season in the Street All Wheel Drive category! “The laptime was where I think the car is safe in but I know that there are at least a few more seconds that I can shave from that the more we go throughout the season. The Apollo Performance Subaru WRX has so much potential and the baseline time of 1:34.288 is a good start. I can’t wait to come back in July to this track to see if I can smash that time.” said Boisdeau after his winning session.
A strong start to a promising 2011 season and the team has just begun. The Apollo Performance team could not accomplish what they have done so far without the support of our sponsors: Turbo by Garrett, Bridgestone Tires, Buddy Club, Chargespeed USA, Clutch Masters, Outfront Motorsports, Odyssey Batteries, Motul, APR Performance, Jason Noren Fabrications, Sparco USA, Brian Crower, Turbosmart USA, California Torque Solutions, UsVsThem Clothing, Drift Motion, FSR Motorsports, Koyo Radiators, Cosworth, and Subie-Life.com
