Record Breaking: PZ Tuning's 531 WHP RSX!
May 10, 2014 Road Atlanta GTA LFWD Record – 1:34.113
November 14, 2014 Buttonwillow Raceway GTA LFWD Record – 1:51.789
Global Time Attack – Limited Front Wheel Drive
Overnight Canadian William Au-Yeung burst onto the Global Time Attack stage at Road Atlanta. Not only did he place first, but he broke the track record for Limited Front Wheel Drive in the process. And now he is back in the United States, this time at Buttonwillow for Global Time Attack’s Superlap Battle. Ready to duplicate his overnight success on the east coast by doing the same thing out west. There is a light covering of snow in Will's hometown of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada as Will and Aaron Thompson, his support team, are enjoying the warm temperatures at Buttonwillow during the Superlap Battle. And battle it was, as Thursday's practice saw multiple glitches that needed to be corrected. There was a lot of support from Fortune Auto and the Professional Awesome Team in getting the RSX's suspension dialed in for this track. Friday morning the PZ Tuning RSX broke an axle. Fortunately, the trailer was full of a variety of spare parts and with some quick work Will and Aaron had the car ready for the next timed session. But it was very close, a spot on the podium looked quite certain, however, which level of the podium would it be!
The Mugen rear wing is possibly the only 'off the shelf' piece on the aero of this 2004 Acura RSX. Will added the Shark Fin for Road Atlanta and a few more pieces for Buttonwillow.Success, of course, rarely happens over night. In motorsports that may be more accurate than in other disciplines. That is the case with William and his RSX. While he appeared to come out of no where when he won at Road Atlanta, he has been a consistently strong contender with multiple podium finishes in Canada with CSCS Time Attack now for a few years. In fact, when you ask a few more questions William shares that in 2003 and 2004 he participated in the Canadian Touring Car Championships. CTCC is wheel to wheel racing and is the home series to many amazing racers. Many of his Canadian Time Attack associates are not even aware about that, in fact, many of them were not even old enough to have a driver's license when Will began racing. Over night success in racing simply means that no one has observed you yet, but that does not mean you have not been practicing your craft. And for a dozen or so years, on real tracks and computer simulations, Will has been preparing for his 'overnight' success. What appeared overnight was simply not observed earlier. After all, how many Americans have followed the Time Attack scene in Canada? Maybe, after the last two years of Canadian participation in GTA, there will be more interest in what happens north of the border. Regardless of borders and which group you compete with, all competitive racers recognize how challenging it is to win on a new track, let alone set a record. Apart from simulations, Will had never seen Road Atlanta let alone raced it prior to this GTA event. Likewise, prior to November 13, 2014 Will had never seen Buttonwillow and had absolutely never driven it at any speed. The consensus was that Road Atlanta was a lucky break and it would not be repeated. After all, the competition on the West Coast was much higher and more fine tuned than the East Coast, let alone Canada!
Coming through the Esses at Road Atlanta while on the way to a 1:34.133 time, a Global Time Attack record for Limited Front Wheel Drive. Pic by Rommel Estrada/MotoLyric, used with Permission.Before we go any further, it is time to unwrap the PZ Tuning RSX and it's driver. Find out why it is no accident or lucky break that has put this car in record breaking position at any event in North America. Will supports his racing hobby and his family with his business, Point Zero Autosound in Waterloo, Ontario. PZ Tuning is the performance division. His focus upon his clients is what has built a strong returning customer base – for well over a decade. Will and Noreen, his partner in business and also his wife, have three children. They are usually out as a family to support dad when he is racing. PZ Tuning's work is all over this car, which is a 2003 Acura RSX. Many will tell you that this is not Honda's best handling platform. Will purchased it four years ago and has been building it into a time attack monster ever since.
Toronto Motorsports Park is Will's home track. Here he is testing out the tune and traction upgrades that were completed in anticipation of the Superlap Battle at Buttonwillow.The car retains the stock K20a2 engine block, but the internals have undergone significant upgrading to cope with the power that is required to be a front runner in GTA's Limited class. Wiseco Pistons with an 11:1 compression ratio are hung from Eagle Rods which spin on ACL bearings. All the proper pieces are present to keep the huge power this RSX has in place. The head gasket is stock, but the head itself has custom porting and polishing done by PZ Tuning. The head also has been built with SuperTech springs, valves, and retainers. The cams come from the Honda parts bin and were originally intended for a TSX. Cam timing is addressed with a Skunk2 cam gears. ARP headbolts keep the head held firmly in place.
There's nothing like a FWD engine bay – it's the definition of full. I asked Will about the battery in the stock location and his response was that it works and he hasn't had time to relocate it. From the oil lines, the catch can, the suspension canisters for the Fortune Auto system – you can see that there's been many other projects that have occupied his time! The Borg Warner EFR 7670 turbo is neatly tucked into this bay, but you have to search to see it!
