Oh Boyd That’s Quick – Boyd Racing Evolution X

In drag racing, people talk about “quickest” and “fastest”. Fastest is the term associated with MPH on the timeslip. In time trials and time attack, no one really cares who’s “fastest”. Sure, when you tell your friends you drive your car on track they inevitably ask “How fast do you go?!” because their only measure of reference is the speedometer. But as we all know, it’s the quickest around the track, and the one with the shortest lap time, that gets the trophy and goes home happiest.

When Cole Duran from JC Fabworks moved his 1-year old shop from Grand Junction, CO to Colorado Springs, he happened to cross paths with Marvin Boyd from Boyd Auto Racing. The pair decided to set their collective sights on time attacks and the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb. Their attack on quickness would be executed with this Evolution X.

In an arena that seems mostly to be filled with WRXs, Toyota 86s, and most recently Hondas, an EvoX is actually something different. Let’s take a closer look at how Boyd Racing and JC Fabworks got it done along with the help of Marco over at Magnus Motorsports. These pictures were taken at the 2018 Road Atlanta Global Time Attack event.

Boyd Racing EvoX engine bay
AWD platforms always make for interesting packaging challenges in an already crammed engine bay.

Unlike the rival Subaru’s boxer engine, the Boyd Racing Evolution X is equipped with a stroked 2.2L Mitsubishi 4B11 inline-4. With the transverse-mounted engine backed up by the transaxle and the driveshafts in the engine bay, making all of the aftermarket goodies needed for a performance build fit can take some engineering. Fortunately, Cole Duran is a self-taught welder and fabricator, so it didn’t phase him much.

While the engine bay in this Evo might look like a busy place at first glance, it is full of thoughtfully selected components. The engine internals are no exception. This particular 4B11’s foundation is a Darton-sleeved block with prep work from AR Fab. A pile of Magnus components (9:1 pistons, billet steel X-beam rods, mivec delete cam gears) is fastened together with ARP hardware around a Manley 94mm stroke crank. 1mm oversized Supertech intake valves are paired with standard-sized inconel exhaust valves to help the Magnus-ported head maximize flow. GSC titanium retainers and beehive valve springs help their S2 bumpsticks move those valves reliably to the tune of 593 WHP and 455 ft-lb of torque. A Magnus dry sump helps keep vital lubricant flowing through the engine even under high G loads while the Evo does its quick thing.

Fuelab fuel pressure regulator on strut tower and black braided hoses running all around
As with all internal combustion race engines, a robust fuel system is required to help set records. A Fuelab FPR regulates the fuel being fed to the other fuel delivery components.

 

Injector Dynamics 2000cc injectors are affixed to a Magnus fuel rail.

 

Blue ATL fuel cell top plate with hoses and wiring, red fill cap, and stainless tank
The Boyd Racing EvoX has an ATL fuel cell equipped with dual Deatschwerks 350iL fuel pumps. The Deatscwerks fuel pumps are safe with many fuel types. In this application they are being used to feed ample amounts of E98 to the noise maker up front.

3 comments

  1. You did get something wrong, there’s no apostrophe in Pikes Peak, it was universally accepted to remove it decades ago. Just kidding though, no haterade here. Cole builds some seriously badass stuff.

  2. Solid build! It’s obvious a lot of thought went into it. I especially approve of the turbine housing choice.

  3. Dang, it was going so well until the exhaust blown diffuser.

    The team need research the Coanda effect. Because they need to install a flat tapered exhaust tip. And it needs to be parallel to match the exact angle of the diffuser. On top of that, they need to reprogram the ECU so that it still has exhaust flow on throttle lift, or you will lose downforce during cornering, which is when you need it most.

    Also, the flow straighteners can be curved, so the air flow diffuses laterally, too. This is a very simple modification. Take a look at the F1 blown diffuser undertrays. It wasn’t that long ago that the EBD was state of the art.

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