TPG

Andrew Tessari is no new-comer to Mallala nor Time Attack. Previously entered in Time Attack rounds in 2009 and 2011 and often seen at various track days at Mallala, Andrew certainly knows how to extract the most from his Mazda RX-7. October 2009's Time Attack event proved to be a pivotal time for the Mazda's development after an unfortunate engine failure trying to beat the 1:20 mark. This sparked the change from street car to race car..... Fast forward to 3rd of October 2011 and the final round of the Time Attack series saw Andrew lay down a time of 1:20.910.....the 1:20 barrier still eluded Andrew at Time Attack. What would 2012 hold? 11th of June 2012 brought fantastic conditions @ Mallala for Round 1 of the Autosport Time Attack Series. As competitors rolled in it was clear everyone was keen to get on the track - proving the Time Attack format was still alive and well. Club Class is usually the largest field in Time Attack, the use of Semi-Slicks is mandatory but freedom in other regulations means you never know what you're up against. Andrew's times throughout the day had put him at the pointy end of Club Class, however the competition was no push over. Mike Willis in his prepped Evo 9 was trading fastest lap times throughout the day with Andrew - it was the competition to watch as RWD Rotary battled AWD Turbo. At the end of the day Andrew's fastest lap of the day (smashing the 1:20 barrier that plagued him at Time Attacks) was a blistering 1:15.680 - was it enough? Edging out the Evo 9 of Mike Willis by a mere 0.041 of a second Andrew Tessari took out the Club Class win at Round 1 of the Autosport Time Attack Series. Andrew's time was also 2nd fastest outright on the day and hence easily qualified him for the Top 10 Shootout. The Winner here is based on % improvement on lap time in the shoout vs those during normal competition. Missing out on top honours Andrew put down a very respectable lap time that netted him a 99.61% result - proving the built RX-7 has both the speed and the reliability. Anther round of Time Attack, another perfect day at Mallala. Round 2 of the Autosport Time Attack got started early on the 1st of October 2012 and it was all action. The practise session alone had a high rate of attrition and condensed the field down, yielding plenty of track time for competitors. Again Club Class had the highest # of entrants and again Andrew had to contend with another close battle. This time it came from Shane Carroll and his race-prepped Evo 6. The RX-7 was circulating well, countering the lap times of the charging Evo. However not immune from the high rate of mechanical problems the RX-7 was garaged with a clutch issue - meaning the final time set by Andrew was a 1:16.006. In another nail-bitting finish Andrew claimed 1st Place in Club Class of Round 2 by 0.05 of a second. Andrew's 'cool under pressure' demeanor saw him take out Club Class wins in both rounds of the Autosport Time Attack by the narrowest of margins. This consistency and ability to rise to a challenge earned him the outright Series win in Club Class. Andrew was presented with the Club Class Trophy and a $150 Voucher for Autosport. The Mitsubishi GSR/EVO Club congratulate Andrew on the series win and hope to see him return for 2013 - sub 1:15's and Open Class await! Interview with Club Class Series Winner - Andrew Tessari Hi Andrew congratulations on taking out the Series win in Club Class at the 2012 Autosport Time Attack. Thank you, it is great feeling to be crowned 2012 Autosport Time Attack Club Class Champion. What was it like competing in the Autosport Time Attack Series? Great, it's a good series to be involved in as it has a nice friendly atmosphere with some real close racing - I won both rounds by less than .1 sec! How did you get involved in the Autosport Time Attack Series? I had done a few regularities but I decided to enter the final round of 2009 Time Attack series as I had wanted to try and conquer the 1:20 barrier. Unfortunately I suffered a rather catastrophic engine failure during this event so decision was made to turn my street car into a race car. 2012 was really my first serious attempt at the Autosport Time Attack Series with the car since its rebuild. There is still a fair bit of development to do on the car so to get a win in both rounds was quite a surprise. What interests in the discipline of Time Attack over other motorsport events like drift or motorkhana? I like the challenge of trying to beat the clock and always going for your PB. I guess I am a bit old school in my racing love as I would rather have a bench mark time to aim for rather than relying on whether some guy on the hill thinks I did good skid or not. Did you attend WTAC 2012 as either spectator or entrant? Yeah I was there cheering on my mate Brad and all the other other guys who entered from ozrx7.com, I would love to enter one year but I think it is getting a bit too professional for me now!!! I did scope a lot of aero ideas! WTAC really has stepped up the Time Attack image in Australia with some rather serious machines being built for this event, its also fantastic to be able to see top Japanese workshop teams up close and in the flesh. Tell us more about your current ride & future plans for it. It's a 1986 series 4 RX7 (FC) It has a fully prepped race extend port 13B running a GT35R turbo on E85. I have tried to use the best parts where I can but it is still a fairly budget conscious build. I am pretty happy with the power level at moment so future plans include a better aero package to give me a bit more confidence in high speed sections of the track and some further weight reduction and a brake upgrade. Anyone you'd like to give a shout-out too? Workshop for car prep? Mates putting in long nights to get the cars ready? Family putting up with your obsession? I would like to thank Jason @ REVS for building my motor and helping me out with parts and advice over the years, Marky @ Exhaust Tech for all the exhaust work and Clint @ Faustune for the tune. Everyone knows it takes a lot of effort and time to build a car so huge thanks go out to mates Brad and Botcho for all their help in ripping my car apart and putting it back together and to Dan for all the welding he has done on my car and for being my pit crew for the 2012 season. Would also like to thank my wife for having to put up with the Mazda!! Thanks for your time today and all the best for 2013! No worries it has been a pleasure, hopefully next year I might be able to step up and give Mark Jantke a bit of competition!!

