Every event Rally America holds a photo contest, which is open to all who attend. The WORKS Ralliart made it into the Olympus Rally Photo Contest! Cast your vote and help WORKS gain more notoriety!
http://rally-america.com/contests/2010_olympus/entries/935
On
Sonoma, California - April 30, 2010
WORKS Rally finished our debut event for the 2010 Rally America Series at the world famous Olympus Rally in Washington. It has also been almost a year since our driver, Lars Wolfe, had been on the trail. 51 teams entered in the event this year, but only 18 made it to the end. WORKS Rally was one of those lucky 18.
The choice to prepare a Lancer Ralliart instead of an Evolution was well thought out but we knew that certain preparations needed to be made right from the start. The two main hurdles were the TC-SST twin-clutch transmission and the rear suspension. We took the necessary steps to reinforce the transmission clutch packs since no one has yet to successfully run a twin-clutch transmission in rally. We saw this as a risk worth taking since many rally cars in WRC utilize sequential shift transmissions, so we wanted to get as close to that technology as possible that the Rally America Series would allow. Also, the rear suspension of the Ralliart does not allow for the same amount of travel as an Evolution. With several airborne experiences during Olympus, this was a trial by fire.
Bringing a prototype car to scrutineering is always exciting. The car was examined under a microscope by the judges. After a couple of very minor adjustments the car was off to the park exposé. WORKS Rally showed up to the event with only 3 crew members; driver Lars Wolfe, co-driver Jon Burke, and technician Josh Shutz-Hellam. Many rally fans were surprised to learn that our car was not an Evolution. And since many fans were familiar with sequential-transmission technology used in WRC they were very interested in our decision to use the TC-SST gearbox. At the exposé the team was approached by two fans: Tino Fortunato and Nikki Saetre. They offered their services as crew members, which could not be more appreciated for WORKS Rally on a gloomy weekend with foul weather forecasted.
It was at this point that the team began to develop a relationship. This was the first time that Lars Wolfe and Jon Burke had worked together as driver/co-driver, technician Josh Shutz-Hellam has only been with WORKS for about a month, and now there were two complete strangers in the crew. And since the co-driver acts as the brain of the rally car and the driver acts as the nervous system the two of them needed to find a common ground in their communication. And taking into account that this would be a shakedown for a brand new car, this was forecasted to be an interesting weekend.
Lars and Jon set off for Stage 1, Wreck Creek, at 8AM. The TC-SST’s quick and aggressive shifts shot the Ralliart off the starting line much quicker than anticipated. Since Lars had his hand in every modification made to the car he was particularly in focused on every creak and squeek it made. They reached the second service stop at the end of Stage 2 with no mechanical issues. By the end of the day only minor repairs needed to be made. This was alone was cause for celebration for the team. Already we had passed a milestone no other company had done yet. Our upgraded twin-clutch transmission had held for a full day of competition.
That night the team began their routing maintenance in the hotel parking lot. As it began to rain, a local by the name of Harry Buckman saw the techs wrenching on the car and offered his garage to the team for the night. Without his help, our team would have had a much longer and harder night. We owe a very special thanks to Harry.
After the team-building crash-course that was Day one, Lars and Jon began to find their rhythm. Comfort and familiarity for the Ralliart was improved and the team started clobbering 30-40 seconds off their previous times. They were looking forward to test the car’s true power on the dry and infamous Brooklyn stages. However, it was in this stage that WORKS Rally ended the race last year. Lars describes how he felt as he approached the very turn that claimed our Evo IX. “It felt like I was playing Gran Turismo with my kids on their Playstation. As I drove past the spot, I was watching the old car’s outlined shadow roll off the road. It was like passing a ghost. At that point, I felt like I could really let go of that experience and move on.”
WORKS Rally finished 8th out of 13 in a prototype vehicle. We are excited about the information we gathered about the car and know what needs to be done to earn our spot on the podium. It has been a year since Lars has been behind the wheel; the cob webs are coming loose and his spirit was revived this past weekend. He admitted that he was nervous and apprehensive because of both the car and his hiatus. We look forward to working with Jon Burke again at the Oregon Trail Rally in a few weeks and hope to see some of you there.
On Friday, April 23, 2010
Photo courtesy of Olisim.com
WORKS Rally will making their debut this year in the third round of the 2010 season with intent to successfully test a first-of-its-kind vehicle for the Rally America series, yielding nothing less than a podium finish.
Last year at the Olympus Rally, driver Lars Wolfe and Michel Hoche-Mong entered the WORKS Rally Evo IX in the Super Production class. It was WORKS’s debut for a national rally event. Company owner and founder Peter Kang had always been a rally enthusiast. “One of the main reasons I started WORKS was my passion for Rallying. Mitsubishi has always maintained a strong tradition in the sport and I wanted to help bring that to the US market.” And the team was in good hands. Lars Wolfe’s training began seven years ago at the Team O’Neil Rally School. Positioned as the driver and mechanic he had a strong history with racing Volkswagens, driving a 2000 Jetta 4Motion to a class victory at the NASA 6 Hours of Thunderhill in December 2008.
