REDLINE TIME ATTACK // ROUND 8 @ AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

The 8th and final round of the 2009 Redline Time Attack Series was held at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California this weekend, and the event was a great sendoff after a year of hard work. The facilities at Auto Club Speedway are first class, and the venue was well suited to host the grand finale; with spacious and well-built garages afforded to the competitors and a stunning backdrop of rugged mountains to the north and massive grandstands to the south, the atmosphere was fantastic. Having the opportunity to compete on the largest stage of the year in front of an enthusiastic crowd, the drivers seemed to be in good spirits and they put on a great show... [read more] 

The track layout utilized for the race weekend featured a great combination of high speed sections and tight, technical corners, making it a superb test of power, handling and braking.

After a series of dedicated road courses, the final round of the Redline Time Attack season saw street cars and tuner cars taking to the giant high speed oval of the NASCAR track at Auto Club Speedway. Needless to say, the race was a unique event that differed greatly in scale from previous races; there were many times when cars could be heard throughout the facility reaching the rev limiter in top gear as they rounded the high speed banking!

As someone who is a diehard fan of road courses like Tsukuba Circuit, Laguna Seca and Oulton Park, even I came to appreciate just how exciting high speed ovals can be.

Many of the cars that were present for Round 2 at Willow Springs could once again be found hitting the track, including the Crawford Performance Impreza STi driven by Eiji "Tarzan" Yamada, the Sierra Sierra Lancer Evolution, and the AMS NOS Energy Drink Evolution X.

The performance of these tuner cars is staggering (I would wager the performance rivals that of some more "legitimate" racecars) and it is a thrill to watch and listen to them as they make their way around the track.

The noise of the turbos spooling up and the exhaust backfiring is intoxicating, and it was a joy to see them in action again. I was pleased to see that there were some new cars in the paddock as well though, and though I'm an unapologetic lover of the Lancer Evolution and Impreza STi, I was happy to see that they weren't all of the turbo AWD variety! 

Among the surprises in the paddock were a bone stock Ferrari F430, complete with a bright red leather interior, running race gas and wearing a set of semi-slick Toyo R888 tires...

a blindingly fast Lotus Exige...

a mint-condition Acura NSX with a set of vintage Compomotive wheels...

and a supercharged C5 Corvette Z06 with aggressive track wheels and a beautiful carbon fiber rear wing.

There were also a couple of extremely fast Porsches on hand...

several Honda S2000s with forced induction...

and a host of nicely modified R35 Nissan GT-Rs putting down impressive laptimes. 

One of the greatest aspects of the Redline Time Attack series, and one that separates it from spec racing series that are heavily regulated, is that there is a fantastic variety of street cars and track cars that take part.

With the possible exception of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, there is no other event where one can see a Porsche 911 GT2 attack a corner followed by a Honda Civic and a fire breathing Mazda RX-7. The Redline Time Attack offers just such a spectacle however, and I for one love it. 

The final round of the Redline Time Attack series did not disappoint – the cars, crowd and atmosphere were all great. I have to think that if the turnout and competition that I witnessed at this season's events are any indication of its popularity, the sport of Time Attack is here to stay. I certainly hope that it does, as it is a great outlet for veteran and novice enthusiasts alike to become involved in motorsport. 

For complete results of Round 8 and the 2009 RLTA season, please visit the Redline Time Attack website.

Photo/Editorial: Robert Carrier