| Brees Motorsports |
| 2007 Race Season Updates |
2007 NASA National Championships
With 9 competitors including two NASA Time Trial National Champions and an SCCA Autocross National Champion, TTE was destined
to be a great class for the championships. To give myself a couple options, I brought a full tread depth set of 225/45/17 Nitto NT-01s and
a set of 225/45/15 NT-01s shaved to 3/32".
We went out on track Thursday morning for the warm up session and I was already starting to feel the excitement. Even though the times
didn't count, the morning session would set the grid for the first timed session. We were running in Group G with TTB, TTD and TTF. I
decided to start out the morning on the 17s because I had experience on the tires and wanted to see how the car was handling. To
ensure open track in the timed session, I pushed the car and ran a lap as 1:43.7 which placed me 3rd on the grid for the afternoon behind
two TTB cars. I was ecstatic with the time because it was 1 full second faster than I had ever gone at Mid Ohio before and the car was
very confidence inspiring. In the afternoon session I once again used the 17" wheels and ran another 1:43.7 to back up the one from the
morning session. I had one exciting moment during this session where the back end of the car came around on me quickly. I was able to
save it and continue. (Click here for the video) I decided to run the 15s in the afternoon and was very happy with the difference. The
gearing coming out of Turn 1, The Keyhole and the Carousel was much improved. On the back straight I hit the speed governor at about
the 600 ft mark (I brake at 400) but the better run off the important corners before the straights more than made up for the 200 feet without
power. I was also able to brake much later due to the reduction in rotating mass. The lap times showed the improvement that I felt. After
the 3rd session of the day the top 5 times looked like this:
Bill Brees (Mazdaspeed Protege): 1:42.915
Dan Gardner (Scion Tc): 1:43.472
Chris Kline (Lexus IS300): 1:45.662
Mark Freemal (Mazda Miata): 1:47.110
Robert Keller (Mazda Miata): 1:47.443
Friday was a little bit warmer than Thursday and the times were not changed much from Thursday. My starting position on the grid
ranged from fourth to sixth and I had a lot of fun running with the guys in TTD. There was plenty of open track and opportunity to set fast
lap times. None of the top three improved and the order of the top five stayed the same going into the last day.
Saturday was COLD! Not the best for comfort, but the car was definitely making more power than it had on Friday. I worked on a couple
of corners in the morning practice session. I decided to force myself to brake later in the last two sessions and to concentrate on
maintaining momentum. In the first competition session of the day, I ran a 1:41.9 which made me extremely happy. My car was weighed
and dynoed at impound after this run. The car weighed 2779 lbs with me in it (one pound over my minimum weight!) and dynoed a
maximum of 172 hp to the wheels and an average of 168 hp over 3 consecutive runs. Dan once again ran a 1:43.4 and Chris Kline
improved to a 1:44.1. Chris was fighting the car after switching to new tires for the Championships. He was starting to figure them out
and the pressure was on for the last session. In the last session I absolutely scared myself out on track, carrying more speed through the
corners than I ever had before. I was rewarded with a 1:41.7 and a smile that lasted for hours! That lap was good enough for 8th overall
and 1st in class.
The final results for TTE: 1) Bill Brees 1:41.739
2) Dan Gardner 1:43.472
3) Chris Kline 1:43.797
4) Mark Freemal 1:45.972
5) Robert Keller 1:46.215
6) Russel Warr 1:46.625
7) David Rhodes 1:49.683
8) Lara Korth 1:50.486
9) Greg Greenbaum 1:59.739 (Car issues limited Greg to only a few laps)
Here are the videos:
With 9 competitors including two NASA Time Trial National Champions and an SCCA Autocross National Champion, TTE was destined
to be a great class for the championships. To give myself a couple options, I brought a full tread depth set of 225/45/17 Nitto NT-01s and
a set of 225/45/15 NT-01s shaved to 3/32".
