Michael Harker, GRAND-AM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Competitors in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will have their choice of two high-performance shock absorber suppliers starting in 2011, as KONI Shock Absorbers of Hebron, Ky., and AST Suspension – USA of Plano, Texas, will be co-suppliers for the series.

It marks the beginning of a partnership between GRAND-AM and AST Suspension, while KONI continues a relationship it started with GRAND-AM since 2006. Additionally, both companies will also participate in the series’ contingency program.

“AST Suspension and KONI each have great reputations for producing high-performance shock absorbers for a wide variety of racing vehicles,” said Kevin Hindson, GRAND-AM vice president of marketing and communications. “We have built our relationship with KONI over the years and are delighted to continue that relationship. Likewise, we are excited to begin a new partnership with AST. Both companies will provide teams with outstanding shocks.”

Congratulations to AST – they fought against a lot of strong bids from other major shock manufacturers and came out ahead due to their supplied shocks’ dyno results, competitive pricing, and promise of track-side support.  We have seen the results of the AST shocks, and how they compare to all others, but now, after an independent evaluation, AST has come out on top.

What will this mean?  Well, the combination of the evaluation, and the requirements for the Grand-Am series, have already produced a set of enhancements that will trickle down to the 5200/5300 series of shock systems.  Plus, the expansion of support and inventory for the US distribution of their kits.

Look for a steady stream of news and enhancements in the coming months.

Congrats AST….this is a major move and expansion.

You can find us under BRracing on facebook (and there is actually two entries….but the one you want to pay attention to is the “page” for BRracing.

Invite your friends as well….we have Facebook, our blog on our web, our photo gallery on our web….all in the interest of keeping in touch on all the FUN things we do.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/BRracing/146308802058468?v=photos&ref=ts#!/pages/BRracing/146308802058468?v=wall&ref=ts

Wow….what a weekend…..and a busy one, but a heck of a lot of fun.  We had the Targa Trophy event, plus the No CA Euro Car show where BRracing was a lead vendor at the show as well.  We had people everywhere.

But, this is all about the event.  We added this event to our “lifestyle” series of events as part of the BRracing portfolio for our customers, to expand the type of events that we all could participate in, and have a ball with.  This event was about a great group of people, cars, and drivers, and getting to cover a HUGE amount of roads in the Bay Area all in one day.   The event is designed as a traditional “time and distance” rallye event.  You are provided a rallye packet, which has the routes outlined in great detail, and you had to pay a lot of attention to the route book, and the objective was to finish the route book (section #1 was the first half of day, section or book #2 was the second half of the day) in the target time.   BUT….you didn’t know what the target time was…so, you either had to guess, or know from running prior events, what kind of pace they normally run as the definition laps.

Here are all the details on the event……and there is another event this year, event #3, and after this event, you can believe that BRracing will be there (event #3 is in Las Vegas, as part of the SEMA week there, and will have an interesting twist or addition to that event…more on that later).

Registration (either Friday night at the Hotel W in San Francisco, or Saturday morning, early, at the hotel).

Once registered and teams defined, you were provided the decal package for your car, to get ready for the event.  It took about 30 minutes for all the cars (gathered in the main lobby area outside the hotel) to get all stickered up. There was a great diversity in the type of cars, and state of tune or prep on them.  There were several Ferrari’s, several Lambo’s, a couple of Porsche (the one from LA Porsche Dismantlers was very well turned out…..and their initials make for an interesting car (LAPD)), a pair of old, original Nissan Skylines from Japan w left hand drive, a legit Dodge Challenger Police Car (ex police car….but it was at one time…and now very quick), a Mustang w a very beefy motor (over 600hp), a Range Rover SC, a Porsche Panamera (European Car team), a Lexus IF, a couple of Audis, a Bentley Speed convertible, a gaggle of Mercedes AMGs, several BMW E92 M3s, a very well prepped BMW E90 335i, and many more.

