The 2008 Redline Time Attack Series is over, the points are tallied and the teams are back home working on making their cars faster for 2009.
All year long the Unlimited Class was the star of the show at Redline Time Attacks across the country. The Unlimited AWD class has traditionally been home to the fastest cars at each event and this year was no different with teams like Top Speed, GST, and Crawford Performance duking it out all season long. Crawford Performance had an impressive showing in their new Subaru STI bringing home consistent 2nd place finishes with Tarzan Yamada and pro drifter Tanner Foust behind the wheel. The west coast events were dominated by the crew at GST Motorsports in their Subaru Impreza taking 1st place in all three west coast stops with Brian Lock and Gary Sheehan switching off in the pilot seat. Dominating the east coast and midwest events was Top Speed and their Subaru Brighton piloted by Luke Russell taking home 1st place at the other four Redline events. Top Speed even came out west to compete at Miller Motorsports park where despite some troubles, they were able to pull off a third place behind GST and Crawford. At the end of the year it would be Top Speed taking top honors as the Unlimited AWD division champions with GST Motorsports and Crawford Performance taking 2nd and 3rd.
Unlimited RWD saw some heavy hitters as well like pro drifter Tyler McQuarrie in the C-West/Brian Crower Honda S2000. McQuarrie and crew attended four out of the seven events throughout the season and took 1st place in Unlimited RWD at every one of them, landing them easily at the top spot as Unlimited RWD division champions. The battle between 2nd and 3rd place was the one to watch between Scott Bush in the BC Racing Infiniti G35 and Sharif Abdelbaset in the Forged Performance 350Z. With the BC Racing G35 taking 1st place at both Gateway and Nashville, it would be hard for Forged Performance to catch up. Unfortunately for the guys at BC Racing the last two stops of the season would leave them on the sidelines with mechanical gremlins while Forged Performance kept landing on the podium. In the end, Forged Performance was able to beat BC Racing to 2nd place in Unlimited RWD.
The Unlimited FWD class impressed everyone this year with the blistering fast times being run. At the beginning of the season, it looked to be like Tage Evanson's show in his Kaaz sponsored Honda Civic taking first place at the first two stops. At the third stop, heavy hitter and professional drag racer Chris Rado showed up with his World Racing Scion tC to steal the show and the next three event wins from Tage. World Racing ended up taking the Unlimited FWD Division Championship over Tage Evanson by only five points when the dust settled. Honorable mention goes out to Ross Miller and the PTuning Scion tC who landed two 2nd place finishes behind Chris Rado and 3rd place in points.
The Unlimited Class Championship was a virtual slug fest of heavy hitters from each division. Unlimited RWD Division Champion Tyler McQuarrie and the C-West/Brian Crower Honda S2000 took the championship in the end, just one point ahead of Luke Russell and the Top Speed Subaru Brighton. Not too far behind them was GST Motorsports and their Subaru.
The next step down from Unlimited are the equally impressive Modified Class cars. Modified AWD was probably the most intense battle of the season as Harmon Motive, MFQ Motorsports, and the Takata Time Attack Subaru giving the fans some of the closest battles all year long. On the West Coast it was a battle royale between JC Maynet and the Harmon Motive Subaru STI and Dieter Heinz-Kijora in the MFQ Motorsports Evo, with the MFQ boys barely edging out Harmon Motive each time. The Modified AWD division on the East Coast was the James Elterman show as he piloted his Takata Time Attack STI to three 1st place finishes and one 2nd place. In the end, the consistency of the Takata Time Attack STI would take the division championship with MFQ Motorsports in 2nd and Harmon Motive in 3rd.
Modified RWD was owned by Matt Andrews in the Flyin' Miata Mazda Miata. Matt was the first to get a "perfect" season points wise by winning his division at the first four events. With the Flyin' Miata locking in 1st place, it was again a battle for 2nd that again involved Scott Bush and the BC Racing G35. With a 2nd place in St. Louis and a win in Nashville, the BC Racing G35 was in a comfortable 2nd place in points. Robert Fuller in the Robispec/Team Philthy Infinity G35 made a hard charge at the end of the season, but couldn't catch the BC Racing G35 in points so Fuller settled for 3rd.
Modified FWD ended up being a battle between two cars that would never see the same track together. On the west coast, the podium was dominated by Tim Kuo in the Sports Car Motion Honda Civic taking victories at Buttonwillow and Auto Club Speedway. On the east coast it was Ross Miller in the PTuning Scion tC taking victories at Nashville, Summit Point, and VIR giving him a one-win advantage over Sports Car Motion and the title of Modified FWD Division Champion!
