If you thought the builds in the Pro Class over the past few years have been impressive then you are in for one hell of treat in 2015.
Queensland based MCA Suspension have campaigned an S13 Silvia in the Pro Class since 2011, first with a 2015 Le Mans winning Kiwi driver Earl Bamber and, as of last year, another Kiwi hotshot, V8 supercar star and factory McLaren WEC ace Shane Van Gisbergen.
In 2015 the team are starting with a brand new, super lightweight, full aero car affectionately known as Hammerhead V2.0.
Out with the old, in with the new. Hammerhead v2.0 rests beside a gutted body of its predecessor.
The car was spotted testing at Queensland Raceway last weekend and certainly cut a sinister silhouette as it was slowly put through its paces with team principle and former Australian rally champion Murray Coote behind the wheel.
“This is basically just a systems check and an initial shakedown” said Murray “This is an entirely new car with many different systems so we are really just getting our heads around it today.”
When we asked Coote what inspired him to build an entirely new car his response was short and straight to the point: “We were beaten by our arch rival Under Suzuki. Not only were we beaten – we were beaten by way too much!”
“The old car was way too heavy and this was something we had been aware of for quite some time.” said Coote “As we sat down and did the sums we also realized that the aero could also be improved greatly if we were to start again.”
So effectively what started as building a lightweight body has turned into a full build that is really all about aero. Once again, ex McLaren engineer, Barry Lock was the designer and has worked closely with this father and son team from day one.
“The other thing we are doing is using our off the shelf MCA production shock absorbers on this car. This is simply to prove the quality of our products even at this level” said Josh Coote.
“In the past dad would have custom made remote canister shocks but we want to try and set a world record with a shock absorber that you can buy from us for under $3000 a set. Now that would be pretty cool!”
The engineering detail is incredible with the Holinger sequential transmission moved right back to improve weight distribution and now has a tailshaft that is 450mm long and also drives the alternator.
The engine is a billet block SR20 stuffed full of all the good gear and making well over 600hp at the wheels. The weight should be right on target of 980kg. Shane Van Gisbergen’s driving prowess should throw these guys right into the mix this year and will see this team start as one of the red hot favourites!
Looking down the side of the car we see the intricate aero design that uses a system that “re energises” the air from front to rear.
As the team headed home Murray gave it the big thumbs up “we still have lots of work to do and we are running out of time but there is never enough time is there?”
| MCA Suspension Fast Facts | |
| CAR | Nissan S13 Silvia |
| TEAM OWNER | Murray Coote |
| DRIVER | Shane Van Gisbergen |
| WTAC PODIUMS | 3 (2012, 2013, 2014) |
| HIGHEST WTAC PLACING | 2 (2013) |
| FASTEST LAP | 1:25.70 (2014) |
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