neil trama

We are not permitted to do any more to improve straightline power and we are a team that have no intention of twisting the rules. The fundamental problem is not really power but gear ratios. Phillip Island is very much a power track and we were 2 seconds a lap quicker than the Integra there. On some tracks the ratios hurt us more than others. this is all part of the challenge of running production cars. Final drive ratio changes are also not allowed. We are permitted to fit a locked or limited slip diff. We use a TRD LSD. We are allowed to change the clutch linings only. Flywheel must be standard. Neil

Having worked on many engines for sprint racing, 2 engines for the Bathurst 24 hour and one engine for the London to Sydney marathon I have uncovered a number of RPM related weaknesses. None of which are unreasonable given the standard rev limit of 7800RPM. If RPM does not ever exceed 7800RPM there are no known problems. 8000 is pretty safe usually. 8200 uncovers a valve problem related to some batches of valves only. They can break with disastrous consequences. Over 8300 uncovers a rather nasty rocker breakage problem. When the rocker breaks, it can jam the valve open - really nasty. Basically a carefully prepared engine is safe to 8300RPM. Over 8600RPM the engine turns into a hand grenade. Remember that Production rules require that we use only standard parts. We will tolerate a limited number of excursions to 8600 but will always replace the engine if it exceeds 8900. Fortunately we are permitted to fit additional oil baffles to the sump as oil surge is a serious problem. It is also imperative to fit an oil separation system as on RH turns large amounts of oil is blown out of the breathers into the inlet manifold. It is a very powerful production engine, so its minor shortcomings are entirely reasonable. Neil

As many of you are 7th Gen owners, I thought you would like to know that Celicas #s 13 and 31 are currently 1st and 3rd outright in the 2005 Australian Production Car Championship. Colin Osborne, lead driver, has been in the outright lead since round 3. The Midwest Multimedia sponsored cars are currently ahead of Ford XR6 Turbos, Holden SS V8 Commodores, Ford XR8, Honda S2000, Honda Integra Type R as well as the smaller class cars. The Phillip Island Round, which we won outright, will probably be telecast on SBS Speedweek tomorrow. Neil Trama (race engineer)

It is difficult to separate blueprinting from exhaust ans ECU work, but I am sure that blueprinting improves both torque and power. On the dyno we use (please note specifically on our dyno) power goes up from 108kW to 129kW. This can be used for comparison only for us as I am sure you are aware. We have worked real hard with tuning to optimise this with no 2 cylinders having the same ignition timing or fuelling. Neil

The car is a Corolla Sportivo. The program has been dropped by Toyota and the car in pretty much mothballed. Rick bates ran it at Eastern creek 6 weeks ago in order to keep his licence current and it is possible that Neal Bates will run it at Oran Park in 3 weeks or Eastern Creek in early December. As I mentioned, my focus is on the 2 Celicas this year and no further development has been done on the Corolla. The Celicas were clearly faster at EC than the Corolla but the weight added last year will be out for Neal's run in a few weeks. Neil Trama

I found this topic while doing a search on a race team I work for. The question was asked about modifications permitted on Leanne's Corolla and, as I built the engine, as well as the 3 Celicas in the APCC and Rick Bates' Copen, I feel qualified to answer. The only modifications permitted are that the exhaust is free after the exhaust manifold. We are also permitted to fit an aftermarket ECU. Whilst the engine is internally standard, we are, of course allowed to optimise tolerances in a process called blueprinting. I have elected to concentrate on one team this year and chose the Osborne Motorsport Team with the 2 blue Celicas #s 13 and 31 driven by Colin Osborne and Trevor Keene. We are currently 1st and 2nd in class B and 1st and 3rd outright after 5 of 7 rounds. For the rest of the car basically: Safety gear is required Springs are free Shocks are free and adjustable platforms are OK Brake pads are free A/C may be removed from the engine bay The guts of the sterio may be removed Instruments may be added I hope this helps. Neil