Well it’s already started…the question? Why wasn’t the GEN3 quicker at Laguna!
It’s not a simple answer, most people think about what it’s like driving in a group of SRF’s, with what I think are the most equal engines in our class history. I know there are still some big engines out there, but 90% are gone.
If you are 3 to 5 seconds behind the car in front of you, it may take 2 or 3 laps to catch the car. In most cases you would have a couple of laps with the added benefit of a draft to run some quick times…

Now add the nature of Laguna Sega…for those that have not driven on one of the top 5 tracks in the USA! It’s a technical narrow line, hills, blind corners and many camber changes. Oh yea with walls in close proximity of the track surface.

Now the added distraction of my task at hand and only 5 track sessions…in front of 46 plus customers …not much pressure.

In just weeks we will release the first GEN3 customer kits, things are heating up. We have about 85 / 90% of everything in place. A couple of parts are not going to make the launch…We do have temp parts lined up to cover the gap…it’s all coming together.
Everyone at Enterprises has stepped up in their area to get the job done. Nikki has taken a huge load off my hands managing and sourcing venders.
That has left me with more RAM space to deal with the most critical issues at this point. My number 1task is EFI tuning, I don’t know how many of you have programed EFI from scratch…it’s not an easy task, especially when the goal is to fill the shoes of an OEM system with a value priced aftermarket ECU. I think most of you know I’ve been working on and off since I started @ enterprises to find an ECU company with the least compromises. I have easily spent thousands of hours on this project even before we publicly started down the GEN3 road. PE has been a perfect fit for our project.
It hasn’t gone 100% as planned, there have been many twist, turns and setbacks in the road. But we keep digging !

OK back to Laguna…I’ve raced there 6 or 7 times in the late 80’s and mid-90’s.
The last time in 96 or 97 in an IMSA WSC car ! So I’m offered to drive R&D 001 built by Flatout Racing and I have tuning to work on.
Hmmm let’s see…48 SRF’s entered, one being Mike Smiths GEN3, arrive and drive @ Laguna, tune at near sea level…Yes please… not only …. but HELL YES ! Sign me up….late entry of $640 Ouch… But hell yes!
Let me take a min to plug Flatout…Mike, Andy and crew have the recipe figured out. 12 or 13 well prepped cars and a group of drivers under one tent that race hard and get along like best friends…it’s a site to see. Also thank you for dealing with the extra trails and hard work being first R&D GEN3 car outside of enterprises.
The GEN3 EFI tuning is improving a little with each test…I used to adjust in 5’s/ 10’s, now its 1’s and 2’s. If you have ever programed, most every setting is interrelated. The base has been solid, I haven’t touched the main body of the fuel or timing tables in months. We run into tuning problems and PE has risen to the task…not to say we haven’t stepped backwards now and then.

One key point to consider, think about how many parts we have broken in the processes…the list is pretty short. The 1.6 Ford is proving to be really durable power for the future of SRF.
Not because it’s been treated like an egg either, people have tried to break it, myself notwithstanding. It’s been overheated, run low on oil, miss shifted and finished a 25 hour event…I was the first one to select 3rd instead of 5th at the Sprints last year, that made about 8100 rpm over rev and at Laguna watching the mirror reached for 4th and selected 2ed that made 8400 rpm over rev, It’s a forgiving engine. Both would have been an instant rebuild on a 1.9 I have some data that shows a 9000 rpm over rev… I didn’t do that one. My engine is around 150 hours and still perfect leak down. I hope I didn’t just jinx the project and I’m not saying you can be carless, but not one broken engine part. It looks really promising.

Ok last time… back to driving the GEN3 @ Laguna, the lap times do not show the performance of the car. Mike Smith and I started in the front, middle and back of the group. In both races we ran a pace lap and pulled into the pits, paused for 20 / 25 seconds and left. I can tell you that I didn’t run one full lap in any of 5 sessions over the entire event, that I didn’t pass 2 or 3 cars. Sometimes groups of 5 or 6 cars in less than ½ a lap. That’s the truth…it’s hard to believe I know.

