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Nerd's Eye View: Tilton Interiors Mitsubishi EVO 9
Right around the corner this weekend on October 18-19 is the 2013 World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC). I bring to you in great detail the Tilton Interiors EVO 9. It was the fastest EVO at the 2012 WTAC…sorry make that the fastest UNIBODY EVO and 2nd overall fastest car overall at Sydney's 2012 World Time Attack Challenge last year. This car was one of my favorites at WTAC 2012 because it is the embodiment of a true Time Attack car without all the random crazy flaps, wings, and panels sticking out all over the place and the rear half of the car cut off and replaced with tubes. Sure you'd need some money to recreate the Tilton EVO, but was still 100% pure Mitsubishi CT9A EVO. After the jump is the way you'd have your dream EVO if you had the right combination of builders, crew, driver, owner, and of course money.
Every year we've seen the teams get more serious and the cars go significantly faster at the World Time Attack Challenge. With the return of the NEMO EVO (with slight revisions to meet some much needed rules), the Tilton EVO's aero package redesign, the MCA Suspensions S13, the Scorch Racing S15, and of course the Top Fuel S2000, this year's battle to be the fastest is intense. Yes, there's a certain ARK Design V-6 powered Skyline GT-R missing from this list, but that's another story for another day. Anyhow, the Tilton Interiors team is hard at work as I write this testing, prepping, and finalizing the EVO in an attempt to claim the title of the fastest Time Attack car in the world.
Shortly after attempting to beat Under Suzuki's Scorch Racing S15 Time Attack lap record of 52.649 seconds at Tsukuba Circuit earlier this year in April (weather and luck did not permit), the owner of the Tilton Interiors EVO 9, Kostinken Pohorukov (Kosta) struck a deal with the owner of Voltex Racing, Akihiro Nakajima, to completely redesign the EVO's aero package for WTAC 2013. The car was left at Voltex after the Tsukuba event and Nakajima-san and his crew went to work designing and building the EVO's new aero package. While the car's unveiling will probably be at WTAC 2013, there are a few preview pictures on the last page of this story. The pictures you'll see in this story are of the Tilton EVO up to April 2013 with an aero package that was originally designed for the CyberEVO way back in 2010.
Here's the car as it was at WTAC 2012.
Here's the car as it ran at the Tsukuba Time Attack in April 2013. Shortly after the event, Nakajima-san brought the Tilton EVO to the Mie University wind tunnel to get a baseline figure before starting the design and build of the new aero package. While this tunnel isn't exactly Windshear Inc., it is still an effective tool for measurements needed to empirically develop an aero package. Remember this is Time Attack and not F1. I see this parallel exactly like how Time Attack engine packages are developed on chassis dynos and not transient motoring engine dynos with coupled gearboxes as in F1.
Kosta on the left and Nakajima-san on the right. I can probably guess why Nakajima-san is smiling.
Voltex is also responsible for the aero package on the Top Fuel S2000. While almost 2 seconds slower than the Tilton EVO at WTAC 2012, the car has been developed further and has gone considerably quicker than it did last year in testing at Fuji Speedway in Japan. In fact, it now holds the Time Attack lap record at Fuji. Enough background…let's get into the details that make this car what it is. If you're an EVO lover, your dream begins here.
The Voltex front gives the EVO some front end downforce. The Tilton EVO's driver, Garth Walden, says that turn 1 at Sydney Motorsport Park (Eastern Creek's new name) is taken almost flat on the throttle with just a quick lift. While this doesn't sound like much for those of you who haven't been to the Sydney Motorsport Park in person, consider that the Tilton EVO reaches a maximum velocity of 296 km/h (184 mph) on the front straight. In fact, the Tilton EVO enters turn 1 at a higher speed than most cars can even reach on the straight.