We went out on track Thursday morning for the warm up session and I was already starting to feel the excitement. Even though the times
didn't count, the morning session would set the grid for the first timed session. We were running in Group G with TTB, TTD and TTF. I
decided to start out the morning on the 17s because I had experience on the tires and wanted to see how the car was handling. To
ensure open track in the timed session, I pushed the car and ran a lap as 1:43.7 which placed me 3rd on the grid for the afternoon behind
two TTB cars. I was ecstatic with the time because it was 1 full second faster than I had ever gone at Mid Ohio before and the car was
very confidence inspiring. In the afternoon session I once again used the 17" wheels and ran another 1:43.7 to back up the one from the
morning session. I had one exciting moment during this session where the back end of the car came around on me quickly. I was able to
save it and continue. (Click here for the video) I decided to run the 15s in the afternoon and was very happy with the difference. The
gearing coming out of Turn 1, The Keyhole and the Carousel was much improved. On the back straight I hit the speed governor at about
the 600 ft mark (I brake at 400) but the better run off the important corners before the straights more than made up for the 200 feet without
power. I was also able to brake much later due to the reduction in rotating mass. The lap times showed the improvement that I felt. After
the 3rd session of the day the top 5 times looked like this:
Bill Brees (Mazdaspeed Protege): 1:42.915
Dan Gardner (Scion Tc): 1:43.472
Chris Kline (Lexus IS300): 1:45.662
Mark Freemal (Mazda Miata): 1:47.110
Robert Keller (Mazda Miata): 1:47.443
Friday was a little bit warmer than Thursday and the times were not changed much from Thursday. My starting position on the grid
ranged from fourth to sixth and I had a lot of fun running with the guys in TTD. There was plenty of open track and opportunity to set fast
lap times. None of the top three improved and the order of the top five stayed the same going into the last day.
Saturday was COLD! Not the best for comfort, but the car was definitely making more power than it had on Friday. I worked on a couple
of corners in the morning practice session. I decided to force myself to brake later in the last two sessions and to concentrate on
maintaining momentum. In the first competition session of the day, I ran a 1:41.9 which made me extremely happy. My car was weighed
and dynoed at impound after this run. The car weighed 2779 lbs with me in it (one pound over my minimum weight!) and dynoed a
maximum of 172 hp to the wheels and an average of 168 hp over 3 consecutive runs. Dan once again ran a 1:43.4 and Chris Kline
improved to a 1:44.1. Chris was fighting the car after switching to new tires for the Championships. He was starting to figure them out
and the pressure was on for the last session. In the last session I absolutely scared myself out on track, carrying more speed through the
corners than I ever had before. I was rewarded with a 1:41.7 and a smile that lasted for hours! That lap was good enough for 8th overall
and 1st in class.
The final results for TTE: 1) Bill Brees 1:41.739
2) Dan Gardner 1:43.472
3) Chris Kline 1:43.797
4) Mark Freemal 1:45.972
5) Robert Keller 1:46.215
6) Russel Warr 1:46.625
7) David Rhodes 1:49.683
8) Lara Korth 1:50.486
9) Greg Greenbaum 1:59.739 (Car issues limited Greg to only a few laps)
Here are the videos:
| This is my fastest lap of the weekend. 1:41.739 |
| I was cautious in Turn 1 because it was the first lap of the session, but I am very happy with the rest of the lap. This probably would have been my best with a more aggressive run through Turn 1: 1:41.960 |
| On this one I slowed down a little too much for the Keyhole, but the rest is pretty good: 1:41.953 |
NASA at Mid-Ohio in July:
July was a great event for TTE. There were 8 competitors on each day.
July was a great event for TTE. There were 8 competitors on each day.
NASA weekend at Grattan:
As this was my first trip to Grattan, I was pleasantly surprised to pull into the beautiful rolling hills that surround the track with acres of
groomed bright green grass. The excitement continued when I pulled out onto the track. Plenty of elevation changes, blind corners
and a jump all make this one of the most fun tracks I've ever driven. Saturday started out slow for Time Trials with only a handful of
drivers with previous experience. Everyone soon learned the basic line and worked on finding out how much speed they could carry.
Id like to thank Andy from Ford Motorsports for letting me follow him for a couple laps! I was able to get down to a 1:34.5 on Saturday
to take the win in TTE over Allen Pervo in his Acura Integra. A fun night out in a nearby town with the rest of the Winking Lizard team
led to another fun day of driving the track. On Sunday I discovered that the faster you go, the more fun Grattan becomes. I quickly
discovered with more speed, the sections I was so proud of driving through without lifting, now required a lift. I was able to get down
to a 1:33.1 on Sunday. Can't wait to head back next year!
