PZ Tuning 660 WHP Civic

The PZ Tuning Civic turned a 1 minute 30 second lap with the wrong gearing! It needed a seventh gear on the straights. Imagine what it's going to do in 2016! I can hardly wait until Will has an opportunity to take it to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park! Photo Credit: Tony Parrish – ShiftHype.

When Will got back to Waterloo we had time for a brief debriefing interview. Will's mind was obviously still on the success of the race weekend but also planning for the next steps on this car's development. As a driver you are always thinking of the corner beyond what is just in front of you. As a fabricator and builder, Will is thinking six months or more into the future. In fact, he may even be thinking of the next car – but he is not saying! But at Road Atlanta, on Friday the car was getting very high knock counts which caused a lot of concern. Into the pits and after some intense discussion, new coils – Ignition Project Coils – were installed and it was all set for Saturday. Will and the PZ Tuning team were running on barely any sleep. The first runs at Road Atlanta were done on Hankook RS3's and Will did some pacing laps at 1:42 – pulled into the pits and indicated that he was sure that a 1:36 lap was possible on street tires. Chris Boersma proved that possibility accurate as he drove his Civic to a 1:35.848 time in street class – decimating the previous street class record.

The front aero is deceptively simple! I wonder how long it will stay simple? Will and his team have put in three incredible months to get the car ready for Road Atlanta. Anyone who saw the car and observed what it did will not be able to comprehend what the car looked like in February. Even as you look through this article, I am not sure you can grasp how quickly this build took place.

One lap. That is all Will wanted from the car. One lap, running well, to see the fruition of his labours. And that lap just happened to be a class winning 1:30.223 – still a distance from the FWD record at Road Atlanta – but one incredible lap. But this time was gathered the first time that the car had been driven in competition. The first time driven hard in practice. A time gained with a transmission that was not even close to the correct gearing. Will really needed to have a 7th gear for the straights at RA. The transmission will be, however, absolutely perfect for Buttonwillow. At Road Atlanta the car was on the rev limiter everywhere. So much was left on the table because the gearing was screwed up, the car is still a platform being developed, and there is much yet to be done to setup the chassis and suspension. Next year I can guarantee that the transmission gearing will be ideal for the track.

Photo Credit: Kyle Lewis

The enthusiasm is contagious – Will visited the paddocks during Victoria Day Speedfest at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and he was getting shout outs from the Pro Drivers who are regulars at Road Atlanta. They recognized that an awesome time had been attained. Next year, applying all of the lessons learned during the 2015 season, will be one to watch.

Will, your car is absolutely stunning. And to think that the majority of the build took place in a three month window prior to Global Time Attack on May 8 and 9, 2015. If I hadn't seen the transition from shell to Time Attack car myself, I'd have said you were exaggerating. But you aren't. Not about the build and not about what you knew the car would be capable of accomplishing. Well Done! Photo Credit: Tony Parrish – ShiftHype.

If you have not already realized, allow me to point out that Road Atlanta and Global Time Attack are huge events in the world of time attack. They were also simply a test and tune for the the PZ Tuning Civic. What is next? If GridLife at Gingerman is any example, there are a few more track records to fall! Look for Will and his car at the GTA Superlap Battle at Buttonwillow. And I am sure that the PZ Tuning Civic will be back at Road Atlanta in 2016 – better than ever. With Chris Rado's FWD track record of 1:25:555 standing since 2012 as a target, Will has lots of plans for this Civic to battle that record. That will be a race – and I really need to be there. You do too!