The 2012 Autosport Time Attack had a troubled start to the year, but come 11th June competitors were all lined up ready to hit the track. Competitor Mark Jantke ('jenkies' on the forum) a Time Attack newcomer but Skylines Australia regular was itching to put his Nissan R32 GTR to the test. The GTR certainly looked the part and with a estimated time around the 1:15's it was straight to Open Class. "Is it still possible to squeeze into club?? as I doubt ill be sub 1.15.00." said Mark - perhaps a moment of doubt? perhaps we knew what it was capable of! Once on the track it was clear it had the power to go fast and earn its spot in Open Class. Taming the power coming out of corners and managing some minor overheating issues was the order of the day for Mark. Nearing sundown, all cars earning a well earned rest, the presentations began. It was no surprise, the GTR was over a second quicker than the nearest competitor and Mark took out 1st Place in Open Class with a time of 1:14.562. Mark's attitude on and off the track, his GTR and respect for other cars/drivers made him a great asset to Time attack - one the GSR / EVO Club hoped to return for Round 2.......if only we knew..... ....followed on Facebook by no doubt anyone remotely interested in cars, Mark's transformation of the GTR was nothing short of amazing. Nothing was overlooked as the car that took out Open Class was rebuilt into something with a clear goal. Stich-welding, wide body panels, titanium side pipes, more power - everything was adding up to this GTR being re-born as a serious Time Attack weapon. Although some times it was barely recognisable... The second round of the 2012 Autosport Time Attack got off to a great start with near perfect weather. As the cars began to roll in, eyes were definately on the GTR. As with every build time is always a factor and many long nights were had to get the car to Time Attack. Once the cars began to circulate the shakedown of the GTR showed some minor issues and again getting that power to the ground was going to be the key for a quick lap. During the normal competition the GTR managed a time of 1:14.419 which was good enough to take out 2nd Place in Open Class (and 2nd outright). In a new build this is an excellent effort and I know everyone is confident with further tweaks this car will get quicker and quicker. As usual for Time Attack at the end of the day there is a Shoot-Out where competitors get 1 last lap to try and put down a PB. The Winner is based on % improvement during normal competition and in Round 2 competition was a Blue Evo VI. The Shoot-out came down to Brad Kirkwoods Evo VI and Mark's GTR. The evo had already claimed top honours in Open Class, so Mark was keen to peg one back for Nissan. Brad layed down a time of 1:14.792, or in other words 98.36% of his time during normal competition.....but that wasn't enough to hold off Mark Jantke whose shootout time of 1:14.652 (99.69% of his best time of the day) secured him the Shootout Win and $250 Cash Prize. This concluded the 2012 Autosport Time Attack and it was time to award the Series prizes. Mark's 1st Place in Round 1 and 2nd Place in Round 2 earned him the outright Series win in Open Class. Mark was presented with the Open Class Trophy and a $150 Voucher for Autosport. Icing on the cake for Mark and definately reward and recognition for all his hard work. Interview with Open Class Series Winner - Mark Jantke Hi Mark congratulations on taking out the Series win in Open Class at the 2012 Autosport Time Attack. Thanks alot, cheers to Mitsubishi GSR/EVO Club for making the event happen. What was it like competing in the Autosport Time Attack Series? Good fun, I didn't break anything and it gave me a completion deadline to get the car ready for. How did you get involved in the Autosport Time Attack Series? I think originally on Skylines Australia forum, but I'd heard of it yonks ago from a few mates. What interests in the discipline of Time Attack over other motorsport events like drift or motorkhana? One thing I really enjoy about Time Attack is that you're not putting your car under strain for long periods of time and you can choose to get heaps of track time or minimal if your trying to conserve things. Plus it's fun to race against yourself and others for those crucial gains on the clock! Tell us more about your current ride & future plans for it. Current ride is a labour of love and when I'm not working on it I'm working hard on the tools to make money so I can buy better upgrades, so I can work on it... It is a vicious cycle. Anyone you'd like to give a shout-out too? Workshop for car prep? Mates putting in long nights to get the cars ready? Family putting up with your obsession? Definitely a shout out to all my mates for putting up with me gone for the last 3 months lol. And special thanks to Simon and the boys at Morpowa and Steve and the boys at Street and Custom Paintworks. Thanks for your time today and all the best for 2013! My pleasure, cheers.