As this was my first trip to Grattan, I was pleasantly surprised to pull into the beautiful rolling hills that surround the track with acres of
groomed bright green grass. The excitement continued when I pulled out onto the track. Plenty of elevation changes, blind corners
and a jump all make this one of the most fun tracks I've ever driven. Saturday started out slow for Time Trials with only a handful of
drivers with previous experience. Everyone soon learned the basic line and worked on finding out how much speed they could carry.
Id like to thank Andy from Ford Motorsports for letting me follow him for a couple laps! I was able to get down to a 1:34.5 on Saturday
to take the win in TTE over Allen Pervo in his Acura Integra. A fun night out in a nearby town with the rest of the Winking Lizard team
led to another fun day of driving the track. On Sunday I discovered that the faster you go, the more fun Grattan becomes. I quickly
discovered with more speed, the sections I was so proud of driving through without lifting, now required a lift. I was able to get down
to a 1:33.1 on Sunday. Can't wait to head back next year!
NORA Autocross May 27:
NORA is the Northern Ohio Racing Association. They host autocrosses through most of the summer in Northeast Ohio. It is a club
with a lot of talented drivers. There are a few past SCCA Autocross National Champions and Trophy Winners in the club.
The May 27th autocross was at Eastlake Captains Stadium parking. The course was fun and made really good use of the lot. I was
able to take the win in a large SM class and my time was good enough for 4th of 82 competitors by raw time. Here are the results of
the regular class drivers and here are the results for the PAX class drivers. The PAX class is for the experienced drivers in cars built
for specific autocross classes to compete against each other. This page has a lot of videos I took of this event. One thing I learned
at this event: Driving with the ABS fuse removed is much more effective in the Protege than dealing with the ever present ice mode.
NORA is the Northern Ohio Racing Association. They host autocrosses through most of the summer in Northeast Ohio. It is a club
with a lot of talented drivers. There are a few past SCCA Autocross National Champions and Trophy Winners in the club.
The May 27th autocross was at Eastlake Captains Stadium parking. The course was fun and made really good use of the lot. I was
able to take the win in a large SM class and my time was good enough for 4th of 82 competitors by raw time. Here are the results of
the regular class drivers and here are the results for the PAX class drivers. The PAX class is for the experienced drivers in cars built
for specific autocross classes to compete against each other. This page has a lot of videos I took of this event. One thing I learned
at this event: Driving with the ABS fuse removed is much more effective in the Protege than dealing with the ever present ice mode.
Winged Warrior III Charity Race and Car Show:
Winged Warrior is a charity event for Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis Indiana. It is an event which involves a drag race,
autocross and car show. Each event gets a score and counts towards the final position. (Autocross 40%, Drag Race 40% and Car
Show 20%) The classing was almost identical to Time Trial classing so I was placed in E class. My class started with the drag race
portion and I ran a 14.8 which placed me 4th out of 11 in my class. We then had the car show and I placed 6th. Maybe the judges
aren't big fans of stickers? Then came my event, the autocross. This was probably the best autocross course I have ever driven.
The elevation changes completely unloaded the suspension at some points, there was high speed, long slolams and tight off camber
corners which provided a fun mix of conditions to deal with. Here is my best lap. And one that should have been the best but I tried
pushing too hard towards the end after getting into ice mode of the brakes at the tight turnaround in the middle of the course. I took
1st place in class with a time of 1:01.6 That was good enough for 13th overall out of 93 cars. I wound up 2nd in my class for the 3
events combined. Results can be found here.
I had a great time and we raised a lot of money to help out the kids at Rileys. I will definitely try to make it back next year.
Please visit their website for more information.
Winged Warrior is a charity event for Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis Indiana. It is an event which involves a drag race,
autocross and car show. Each event gets a score and counts towards the final position. (Autocross 40%, Drag Race 40% and Car
Show 20%) The classing was almost identical to Time Trial classing so I was placed in E class. My class started with the drag race
portion and I ran a 14.8 which placed me 4th out of 11 in my class. We then had the car show and I placed 6th. Maybe the judges
aren't big fans of stickers? Then came my event, the autocross. This was probably the best autocross course I have ever driven.
