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Rob Ecklin

Supersport Mk2 Runs Auto Club Speedway!

IMSA Continental Tire Challenge racer Rob Ecklin flew out to California to run the Supersport Mk2 in the Speed Ventures track day event at Auto Club Speedway. With the long off season just beginning, Rob wanted seat time in a GT race car with current technology and a state of the art drivers environment. Rob normally drives an Aston Martin in IMSA, so the Supersport Mk2 was a perfect choice to develop driving skills and learn a new track.

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After getting familiar with the Life Racing touchpad and XAP Electronique steering wheel display, Rob was ready to take the car out on track.

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Auto Club Speedway is a roval with lots of time on the banking and a very challenging twisty infield section. Speeds are high and Rob took it easy in the first session, learning both the track and the car.

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The 3MOP 6 speed sequentially shifted transmission makes shifting effortless. The Supersport Mk2 is paddle shifted with no lift upshifts and auto blip downshifts. “The shifting in this car is a luxury!” according to Rob!

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Designed as a pure GT race car, the Supersport Mk2 excels as a track day car. The car requires very little in the way of crew and support, and the data provided by the Life Racing electronics makes improving driver performance very easy. Every aspect of the engine, transmission, and braking systems are monitored and very clearly and easily read and analyzed after each session.

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The GM 2.0L Ecotech GDI turbo engine provides 420 horsepower and 420 lb./ft torque, more than enough to get around the banking.  According to Rob, “It was definitely fun to pull the Porsche’s!”

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At the end of the day, Rob felt that he had gotten quality seat time in a car with performance equal to a Porsche GT3 Supercup car.  The purchase price of the Supersport Mk2 is less than half of the Porsche, with running costs less than ten cents on the dollar.  Rob and his IMSA co-driver plan to run the Supersport Mk2 as much as they can over the winter and also utilize it to practice at tracks that are on the IMSA schedule next year. For drivers wanting to keep sharp in the off season as well as between races, the Supersport Mk2 is unparallelled in the racing world.  999 Motorsports USA offers a program to keep your  Supersport Mk2 at our facility and run it at Willow Springs International Raceway whenever you desire at a moments notice.

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After the last session Rob was getting comfortable and fast. Our favorite comment of the weekend came from two Corvette drivers who came by to ask “How much horsepower does that f$#*ing thing have?”  Plenty, obviously!

 

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