(SEE all of our photos in our BRracing web gallery under events)

There was a drivers/team meeting 30 minutes before the start.  We were told the rules, guidelines, timing, halfway point, where lunch would be, and that’s it.  We wouldn’t see the route book till we were released from the starting line.   BRracing had three team cars in the event….our Porsche GT3 (Robb Todd driver, Stef Todd navigator), our BMW 135i (Bruce Todd driver, Shayan Adl navigator), and our Audi A4/S4 (Brian Smith driver, Rico Ramires navigator), plus we were partnered with the Novitec F430 Scuderia (bright yellow)(being driven by Albert Cook, and the editor of Forza acting as his navigator).  We were here to have FUN….and our Audi car certainly lived up to the term fun.  As the rest of us were getting set and ready in our cars w our nav systems, radios, video, cameras, phones, etc…..Brian and Rico were also getting ready…..they showed  up fully suited up in their race gear…full suits, helmets, gloves….but this is a street event….but they were going to make the most of their role.  In fact, the even is sponsored by NOS energy drink, and they came by, and Brian got himself all hooked up with a NOS energy drink directly connected to his helmet drink system……energy at the tip of his tongue.  We all then lined up, and were let go at 1 minute intervals……they recorded our starting mileage, and time, handed our “BOOK”, and then let go.  We were OFF….quickly reading the book to determine the rough outline of the route, trying to see where the car was in front of us, making sure we knew the quick way out of the city and onto the freeway as we headed out.

Now the guessing started….what speed and what rate should we be traveling at?  You can see the types of cars….we were indeed in some quick company….there wasn’t a slow car, or team in the group.  And interesting things happen when you get a large group of fast cars, fast drivers, and a long route together……and, if you could catch the car in front, you also had a leg up on understanding the route……the amount of route details were intense.

Here’s an example of the book -

Depart Howard St toward 3rd street – .2 mile

Left on 4th St. – .2 mile

Ramp, right, onto US-101 South – 1.2mile

Straight on US-101 South – 9.3 miles

Ramp for I380 West – 1.8 miles

Ramp for I280 South – 8.6 miles

Ramp right for SR-35 West – .2 mile

Bear left onto SR-35 Skyline Blvd

Turn right onto SR-35/SR-92/Half Moon Bay – 1.9 miles

……

Turn left onto Empire Grade – 2 miles

Turn right onto Pine Flat Road – 3.7 miles

ETC…..this went on for pages and pages, and many of the roads, once we got into the back country, were very obscure roads, which were not immediately obvious, so you had to be watching your mileage, and the cars, and looking for signs……while the driver is trying to make the right time and speed.

But….as stated before, you get many fast cars on the road at the same time…and some interesting challenges always seem to arise….our first encounter was when we had the BMW E60 M5, the GT3, the BMW M3, the BMW E90 335i, the BRR 135i, the Porsche Turbo….all traveling on the freeway together…and who would set the pace….some teasing would be going on…..some leading others on….some pretenders, and then a challenge…..with the first being the BMW 335i thinking he would show that he is much faster than all others thought….so, we had to demonstrate that our BRR 135i was up to that challenge….and we did.   All this was on the wide open, and relatively empty freeways, imagine what it would get like on the empty back roads.

We covered 147 miles in the first leg.

At that point we converged at the Hotel W in Silicon Valley…..where the Euro Car Show was taking place.  BRracing had a full 10 x 60 booth setup, with 6 cars, and many products.  We also had Eddy from APEX working in our booth, as displaying his line of APEX wheels.   We met many people, had a great time at the show, and there was a large collection of cars at the show.  The show was sponsored by NOS, HRE, BRracing, JLevi, AudiZine had a large group gathering, along w several clubs in attendance.

From here, we got new route books, and set off on the second half of the journey.  One of the hard parts is judging what speeds you should be at.  You would get stuck behind some traffic on these back roads, and the cars in front of you would disappear, and now you had no sense of how much time you had lost on your target.  So……sounds like a good reason to be off on a chase to me…    :)

We finished the 2nd leg back in San Francisco, but this leg covered 150 miles, and we went all the way up and over the Mount Hamilton road, and onto a back road on the backside where for 30 miles I didn’t see another car, sweeping, wide open, curvy roads…..just awesome to drive, and a beautiful day weather wise to boot.

We had a BLAST….and we will be going to the next event on November  4 – 5, 2010, in Las Vegas, and they are adding a “TRACK DAY” as part of the event as well, and this will add bonus points to the competition.

BRracing will be there….hope you can join us.  (And, that date in November is the end of SEMA week, where we need to be to stay on the cutting edge of our industry).  IF you have any questions, talk to us…will have more pictures added to our gallery soon.

With many of our customers taking their cars to the track, one of the first shortcoming to rear its head are the brakes….even w Porsche, and the mighty Brembo brakes that come on the car stock, they are no match when pushed to the limit on the track.  We have seen this with ceramic brakes, with the big brakes on the BMW E82 135i, on Ferrari’s…..and the track requires a completely different animal, that can take the abuse, the heat, and provide outstanding braking capability.

Earlier this year, a Porsche racing series was formed for the Porsche Cayman S car in the midwest, and what all those owners found out, was that the car was amazing, but they all needed better brakes.  So, looking to the leading brake manufacturers, they found StopTech at the ready to produce a custom version of their standard race kit.  That product has been tested for the last couple of months in 2010, and now, after the testing has been complete, they were ready to test (this is NOT released yet…as we are partnering w StopTech to help them bring this product to the market).  Due to the diversity of BRracing customers base, and our growing track population, we had a customer just waiting for this solution.

This is just for the front to start….and here is an image of the new kit -

Just like all StopTech kits….the ST60 (6 piston kit) has pistons specifically sized for this Porsche application….no standard fitment, all custom, to match the specific braking friction target needed for the car.

Here is a pic of the standard brakes on the Cayman S before we start the new installation -

The installation is picture perfect…the fitment leaves plenty of room, which allows the brakes to work on either 18″ wheels, or the 19″ wheels you see here (the customer also has a separate set of 19″ track wheels).

To mate to this new kit, we went with Performance Friction (PFC) race pads (PF-01 compound), which we have found to be great on the track, with just the right combination of bite and pedal modulation.  This car is running with Pagid Black race pads on the rear…as we needed a little more bite at the rear to compensate for the larger brakes on the front…..to help balance the overall braking performance.

And…we can report…that today, the car has been fully tested at Laguna Seca (August 21, 2010 ), and the customer was able to drop over 2 seconds on their lap times with the new brake system.  Confidence, performance, results……

The new kit looks great on the car as well…

BRracing….your one stop shop for all your car needs, from oil changes and all factory maintenance….to leading performance solutions…..to being a leading edge provider of the newest performance solutions available anywhere.

BRracing….another first……what other shop or business can make that claim this year.

A Group drive was organized by Tony (M5forum.net), and so we joined in….what could be better.  A Saturday, great weather, a group of about 100 Porsche, BMW, Corvettes and a smattering of other cars, and a great drive on some fun peninsula roads?   Nothing…exactly, so off we set, w the BRR Porsche GT3 and the BRR BMW 135i, to join in and have some fun.

The weather was just about perfect….and we gathered at Foothill  College at 10am, and then departed after chatting and shooting photos at about 11am, for a drive up 280, then over Hwy 92 towards Half Moon Bay, then back down Skyline (w a quick stop at the infamous restaurant on Skyline, then down La Honda to Portola Valley Rd, then down to Stanford for lunch at PF Chang’s.

But, compared to next weeks drive, this was a snap (next week is the Targa Trophy Rally run…..300 miles of driving….and not knowing the route….see our other blog entry about this great event, or come out and join us (there is still a few spots left open)).

For more photos of this event, see our photo gallery or our facebook page…….

http://www.brrperformance.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=27

(and if you are a real astute visitor to our stuff….you will see a new rear decklid and rear wing on our GT3….more about that later as we get the car ready for the Global Tuner GP in October)

BRracing…..always having fun

BRracing update on the details for this great drive and event.  See our original post way below for other details, or also our other blog entry for more information and also the Targa Trophy web site for full details and description.

But, here are the details of who is currently listed as “entered”, and how this event works, as many of you have asked about it, but wanted to know more details.

Cars entered so far for the event (as of August 18, 2010)….this is not a complete list, but a sample so that you have the idea of who’s coming out to play

Audi R8, F430 Scuderia, BMW 335i, Mercedes E55 AMG, BRracing’s Porsche GT3, BRracing’s BMW 135i (and we will have one more car entered from our own group), Porsche Panamera S, Lotus Elise, Shelby GT500, Lexus IS-F, Porsche Cayman, Nissan GTR, Lambo Gallardo, VW R32, Audi RS4, Bentley GT Speed (more than 1 of them), Porsche 997 Turbo, BMW M3, and BMW M5.  This is not ALL of the cars, but a sample……a great list to begin with, and we expect many more of our local team to be joining.

HOW DOES THE EVENT Work?  Since this is a competitive event, and there are awards and prizes

The event is a combination of a “drive” on great roads, and the old “time and distance” rally concepts, with the best of each combined.  We will all start from San Francisco.  You will have a car number, and data will be collected (mileage of your car).  You will then be handed an event checklist…..in order…of the “checkpoints” that you need to reach in order.  You will then need to obtain proof that you were at that checkpoint, and proceed to the next one.  What is NOT defined is the route…..the organizers know the “best” route and the “best” time, but each contestant will need to find their own way between checkpoints.  Now, in some cases, there may be only one major road between the checkpoints, but in some others, there could be thousands of ways to cover the distance.

Example of route list – (this is a made up example only….not real points for the event, but should give you idea of the process and distance we will cover)

Start – W Hotel San Francisco

Checkpoint #1 – 7 eleven Store on El Camino Real, Burlingame, address XXXX

Checkpoint #2 – Blah blah restaruant in Bonny Doon

Checkpoint # 3 – Lighthouse in Half Moon Bay

Checkpoint #4 – BMW dealership on Stevens Creek in San Jose

Checkpoint #5 – In and Out Burger in Modesto

Etc  (you can see that we are going to be covering a large distance…..estimated at 300 miles, and it will take ALL day to complete…..target arrival time, if done right, is 5 or 6pm in San Francisco…..and you do know the last point, just in case you get lost somewhere along the route)

Now, since this is a competitive event, the organizers know the “BEST” route, the shortest path, the correct mileage distance.  At the checkpoints, your mileage will be recorded.  If you have gotten to the checkpoint “on time” but have extra miles…..you will be charged points.  If you get there too early…..you will be charged points.  Those with the lowest points are the leaders or winners of the event.

Hope that gives you an idea….and those coming from So. CA, who competed in the first event, know how this works, and will be coming fully prepared.  From what we have heard…they have all the electronic “aids” to make discerning the best route easier…..they will have their iPhone G4, a computer in the lap of the person in the passenger seat, they will be checking traffic and roads….and then yelling at the driver to just GO………and some competitors are using this as a marriage counseling  opportunity     Heck, that may be as much fun as the event.

Next – FEES….if you register thru BRracing, you get $100 off the entry fee….so, call us IMMEDIATELY to get the special rate, and to complete the registration forms needed for entry.

BUT, most of all, sign up, as we now only have a limited number of spots left.   If the guys from So. CA are driving all the way up on Friday, just to do this event, you can imagine that it must be a great event to participate with.  And, with MEDIA coverage of the event, this will be getting quite a bit of attention.  But, come on out to just have fun w the rest of us.

CALL us if you have any questions, and don’t delay.  Sign up NOW.

Next update we will provide the outline of the schedule, with the pre-event party on Friday night (August 27th), event schedule and times, and post event celebration and awards event in San Francisco Saturday night.

BREAKING NEWS – July 2010

At BRracing, we strive to bring a complete experience to our customers, and as part of our “events” program for 2010, we have now added a completely new venue and program to the menu.   Many of you have heard of the “1 Lap of America” rally, the “Gumball 3000″ rally, and the BullRun rally…..well, now add another more organized and rally series to your vocabulary.   The Targa Trophy.

