,
Here’s a neat video of the STM crew putting the EVO together. Notice how many times some of the parts go on and off!
Here’s a video of Andre attempting to get some tuning done on the Dynapacks before it hits a torque limiter. The 5.14 ring and pinion might be multiplying the torque just a BIT too much! Notice after the first pass, Andre got a wiff of Methanol and his eyes are burning like a motherfcuker!
After months of build time, the EVO was completed and made its first full pass. The video was on page 1 if you missed it. The way a drag EVO looks is completely different than what we’re used to here in the US doesn’t it?
Here’s the front end completed. Needless to say, all the windows are Lexan.
Here’s Mike getting strapped in.
When Mike hits the burn out switch, he knows it’s time to “DO A SKID, BRO”.
…and he does a skid. But it really isn’t that simple. There’s A LOT of stuff that Mike’s gotta do to run this car down the track. Andre sent me a checklist I copied from his email:
- Start engine and get up to temp prior to moving out of staging lanes onto the track.
- Turn on burnout switch – you will know if burnout switch is on because of the big ‘DO A SKID BRO’ message on the dash
- Roll through water trap while selecting 3rd gear
- Apply brake pressure and line lock prior to burnout
- Almost as soon as the wheels start spinning you need to hit the shift button twice to select top gear and then feather the throttle and concentrate on keeping the car straight.
- After backing out of the burnout open the door to clear the smoke screen from the cabin so you can see and breathe again
- Select reverse and get guided back into your burnout tracks to ensure maximum traction for the launch
- Disable burnout switch and select 1st gear
- Creep into stage, following your crew chiefs guidance
- Once into prestage, apply brakes and line lock to prevent the car creeping unintentionally
- Use clutch to creep the car fully into stage against the brakes
- Hit the throttle to the floor and wait for the tree while the engine bangs against the 2 step limiter
- Drop the clutch on the last orange and hold on against the force of a 2.5+G launch
- Don’t bother trying to steer for the first second as the front wheels are a foot in the air – you lined the car up straight though right?
- Hit each gear change point exactly right and keep the car in the groove while accelerating to 60mph in less than 1 second, and 120mph in less than 4
- Once you hit top gear around the half track mark, hold on tight and enjoy the ride. You are still accelerating at well over 1G!
- Move your right hand to the chute lever and pull it just prior to the speed trap at the end of the track
- Wait a split second until you feel the drag of the twin chutes before clutching in, selecting neutral and hitting the brakes
- Try to pull up from 300+ km/h without ending up in the sand trap/safety net
Easy aye? Now try doing it while beating the guy in the other lane, with 15,000 people watching and judging you…
And you thought it was easy to drive a drag car, huh?
Here’s Andre offloading data after a pass. Check the touch pad on his laptop; there’s a worn oval area. You know this guy does a shitload of tuning!
The car has a small electrical gremlin that the STM guys are trying to sort out at the moment. Once sorted, they believe a 7.80 @ 175+ is possible even at the current low boost. Once the car is sorted, the boost is turned up, and Mike gets used to driving the EVO, Andre and Mike are hoping for 6.80’s @ 200+ mph on an Australian track. Some of the NZ tracks are a bit rougher and offer less traction. After the 4 link, suspension, and clutch are tuned well, they are also hoping for 1.06 sec 60′ times. How’s that for traction?
I wish Mike and the guys at STM the best of luck with the HD2 EVO. Hopefully they can hit their goals and set some records in this crazy car! Check back for updates in the future.
