3.5 Seconds: Street FWD Record Obliterated at SuperLap Battle!
Global Time Attack at Buttonwillow
When Chris Boersma left Canada on his way to Buttonwillow Raceway to participate in the Super Lap Battle with Global Time Attack, he was feeling confident. The build of the Civic SiR had gone very well and throughout the 2015 CSCS Time Attack season in Southern Ontario, Canada, the car was sorted out and the driver got used to the new build and the many changes that had been implemented. Chris placed second overall in the CSCS SuperStreet FWD class with two thirds, a second, and two wins. Boersma Racing was ready to come back to Buttonwillow and to enjoy racing in the Super Lap Battle!
Boersma Racing's 1999 Honda Civic is one very clean car. It looks fantastic on and off of the track. Here it is on day 1 on the east side of the Sweeper on Buttonwillow Raceway Park's 13 CW configuration. Hitting the apex and off to a great start. Actually, a record breaking start.If you follow Global Time Attack, you will likely recognize this car and driver. Boersma Racing is no newcomer to GTA or the SLB. In 2013 Chris was at Buttonwillow and won the street FWD class – even though it was his first time on the course. Chris won street class at Road Atlanta in the spring of 2015. Dominating the class with a fastest overall time of 1:52.122 and breaking the previous Street FWD record by over nine seconds. His time was the fastest Street time – period. Better than both RWD and AWD. So on the flight down to LAX and then driving the rental to Buttonwillow, his nerves were obviously active but not overwhelming. Like every other racer, he was visualizing himself racing around the track and picking up the win. And I think it is fair to say, that he visualized himself setting a new class record. Arriving at the track it was great to meet up with a bunch of racers that, apart from social media, he had not seen for two years. I have said it before, but I love seeing the borders vanish and Time Attack racers from Canada and the USA competing against each other.
Phil's Hill is located on the west side of the course and it caught out a few unsuspecting drivers, loading them up with sand after they took an off because of too much speed/too far to the left before the crest. Chris was prepared for this blind crest and hit it perfectly.Any question of his intentions were made completely evident when, during the first timed session on Wednesday morning, before the track was really even warmed up, he broke Ken Suen's long standing Street FWD record of 1 minute 55.6 seconds with a time of 1:53.962. And, then, almost every time he went back out onto the track he further obliterated the former record. Good thing Chris and Ken are track friends – probably already planning to challenge each other in 2016! In the first session of Day 2 Chris ran a 1:52.19 and when the dust finally settled – and believe me, there is a lot of dust at Buttonwillow – Chris and his red Civic had bettered Ken Suen and Big Red's (his Civic) lap time by slightly less than 3.5 seconds. I'm pretty sure that during the awards ceremony I heard Ken Suen call out that Chris' red Civic is the “New” Big Red! A great example of track camaraderie and appreciation for a job well done. Chris in his Boersma Racing Civic's final time of 1:52.122 is simply astounding. Beating a record by 3.5 tenths of a second is great. Beating a record by 3.5 seconds – Wow! How long will this record be here! The icing on this cake for this season: Boersma Racing – Driver Chris Boersma – has been named the 2015 Global Time Attack Pro Championship Points Chase Street Class Winner!
Chris Boersma from Boersma Racing captured the top podium spot in the 2015 GTA SLB in his Honda Civic SiR. Second went to Yuta Akaishi (right), Nemo's Garage, in a Honda Civic with third going to Robert Choo, Chewerks, in another Honda Civic.
Day 1 started off with everyone wearing jackets and usually hats. A few had on gloves or mittens – because it was chilly. I'm from Canada and I was cool! No fear, however, as the California sunshine came out and warmed all of us, including the track, up nicely. Fellow Canadian, James Houghton's Integra TypeR is behind and to the right of Chris' Civic. James captured second place in Unlimited FWD!
