Broken cars. Formal complaints. New track records. These were but a few of the memorable events of Round Two of the Redline Time Attack series. Held on May 30-31, it was the first time the event series raced at Willow Springs International Raceway. The 2.5-mile "Big Willow" course featured a number of high-speed sections that added to the challenge of the 9-turn course. Teams from across the nation traveled to Rosamond, CA to tackle the super-fast track with hopes of a podium finish.

Can-Do Attitude

As is seemingly customary in motorsports, if something can go wrong, it usually does. During Sunday's practice session, the GST Motorsports Impreza suffered from transmission issues that nearly put it out of the race. Fortunately, a factory transmission was borrowed from an STI street car to put GST Motorsports back into the competition. The C-West / Brian Crower / Design Craft Honda S2000 piloted by Tyler McQuarrie blew a head gasket and melted a piston in practice on Saturday. After evaluating the engine, the damage was caused by a faulty injector. After sourcing another injector, piston and head gasket, the Design Craft Fabrication team worked throughout the night and had the S2000 ready to race.

Big Dogs Join Time Attack

The Grand-Am team from Fontana Nissan returned to competition with its 350Z after suffering engine damage at Buttonwillow. Back on the track with a new engine and more power, driver Mike Cronin Jr. had his eye set on victory. Another professional team to join the fray was Sierra-Sierra Enterprises, a Formula Atlantic series winner. The team owner decided to reallocate his resources into the growing sport of time attack with an EVO VIII. Built under a veil of secrecy, the EVO features plenty of carbon-fiber panels and race-bred technology to make it an unlimited-class contender.

The Track Record Shattered And Reshattered

While Saturday offered many teams the opportunity to shake-down their vehicles, the casual observer could clearly see the potential in the contenders. On Sunday, McQuarrie took the S2000 around the track and broke the track record with a 1:20.838 lap time before blowing another head gasket during the first round of time attack. This knocked McQuarrie out for the rest of the day. In a later session, Jonathan Bomarito bested McQuarrie with a 1:20.454, setting a new record and securing the AWD class victory by 1.6-seconds over Eiji "Tarzan" Yamada in the Crawford Performance STI. Then, in the last time-attack session, Billy Johnson piloted the FX Motorsports turbocharged NSX to a blistering 1:18.555 lap time, shattering the record of the day and shocking the crowd. However, as with any significant victory, there always seems to be some sort of controversy. Several teams filed formal grievances about the "special" Yokohama tires that equipped the NSX. As of the time that this editorial was put to print, the lap time and the record belonged to Johnson and FX Motorsports.

Fantastic Front-wheel Drive

World Racing and Chris Rado took their place in the history books as well with a turbocharged Scion tC. After breaking the engine during Saturday's practice session, the World Racing team scrambled to fix the tC and had Rado back in competition on Sunday. Running some of the most aggressive aero ever seen on a time-attack car, the massive front spoiler and matching rear spoiler helped to keep the tC planted all the way around the track. Generating unbelievable horsepower in a FWD layout, Rado lapped the track in a blazing 1:22.623, breaking his personal best time and setting what appears to be a new front-wheel drive record.

For more on this article, grab a copy of DSPORT Magazine on newsstands nationwide!