There was not one straight away that the GEN3 wasn’t faster than every 1.9 powered car there. Problem was with 46 or so 1.9 SRF’s on the track it was like mild 5 o’clock traffic. I was 10 to 12 MPH faster into the brake zone@ T2, about 8 MPH @ T5, about 10 MPH corkscrew and T10, 2 to 4 MPH everywhere else. Sometimes if my timing was right, I could pass 3 1.9 powered cars between the exit of T6 and brake zone of the corkscrew. All of which makes for some big giggles…but it’s not good for lap times. The GEN3 rockets up the hill for sure. Around 25% more HP and 150 less lbs it’s fun!
That will not matter when there are 20 or 30 GEN3’s in the same event, but it will raise the intensity.
I also want to thank every SRF driver entered @ Laguna and around the country for your patience as more GEN3’s are entered and being driven in the group. I bet I made well over 150 passes and not even a wheel mark. Not that some of you didn’t want to go wheel to wheel with me. The Laguna event was a really good test for me, tuning / running the car in race like conditions…

Don’t get me wrong there is still a bunch of work to be done, I feel by the end of this summer we will have most all the teething problems worked out.
I think it’s starting to come full circle, where everyone can see the metered approach and end goal.

The best Spec Racer yet!

PS Video from my point is coming….stay tuned !
PSS If you were there and running @ Laguna please chime in !

I can vouch for how quickly the GEN3 would appear in your mirrors and then fly by. Thanks for taking the time, as always, to fill me in on the latest R&D efforts. The new airbox looks really nice!

Thanks Mike,

One of his amazing traits is to not worry about his ego when there is work to do..."is Mike rusty", "what's going on"...I have seen the video...it is very "video game'ish". You know...you are stupidly faster than the others...and having to move around things constantly. If you want to drive like Mike is in his development mode, tape a Sudoku puzzle on the steering wheel and hold a pen in your right hand and complete it while driving!! As you will see he drove one handed (he couldn't comfortably reach the wheel with two...and two handed driving is for mortals).

When you read "teething problems worked out"...that is Mike's lingo for "I will be happy"...that is not the traditional "shit is going to break" teething problems. It will idle like a sowing machine, self tune on the straights, and be crisp on shifts...the pit speed limiter switch will work (yes really) and the rain map switch will work (yes really). Ok, maybe some bracket will change...but this is a production ready package! The intake and airbox are beyond anything, quality (and tooling cost) wise, that you will have ever seen from Enterprises. "Worth the wait".

Erik Skirmants wrote:Thanks Mike,

One of his amazing traits is to not worry about his ego when there is work to do..."is Mike rusty", "what's going on"...I have seen the video...it is very "video game'ish". You know...you are stupidly faster than the others...and having to move around things constantly. If you want to drive like Mike is in his development mode, tape a Sudoku puzzle on the steering wheel and hold a pen in your right hand and complete it while driving!! As you will see he drove one handed (he couldn't comfortably reach the wheel with two...and two handed driving is for mortals).

When you read "teething problems worked out"...that is Mike's lingo for "I will be happy"...that is not the traditional "shit is going to break" teething problems. It will idle like a sowing machine, self tune on the straights, and be crisp on shifts...the pit speed limiter switch will work (yes really) and the rain map switch will work (yes really). Ok, maybe some bracket will change...but this is a production ready package! The intake and airbox are beyond anything, quality (and tooling cost) wise, that you will have ever seen from Enterprises. "Worth the wait".

Okay, it's One April and Erik can be at times, how shall we say, impish? Pit speed limiter? Rain map? Really?

Mike,
I can't speak to how other treated you, but when I saw you and Mike S. coming I tried to pick a spot that was convenient for the three of us to effect the pass. I think we all appreciate you two allowing us to have our race.
Bob

Bob, believe it or not (per my info ), those aren't part of any Skirmants April Foolishness. Dem's fo realz.

Posted a clip of the second race qualifying session where you can catch a glimpse of the Gen3 as we enter T2, then as Mike chases another SRF up the hill to T6 where things get "interesting" (could have been a LOT more interesting) then they try to make it even more "interesting" again at the Corkscrew, all while the misting started to turn to rain (this was supposed to be a qualifying session, but looked more like a race!)

As noted, the Gen 3 lap times may not have shown all their potential with the size of the field making any kind of clear lap pretty tough, but given a small amount of straightway it's pretty clear there's some oomph in there! Enjoy...

https://vimeo.com/90689983

Bob
Thanks for the video post...that did look dicey from the back...it didn't feel that bad from the seat.
after the exit 5 Marty pointed me by, I was little surprised at the apex of 6 and then again at the corkscrew. Still no wheel marks !
But your right you can really see the GEN3 squirt away... I haven't started cutting clips yet, but I will find that clip for sure.

Here’s a link to a clip of a little before and after Bob's clip. GoPro on top of my helmet.
http://vimeo.com/90717004

nice, Mike. Most of us use two hands and can't keep up!