Last year at the Olympus Rally in 2009, Lars Wolfe and Michel Hoche-Mong were gaining momentum with each passing stage. Starting Stage 6 they were 2nd in class, 7th overall. This was a huge milestone for a company making a debut in a sport with less than eight employees. By the end of the day they stood 7th in class. Day 2 began with optimism as WORKS Rally moved up two places crossing the line at Stage 10 with only six more to go. They started Stage 15, but another vehicle was claimed by the infamous Brooklyn West. The car caught the inside edge of a turn and went into a sensational roll. But this was not to be the end of WORKS Rally.
They were back on their feet with a 2009 Lancer Ralliart in November. This time, WORKS will be setting the bar again in the Mitsubishi community. When given the choice to build a new car for this year’s Rally America series it was decided to go with a Lancer Ralliart, not an Evolution. With proper preparation, Mitsubishi’s new TC-SST twin-clutch transmission made by Getrag was seen by Lars Wolfe to be a competitive advantage. With the help of South Side Performance transmission upgrades, we set off for the 25 Hours of Thunderhill to see where the car stood against the competition. It was the first attempt anyone had made to run the SST transmission for this long. It held at full power for almost 6 hours of continuous racing until we encountered engine overheating issues and the plug was pulled.
The bar is still set high for WORKS Rally. This is an experimental car’s maiden voyage onto the dirt. Lars Wolfe has spent his time in the trenches, following the steps to perfecting the mechanical tuning of the car and his skills as a driver. The team plans on attending many more events this season and is planning to secure a spot on the podium.
On
Photo courtesy of Olisim.com
During the NASA season opener here at Infineon Raceway, Pete Kang, chief engineer, had the unique opportunity to sample all of Mitsubishi's latest and greatest creations back-to-back on-track. All three cars had the WORKS touch to them, but the core characteristics of the cars still shined through.
Synopsis:
CY4A Lancer GTS (5-speed):
WORKS P1 Flash
WORKS Drop-in Air filter
WORKS Short Shifter with WORKS console bushings
WORKS Stage 1 Suspension Package (springs and rear sway bar)
Track conditions:
Session 1 - wet with light drizzle. Rained hard during the morning
Session 2 - dry with multiple puddles and runoff
The Lancer GTS is actually a very fun and capable track car. Everything is well balanced with the power, handling, and braking. Can't get into too much trouble and it does what you tell it to. In some ways the lack of power is a blessing in disguise as you can keep it in 3rd gear with your foot to the floor over 80% of the time and focus on the line and carrying momentum through the corners. The short shifter and bushings actually made shifting much crisper and quicker compared to driving previously on track without them. During the wet, first session, the Lancer pushed (understeered) as expected but got right back in line during the dryer second session.
Ups: Balance and predictability
Downs: Brakes & tires
_______________________________
CY4A Lancer Ralliart:
WORKS P2 Flash
WORKS Drop-in Air filter
WORKS Charge Intercooler
WORKS turbo-back custom exhaust
SSP Performance clutch packs, cooler, and fluid
Hot Bits coilovers
WORKS custom cage
Whiteline sway bars front and rear
WORKS SS brake line kit
WORKS/Brembo Big Brake kit (front)
Track conditions:
Session 3 - dry with few puddles
The Lancer Ralliart shares the same chassis as the Lancer GTS but adds AWD, a small turbo, and a TC-SST transmission.
There is good, instant power with no turbo lag to speak of. Great point and shoot car. The SST transmission is amazing. Drove in Sport mode and manual mode. Banging through the gears was effortless and instantaneous. This alone is probably worth a couple of seconds per lap.
Handling was flatter and stiffer compared to the Lancer but this had coilovers and big sway bars. These showed what the chassis is capable of. The Brembo big brakes did the trick compared to the stock brakes previously experienced.
Ups: SST Transmission
Downs: not much but could always use more power
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CZ4A Lancer Evolution EVO X GSR:
WORKS T2 Flash
WORKS/Garrett 3076 EVO X turbo kit
WORKS Drop-in Air filter
WORKS Charge Intercooler
WORKS cat-back exhaust
WORKS Short Shifter
WORKS console bushings & hybrid cable bushings
AST coilovers
Autopower roll bar
WORKS sway bars front and rear
WORKS SS brake line kit
WORKS Orange brake pads
Track conditions:
Session 4 - dry with runoff across Turn 1
What can I say that you don't already know? The Evolution X is everything you would expect and then some. It was better in every respect with regard to power, handling, and braking. The CZ4A chassis is noticeably different than the CY4A chassis. Powerband was very broad with virtually no lag on-track. Very well balanced in every regard and the obvious winner of the bunch but at a cost.
Ups: Power, handling, braking
Downs: Fuel consumption
On Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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