The elevation changes completely unloaded the suspension at some points, there was high speed, long slolams and tight off camber
corners which provided a fun mix of conditions to deal with. Here is my best lap. And one that should have been the best but I tried
pushing too hard towards the end after getting into ice mode of the brakes at the tight turnaround in the middle of the course. I took
1st place in class with a time of 1:01.6 That was good enough for 13th overall out of 93 cars. I wound up 2nd in my class for the 3
events combined. Results can be found here.
I had a great time and we raised a lot of money to help out the kids at Rileys. I will definitely try to make it back next year.
Please visit their website for more information.
April at MidOhio with NASA:
The April event started a little late for me, as I just got the car on the ground for the first time this year at 2 a.m. that Saturday morning. I
was still working on the car at 9 a.m. and made it to the track in time for the afternoon sessions. This year NASA is using the Pro Course
configuration without the Chicane between Turn 1 and the Keyhole. This was my first event running on the Nitto NT-01 tires and I was
unsure of what pressure to run. As it turns out, I was about 10 psi too high for the first session. The high pressure and a less than
desirable alignment produced laps well off of my 2006 pace. I lowered the pressure by 5 psi for the last session of the day, and my
second, which provided results good enough to take 2nd place with a 1:46.8 to the first place time of Clift Ching of 1:45.9. Saturday
results can be found here.
For Sunday, I slowly lowered the tire pressures each session and settled on 34 psi for a hot pressure both front and rear. To achieve
this, I started the session with 26 psi front and 28 psi rear. Once I found the correct pressures the Nittos were amazing, The grip is very
good, especially for a 5 point tire in TT. They never got greasy throughout the sessions and provided plenty of audible feedback when
approaching the limit which made them very easy to modulate for slip. I was able to take 1st place with a 1:45.4 which will stand until the
next event as a class record because this is the first year NASA is using the Pro Course layout. I am sure the record will fall at the next
event because I have a lot of tuning left to do on the car and I'm sure my competitors are in the same position. Sunday results can be
found here.
The April event started a little late for me, as I just got the car on the ground for the first time this year at 2 a.m. that Saturday morning. I
was still working on the car at 9 a.m. and made it to the track in time for the afternoon sessions. This year NASA is using the Pro Course
configuration without the Chicane between Turn 1 and the Keyhole. This was my first event running on the Nitto NT-01 tires and I was
unsure of what pressure to run. As it turns out, I was about 10 psi too high for the first session. The high pressure and a less than
desirable alignment produced laps well off of my 2006 pace. I lowered the pressure by 5 psi for the last session of the day, and my
second, which provided results good enough to take 2nd place with a 1:46.8 to the first place time of Clift Ching of 1:45.9. Saturday
results can be found here.
For Sunday, I slowly lowered the tire pressures each session and settled on 34 psi for a hot pressure both front and rear. To achieve
this, I started the session with 26 psi front and 28 psi rear. Once I found the correct pressures the Nittos were amazing, The grip is very
good, especially for a 5 point tire in TT. They never got greasy throughout the sessions and provided plenty of audible feedback when
approaching the limit which made them very easy to modulate for slip. I was able to take 1st place with a 1:45.4 which will stand until the
next event as a class record because this is the first year NASA is using the Pro Course layout. I am sure the record will fall at the next
event because I have a lot of tuning left to do on the car and I'm sure my competitors are in the same position. Sunday results can be
found here.
Winter Modifications:
At the end of the 2006 season my differential stopped transmitting torque. So the first order of
business was to replace the broken parts. I removed the transmission from the car. From there I
could remove the housing and shift rods to allow access to the differential. Once the differential
was removed, the problem was quite obvious. The flange to which the ring gear is riveted was
sheared off from the housing. If you look at the picture on the right, the two silver rings used to be
the same part. This is a very common failure for Mazdaspeed Proteges. The fix is very simple.
