March 29th, 2009 Buttonwillow, CA:
FX Motorsports Development, Billy Johnson, and Yokohama Tire set Buttonwillow Redline Time Attack track record and become The Fastest U.S. built Time Attack car.
Despite some of the worst conditions seen at a Buttonwillow Time Attack event, FX Motorsports Development (FXMD) with driver Billy Johnson was able to crush the previous record for the fastest U.S. built time attack car by over 1.5 seconds, with the final lap time of 1.45.516! This time was fast enough to capture the overall grand championship of the first round of the 2009 Redline Time Attack season and set a new record for the overall fastest car at Redline Time Attack.
Crew chief Mike Angel said, “I cant say enough about the team and their ability to overcome hurdle after hurdle. It was a total team effort that made this incredible feat possible.” During the 2nd day of testing, the FXMD Acura NSX suffered from oiling issues due to the loss of its Accusump. In addition, fuel starvation reared its ugly head as Billy produced more lateral G’s than the car has ever felt before. The combination of these two issues severely limited the amount of testing time Billy was able to run to further feel out and set up the car.
In addition to the mechanical issues FXMD faced, they had to persevere some of the harshest conditions ever seen at a Buttonwillow Time Attack event. Sunday’s air temperatures were significantly lower than the heat that was found on Saturday, but the cause of that cool air was the wind. The National Weather Service reported sustained wind speeds between 20 and 30mph in the area, and gusts as high as 40mph. Making matters worse was the prevailing direction North to South, which gave drivers a hefty crosswind to deal with while on the front straight and the back turns and bus stop. Watching the cars, you could see very clearly the effect the winds had, as cars appeared to shimmy through the bus stop more than usual.
Billy Johnson said, “Our team (FXMD) has been working on this car for months, pulling all-nighters to get it finished in time. The whole team has done an amazing job, most of which you can't see by looking at the car.” When asked about the future of the car and its potential Billy stated, “The NSX platform has a lot of shortcomings in the drivetrain. Since we are the fastest NSX generating more grip than any other car, we are paving the way and have to solely figure out the solution to the problems presented from going this fast. Once we solve the drivetrain and oiling issues we believe the current overall record held by the HKS EVO will fall. It's attainable, the platform has the potential, and we are looking forward to the next one!”
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support. Special thanks to Sam Hwa from Yokohama tire for providing us the track side knowledge and advice throughout the entire weekend.
FX Motorsports Development
Factor X Racing
Cricket Wireless
Yokohama Tire
NEO Synthetics
KW Suspension - 3/way race dampers
Uehara Motowerks
Downforce.biz
RC Fuel Injectors
BREMBO - F50/Lotus caliper and 2pc rotor
Brian Crower
Performance Friction Brakes (PFC 01 Compound)
FIX & STACK Restaraunt in Las Vegas
Back in Balance Chiropractic
GoPro Motorsports Hero
Autovation
Darton International
Daliracing