The Overall Modified Class Championship was awarded to Matt Andrews and the Flyin' Miata after his flawless season. Coming in 2nd was Modified AWD champion James Elterman in the Takata Time Attack STI, closely followed by a tie for 3rd between Dieter Heinz-Kijora in the MFQ Motorsports Mitsubishi Evo and Ross Miller in the PTuning Scion tC.
The Street Class is always the most crowded at Redline Time Attacks and because of that, it usually sees the most competitive battles. Nothing seemed to be able to compete with JC Maynet and the Harmon Motive Subaru STI in Street AWD though, as JC managed to win all three events he competed in. Consistency paid off for 2nd and 3rd place finishers Scott Vanderheide in the Robispec/EDO Perfomance Subaru STI and Ryan Gates in his AMS Performance sponsored Mitsubishi Evo X. Gates and Vanderheide ended the season one point away from eachother with Vanderheide taking 2nd place.
Street RWD was a close race between two west coast contenders. Manly Kao in the Track HQ Lotus Elise fought off Allan Crocket in the BDX Ford Mustang as best he could, but the Mustang beat him in the end by one point for the Street RWD Division Champion title. Taking 3rd place was one of the shining stars in the east coast Street RWD division Gregory Haye and his GT Motoring Honda S2000 just five points behind the Track HQ Elise.
Street FWD was all about Billy Brooks in the COBB Tuning Mazdaspeed3 when the series was on the west coast, but when thing switched over to the east coast it was all about Michael Otsby in the GT Motoring Acura RSX-S who stole the show and the Street FWD Division Championship! Billy Brooks finished 2nd only 10 points ahead of Nicholas Bender in the Tri-State Racing Honda Civic Si
In the end, the Overall Street Class Championship fell to JC Maynet in the Harmon Motive Subaru STI, just seven points ahead of Otsby in the GT Motoring RSX-S. Third went to the Robispec/EDO Performance machine of Scott Vanderheide.
The grand daddy of all titles, the 2008 Redline Time Attack Series Champion, could not have been won in a more dramatic fashion than it did at the series finals at Virginia International Raceway. It came down to the final chance to earn points of the year between the Top Speed Subaru and the C-West/Brian Crower Honda S2000. Going into the event, Matt Andrews in the Flyin' Miata was sitting in the top spot. He had clenched a perfect season in the first four rounds meaning he had earned all of the points he could possibly earn towards the championship. The race between the S2000 and the Subaru was to see who would be tying Andrews for the title. It came down to the bonus "Super Session" round at the finals, the last chance for bonus points. It was simple, whichever car crossed the line first would have earned enough points to beat the other one by one point and tie Andrews for the series championship. The bonus round was a race for position, not time and when the green flag dropped the Top Speed car shot to the front and continued to build a comfortable lead on the S2000. In dramatic fashion the Top Speed car suffered mechanical issues on the last lap, leaving the car down on power and allowing the S2000 to start closing the gap. As if it were scripted for a movie, the two cars exited the last corner side by side and it was a drag race to the finish line with the S2000 crossing first just one car length ahead of the Top Speed Subaru.
An exciting end to an exciting season of Redline Time Attack! Next year promises even more excitement as teams prepare to defend their titles from the other teams that want to take them away. The first race of the 2009 season is scheduled to be at Buttonwillow Raceway in March. See you there!
RESULTS:
2008 Grand Champion:
Tyler McQuarrie - C-West/Brian Crower Honda S2000
Matt Andrews - Flyin' Miata Mazda Miata
Overall Unlimited:
Tyler McQuarrie - C-West/Brian Crower Honda S2000
Overall Modified:
Matt Andrews - Flyin' Miata Mazda Miata
Overall Street:
JC Maynet - Harmon Motive Subaru STI
Unlimited RWD:
Tyler McQuarrie - C-West/Brian Crower Honda S2000
Unlimited AWD:
Luke Russell - Top Speed Subaru Brighton
Unlimited FWD:
Chris Rado - World Racing Scion tC
Modified AWD:
James Elterman - Takata Time Attack Subaru STI
Modifed RWD:
Matt Andrews - Flyin' Miata Mazda Miata
Modified FWD:
Ross Miller - PTuning Scion tC
Street AWD:
JC Maynet - Harmon Motive Subaru STI
Street RWD:
Allan Crocket - BDX Ford Mustang GT
Street FWD:
Michael Ostby - GT Motoring Acura RSX-S
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