The ring gear is welded to the housing to carry some of the torque which would normally go
through the weak flange. This does not change the function in any way, but helps to ensure that
this failure will not happen. I sent an email to the Time Trial director and got the okay to use the
strengthened connection, I found a used differential and had a friend from work TIG weld it before
installing it in the transmission. The second picture on the right shows the welds between the ring
gear and the housing.
A couple notes from this installation: 1) I will definitely stick with Redline MT90 for this
transmission because even after 102k miles, the gears and synchronizers in the transmission
look great. 2) This thread on the Mazda forum was a huge help!
At the end of the 2006 season my differential stopped transmitting torque. So the first order of
business was to replace the broken parts. I removed the transmission from the car. From there I
could remove the housing and shift rods to allow access to the differential. Once the differential
was removed, the problem was quite obvious. The flange to which the ring gear is riveted was
sheared off from the housing. If you look at the picture on the right, the two silver rings used to be
the same part. This is a very common failure for Mazdaspeed Proteges. The fix is very simple.
The ring gear is welded to the housing to carry some of the torque which would normally go
through the weak flange. This does not change the function in any way, but helps to ensure that
this failure will not happen. I sent an email to the Time Trial director and got the okay to use the
strengthened connection, I found a used differential and had a friend from work TIG weld it before
installing it in the transmission. The second picture on the right shows the welds between the ring
gear and the housing.
A couple notes from this installation: 1) I will definitely stick with Redline MT90 for this
transmission because even after 102k miles, the gears and synchronizers in the transmission
look great. 2) This thread on the Mazda forum was a huge help!
While the transmission was out, I decided to
change the clutch and flywheel. I decided to go
with the Fidanza 7.5 lb flywheel to loose 10 lbs
and a lot of inertia when compared to the stock
flywheel. To go with that, I installed an Exedy
Stage 1 clutch to make sure I could handle the
power if I decide to add a boost controller to the
car later this year. I was happy to see very little
coloration on the contact surfaces of the clutch
and flywheel and very little glazing of the clutch
disc.
change the clutch and flywheel. I decided to go
with the Fidanza 7.5 lb flywheel to loose 10 lbs
and a lot of inertia when compared to the stock
flywheel. To go with that, I installed an Exedy
Stage 1 clutch to make sure I could handle the
power if I decide to add a boost controller to the
car later this year. I was happy to see very little
coloration on the contact surfaces of the clutch
and flywheel and very little glazing of the clutch
disc.
With the springs that came with the K-Sport
coilovers, camber was limited due to interference
with the tire. The fix for this was to install shorter
springs so the spring perch would be above the
tire. At the same time, I upgraded to 500 lb/in front
and 450 lb/in rear springs. This helped with the
lean that I was noticing in pictures in corners and
the high temperatures on the outside of the tires.
coilovers, camber was limited due to interference
with the tire. The fix for this was to install shorter
springs so the spring perch would be above the
tire. At the same time, I upgraded to 500 lb/in front
and 450 lb/in rear springs. This helped with the
lean that I was noticing in pictures in corners and
the high temperatures on the outside of the tires.
Last year I was driving with the stock seat and using a
roll bar and a harness. That is not a good idea and I
stepped up to a real racing seat for this year. It is an
aluminum Ultrashield Pro Road Race seat. It is not
the best for daily driving, but it definitely holds me in
well on track! I made the seat brackets myself from
angle iron and flat steel bar. I also added an I-O Port
back brace to keep it in place.
roll bar and a harness. That is not a good idea and I
stepped up to a real racing seat for this year. It is an
aluminum Ultrashield Pro Road Race seat. It is not
the best for daily driving, but it definitely holds me in
well on track! I made the seat brackets myself from
angle iron and flat steel bar. I also added an I-O Port
back brace to keep it in place.
I found a used Carbon Fiber hood and decided to
paint it myself. The pictures below show some of the
sanding, priming and painting. I masked off BREES
MOTORSPORTS with vinyl lettering before sanding
to let the carbon fiber show through in the letters and
the center section of the hood is a slightly darker
shade of grey. I think it turned out pretty well for
something a little different.
paint it myself. The pictures below show some of the
sanding, priming and painting. I masked off BREES
MOTORSPORTS with vinyl lettering before sanding
to let the carbon fiber show through in the letters and
the center section of the hood is a slightly darker
shade of grey. I think it turned out pretty well for
something a little different.
