Two New World Records at Indy Airstrip Attack! – Recap

What a weekend hanging out in Indiana with the Shift Sector team! This is the second SS event we sponsored and raced at and it certainly didn't disappoint.

While we only brought 5 cars to this particular event it was certainly not without its highs. The venue itself was very awesome, almost as awesome as the staff at the airport. Everyone was very helpful and understanding. From the airport workers to the hired local security, they really could not have been any more friendly or helpful.

The runway itself actually surprised me, I watched the first few runs and noticed a bit of dust rolling up behind the cars. I honestly was concerned that we were going to be fighting traction issues with the two higher HP GT-Rs we had brought but after the first pass I was happy to be very wrong. In fact as the first day rolled on we kept throwing more and more down low which the track accommodated graciously. 

I will say that if you are going to this event looking for some nightlife or local cuisine.. stay home! LOL The town of Marion definitely leaves something to be desired when it comes to entertainment. There is a Texas Roadhouse opening soon however…. so I’m pretty excited for next year 🙂

As I said we only brought 5 cars total to the event, one of them being the 991 Turbo S that we have been building. As for the GT-Rs we brought Spachman’s Pro1900, a freshly finished ELITE “U” we just finished which is some prototype turbos we have been working on recently. (No they aren’t called the ELITE U I just don’t know what to name them yet 🙂 ) We also brought a Pro1700 we just finished tuning and an ELITE Plus build we delivered about a month ago to round out the field. 

Spachman’s car is about to undergo a couple small changes but this event it was the same exact setup it’s been for almost two years and over a dozen events. He however did miss out on the Pikes Peak half mile due to some family obligations so we were excited to have him back in the seat! Unfortunately his first pass was his only pass. While he flew through the traps indicating 221mph he broke the AMS upgraded spring plate that we had installed in the car after World Cup. It was nice to find out that the issue was a very small one, however it was equally annoying that it took him out of the event for the entirety of the weekend. We will be updating the spring plate to the new ETS unit before the next event along with a couple other small changes.

Our Pro1700 customer we had just finished upgrading from Cobb and tuning on Motec the day before as well. He is a local Atlanta customer and is one of our favorite dudes to hang out with. Always joking, enjoying the crew, and always upbeat. His weekend goal was a realistic 215mph, which I told him was something that could be achieved depending on conditions. Saturday we fought some issues with intercooler couplers since he bought the car with an older AMS intercooler. Most of you know that system uses the factory rubber lowers which are really hard to keep happy at 40+psi of boost. He did go 208 Saturday and I believe 212 as well but every other pass the team was under the car wrenching to ensure he could go back out and enjoy the event. Sunday morning we got to the track a little early and came up with a solution for him. He ran 215mph the very first pass on Sunday! There was only one little problem…. he asked “is there more left?” Taylor looked at me and I gave him the little nod… he says “There is if you want it” 🙂 In true TSM customer fashion Skinny (the customers’ nickname) decided not to turn it up and call it a day……. NOT!!! 😂 Taylor pulled the log and went over the run… found where he could sprinkle a little go fast dust and sent Skinny back out! The result? 218.23mph!!!

The ELITE Plus car that joined us at the event was our customer Jim. Jim’s car had just been completed within the last month or so and he had been getting used to the power. He for sure wanted to ease into the cars performance as he had never experienced that level or a half mile event before. We incrementally turned the car up through the course of the two days while he got used to it. I was running around the whole event so I couldn’t spout off all of his times, however I know they started in the 170s and got faster and faster as the event progressed. He wasn’t able to get the 200mph pass but we will be certain he does it next event now that he has gotten a taste!
Andrew’s car we were excited to see the results of. More details about this build will soon be public but it has some new ELITE style hotness we are testing. I knew the air wasn’t going to be as good as some of the events like Texas and Ocala, but I was hopeful we could take down the stock frame half mile record. We literally delivered the car at the event. Andrew’s first time driving the car was off the trailer…. in typical TSM style. We started off a bit soft to get him used to the power, but even turned down a good bit his first pass was a 201mph and some change. Through the day Saturday the car did well, we had a small 2-3 shifting issue but it was quickly resolved trackside with some tune adjustments and a splash of trans fluid. On Saturday during the height of the day we were able to get 208.4mph out of it with a tiny bit left on the table.
Sunday morning came around and we were hoping that the air would have been slightly better than it was… nevertheless we gave her the last little sprinkle and sent it out. With a target of 208.8 or better we all sat trackside waiting for Andrew to fly by. The weekend has already been pretty surreal for him from what I could tell. Never had he imagined the kind of performance his car would have much less how smooth and effortless his new TSM build tore up the earth. He kept coming up to me after every pass and giving me a hug or a fist pump and saying “dude you built a monster”. Then he came screaming by with the ass of the car squatting and putting in work to land 209.34mph!!! Happy Customer, Stock Manifold Record in the half, and flawless performance from a fresh build. I don’t think we could have written a better story if we made it up! Thanks Andrew for you enthusiasm and support man. I couldn’t be more proud of you or your build.

All in all the Indy Airstrip Attack was a wildly successful event. It’s hard to ask for more than a couple of world records and a handful of satisfied customers! We’re looking forward to what the future has in store for us the rest of the season as well as what builds we’ll be delivering before we see everyone at the NOLA WannaGOFAST!