One Minute. One frame every three seconds. 32 frames per second. World Challenge Scion tC testing at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, CA. Preparing and checking the car over. When the car is gone, its on the track. Track videos to come soon. http://www.gtrusablog.com
SACRAMENTO: The Air Resources Board and the Bureau of
Automotive Repair are jointly sponsoring legislation that is
projected to save consumers money, save time and provide greater
air quality from the state’s Smog Check program, which is
administered by BAR.
Addressing challenges raised by a recent analysis of smog check,
Assembly Member Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park) introduced AB 2289
that will provide faster and cheaper service to more than 70
percent of vehicles in California. The bill also directs older,
high emitting vehicles to the highest performing stations.
"The Smog Check program is one of the most important air quality
programs that we have to meet state and federal air quality
standards," stated Assemblymember Mike Eng. "AB 2289 is designed
to improve the program in reducing pollution through the use of
new technologies that provide considerable time and cost savings
to consumers while at the same time improving consumer
protections by adopting more stringent fine structures to respond
to station and technicians that perform improper and incomplete
inspections."
“If signed, this bill will allow a major upgrade in the
technologies used to test vehicle emissions,” said BAR Chief
Sherry Mehl. “It will result in cleaner air and has the potential
to reduce the cost of a Smog Check for many consumers, as well as
reduce the time spent by consumers getting their vehicles
inspected.”
“This new and improved program will have the same result as
taking 800,000 old cars off the road, also resulting in a more
cost effective program for California motorists,” said ARB
Chairman, Mary D. Nichols. “Today’s announcement will add
additional improvements to one of our most effective programs in
our fight for clean air, capturing up to 70 tons-per-day of
smog-forming emissions.”
One way the program would reduce costs is by taking advantage of
on-board diagnostic technology installed in all new vehicles
since 1996. The program will now take better advantage of OBD
technology by eliminating tailpipe testing and instead using the
vehicle’s own emissions monitoring system. This system has saved
consumers time and money in 22 other states.
The recent statewide audit of the Smog Check program revealed
that 19 percent of vehicles that initially passed testing failed
subsequent roadside tests within a short period of time. The
audit can be found at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/smogcheck/smogcheck.htm.
Reacting to these findings Assembly Member Eng designed
legislation that includes the following:
• Authorize the use of On Board Diagnostic II testing to
expedite the process;
• Vehicles known to release large amounts of pollution must
test at stations with the highest performance ratings;
• Stricter fines structure for improper inspections;
• Permit the state to contract with the private sector to
manage franchise-like networks of independently owned Smog Check
stations;
• Mandate an annual evaluation of station performance using
roadside tests; and,
• Encourage community colleges and other training
institutions to develop technician-training programs.
California’s Smog Check program, administered by the Bureau of
Automotive Repair, began in 1984 to identify vehicles in need of
maintenance and to assure the effectiveness of their emission
control systems on a biennial basis. Currently, Smog Check cuts
400 tons of smog-forming emissions from California’s air each
day.
The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB’s mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.
The Bureau of Automotive Repair licenses auto repair facilities
to protect consumers and administers the Smog Check program to
reduce auto emissions that cause air pollution. Consumers who
have a problem with an auto repair facility can file a complaint
with the Bureau of Automotive Repair by calling 1-800-952-5210.
Consumers can also file complaints online at BAR’s Web site at
www.autorepair.ca.gov.
The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB’s mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.
Brass Monkey Racing has just announced their entry into the 2010 World Challenge GT with two Nissan GT-R’s.
Press Release
Brass Monkey Racing to Bring Nissan GT-R to World Challenge
ANGLETON, Texas (Feb. 22, 2010) – Brass Monkey Racing has announced plans to campaign a pair of Nissan GT-R cars in the 2010 World Challenge GT Championship with the support of Nissan North America, Inc.
The announcement signals a renewed interest for Nissan, which last participated in World Challenge with a Touring Car effort in 2005. The twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive Nissan GT-R racecars are currently under construction at Brass Monkey Racing’s Texas-based race shop and will make their North American debut March 26-28, in St. Petersburg, Fla., at the hands of two-time series race winner Tony Rivera, of Missouri City, Texas, and rookie Steve Ott, of Houston.
“We’re very excited to bring such an iconic car to the North American professional road racing scene,” Brass Monkey Racing Team Owner A.J. Brass said. “After such a successful season in 2009, finishing third in the Championship and winning in our very first race, we look forward to the challenge of bringing an entirely new platform to World Challenge. With Nissan’s assistance and great engineering and driving, we expect to contend for the 2010 Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.”
“Nissan is very excited about the new Brass Monkey project,” Nissan North America Senior Manager – Motorsports, Wholesale and Collision Parts Growth Ron Stukenberg said. “This series aligns well with the performance of the GT-R and compliments the production attributes of the car. It’s great to have a Nissan compete in World Challenge after a brief hiatus. We look forward to having Tony and Steve at the front of the field in 2010.”
Brass noted that despite a compressed timeline to finish the new cars, they benefit from an already solid platform with the GT-R.
“Many of the cars in the series have serious modifications to the engines and drivelines from the stock vehicles,” Brass said. “The beauty of the GT-R is that it is an amazing platform to start with and we are able to utilize all of the stock internal components and drivetrain. With the exception of some of the approved series aerodynamic items and an effort to bring the car down to a competitive weight, the car will remain incredibly stock compared to most of our competition.”
Brass Monkey Racing was formed in 2009 with the support of Tax Masters. Its rookie season was a tremendous success, with Rivera, a relative unknown in professional racing, winning in the team’s very first attempt at Sebring in the team’s Porsche 911 GT3. He went on to win at Road America later in the season, finishing third in the Championship standings.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the 2010 season,” Rivera said. “I anticipate the Brass Monkey Nissans will become the most popular cars in the paddock because there is such an unbelievable following worldwide for the GT-R. My first racecar was a Showroom Stock B Nissan NX 2000, so it’s cool to be back in a Nissan – even though this one will be quite a bit different!”
Ott previously raced with Rivera with Brass Mitchell Racing, which later evolved into Brass Monkey Racing, in the 2008 Koni Challenge. Like Rivera, his roots are in SCCA Club Racing, where he finished on the podium at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Running a partial season in the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Championship, he scored good results with Newman Wachs Racing.
“I’ve always wanted to run World Challenge because of the single-driver format and amazing cars,” Ott said. “To have an opportunity to be a part of the Brass Monkey Nissan team is incredible and I can’t wait to begin testing for St. Petersburg.”
Brass Monkey Racing and its Nissan GT-R World Challenge effort will have support from Nissan, Tax Masters, Stoptech, Penske Shocks South Side Performance and Seibon Carbon. For more information about Brass Monkey Racing, please visit www.brassmonkey.com.
Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing and managed by WC Vision, the World Challenge Championships represent the best production-based racing in the world. Utilizing a single driver format and standing starts for the 50-minute races, the series offers non-stop action in each of its three categories—GT, GTS and Touring Car. The series features 12 races at eight different venues in 2010, starting with a doubleheader weekend at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in conjunction with the Indy Racing League, March 26-28. For more information, visit www.world-challenge.com.
Tony Rivera
Like many talented drivers, Tony started racing-and winning-early. He ran Solo Nationals as a junior in high school and was the High School Drags champion in 1991 in Morrison, Colorado.
He went on to compete in many SCCA events, winning 12 Club Racing Divisional championships by 2007 and finding the podium three times in various classes at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. His domination of the 2008 IMSA Challenge GT3 Gold Cup class brought him a good deal of recognition and attention. He was approached by AJ Brass of Brass Monkey Racing late in 2008 about driving in the SPEED World Championship GT series and he jumped at the opportunity.
Source : World Challenge
The car is over getting the roll cage installed, along with a lot of the rest of the fabrication work required. Left and right side window nets, battery shutoffs, fuel system, fire system. The days are counting down.
Yesterday Steve Stanford had an open house/art show at Custom Rod Garage in Huntington Beach, CA. Steve is a very well known automotive artist/renderer. Over the years he has rendered a few different cars for our businesses. From the Astrovans to PT Cruisers.
Well not a Sunday cruise. Best Motoring video of Gan-San in a Hakosuka at Fuji. Listen to that engine. Beautiful. This video is for anyone that says the Nissan GT-R has no heritage.
Yesterday we started on the arduous process of preparing a Scion tC for World Challenge touring car. This blog is going to look more like a Scion blog than a Nissan Skyline GT-R blog for a while. March 26 this car needs to be in St. Petersburg, Florida for the first event. It will actually need to be there for preparation and loading by March 24th. Five days travel time, and we are looking at putting it in the truck March 18-19. About 27 days to finish the car.
Full interior
Less interior
An oldie, but its a goodie. Cryodon Wholesalers R32 GT-R on Pukekoke Circuit in New Zealand. T88-34D and Holinger sequential transmission equipped.
Croydon Wholesalers Racing Nissan Skyline GT-R Godzilla running a hot lap at Pukekohe in 2002 with onboard camera as Nick wrestles the new Holinger 6-speed sequential and 1000hp around during a Track Day.
