Throughout the 2013 Extreme Speed AWD Competition, Enthusiast class has been home to both bitter rivalry and intense competition. The basic premise is bolt-on’s and a 91 tune, making this truly and ‘every day car’ class. As we head into the final event of the 2013 Year, Enthusiast class has a 3-way tie for 2nd place and another competitor barely behind by 2 points. With this level of competition it is clear why Enthusiast class is by far the largest class in the competition, signifying a great accomplishment when you are able to come out on top. These top competitors pushing for the 2nd spot are Chris Hain, Steven Steck, Surge Dee, and Lux of LSL Motorsports.

In round #1 LSL Motorsports in his Evo X was able edge out Steven in his Ralliart at Streets of Willow CCW with a time of 1:32.14 to Steven’s 1:35.6. Both competitors were just getting started in the inaugural round of the AWD Comp and were excited at the possibilities that their cars possessed. With a tough bit of luck Steven found himself on the outs after he went in too hot to a corner and wound up in the dirt…on the first lap (pace yourself buddy, you got 7 more event to go!). Quickly replacing the blown tire, Steven was able get in a couple laps; but unbeknownst to him the front driver’s control arm was bent, which would play a pivotal role in round #2.

Round #2 we went to the Time Attack mecca of North America, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, where once again LSL Motorsports and his Evo X go head to head with Steven and his Ralliart. But alas with Steven’s suspension not at 100% he is only able to run a 2:18.02 and once again gets taken down by LSL Motorsports with a time of 2:16.15 (despite battling car issues of his own).

Round #3 took us to the infamous Willow Springs International Raceway where 3 of our competitors were ready to do battle. Steven and his Ralliart take an astounding 2nd place in enthusiast class (after replacing the broken control arm) with a time of 1:43.87, beating out Chris Hain taking 3rd in his Subaru WRX by less than a second (1:44.66) and claiming his first victory over LSL Motorsports (1:44.87) of the season by a full second. These close times reflect how intense the competition is, and how every tenth is truly earned. This was also the first event our compardres were they able to win NITTO NT-05’s (2 for Steven in 2nd and 1 for Chris in 3rd)

Round #4 took many of us to a new track, Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, where the summer heat would be upon us and take many of us to new extremes (and for a few unlucky souls new lows, in the +110* heat). New contender Surge Dee arrived and promptly placed 3rd his first event, ahead of both Chris and LSL, respectively. Steven was not able to run that weekend, and some minor bearing issues were slowing down Lux noticeable.

For Round #5 we then headed back to Streets of Willow, but this time during Extreme Speeds’ Twilight event, making the course that much more treacherous for the competitors. In the end we saw 2 great battles, the first between newcomer Surge Dee in his Evo X and Steven in his Ralliart and the second between LSL Motorsports in his Evo X and Chris Hain in his Subaru WRX. Once again we see how deep the field is in enthusiast class, with 11 competitors running that day. Chris and LSL were in a fight over 8th place but LSL used his experience to edge out a win with a time of 1:33.05 (despite bearing issues slowing his pace from Rd 1) to Chris’s 1:33.24. In the other battle the newcomer Surge takes 3nd place by leaning on friend and fellow racer Will Wattonawongiri with a time of 1:28.98 edging out Steven’s 1:29.93 (a healthy 5.7 seconds faster from our first event…in the dark no less). Each of these 2 battles came down to the final session, scraping until the very end and reminding us of what make this competition so amazing. This was also the first event where Surge was able to win himself an NT-05 courtesy of sponsor NITTO.
Now Round #6 is a very important round, being that this is a best 6 of 8 events competition, where Craig Peyron was able to secure his Enthusiast Class Championship in his inaugural year…..and setting a record or two along the way; but the fight for 2nd rages on! But with only Surge and Chris showing up to this event it allowed both the opportunity to gain in the rankings. Surge puts on an amazing performance placing 2nd (securing 2 more NT-05’s) with Chris a close 3rd. They got to stand atop the podium knowing that these positions were crucial to the end of the year standings.

For Round 7, with the cool weather of November in full effect, we arrived at Auto Club Speedway. This was a new track for the AWD Comp drivers, which always has the propensity to throw competitors off. Although all four were at their best placing 1st–4th in Enthusiast class, driving home the point that they are some of the best AWD Comp drivers around, ultimately only 1 could stand atop the podium. Coming in 1st with a 1:57.20 was Surge Dee, 2nd with a 2:02.99 was Chris Hain, 3rd was LSL Motorsports with a 2:04.27, and in 4th was Steven Steck with a 2:05.04. Each pushed hard at a track hitting well over 130mph and yet having the skill to brake the car down to under 50mph for the tumultuous Turn 3&4 combo. These guys have pushed each other at each event making one another faster and yet at the same time sharing in the camaraderie that goes along with racers and what they are all about (trading tips about driving lines, both Surge and LSL returned the following day for Redline Time Attack’s season finale, both going sub 2!). LSL was able to claim his first NT-05 ‘trophy’ and Surge took him the big enchilada of 4 NT-O5’s!

We now head into Round #8, the final round, everything comes down to this and where else would you want to have a finale then at Buttonwillow Raceway. Although Chris Hain has as of now conceded being that he is not able to attend this event (family obligations), we still have Steven, Surge and LSL Motorsports pushing to the very end! With Steven and LSL returning for their second time, and Surge never having driven the famous BRP CW13, who will be able to cut away those vital second to come out victorious? Join us as we find out on Dec. 8th at Buttonwillow!

Who do you believe will be able to pull it out? With tires from NITTO and prizes from Eibach, Road Race Engineering and Infamous Performance Tuning all on the line, does anyone have any tricks up their sleeves…? And remember competitors, safety first! Contact Infamous Performance today for their outstanding safety discounts and Subaru parts!
To get more details on XS AWD Competition go to:
www.extremespeedtrackevents.com
And
www.facebook.com/groups/xs.awd.comp