Over the last 3 months a handful of Brewed employees have been hard at work on an extra special project for an extra special customer racing a Honda DC5 in multiple Asian touring car series. Late August Brewed Motorsports was contacted by Buddy Club Thailand in Bangkok. Buddy Club’s request was simple – it was time to get competitive in the Thailand Super 2000 touring car series.
By the time the Buddy Club dc5 graced the presence of Brewed Motorsports its condition was a far cry from its glorious days of international racing with Buddy Club.
The history of this car is a bit foggy at best but I would like to share everything we were told about the car and its adventurous life of racing.
The DC5 arrived in Thailand 5+ years ago to be used at the circuit. When the car first arrived it was in tip top shape and putting down some great lap times. Unfortunately after a few events and a small front end collision things went downhill fast. It was obvious a professional team would be needed to maintain the car in order to be competitive, which is where Brewed comes in. Buddy Club has always been a great help with our shop projects in the past so we were delighted to return the favor helping out with the DC5!
Three weeks before the season’s first event I personally had the pleasure putting my hands on and inside the DC5. Upon first inspection, it was clear we had a bit of work to do before the first race.
Here is the quick list of everything addressed before that first event:
Engine harness
Intake
Exhaust
Cooling system
Suspension (lots of love needed here)
Ecu tuning
Corner balancing
Alignment
Buddy Club Thailand Honda Integra DC5 Specs:
Driver: Mr. Som Chai
Vehicle: JDM DC5 Type R Honda Integra
Engine: 2.0L high compression NA K20
Other goodies:
Buddy Club racing spec EVO dampers
Brewed Tuned DTA Fast S60 ECU
Brewed Motosports engine harness
Custom Velocity Element hybrid carbon intake with front ducting
Custom Velocity Element front Aero (diffuser, under body and canards)
Buddy Club wide body kit
Buddy Club wheels 17×9 (many models and offsets used)
X-trac 6sp sequential 416 gear box
CustomVelocity Element control arms
Custom Velocity Element rear DC5 camber arms
The 3-day event consisted of:
Friday – Qualifying (15min open track, fastest lap)
Saturday – 20 lap main event with grid start (first across the finish line)
Sunday – 20 lap main event with rolling start. (we got rained out on Sunday)
Qualifying went smoothly. The car ran great and the driver only had a few minor setup requests. It was great to look around the pit and see smiles painted on everyone’s faces with the car ready for more action.
Lap times in the Super 2000 class range from 1:06.xx to 1:15.xx on the dry so the 20 lap race goes about 25-30 min depending on caution laps.
The race for 1st and 2nd is really between 2 professional Thai drivers running in the 1:06.xx range. There is usually a 1.5+ second gap to 3rd place which is where most the pack sits. I expect we will be able to push this car into the 1:07.xx range with the new suspension, aero and engine.
On Saturday, we found ourselves on the starting grid in 15th position (I seem to recall 27 cars qualified). The car was ready, the driver was feeling good and the track was begging for some wheel to wheel racing. Cars lined up on the grid and umbrella girls provided ample shade from the Thai sun. What more could you ask for? Officials cleared the track, engines started, light went red and the engines came to life with anticipation for the GREEN.
Unfortunately we did not have the best start, but we were able to hold a good position. Once on the track with tires warmed up the fun begins. These guys drive with a lot of passion and don’t seem to be worried about a little contact here and there. (Check out the YouTube video to see what I’m talking about.)
By the end of the race we had managed to climb our way up to 5th place resulting in a bit of podium time for the driver. Although 5th is far from 1st, the driver/owner was simply delighted at how well the car was running and was hungry for more!
BIG Thanks goes out to:
Buddy Club
Driver : Mr. Som Chai
AAI
Team Dynamics
Kuroki Racing
Vattana Motorsports
And of course without the team of mechanics and translators none of this would be possible.
http://www.facebook.com/Brewedmotorsports
http://www.facebook.com/buddyclubth
http://www.facebook.com/buddyclubusa