I needed to add a tow hook for this year to give
the safety crews a place to hook onto the car in
the event of an off-course excursion. I decided to
buy a pre-cut loop and weld it to a custom
bumper. I made the bumper from 1.75 inch roll
bar tubing. I bent it to fit right behind the plastic
bumper cover and welded it to mounting plates
which bolt to the original bumper mounting
locations.
the safety crews a place to hook onto the car in
the event of an off-course excursion. I decided to
buy a pre-cut loop and weld it to a custom
bumper. I made the bumper from 1.75 inch roll
bar tubing. I bent it to fit right behind the plastic
bumper cover and welded it to mounting plates
which bolt to the original bumper mounting
locations.
Now what good is any "race" car without
stickers? Last year I was using magnets
which worked well when I was slow, but
as I started picking up speed, I had
trouble with the magnets flying off the
car. Solo Performance Specialties was
kind enough to provide a contingency at
the 2006 NASA Championships so I
contacted them to get all my vinyl made
for this year. I think the numbers and
lettering turned out great! Hopefully I'll be
contacting them soon for all my new
sponsor stickers....
stickers? Last year I was using magnets
which worked well when I was slow, but
as I started picking up speed, I had
trouble with the magnets flying off the
car. Solo Performance Specialties was
kind enough to provide a contingency at
the 2006 NASA Championships so I
contacted them to get all my vinyl made
for this year. I think the numbers and
lettering turned out great! Hopefully I'll be
contacting them soon for all my new
sponsor stickers....
Here are the car’s modifications for the 2007 Season:
Nitto NT-01 Tires (225/45/17)
KSport Coilovers pic1, pic2, pic3, pic4, pic5
AWR adjustable 21 mm Rear Swaybar
AWR front endlinks
AWR Motormounts
AWR Oil Pan pic1, pic2, pic3
Injen Intake
Hardpipes
Corksport 2.4” S and J pipes pic1, pic2
2.5” Catless midpipe pic1
Split Second Air Fuel Controller
Carbotech XP-10 front brake pads
Carbotech Panther+ rear brake pads
Steel Braded brake lines
ATE Super Blue brake fluid
Autopower 4-point bolt in rollbar pic1, pic2, pic3
G-force 5-point harnesses
Ultrashield Pro Road Race Seart pic1
Self-Fabricated Seat Mount pic1, pic2
Self-Fabricated Front Bumper and Tow Hook pic1,
pic2, pic3, pic4, pic5, pic6, pic7, pic8, pic9, pic10
Fidanza Aluminum Flywheel pic1
Exedy Stage 1 Clutch pic1, pic2
Carbon Fiber Hood
Autopower Boost, Oil Pressure and Oil Temp gauges
ARP Wheel Studs
Removed:
Air Conditioning
Rear Seat and Mounts
Muffler
Nitto NT-01 Tires (225/45/17)
KSport Coilovers pic1, pic2, pic3, pic4, pic5
AWR adjustable 21 mm Rear Swaybar
AWR front endlinks
AWR Motormounts
AWR Oil Pan pic1, pic2, pic3
Injen Intake
Hardpipes
Corksport 2.4” S and J pipes pic1, pic2
2.5” Catless midpipe pic1
Split Second Air Fuel Controller
Carbotech XP-10 front brake pads
Carbotech Panther+ rear brake pads
Steel Braded brake lines
ATE Super Blue brake fluid
Autopower 4-point bolt in rollbar pic1, pic2, pic3
G-force 5-point harnesses
Ultrashield Pro Road Race Seart pic1
Self-Fabricated Seat Mount pic1, pic2
Self-Fabricated Front Bumper and Tow Hook pic1,
pic2, pic3, pic4, pic5, pic6, pic7, pic8, pic9, pic10
Fidanza Aluminum Flywheel pic1
Exedy Stage 1 Clutch pic1, pic2
Carbon Fiber Hood
Autopower Boost, Oil Pressure and Oil Temp gauges
ARP Wheel Studs
Removed:
Air Conditioning
Rear Seat and Mounts
Muffler
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |