# COBB TUNING TIME ATTACK R35 GT-R



## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

Heading out to RTArRound 1 tomorrow morning!


































































:squintdan:flame:


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## countvonc (Feb 11, 2009)

That looks awesome.


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## EvolutionVI (Sep 6, 2005)

That looks hot,just the paintjob doesnt suit it.....uke:


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## ANDYR35 (Sep 1, 2008)

Where is that being held Ben?

Car looks good but wheels are horrid, especially the fronts as they look like little toy ones!


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

COBB Tuning Motorsports wrapped up Round 1 of the Redline Time Attack in winning style this weekend. The team arrived at Buttonwillow Raceway Park dressed in their new racing colors in full force, bringing three AccessPORT equipped cars to cover the Modified, Street Tire and Enthusiast classes. When all was said and done, COBB Tuning Motorsports had claimed trophies for 1st place in Modified AWD in the Nissan GT-R and the 3rd podium position in Street Tire AWD in the 2006 Subaru STI.

"This was the first event that COBB Tuning Motorsports has competed in as a team and the results achieved on track as well as in the pits has made the effort leading up to this weekend worth it”, said Steve Lock, the team's crew chief. “The event crew is just over a month old, but you could not tell that by watching them. These guys have gelled very quickly and have proven to be efficient at servicing the cars and getting them ready for battle in short order. Combine that with the pace of the race cars and the skills of our driver line-up and we have a team that’s going to be tough competition this year!"

Brian Lock drove the COBB Tuning Motorsports Nissan GT-R to an overall Modified Class win by setting a new Modified Class track record lap time of 1:48.897.










"I could not be happier with how this weekend ran", said Brian Lock, General Manager of COBB Tuning Motorsports. " We did about 4 months of work in just about 2 to get COBB Motorsports ready for this first event. To come home with a track record, two podiums, and a top ten is more than I could have asked for. This is going to be an amazing season!"

Cameron Benner, driver of the COBB Tuning Motorsports Subaru STI adapted well to the new street tires and foreign race track to finish up on Sunday with the third fastest time of 1:58.996.



"This first redline event at Buttonwillow marked the beginning of time attack competition for both me and the car. We went into the weekend with high aspirations, but with a grounded understanding of the stiff competition. Coming away with 3rd in Street Tire AWD is a great accomplishment for us. It is clear that given the car and driver development that will come with more events, I am incredibly confident that we have the recipe to secure wins."

Trey Cobb had not been on a race track in four years and was forced to battle difficult oversteer issues in the Nissan 370Z due to a failing stock rear differential. Despite the vehiclular handicap, he continued to push the car to its limits and picked up 21 valuable championship points with a seventh place finish.










"Driving the COBB 370Z was a great learning experience for me", said Trey, founder of COBB Tuning. "Not only was I challenged with getting comfortable on the track due to my overall inexperience and time away, the car also decided to throw me a few curve balls. The crew continuously made positive adjustments to the car and my fellow drivers gave me some great pointers to help me adapt to the car and learn the track. By the end of the weekend I was starting to feel a lot more comfortable with the car and continued to push my lap times down each session. I am looking forward now to learning more in New Jersey and getting quicker, step by step."

COBB Tuning Motorsports is now preparing for the long haul across the country to the east coast for Round 2 of the Redline Time Attack Series at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The team has just 6 days to refresh the cars and get them race ready before pounding 3,000 miles across the continent.

For more photos, visit the COBB Tuning Blog.


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

YouTube - COBB Motorsports Takes the Track Record


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## d1198r (Dec 31, 2008)

Fan flippintastic - I want this car :thumbsup:


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

Cobb Tuning R35 GTR











Locked and Loaded, Cobb Tunings Time Attack Nissan R35 GTR
By Mike Kojima, photos by Jeff Naeyaert

When the R35 GTR was launched on the US market last year, its release was surrounded with rumors and controversy. Its chief engineer publically bragged that he was designing its systems to be impossible for the aftermarket to modify. Nissan imposed draconian warranty policies in which nearly every sort of sporting driving would be recorded and become an opportunity for Nissan to void the warranty by labeling it as customer abuse.










The car initially got the reputation for being fragile and with Nissan not supporting the cars warranty when a controversial launch control feature was activated or even when the VDC system was turned off, the car initially was approached by tuners with trepidation. A very popular humorous video about Hitler's GTR getting the warranty denied was widely circulated on the net much to Nissan executives chagrin.










