Axis Procharger Nissan 350Z Supercharger

Road CourseAs the unmerciful sun punished us track participants with temperatures well above 100 degrees, Hotchkis gave us final instructions for the road course. We would be running in the counter clockwise position, and driving in groups of five for 20 minutes of practice before the real competition. The practice sessions were an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the track conditions and make any necessary adjustments to the vehicle. It was during this time that I experienced some minor setbacks with the 350Z and its cooling system. During the second lap over "Magic Mountain" leading into the S turn, I looked at the temperature gauge and noticed the needle gradually climbing with every stomp of the pedal. After the third lap I trekked around the course once more for a cool down lap and pulled into the pits to inform the crew of the overheating issue. "Yeah, we know the car overheats, and we are on order for a Koyo radiator. The only problem is that they are still in the process of manufacturing one," states Chen. After cooling down the engine for a few minutes, I noticed a puddle of oil on the inner roof of the hood and from the blow off valve area. "Don't worry about it. Drive it hard, and let us take care of things.

The number six cylinder is going bad, but you should be fine," smiled Chen as he pushed me back into the car to continue my practice laps. Skeptical for the most part, I reentered the track and continually checked the gauge cluster so I wouldn't melt the motor from overheating. The final competition of the day involved four timed laps around the course. Since I was still getting used to the car's handling, I was hesitant during the first two laps, and the times were less than impressive at 2.26.67 seconds. But redemption came in way of mishap. Barreling through the S turns, I encountered Jason Jackman in his 2000 Audi S4. He tried to pass on a 90-degree bank, causing both of us to lock brakes into the turn, just before the start/finish line. "This asshole is crazy!" I shouted through my helmet as I followed in hot pursuit, flying through the turns without a care in the world. By the third lap I had dramatically improved my lap times by 7.41 seconds, clocking a 2.18.86 on the second run. In road course numbers, taking a second off your lap time is considered a major improvement. Coming off "Daytona," a large sweeping turn that can be taken in triple digit speeds, I looked down to see the temp meter almost pegged in the red position. "F*ck!" I shouted. There was only one lap left and I had to make a choice: either pit or take the plunge and finish my last lap. Like a scene from a classic kung-fu movie I envisioned Chen in front of me repeating what he had said earlier in the day: "Don't worry about it. Drive the car hard, and let us take care of things. The number six cylinder is going bad, but you should be fine." I thought to myself, "Screw it, the car's jacked up anyways!" I nailed the throttle and barreled down the straightaway, praying the car would survive. With the shift light flashing in my face and temp needle pegged to the red, I flew over the berms and improved my time to 2.17.64 seconds.

Awards CeremonyThe day came to a successful end. Although I didn't win every event, I took two of the four events and was awarded winner of the RWD Modified class and, most importantly, the overall winner of the day. I ultimately took home four trophies. So was it the car you ask? I think that had a lot to do with it but then again I could argue that it's the driver that drives the car, right? I won't go into some long brag fest about being the next Nobuteru Taniguchi of racing, but knowing I didn't let the Axis team down and winning the event put a nice stupid grin on my face. Well, at least until next years Hotchkis event, of course.

Axis Nissan 350zPerformance* Procharger C-2 supercharger* Procharger 3 row air to air intercooler* Procharger engine management (fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator)* Nismo lighten fly wheel* Nismo sport clutch* Brembo "Ferrari F50" 4 piston front caliper with 14 inch cross drilled rotor* Brembo 2 piston rear caliper with cross drilled rotors* Front & Rear calipers painted yellow* Hotchkis front and rear sway bars* JIC coil over suspension* JIC Stainess Steel exhaust muffler with dual tip* JIC aluminum strut brace

Wheels & Tires* Axis Milano aluminum wheels 19x8.5 front and 19x9.5 rear* Yokohama AVS Sport 245/35-19 front and 295/35-19 rear

Exterior* PPG medium chrome yellow paint with gold pearl* Nismo rear wing* Porsche 993 turbo cup valance

Interior* PPG medium chrome yellow painted interior parts with Titanium trim piece byWet Works of Stanton* Yellow alcantara suede interior with grey perforated suede inserts by Stitchcraft * Pioneer AV head unit with CD player* Pioneer DVD player* Pioneer 7inch monitor * Pioneer subwoofers and amp