Attacking Time: Consistently!
Following Time Attack you may see a car that demonstrates potential but simply is not reliable. You may see a car that is very fast under specific conditions, but falls flat otherwise. You may see a car that blows you away because it has all of the right components – but when it hits the track you realize that the package just does not work. And then you may see the R-Division Integra Type R with James Houghton in the driver's seat.
Not content with the car after a winning and record breaking season with CSCS, as soon as the championship was clinched and the decision to head to the Super Lap Battle was firmed up, the car went under the wrench for some aero updates.This team has prepared a package that over the past several years is consistently impressing fans and other competitors. Whether it is in action at a Canadian track with CSCS or crossing the border and challenging all comers in Global Time Attack on either the East or the West coast, this Type R is consistently pushing the envelope. The plan for 2016 is already being implemented so R-Division is not content to rest upon 2015's accomplishments. Expect this Type R to be back and sharper than ever!
James Houghton and Chris Boersma are a team. They share garage space together, share ideas, and combine their expertise. Consistency is not easy. That requires a lot of preparation and being ready for the unexpected. There is not a form of racing anywhere that does not have challenges pop up at the most inconvenient of times. Ensuring that James is able to push the Type R to the limit is Eric Lavigne of R-Division. Whether it's hauling the car back to the shop for an engine rebuild, diving into the engine bay trackside to diagnose an electrical gremlin, or piecing together a jig saw puzzle of an air dam with tons of missing pieces and lots of duct tape, Eric is the man who keeps this car moving.
Lining up for the technical assessment at Global Time Attack's Super Lap Battle at Buttonwillow Raceway in California. This Canadian car is a long way from home and ready to play!This car is not backed by an unlimited budget and an overflowing parts bin. The R-Division Acura is a car that James bought and it served as his daily driver and his time attack car. Then it began to morph into a single purpose track vehicle. Two years ago any semblance of street use vanished and it became a track car only. This was cemented last winter when the full roll cage was installed. It is a project car that is supported by a like-minded group of racers. R-Division is the result of this group – with Eric being the mechanic and engine builder behind R-Division. This is the way racing should be! And this is impressive when you consider that the car now holds the third fastest FWD time at Buttonwillow behind the Spoon Racing Civic and the F-Wing Scion tC.
The front splitter was designed and built by Chris Boersma of Boersma Racing. Chris and Jimmy are long time friends and race together under the R-Division banner.Chris Boersma built the splitter for his own Time Attack car (read about it in Three and a Half Seconds) and, after a very successful 2015 season with CSCS wrapped up in Canada, James got Chris to build a massive splitter for the Integra. This involved changing the splitter supports, adding new splitter side plates, and building 'spats' in front of the tire to divert wind away from the tire openings. This splitter, made of carbon fiber, is virtually indestructible and creates incredible downforce. So much so, in fact, that due to the fact that no testing of it was available in advance that the downforce created some intriguing challenges at Buttonwillow!
Early morning at Buttonwillow Raceway on November 11. The weather was almost freezing but the drivers were ready and the cars were warmed up!