One of the most stock nearly 800 whp engines you will ever see. The Nissan VR38DETT really responds to minor bolt ons and careful tuning. So far it seems pretty reliable as well. The Cobb Motorsports/GOTO racing GTR has had nary a valvecover removed in over 10 race and test weekends to date. 

Well, we have been keeping an eye on the GTR that has been campaigned by Brian Lock and GOTO racing under the Cobb tuning banner. Although the car runs in modified class, we noticed that it was starting to come together and was turning lap times just a few seconds a lap slower than the big guns in unlimited class like Sierra Sierra, Crawford and FXMD. We expected to find some really exotic hardware when we examined the car; after all we could not see how the huge GTR with its crushing weight of 3800 lbs could even come close to being competitive in any sort of racing without some exotic work. Under close scrutiny we were amazed to find that the GOTO machine is actually a pretty darned close to stock GTR. Its amazing performance has given us a new respect for the platform.

When talking to the projects head tuner, Cobb's senior tuner, Engineer Tim Bailey, we were amazed at the powerplants stockness. The Nissan VR38DETT's long block is completely stock, having nary a valve cover removed. The stock exhaust manifolds were modified by AMS to mount a pair of Garrett 2871 ball bearing turbos. The turbos breath into AMS down pipes feeding into a Cobb Tuning 3.5" stainless Y Pipe. Finally the exhaust gasses vent to a simple 3.5" stainless exhaust that exits above the rear diffuser activating its flow. 










The Cobb charge tube is 3.1" in the area near the MAF sensor as opposed to the stock 2.5". The larger diameter flows more and allows the MAF to read the higher flow volume without getting maxed out. Then the MAF compensation tables in the ECU are rescaled with the Access Port so the higher air flow can be properly metered. This trick is critical for sucessful high power tuning. 

The intake pipes feed into prototype larger diameter 3.1" Cobb charge tubing whose greater flow vs the stock 2.5" tubes effectively allows rescaling of the airflow meter compensation tables without exceeding the MAF's 5 volt limit. Cobb 4 ply steel reinforced silicone charge tubes with T-Bolt clamps replace the ballooning prone stock rubber and plastic parts. The charge pipes feature prototype Cobb compressor bypass valves with reliable pistons replacing damage prone diaphragms. The stock injectors are replaced with huge Injector Dynamics 2200cc/min injectors and bigger prototype Cobb fuel rails to enable the use of E85. 











To assure uninterrupted fuel flow under hard cornering a big fuel pump feeds a surge tank and another pump moves fuel from the surge tank to the engine. The surge tank ensures that the engine will get fuel even if the main pickup in the tank sucks air.



















The fuel system has been converted from a dead head electronic pressure controlled system that is emissions friendly to a high volume conventional return type for the E85 fuel.











Actual GOTO Racing GTR data logs from the Cobb Access port 

Engine management is handled by the factory ECU controlled with a Cobb Access Port interface using Cobb Access TUNER Pro software v 2.0. The Access Port gives a tuner access to all of the engines tuning parameters and provides 3D graphical mapping of fuel, ignition, cam control and every function that a tuner would need to manipulate. The Access port also does data logging to speed tuning.












Cobb Access Port is found mounted to the rollcage door bar for easy access. The fire system activation handle and master power switch is mounted near here as well. 

It takes big power to push a 3600 lb race car to competitive speed and the Cobb equipped VR doesn’t disappoint. Tim tuned the ECU to where the car produces an amazing 788 whp on pump fuel and 721 lb/ft of torque at 24 psi of boost. When switching the car to E85 the power increased to 795 whp! At this power level, the car is still reliable; so far the stock engine has survived over 10 race weekends without flinching!
































Prototype Cobb compressor bypass valves feature a piston instead of a diaphragm for smooth reliable action 

For reliability of the rumored to be fragile transmission, the transmission controller needs to be reprogrammed. The transmission controller communicates with the engines ECU and if it detects too much calculated torque it does things like reduces hydraulic line pressure to provide protective cushion on shifts. Well this sort of behavior will also cause slippage which can destroy the transmission with wear and heat. Cobb also tunes the transmission controller to behave correctly when the power is greatly increased by reducing shift overlap and increasing line pressure to reduce slippage. Thus the "fragile" GTR transmission is made much more reliable if launch mode is avoided. Amazingly enough, with this level of bolt on mods and tuning, a GTR can easily run low 10 second quarter mile times with a very streetable easy to drive power delivery while not using the abusive launch control.











