Photos and Story by: Jacob Leveton
As featured in the May 2007 issue of
Performance Auto and Sound
The Northwest is relatively unknown in the drifting community. Until the Formula D stop last year in Seattle, few people knew drifting even existed in Washington and Oregon. However, those in the know could tell you about Lawrence Ojas from Intec Racing. Not only is he the man responsible for bringing Silk Road suspension to the US, he’s been building sick drift cars for years. At the inaugural D1 Grand Prix in August 2003, Ojas drove his all motor bronze AE86 entered in competition. To follow up that magazine-featured car, Ojas knew he had to step up to the plate. After all, this S13 would server as a competition car as well as a showcase for both Silk Road suspension and Ojas’ Intec Racing shop.
The first step in the build was the chassis prep. The car was completely stripped and sandblasted, then stitchwelded and caged up by P1 Racing, complete with a set of airjacks to make tire changes easier. P1 went all out, tieing in several key points to the chassis with gusseting and additional bracing. After that, the cage was painted in PPG Chameleon Gold/Silver, while the business compartment was given a coat of PPG gunmetal, and the pretty panels were covered in PPG’s version of the OEM Nissan Sunset LeMans color off of the 350z by painter James Guse. The front bumper, fenders, rear 1/4 panels, rear bumper, and side skirts were all replaced by Origin pieces attached via Zeus fasteners for easy replacement in case of damage during a race, while lightweight Seibon carbon fiber pieces replace the doors, hood, and trunk. The interior was all painted metallic gunmetal, while the cage received several coats of PPG Chromashift paint. With an S15 headlight conversion and 180sx Type-X taillights, this car looks mean before it even turns a wheel on the track.
Under the hood, the motor was prepared with a “do it right the first time” mentality. The entire SR20 engine was torn down and built from the ground up with quality parts. Down low, CP low compression pistons and Eagle connecting rods keep things together, while the head was given a full Tomei and Greddy treatment with cams and solid lifters from Tomei mated with Greddy valvesprings, cam gears, headgasket, and a full Greddy oiling system, while SARD parts litter the entire fueling system including the fuel rail, fuel pressure regulator, and injectors. The fun all happens in the middle of the quick-spooling GT2871 turbocharger, while air flows through a Greddy intake manifold, Silk Road intercooler exhaust manifold, piping, and exhaust. The power is driven through an OS Giken transmission, clutch, and ATS LSD, and is tuned with an Apex Power FC and Greddy Boost controller.
We can’t forget that this project was also a collaboration with the famed Silk Road suspension company out of Japan, and the car is quite the spokesperson for the brand. It adorns Silk Road coilovers, braces, tension rods, arms, and links both in the front and back, as well as bushings for the suspension, subframe, and transmission. All driver inputs are put through the Enkei RPF1 wheels and Falken Azenis tires, while Skyline GTR brakes and Endless pads bring everything to a stop when necessary. To assist with the sideways control, Intec fabricated their own staging brake and hydraulic e-brake setup.
Inside the cockpit, Intec clearly took a ‘business-first’ approach. Sitting in the Bride Zeta seats and strapped down by Willans harnesses, the driver grips a Nardi wheel and stares at the Stack gauge cluster which displays only the vital information. The SARD gauges monitoring the vitals are mounted in a custom center console which also contains a very cleanly-mounted switch panel and is mated to the custom carbon fiber dash. This particular car is one of the cleanest setup interiors we’ve seen in awhile, and the attention to detail makes diagnosing any issues a breeze.
In 2006, Intec campaigned the car locally at the Seattle stop of Formula D with famed JDM driver Mitsuru Haraguchi, but engine troubles kept the team out of top 16. Haraguchi’s crazy early entry and smokey drifts kept the crowd on their feet and impressed many of the top drivers in the US, so Intec gathered up support to make another appearance at the final round at Irwindale. Drawing a tough first-round matchup with would-be champion Hubinette, Haraguchi got too much angle on the bank, losing the drift when following Hubinette. However, his showing was enough to gain Falken’s factory support for the 2007 season, and Intec Racing has been hitting the season hard in 2007. The car was repainted in the factory Falken “Works” scheme, and now sports a fully-built Brian Crower SR20.
Haraguchi and the Intec Racing team started the 2007 season off on the best-possible foot, with a win at the Streets of Long Beach course. Through 4 events, Haraguchi remains in the top 16 in points, and looks to make an impact on the final 3 events of the season.
In an attempt to open up the event to those wanting to try their hand at circuit racing, the Challenge class, which used to be strictly regulated, now accepts all cars. Seeing so many different cars out on track at the same time made for interesting viewing.