Well, 2021 didn’t quite turn out exactly as I had planned. A number of car issues, large and small, hit me at just the right times to rob or nearly rob me of several events.

Going back to the start, my first trip out to NCM nearly ended in disaster – my Falkens delaminated right at the end of the event, making it dangerous to drive back on. For just this event, I had driven the Evo up, due to the Sequoia’s timing chain taking longer than anticipated to fix. This near-disaster was saved by Ben@GearsandGasoline, for agreeing to swap wheels with me – so I could drive home on his, and he could trailer back on mine.

After that, even bigger disaster, as the Evo motor let go after arriving at Gingerman in the spring, before I even got a single run out. On top of that, we had to rush to get the Evo ready for Autobahn, which I consider my home course and the best shot for a podium. Thanks to RS, we were able to get the car ready and did podium, for the first time ever, at Autobahn. However, issues continued to follow the car. I noticed a leak under the car, which I’m still taking care of. I’m also still having issues with tire wear, which I am going to attribute to heat – meaning I need to do hot-cold-hot-cold out on track in the future, which can be tricky. The remaining events of the year were thus quite middling in terms of results. Competition is getting faster, and with my move, things will be more complicated for next year – though it doesn’t mean the progress isn’t going to continue…

Throughout the season, a number of modifications were made, which I’ll list below.

• Resonated Test Pipe – This replaced the cat. No noticeable impact on performance, maybe a hair louder in sound
• 70% Windshield Tint – makes racing in the sundown setting just a little easier.
• ATS Front Rear differentials – I had quite a time getting the front differential to quiet down. Was it a life changing mod? Not particularly… Car behaves as I’d expect it to, I would say nothing earth shattering but it’s a little hard to tell.
• 12k Rear Springs – For more rotation in the rear.
• GSC S2 Cams – No power from this mod, just the ability to rev out a little more, which has been helpful on a number of tracks.
• 2″ Brake Ducting – Surprisingly, this was helpful and noticeable. I shouldn’t have dragged my feet on this mod, it seems to help a small amount with brake cooling.
• Trailer & Sequoia – These aren’t Evo mods, but they were life changing for taking the Evo to the track.

Like I said, there is a ton more progress to be made in 2022, and I’m looking forward to it and hopefully a much smoother year.