This Mocal oil to water cooler uses the engines coolant to act as the first stage cooler for the transmission 

One issue that the GTR suffers from is that the transmission gets hot and the car goes into limp mode in a few laps at racing speed. To combat this heat, the transmission fluid is circulated through a rear mounted Mocal water to oil cooler, then through a Setrab oil to air heat exchanger fed by a ducted fan. The differential oil is circulated through a second Setrab ducted fan fed heat exchanger. The engine oil is fed through the stock oil cooler and a Cobb secondary oil cooler located in a Cobb air duct in the unused drivers side bumper duct. Engine bearing damage can start at oil temperatures of around 260 degrees and the Cobb cooler keeps the oil temps below 235 degrees. Surprisingly the GOTO team has found the stock radiator to work well!












These two coolers with ducted fans are the second stage transmission cooler and the differential cooler. All of these coolers prevents the transmission from going into limp mode. 

Amazingly this is the extent of the engine and drivetrain mods!











The interior of the Cobb GTR is only mildly gutted. The car has a relatively simple roll cage for driver protection and chassis stiffening. 

The GTR is a portly pig, weighing as much as some trucks. GOTO racing lightened the car by mildly gutting it. Some of the stock interior panels and dash still remain and it looks like the car could actually be returned to street condition with a few hours of work! A straightforward and simple roll cage has been welded in to comply with rules and the seats replaced with a lightweight racing seat. All the factory glass remains. With mild lightening the car still smashes the scales at 3600 lbs making it hold the record as the heaviest time attack car on the circuit!























































You would expect that something this fast and heavy would require unmanageably huge and exotic brakes. We were expecting to find unobtainium like amorphous carbon carbon rotors and pads and metal matrix calipers, instead we were surprised to find that the GTR was simply equipped with Performance Friction rotors and brake pads! Amazingly the GTR is probably the fastest decelerating time attack car on the Redline Circuit. It can decelerate at an amazing 1.7 g's with some peak numbers of up to 2 g's being recorded! It also can be driven hard at racing speed lap after lap without fading. 










In the front, the GTR sports stock calipers with Performance Friction rotors and Performance Friction 01 compound pads. The Performance Friction rotors are far more crack resistant then the stock rotors and run cooler. The front brakes have ducts to feed them cooling air. 

The car uses Performance Frictions GTR bolt in replacement rotors. The special iron alloy used in the rotors is blended to ensure dimensional stability, strength, crack resistance and a consistent coefficient of friction across a wide heat range. The GTR rotors use all of Performance Friction's race derived technology and are ventilated with the vent locations and geometry determined by extensive airflow, stress and thermal analysis. The rotor axial and radial runout is closely controlled to a few ten thousands of an inch to ensure nearly perfect balance. The rotors are not drilled but use dimples that evacuate the fire brand area of pad rotor interface like drilled holes without the risk of cracking.











A Tilton brake proportioning valve give the driver the ability to manually adjust brake bias. 

The rotors are fully free floated to the aluminum alloy hats to reduce stress on the hats and the rotors themselves when hot. Floating the rotors reduces caliper piston knock back under spindle flex to help keep a consistent feeling brake pedal. A unique and innovative feature of the rotors is that the rotor to hat interface uses a lug system that takes the shear load off of the hat bolts and increases the bearing area so that the rotor float is freer from bind under brake torque load.

These features make a rotor that stops better and runs cooler than the stock rotor which tends to crack quickly under track conditions. What is awesome is that the Performance Friction rotor is quite a bit cheaper than the stock Nissan part!










Performance Friction Carbon Ceramic brake pads are used, 01 compound on the front and 97 compound on the rear. We have personally experienced the awesomeness of Performance Friction brake pads on our own cars and like the fade resistance, rotor wear, bite and release characteristics they offer. Again the Performance Friction parts are cheaper than the stock Nissan units. Amazingly driver Brian Lock reports to us that the Performance Friction pads are fade free and can last several events. Brian also says that the rotors lasted 10 events, after which they were still good but were replaced just as a precaution! It's hard to believe that this nearly stock system provides better service life stopping this behemoth than the brake system on our flyweight NASA PT and HC race cars! We feel that this makes the Performance Friction parts a viable replacement part for your street driven weekend warrior GTR.

