DSX Motorsports: Nasa Utah Recap

----- This blog post was written by Ryan Dussex of DSX Motorsports for Flatirons Tuning  -----

New track, new motor, new power!

We were super excited to bring the WRX out to Utah Motorsport Campus to run time trials with a very competitive Utah Nasa region. The Utah Nasa Region has claimed this track as their home. Having talented drivers with experience in all configurations. Our goal wasn't to win, but to run respectable times and potentially podium at least one of the days.

The next big unknown, was how the new EJ207 would perform that weekend in preparation for the 2019 season with power. In under two weeks time, we were able to remove the original high mileage ej205 and swap in the unknown condition ej207 that was built by RAW performance, over a decade ago.

The ej205 we removed had been running an ihi vf34 turbo running a stage 3 cobb tune making a respectable 260whp and 233 ft lbs of torque. We opted to break in the new motor on the same turbo in case of catastrophic failure. With the cam break-in done and another round of high zinc break-in oil, we headed to The Boost Creep to get the new motor tuned before we left for Utah. The new ej207 was tuned on e85 but on the same vf34 turbo. On the dyno we were able to make a reasonably safe 320whp and 305ft lbs of torque, a huge increase in power for Utah. With everything dialed in by Harvey, we loaded the car back up on the trailer and packed for Utah.

At the track we started the first day with a wet track. This meant conservative driving and slow lap times. For me, running the outer configuration, running laps in the 2:32 range. As the sun came out and the track dried up, I was to advance into the 2:13s then settled on a 2:12.188, sneaking into 3rd in TT3 ahead of a few mustangs. But we weren't going to settle with that time, knowing the car had more time in it, we graciously accepted our 3rd place trophy in a class against 7 drivers.

Day 2 brought with it, more sunshine. Right out of the gate, we were able to get right back into the 2:12s in the first session, the big catch of the day was the attempt to get a another trophy spot in 3 sessions. In the fourth session, Colorado traveler, Nick Stentiford and I offered each others cars up for fun in the last session. Well, as you would have it, I was able to find a pinch more time in the very beginning of the 2nd session before being plagued with traffic, getting down to a 2:11.633. The 3rd session would prove to overheat the tires and make it hard to beat my PB for the outer ring, but still we were able to podium again, and took home another 3rd place trophy. Nick had nothing but great things to say about the WRX and was able to run in the 2:12.90 in his first time behind the wheel. His s2000 was a riot and redefined razor sharp precision, but it still didn't have the grip and power of the WRX. Nick was able to lay down a 2:14.976 on his second day, clenching the 2nd place spot for TT4

Overall, a beautiful track, first rate facilities, friendly local racers. We are excited to go back in August and can hopefully best our time!