Subaru, Crawford and Foust set Buttonwillow track record for US built car

Crawford Performance · #1 (**permalink**) 12-04-2008, 11:49 AM

Crawford Performance Slices 1.5 Seconds Off
Time-Attack Best at Super Lap Battle 2008

US built record falls to Crawford Performance, Subaru and Tanner Foust.

November 12, 2008, Super Lap Battle: Crawford Performance gave their nasty little 2008 STI a tweak or two and sent Subaru hot-shoe Tanner Foust on to the big course at Buttonwillow Raceway, seeking to end their year with a strong note. To Crawford & company’s pleasure, their home-grown 2008 Subaru WRX STI outshone most of the field, in the process setting a record for American-built time-attack cars (second-place in class) with a 1.47.052.

Prepped from the start as a time-attack car – it’s Crawford’s in-house bomber – the orange & black Crawford STI was expected to be quick, and without a quality performance the fast paint job would have looked somewhat silly. Crawford has made a reputation at track events by setting their phasers to deep-fry, and had to be fast to keep up appearances. Joined by several other Crawford-supported Subie efforts at the track, it didn’t help that additional pressure came from the extensive body of Japanese drivers at 2008’s Super Lap Battle.

Chopping 1.5 seconds off the previous American-built best, the Crawford-powered STI carried Tanner Foust to a series of fastest laps on Tuesday afternoon. Built to produce fast lap after fast lap (and not be a one-trick pony), the Crawford experience demands a reliable product that won’t flake after one lap. The engine is a race-spec S3L-I block which Crawford calls the SR3L-I, with Crawford’s big track heads and billet crank, managed by a MoTeC controller. Actually slowed for this event with an increase in wing, a sequential gearbox was bolted into the Crawford STI at the same time as springs were softened to increase feel and pliability on-track, while the anti-roll bars were stiffened front and rear to help Foust keep in touch with the tarmac on Buttonwillow #13’s high speeds and slight altitude changes.

The week’s performance and the killer lap times were almost lost before things started when builder Quirt Crawford took the STI for a setup run Tuesday morning. Doing his best Parnelli Jones impression, Crawford missed a cue at the Bus Stop left-hander. He clipped the inside curb and put the previously unmolested STI into the dirt on the outside. “… to Hell with slowing down, all I could think about was to avoid slamming on the brakes and flat spotting the tires!”

Regular support for Crawford Performance’s race program has come from industry stalwarts like Subaru, Tein (suspension), Garrett (boost), Motul (fluids), MoTeC (tuning), NGK (spark), Brembo (stopping), Cusco (drivetrain), Recaro (sitting) and Mackin Industries (rolling stock). Without their assistance, Crawford would have had a hard time building something this fast.

Troll through the archive kept by Crawford for a complete look at this year’s Super Lap Battle effort. Images are available of the car trackside and on-track (and the competition) at Crawford Performance. Crawford Performance and I-Speed USA can be found at 4168 Avenida De La Plata Suite. 116, Oceanside, CA 92056. Their phones work too – you can get them to pick up at 760.631.2927, or visit them online at crawfordperformance.com.

TopSpeedINC · #2 (**permalink**) 12-04-2008, 06:39 PM

You guys were hauling some major butt out there.

Congrats

optimus · #3 (**permalink**) 12-04-2008, 09:38 PM

Congrads to the crawford team!

mxpop · #4 (**permalink**) 12-04-2008, 11:19 PM

Congrats to a great team that showed what it can do when it all comes together!

Also, congrats to Tanner who is a class act, fast racer, and a great guy!