Attacking Time: Will Au-Yeung’s PZTuning Civic
If you want to prove that you’re the ultimate driver with the ultimate machine, there is no better way than the world of time attack (or time trial) racing.
While you’re not racing wheel-to-wheel, you are racing to set the fastest time for the track you’re at. One of the best well-known events here in the US is the Super Lap Battle. Drivers come from all over North America to settle who has the fastest cars on the continent. This year, the winner was Will Au-Yeung and his PZTuning Honda Civic, who beat out Daijiro Yoshihara and the Spoon Civic Type R. We take a closer look into what it took to beat the best known tuning brand at their own game.
The base for the ultimate unlimited FWD car that Will and PZTuning, who hail from Canada, built is a 2012 Honda Civic Si. However, that’s where the street car ends and the custom, road-based car begins. Under the hood is a K24A2 that’s been sleeved by LA Sleeves to fit the CP Pistons custom made to work with the Brian Crower connecting rods and the BorgWarner EFR 9174 turbocharger. With a pair of Brian Crower camshafts, TurboSmart wastegate and bypass valve, and Vibrant Performance fabrication parts for the turbocharger; the engine puts down 771-horsepower to the wheels with 520 lb-ft of torque. This is all controlled with the Hondata KPro along with their traction control system.
However, as the saying goes, “power is nothing without control” and to control the chassis of this Civic a set of Fortune Auto three-way Dreadnought Coilovers are installed with custom rate Eibach Springs. ESM Spherical bearings replace those original Honda rubber pieces but a HPD rear sway bar was employed to control rear roll. Those Volk Racing ZE40s are wrapped by a set of Hoosier A7 slicks while the StopTech ST40 brake kit slows the car down with a set of Project Mu race pads.
To keep Will in control under hard cornering, acceleration, and deceleration, a Sparco Circuit Pro Seat with Schroth Racing harness keep him strapped and solid instead of holding on to that Sparco steering wheel as a brace. The AIM MXL2 dash keeps him informed of all of the data his Hondata-tuned ECU receives from his engine. To make sure he’s safe when the worst happens a full cage is backed up with an OMP fire suppression system.
Even with power increases and grip improvements from the suspension and stickier rubber, it’s all about the Aero in the Unlimited categories. For this Si, an APR GT1000 rear wing is used with a custom PZTuning flat bottom and diffuser keeping the air in control under the car and aiding it. The splitter is also a PZTuning piece. That Vibrant Performance livery was created and wrapped by Niko Signs.
It’s no small feat to beat out one of the fastest Honda Civics in the world, let alone the insane Civic Type R from Spoon Sports Japan. However, Will Au-Yeung was able to do it in at Super Lap Battle 2016 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park with a time of 1:43.365, beating out a fellow Canadian and the Spoon Civic in its Center Drive debut.
[Editor’s Note: I ran my stock FA5 Civic Si daily driver at Buttonwillow and did a 2:10, and I’ve driven the “13CW” configuration a lot. That should give you a decent reference what a stock Si is doing around this track. Au-Yeung’s time is insanely fast.]
However, it’s been a long road of constant improvement and testing for Will and PZTuning. If you thought that 1:43 was fast last year, it looks like he’s got more in it. Super Lap 2017 is going to be amazing and we can’t wait to see what he does in the Si.