FA5 Civic Si Chases Down FD RX-7 Around Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas is the only Formula One track in the United States, and it favors high horsepower cars, like this turbocharged RX-7.
When it comes to performance cars, capable of knocking out some quick lap times around your local race track, something like the “FD” Mazda RX-7 may come to mind. It features a wacky, but powerful, twin-turbocharged rotary engine, a rear-wheel drive powertrain and sportscar agility and handling. It may be a bit of an oddball, but no one doubts its abilities as a capable (and desirable) sportscar.
Less commonly thought of in this realm is the FA5 Honda Civic Si. Sure, it’s got that sweet, high-RPM K20Z3 engine, and a limited-slip differential from the factory, but it’s otherwise still a relatively heavy, front-wheel drive Honda Civic sedan.
Apparently, no one told driver Thomas Lee any of this, and especially not during the recent Global Time Attack event at Circuit of the Americas. Dubbed “Super Lap Battle USA,” this event took place during the weekend of February 16. In the video above, Lee can be seen pushing his Si as hard as it will go around the Circuit of the Americas, while shooting for a strong finish in the Global Time Attack’s Street FWD class.
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We reached out to Lee, via his Instagram account, and he gave us a basic rundown of modifications on his ride. In short, it’s a naturally-aspirated K20 with full bolt-ons, upgraded cams and a tune, paired to a modified 6-speed manual transmission, with a clutch-type LSD, FD2 Civic Type R final drive and a custom gear set, for sharper acceleration. He says it produces about 220 WHP on the dyno. Chassis-wise, the car rolls on Godspeed Monomax coil-overs, some spherical bearings in lieu of traditional suspension bushings and a set of Bridgestone RE71R tires on Wedsport TC105N wheels. It’s a simple, but effective setup.
However effective it may be, around Circuit of the Americas, the only Formula One track in the United States, Lee was decidedly down on power compared to other cars in the mix. Massive straightaways and fast, flowing sweepers clearly give the advantage to more powerful cars, like this modified FD RX-7, which effortlessly blows past Lee in his FA5, at first. However, through some ragged edge, curb-jumping balls to the wall driving, Lee not only manages to catch the RX-7 but put the pressure on him until he is forced to let Lee go past. Check out the oversteer moment seconds before Lee makes his pass. There’s a clear shift when the FD driver sees the Civic all over him in the corners. His driving style changes, and, ultimately, gets too caught up with “driving in his mirrors,” rather than managing the course ahead.
We look forward to seeing more coverage from Super Lap Battle USA and COTA as it surfaces from the event.
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