Day One of the 2023 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge is almost over and we have seen some of the craziest action in the event’s 15-year history!
Barton Mawer set everyone on their ear as he broke his own WTAC outright lap record in the first Emtron Pro class session of the event, turning a 1:18.887 in RP986. The billet-powered Porsche still has plenty left in it, though they sat out the afternoon after hurting a drivetrain part.
Trent Grubel in the DC Jap Subaru broke the lap record in Haltech Clubsprint, running a 1:33.493 to best the 1:33.776 record set by Jimmy Asaad in the ERS Mitsubishi Evo last year. Jimmy sits in second-place in Haltech Clubsprint, running a 1:34.031 but got loose in the afternoon session and collected a concrete wall, tearing the front left suspension out of his Evo.
Another person on a charge is Tim Slade, who leads GCG Open class in the Xtreme GT-R by half a second over 2022 class champion, Nathan Morcom in the GAS Evo. Impressively, Supercars driver Slade is also driving the Tanuki S13 (formerly the MCA Hammerhead) in Emtron Pro class.
The Plazmaman Pro Am is being led by American Feras Qartoumy’s C6 Corvette, but Wayne Lee in the Tanuki S13 is less than half a second off his bumper. Feras and the thundering twin-turbo 7-litre Z06 Corvette have never raced at Sydney Motorsport Park so the learning curve has been steep, and the Tanuki S13 has a lot in reserve with an 1100hp VR38 powerplant and Andrew Brilliant aero.
The trader area was chock-a-block, and it’s no wonder given every stand had killer cars on them. The Hardtuned widebody R35 broke many brains with its twin-turbo Dodge Viper engine and rear-drive conversion!
Cole Powelson is no stranger to Sydney Motorsport Park and he’s brought his Lyfe Motorsport GT-R back in 2023 running in Emtron Pro class, with Jerry Burton from Donut Media handling driving the 1000hp brute in Plazmaman Pro Am. The American’s have bounced back from grenading a transmission on Thursday to be turning consistant laps on Friday.
The crowds were thick on the ground today, but Saturday is going to go off as the Shannons Stylized car show takes over the Sydney Motorsport Park skidpan, we bring more madness to the track, and everyone pushes for that #oneperfectlap.