In the rear, the stock caliper is used with a Performance Friction rotor and 97 compound pads. These pads have a slightly lower coefficient of friction give better balance. 

The Team found that the cars sticky tires interfered with the ABS system and they disconnect the ABS for dry weather conditions. Amazingly this is the extent of the brake system modifications which speaks greatly of the GTR's stock Brembo system and Performance Friction's engineering!










18X12.5 Jongbloed modular wheel is 2" smaller in diameter than the stock 20" wheels but they can still somehow clear the huge 15" rotors. The wheel size is reduced to 18" so a wider selection of tires can be found. The AIT wide body kit is needed to clear the fat 335/30-18 tires. 100 tread wear rated Toyo RA-1's are used instead of super sticky tires.


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

The suspension features exotic JRZ 3-way adjustable race dampers. High and low speed compression damping can be adjusted independently from the rebound damping. 

Likewise you would expect to find some really exotic suspension underpinnings on the GTR. Well some of the suspension is, 3-way JRZ racing coilover dampers do the chore of suspending the car. The JRZ's feature independent adjustment of high and low speed compression damping and low speed rebound. Cobb Tuning sway bars are used. The front bar is 38mm vs the stock 34 mm with two adjustment positions 53% and 94% stiffer than stock, the rear bar is 16mm vs the stock 14mm with 3-way adjustability with 40% to 94% greater than stock stiffness.










The rebound damping adjustment is found at the top of the shock shaft. 

That rounds out the suspension modifications! No fabricated links, no hard bushings, no spherical bearings, no multi adjustable geometry and no relocated pick up points! This is the most stock suspension we have ever seen on a competition vehicle which speaks rounds of the GTR's engineering!











The front Cobb swaybar is a huge 38mm and 2-way adjustable but we could not get a better picture of it because it is buried in the chassis. The rear bar is 3-way adjustable and 16mm in diameter up from the stock 14mm. 

A big car requires big tires. The GTR uses 335/30-18 Toyo RA-1 DOT rubber mounted on 12.5x18" Jongbloed modular wheels, again nothing that exotic. Likewise you would expect that a big powerful time attack car would be sprouting all manor of wings, canards, barge boards, venturis and other aerodynamic appendages. Not this car, the GTR simply uses an AIT street wide body kit which does have functional aerodynamics. We are proud to say that we had a consulting role in the functionality of this kit and helped AIT ensure that the kit would not have unfunctional rice. The kit is fortified with an additional diffuser in the rear and an APR rear wing but that is the limit of the aerodynamics body mods!










The airdam on the AIT widebody kit has a fully functional properly dimensioned real deal splitter that really makes quite a bit of downforce. The kick up in the middle of the splitter helps reduce pitch sensitivity. We were consultants to help assure that this street kit would actually have functional features while still having nice styling.



















The AIT wide body kit has a functional fender vent to relieve high pressure in the wheelwell which reduces drag and helps front downforce.










The rear bumpers has a lot of holes drilled it to relieve pressure build up which reduces drag. It also helps the rear diffuser work better.



















The 3.5" exhaust blows over the diffuser which helps activate the flow through it which makes it more effective.










The AIT kit has functional barge boards. This creates extra downforce and help prevent air from curling under the car which helps make the splitter and diffuser work better as well.










The APR carbon rear wing also creates downforce and is adjustable for angle of attack. 

Although the GTR has a somewhat high cost of entry, Cobb Motosports, Brian Lock and GOTO racing are proving that it can be reliably and competitively raced with a few carefully selected mods making their GTR what is probably the most stock competitive racer on the Redline circuit. Buy a GTR, race it and drive home, it's all possible from Cobb.


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## Mike Rainbird (Nov 12, 2001)

Beautifully prepared


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

YouTube - In-Car Video from COBB Motorsports Nissan GT-R Time Attack Racer


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

Brian Lock drove the COBB Tuning GT-R to a 1st place and new track record in the Modified Class at Redline Time Attack Round 4 at Auto Club Speedway. Taking the GT-R out in the Record assault session for Modified Class Brian set the record breaking lap of 1:43.0 Pulling into the hot pits the crew bolted on their new Yokohama slicks and Brian went out again for Supermodified session and set a blazing time of 1:39.7 capturing him 1st place. Sunday late afternoon the COBB Tuning GT-R took to the track one more time with Brian at it’s wheel to win the Super Session, the 5 lap wheel to wheel race.