~48hrs to get your Time Attack Entries in. MGEC are waiving the late fee for entries between now and closing time, keeps the costs down for entrants. Worried about track time? At this stage you'll get heaps! Worried about your brakes? Take a cool-down cruise through the padock before re-joining for your hot lap. Worried about your time? Everyone is out there to set their PB's and come Shoot-out, who knows who'll take the honours!

Come ~4:30PM October 1st there will be a total of $2300 worth of cash + prizes going out to the competitors (and their machines) who excell in their class and can step up in the Top 10 Shootout. Tuner House Prize - I know there is a lot of rivalry between Tuners fan base so get out there and represent your Tuner Shoot-out and Class prizes! Events can't be held without two things - YOU! So if you're thinking about enterting DO IT. Helpful bunch of people will make sure you're ready on the day and you will have blast Secondly - Sponsors, Autosport have generously supported time attack and if you need fire ext, helmet, gloves, boots anything - make them your first stop.

Bump. I know you guys have your track day on the 15th Oct. What better way then to get your eye in or try out some suspension changes. The Skylines put in a great show for Round 1 - pressures on to stay at the pointy end of the field!

Time to get your entries in guys! GTR, S14 - excellent. I hope those who entered Round 1 can get back out there. Also welcome new faces - it is a good friendly environment. You get more track time than you may think and we cater for street cars / 1st timers. PM for more info.

Please see the following links for Autosport Time Attack Round 2 - 1st October 2012. http://gsr-evo-club.net/documents/motorsport/MGEC_01102012_ENTRYFORM.pdf http://gsr-evo-club.net/documents/motorsport/MGEC_01102012_SUPREGS.pdf

Last I recall you had some issues putting power to the ground with the tyres you were running. Drop back to street tyres and HOLD ON!!!!

You mean I don't get to go up against your skyline again? Usually in Street Class interior trim removal is limited to ONLY the rear seat and for the use/install of bolt in safety equipment- ie Harness, 1/2 cage. Carpets + all standard trim, seats, dash etc must remain.

E85 on evo's is a perfect match. big injectors, 2 bar........loving it.

Round 1 had a great showing from the Nissan camp with Skylines taking out the honors in Open and Street Class........ I hope to see all competitors return for Round 2 and new faces are always welcome! If you need any extra information or have some questions, PM me or head over the the MGEC website.

Please find attached Autosport Time Attack Round 2 2012 Held under CAMS Club Permit No. TBA Please send your 2012 Autosport Time Attack Round 2 Entry Form (with Payment) to: Mitsubishi GSR/EVO Club PO Box 10303 ADELAIDE SA 5000 Or Fax 0882324446 Or [email protected] Direct Deposit Payment: Mitsubishi GSR/EVO Club Inc BSB: 085443 Acc#: 549085646 (NAB) CASH PAYMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED Please note: Entry Form + Supp Regs available soon.

Can anyone that came down and took some pictures either please post here or link me to an account (Facebook, Photobucket etc) where some pictures are? Cheers