One could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars totally re-engineering a motor, figuring out all the possible suspension geometry set ups, and spending hours on end in a wind tunnel; but without wheels and tires none of that is going to do squat. At each of the four corners of the car reside super lightweight Motegi TRAKLITE 2.0 17x8" forged one piece wheels. The TRAKLITE 2.0's weigh in at a feathery 14.5 lbs, reducing unsprung weight and improving acceleration, deceleration, and handling. The wheels are wrapped in sticky BFGoodrich T/A KD 245/40 Z rated tires which afford a perfect combination of grip and durability. Rounding out the corners is a custom-made Brembo Gran Turismo 4-piston brake kit provided by the boys at Brembo North America because in road-racing, how fast you brake is just as important (if not more so) than how fast you accelerate.
To help with the aerodynamics of the Si, the good folks at Honda chipped in and placed their HFP (Honda Factory Performance) air dam and side skirts on the car, and to create even more down force an APR front splitter and APR GTC-200 rear wing were added. All the body pieces were painted and installed by Marc Maksimow. Race graphics were the work of Afterdark Signworkz.
The attention to detail was not focused on the exterior alone. Everything in the interior that wasn't needed was either ripped out or replaced. The windows were removed and the sunroof replaced by a sheet of aluminum welded onto the roof per competition specs. A ProMod custom roll cage designed by Danny Sanchez was installed and interior was dressed in head-to-toe Sparco with two circuit race seats, a six point harness for the driver, fire extinguisher system, and Sparco's 383 racing steering wheel.
After the car was completed it immediately gained tons of interest and excellent exposure. Honda used this Si in their epic booth at the 2005 SEMA show as part of the debut of the 2006 Si into the market. The car has also already gained mainstream television time as well. Recently, SPEED Channel taped a 30-minute program on the debut of the Civic Si coupe with a "tuner" segment that featured the turn3 race car in action on the track as well as an interview with the driver Andy Hope. The Si is also slated to receive some premium ink courtesy of Joey Leh from Import Tuner magazine who worked with the team since day one. Look for a complete build-up feature in upcoming issues of Import Tuner Magazine.
This car is definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with on the track. turn3's goal was to build a competitive and reliable head-turner on a reasonable non-OEM budget. It's a safe bet that Andy's performance this year with this car will make it clear that they've succeeded.
I recently had a chance to talk to Andy Hope and gather his thoughts on the car, the project and his future plans.
How did it feel to know that you were going to get to race the new 06 Si coupe?
Andy Hope: "First I was just stoked to have a ride for this year. But then after meeting with the engineers and testing one of the prototypes I was honored to be one of the first people to get to race one. The '06 Si project leaders are racers themselves and they did a lot of things to make the Civic work on the race track. The rule makers are going to be busy trying to slow my car down all year but I'm going to have a good time making their job hard."
How does the new Si coupe compare to other race cars you've driven in the past for Honda challenge?
Hope: The '06 is very similar to the RO_JA Motor sports RSX Type S that I raced in '04. The weight and layout are really close but a lot of little things have been improved to make this car better. The suspension pick up points have changed compared to the RSX making the new car easier to drive fast. The windshield has the most rake of any Honda ever which combined with the rest of the aero package should give this car an advantage on the high speed courses. I can't wait to take advantage of the improvements to the drivetrain. The bottom end now has the balance shafts from the TSX which should allow me to run more RPMs than the old K20s. The car is awesome and I can't wait to get out on the track to show people what it can do.
Which tracks do you definitely want to race at this season?
Hope: The biggest race for Honda Challenge this year will be the nationals at Mid Ohio. Winning that is the main goal for this year. I have to run 3 events to qualify for that race and the budget will determine where I run those races. If things go well I'll do those at Road Atlanta, Lime Rock, and VIR, otherwise I'll knock them out at California Speedway, Willow Springs, and Infineon. But the car has been built legal for several other series such as Grand AM Cup and USTCC. If USTCC lands the support races for the CART events at San Jose and Portland I'll most likely get to drive those tracks too. Otherwise I'll shoot for the Grand Am race at Laguna Seca.