Modified Class Track Record-In Car Viedo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cI4QR6jgDA
COBB Tuning takes the Track Record at Auto Club Speedway on Vimeo

Super Modified Winning Lap-In Car Video
YouTube - Brian Lock Drives the COBB Tuning GT-R to a win in Super Modified
Brian Lock Drives the COBB Tuning GT-R to a win in Super Modified on Vimeo

Pictures from the weekend
COBB Tuning at RTA Round 4


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## Robbie J (Jan 8, 2005)

serious mods there...

I like the no covers look


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## Jacey Boy (Apr 24, 2005)

That Hawkeye looks awesome too


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## Jags (May 20, 2007)

Is that wide body kit available to the general public?


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

*COBB Tuning Motorsports Dominates Redline Time Attack Round 4*











The COBB Tuning Motorsports team dominated Round 4 of the Redline Time Attack series at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, taking 1st in Super Modified AWD, 1st in Modified AWD, 1st in Street Tire AWD and capturing the Overall Event Win. The Super Session wheel-to-wheel race was an exciting inter-class battle and saw the Nissan GT-R win overall in Modified trim and the STI take the Street Tire class win. In addition to bringing home maximum points, Brian Lock set a new track record for a Modified Class car at Auto Club Speedway in the GT-R with a lap time of 1:43.072.










In a bid to appease the “Racing Gods,” the team showed up sporting COBB-blue hair-dos, but the success of the weekend was a direct result of the long hours and tireless effort put in by the talented and dedicated guys that make up the COBB Tuning Motorsports crew. The team took advantage of the month-long break between events and made significant changes to all three race cars in an effort to maximize performance and reliability, ultimately setting the team up to race hard for the remainder of the season.
The Nissan GT-R was treated to a complete engine rebuild with upgraded rods and pistons to better cope with the nearly 1,000 crank HP being produced. The Subaru STI went under the knife having a new custom safety cage fabricated from scratch and the transmission rebuilt while the Cosworth engine was sent home for a refresh and new Cosworth intake manifold added. The Nissan 370Z received a new set of rear springs to reduce excessive corner-exit oversteer. Finally, all three cars had OS Giken limited-slip differentials installed (GT-R front, STI & 370Z rear) to better get the AccessPORT tuned power down on the track where it belongs.



The extensive hours of hard-work paid off in spades as the team racked up its most successful weekend to date in the Redline Time Attack. Brian Lock in the Nissan GT-R screamed past the competition to take the Modified Class win and set a new track record of 1:43.072 in the process. After setting the new record, the GT-R visited pit lane to receive a new set of Yokohama A005 racing slicks before heading right back out on track to battle it out in the Super Modified class. The added grip of the Yokohama slicks dropped the GT-R’s lap time to a 1:39.730, fast enough to take the win in the Super Modified class and clinch the team’s second Overall event win!

In the Street Tire AWD Class, Cameron Benner was on a mission to grab the 1st place position that had so far eluded him. The revitalized Subaru STI proved to be the perfect tool for the job as Cameron charged ahead the rest of the Street Class field, taking a decisive first win with a 3-second lead over his closest competitor!



Gary Sheehan subbed in for an ill-feeling Trey Cobb to take on the Nissan 370Z driving duties. Although Gary was ineligible to compete in the Enthusiast Class, the event presented an opportunity to see how the suspension and driveline changes affected the performance of the little Z, and they proved to be quite effective. The COBB 370Z turned a time just 0.5 seconds shy of the Enthusiast RWD class winning lap in the final Time Attack session, and also revealed a few simple areas of improvement that, once addressed, should make it a serious class contender.



The wheel-to-wheel Super Session turned out to be an exciting inter-class battle that once again showed that solid preparation, nerves of steel and blue hair will take the day. Brian Lock ran the Nissan GT-R in Modified trim with R-compound tires and gapped the field to take the overall win and much-needed Modified class championship points. Cameron Benner had a great drive in his Street Tire Class STI, battling with Modified class cars on the way to his class win and 4th place overall, adding to his impressive championship lead.

The Takata Time Attack/LIC Motorsports STI, had a strong showing this weekend, taking 2nd place in the Modified AWD Class with a 01:45.923 lap time and 2nd place in class in the Super Session . This car runs a COBB AccessPORT and was tuned at COBB Tuning Surgeline in Portland, Oregon. The LIC Motorsports team continues to show what quality preparation and great tuning can do as they consistently field the fastest Modified Class Subaru in the series and currently lead the Modified Class championship.
Jon Drenas showed what a lightly modified Mitsubishi EVO X can do by finishing in 2nd place in the AWD Street Class. Jon arrived at the track late in the event and laid down a 1:52.702 lap with almost no practice time in his HB Speed-tuned AccessPORT EVO X. Jon and his EVO X is a force to be reckoned with on the West Coast and has proven that you can drive your race car to the track, race it all weekend, and drive back home with a trophy in the passenger seat.

Chris Billedo drove his AccessPORT equipped Honda Civic Si to the sharp end of the Enthusiast AWD class with a solid 2nd place finish, continuing his streak of podium finishes and setting himself up for an impressive Redline Time Attack championship result.
The COBB Tuning Motorsports Team next heads to Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois for Round 5 on June 12th where they look to extend their East Coast Championship leads in the Modified and Street Tire classes.


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

The COBB Tuning Motorsports team once raced to the top of the podium at Round 8 of the Redline Time Attack. Held at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Park, outside Las Vegas, NV, the COBB Tuning GT-R driven by Brian lock quickly shot to the top of the leader board in the AWD Modified Class and held the top spot all weekend. Despite temperatures that crested the 110 degree mark, the GT-R performed flawlessly not only posting another overall Modified Class win, but setting a new track record for a Modified Class car. 

Cameron Benner, driver of the COBB Tuning STI, found himself locked in a three way duel in the AWD Street Class. Local boy, Thomas Smith, in the Zenkai Motorsports GR-Chassis STI proved to be very fast around his home track. Benner also faced off once again with Steve Ruiz in the AEM/Stoptech EVO X. Despite being plagued with mechanical issues, Ruiz continues to be very quick and threatened to take the lead all weekend, if his car could just complete a lap. Despite pushing his car to the absolute limit, Cameron could only muster 2nd place behind Smith who clearly had the home court advantage. Ruiz brought up the rear in third just a few tenths off of Cameron and his STI.

Once again the Super Session gave the crowd a taste of real wheel to wheel action and a chance to get a side by side comparison of the fastest cars of the weekend. Brian Lock and the GT-R lead the race from start to finish with the Takata Time Attack/LIC car nipping at his heels. Cameron and his STI had a good fight mid pack and battled for 4th place where he finished also taking the top Street Class spot for the Super Session.



Both AccessPORT-tuned cars ran throughout the weekend without as much as a hiccup despite the oppressive heat. The only issue was when early Saturday morning a stripped wheel stud sidelined the STI for a single practice session. 

The COBB Tuning STI and GT-R are leading the points in the Street and Modified classes both in class and overall! The team will be looking to cement this lead with only 2 races remaining in the season. In the Modified class the championship is still very much up for grabs. In the Street Class, Cameron Benner has dominated the season and needs only to finish the next two events to take the championship. 

The COBB Tuning Motorsports Team will be headed back to the track in October at Infineon Raceway for Round 9 and a chance to clinch the points lead heading into the season finale.

YouTube - COBB Tuning Motorsports STI Redline Time Attack Round 8 1 Lap

YouTube - COBB Tuning Motorsports GT-R 1 Lap Redline Time Attack Round 8

YouTube - COBB Tuning Motorsports Redline Time Attack Round 8


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

fantastic video !


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

The COBB Tuning Motorsports Team finished out the 2010 Redline Time Attack season as champions! Brian Lock and the Nissan GT-R clinched the Modified AWD Class Championship and Cameron Benner in his 2006 Subaru STI captured the Street Tire AWD Class Championship. This marks a fantastic end to a first-year effort with COBB Tuning fielding a full-season two-car time attack team. The team pushed the envelope with these two AccessPORT powered cars and are very proud of the performance of the racecars as well as the performance of the team!



The Modified class championship came down to the final event with just 21 points separating the 1st place COBB Tuning team and the 2nd place Takata Time Attack/LIC Motosports STI. With 40 points up for grabs, a mechanical failure or driver error on this high speed track could mean disaster. Running a car as powerful and technically advanced as the GT-R, the specter of a mechanical DNF is never far from the team’s consciousness. Early weekend issues that were originally thought to be related to the very complex AWD system turned out to be related to a set of old tires, and once replaced, the car performed flawlessly from that point on and broke the Modified Class track record on the first lap of the Record Assault Sunday morning, securing first place. This would be the winning lap as neither 2nd place Mike Cronin Jr. in the Fontana Nissan GT-R or 3rd place James Elterman in the LIC STI could match that pace.