BRracing has become the lead SPONSOR of the next round of the Targa Trophy, to be held right here in the Bay Area.

Other main sponsors of this event are the lead participants in the enthusiast automotive market -

- HRE Wheels

- TeamSpeed

- Hotel W (multiple locations directly participating)

- European Car Magazine

- NOS energy drink

- Black & White Car Rental of Beverly Hills

Here are some details of the Targa Trophy series….this is not just an amazing drive in some of the best roads in our areas and the other regions, but a full championship and awards program, with full press coverage.  But, unlike som many other series and events, this is not limited to some exclusive small group, this is open to all true enthusiasts.

• NORTH AMERICAS ONLY ROAD RALLY EVENT SERIES
• EXCLUSIVELY HOSTED BY SELECT W HOTELS
• 3 EVENTS  for 2010- SO CAL, San Francisco, and SCOTTSDALE
• MORE CARS AND MORE EVENTS PACKED INTO SERIES
• HUGE KICK OFF & RALLY START AT W San Francisco for the 2nd Round – August 27/28

The ultimate road rally and lifestyle event in North America is growing – bigger and better than ever!

The 4th Annual Targa Trophy Triple Crown Championship is proud to announce its partnership with select destinations of the luxury brand W Hotels and the other leading enthusiast organizations. This year the Targa Trophy Triple Crown Series will test the skill and driving prowess of it’s select participants in 3 key markets with 5 W hotel properties acting as the official host venues, from W Hollywood to W San Diego June 25 & 26, W San Francisco to W Silicone Valley & back August 27 & 28, and ending at W Scottsdale, Arizona October 16 & 17.

This years series builds upon last years success with all new rally driving adventures integrated with amazing automotive and lifestyle events for each stop of the Triple Crown. As always rally drivers objective is to complete a custom-routed path along some of the most scenic backdrops in the U.S. to place as one of the top 7 time finishers of each event for prizes of more than $100,000. Choose to participate in one event, or for true rally competitors, register for the entire 3-event challenge where the Triple Crown winner will be crowned at the finale event in Scottsdale this October.

Don’t expect a typical car event experience. The uniqueness of Targa Trophy is in its marriage of top tier entertainment with authentic automotive lifestyle in the form of nightlife, exclusive vehicle showcases, fashion and music. This years partnership with select W venues ensures a platform that will promise to deliver a world class experience from start to finish and will be one of the event highlights of your year.

The events are everything a car enthusiast could dream of – great driving on amazing roads, awards, huge gathering of special cars, a full car show and vendor showcase, special party and event gathering……don’t just read about this, come join the fun.

BRracing will be sending out the initial invitation…..but don’t delay, as there are only 70 spots, and 30 of them have already been taken by the So. CA participants who are running the full series.

NEW! Kits for the current BMW 325i and 328i

The new kits use one of our new disc sizes, 365 x 34mm and comes only drilled for this application.  The new disc size allows for great wheel clearance, more heat capacity and a lower price point than our existing 355mm kits.  This kit is great for everyday performance and it also makes for a great track day kit.  You can also sell it with either one of our four piston rear kits.

Four piston monobloc 365mm front kit:

This Brembo Gran Turismo (GT) kit includes:

• Four piston monobloc calipers with outstanding stiffness.
• Zinc plated high carbon disc, drilled and directionally vaned.
• TUV, DOT approved floating hardware.
• Aircraft aluminum lightweight hats.
• High performance pads made exclusively for Brembo by Ferodo.
• Custom Goodridge stainless braided brake lines with lifetime warranty.
• Complete installation manual and hardware.

Details -

CAR – BMW E90, E92, E93

Car model years – 2006+

Pistons = 4

Colors and options = Black, Red, Yellow, Silver, and Race

Size = 365×29 2-Piece

Drilled or Slotted = Drilled only

Price = $3,095 for GT, but not Race

Available now from BRracing…..your leading source for amazing braking solutions.

August 8, 2010 (Mid Ohio Speed World Challenge GT Race)

Starting first, James Sofronas got away cleanly at the start in his No. 14 Global Motorsports Group (GMG) Porsche 911 GT3, fending off a great start by third-gridded Pilgrim and his No. 8 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60. Saturday’s winner, Mike Skeen (Corvette) fell back from his second starting position to fifth at the start but was able to work back up to fourth by lap four.

Sofronas led a seven-car train for the first seven laps until Charles Morgan’s trip to the gravel brought out the race’s first caution.

On the lap-11 restart, Skeen rocketed past both Randy Pobst’s No. 6 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 and Pilgrim into second as they entered the Keyhole. The move earned Skeen the MTM Special Ops Best Move of the Race and he set his sights on Sofronas. Sofronas weathered an early attack, but built a gap on Skeen’s No. 2 Carlisle Companies/Cragar Chevrolet Corvette working through traffic. But, to Sofronas’ dismay, a second full-course-caution came out on lap 21, setting up a five-lap dash to the finish.

“I was far more aggressive through traffic this time,” Sofronas said. “When the yellow came out, it was one of those ‘Are you kidding me?’ moments.”

On the restart, Pilgrim got a jump on Skeen and moved into second. At the Keyhole, Skeen fell back further as he began to experience transmission problems in the Corvette. Sofronas had his mirrors full of Pilgrim for the remaining laps, and in the final corner on the final lap caught a slower Touring Car, allowing Pilgrim to get a run at the finish. In the end, Sofronas beat Pilgrim by 0.151-second to capture his fourth-career win.

He averaged 77.791 mph over the course of the 29-lap, 65.481-mile race.

“I feel great on a lot of levels. I want to dedicate this win to my Dad,” Sofronas said of his ailing father, George. “To win today meant a lot to me. I thought about him when I was in the car and it kept me going because he never gave up in life and he’s just an amazing man. It gave me the inspiration.”

Sofronas admitted that traffic was a point of frustration during the race, with all three classes (GT, GTS and Touring Car) sharing the track together in the largest field of the season.

“The worst part was the last turn of the race, and [Robert] Stout was limping through the carousel,” Sofronas said. “He was still on the proper race line, and I thought I was going to drill him because I had nowhere to go. It was that or run off in the grass and he just started to veer to the right and I kept my foot in it. All of a sudden, I saw this big Volvo nose that literally filled my entire mirror. I couldn’t see anything except this big blue hood. That would have been a tough one to lose, but I think its poetic justice the way this weekend went. The Volvos got back up front, the GMG guys are running up front where we should be, and everything is great.”

The result puts Sofranos into third for the championship, with two events remaining.  The other GMG car (Dino Crescentini) is fourth in the championship.  Just like all season, BRracing team members were crewing again for GMG at Mid-Ohio this weekend.  GMG and BRracing…..producing great results on the track, and for your car.

The event comprises a great combination of elements to make it one of the “must do” events for 2010.

A full road rally on some incredible roads – over 300 miles of driving…..this is serious stuff

A full event party and Awards ceremony

A big exotic and speciality car show, and vendor showcase at the W Hotel

Here are the full details -

BRracing has had from the beginning a vision of a three pronged business strategy – service/maintenance, parts, and racing.  As our business has been growing year over year (every year more than 100% growth, and again, even this year (2010), in the first 6 months we have exceeded our sales of all of 2009, which was more than 100% growth over 2008), we have positioned ourselves to have the resources to continue to support that growth.

Now, we are in a position to expand again, and provide additional space and capacity.  BRracing has added another location, in Campbell, which now serves multiple functions.  It houses all our cars under our “storage and concierge” program, and will also act as our base for our growing worldwide parts sales.  It has over 2,500 sq ft of floor area, and 3 complete offices for our expanding sales and support staff.  We redid the floors in new epoxy covering, freshened all the offices, and made it have the same BRR feel as our current location.

Here are some pics of the additional location.  Look for BRracing to be adding more locations and space in the near future, as we have exciting news on the racing programs side of our business as well.