With the Modified Class win in the bag, the team jumped back into the pits for a quick tire change to Yokohama slicks in an effort to take the Super Modified class track record as well. Despite a blistering 1:37 lap time from the Nissan GT-R, it was not fast enough to defeat the Super Modified class champion GST Motorsports “L” Impreza, which set a new Super Modified track record with a 1:35.5 lap time. However, a second place podium in Super Modified AWD was certainly worth the team’s efforts.



Cameron Benner, who has finished on the podium at every single event this year came into this event with the Street Tire class championship already locked. Not content to rest on his laurels, Cameron was determined to take another class win as well as set a new class lap record. However, during Friday afternoon practice his engine overheated, spewing coolant onto the windshield during his third lap, a clear sign of a blown head gasket, which was confirmed in the paddock. But Time Attack is all about posting one fast lap and the team was determined to post it! They proceeded to pull the engine and do a track-side rebuild. Cameron also noted that his transmission was showing signs of serious problems as well, with a balky 4th gear engagement.

Undaunted, the team managed to have the engine pulled and completely apart on Friday evening and with new parts supplied by Subaru of Ontario Friday night, the team started the reassembly process Saturday morning and had the engine together and dropped in the car before lunch with Cameron heading back out on track Saturday afternoon. The tireless efforts of Danny Heng, Tim Bailey, Brandon Lumpkins and Eric Bizek saw the car back on track and showing good speed. With a freshly rebuilt engine, the STI was ready to take on Steve Ruiz in the StopTech EVO and COBB’s own Jon Drenas in yet another EVO, both of whom resurfaced for this final race and were both very fast earlier in the season.

   

Not wanting to push their luck on a failing transmission and a hastily refreshed engine, the team opted to sit out Sunday morning practice and go all out for the first timed sessions on Sunday afternoon. Sadly, the transmission would not hold out and 4th gear disappeared during Cameron’s out lap and he was forced to run without it. On a track like Auto Club with many fast straights, the loss of 4th gear proved to large a handicap and Cameron was only able to post a 1:50 lap time, putting him into 4th place. His only non-podium finish of the season, it was a bitter-sweet end to a championship winning season for the young driver.

The final act of the 2010 Redline Time Attack season had all the drama of the rest of the season with a close race to finish line and a champagne-soaked podium…

With only the wheel-to-wheel Super Session left in the weekend, the team decided to mount the Toyo RA-1 tires and run in the Modified Class in an effort to make the Modified Class victory complete. Brian and the GT-R were gridded next to the Super Modified 350Z of Mike Cronin Jr. running slicks and much less weight, compared to the very heavy GT-R on treaded R-compound tires. This would prove to be a fight of giant straight line horsepower versus high-grip in the tight infield bends of Auto Club Speedway.

As the green flag dropped on the field, Lock and Cronin Jr. rocketed away from the pack and would run the 5 laps almost nose to tail with the Fontana Nissan 350Z just inches off the COBB GT-R’s bumper, looking for the pass at every corner. However, the horsepower of the GT-R proved to be enough to hold the Z at bay for the overall Super Session win as well as collecting the final points needed to slam the lid closed on the Modified AWD Class.

As the sun set for the final time on the 2010 Redline Time Attack championship the team was able to smile with a sense of pride of accomplishing so much in such a short time with championship wins in both the Modified and Street Tire AWD classes.



Not only did the COBB Tuning drivers and racecars prove themselves on the track, the COBB Tuning crew distinguished themselves in the paddock. The COBB Tuning Motorsports team was presented with the final award of the season, the 2010 Redline Time Attack “Team of the Year” Award, for showing dedication to sportsmanship in the pits and towards their fellow teams and drivers.

COBB Tuning would like to thank the Redline Time Attack organization, our dedicated team of all-volunteer pit crew members, our sponsors, drivers, family members (both at the track and at home), our competitors for the friendly and fun paddock atmosphere and close competition and finally our customers and fans for your support during this 2010 season. Without all you, none of this would have been possible.

*COBB Tuning – 2010 Redline Time Attack Modified Class and Street Tire AWD Class Champions!*


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

end of season round up video

congrats to Cobb Tuning Timeattack team


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

YouTube - COBB Tuning Motorsports Redline Rnd 10 Auto Club Speedway


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