Wtac Open Class Hero: Five Minutes With Steve Ka  

The V-Sport Open Class, is a melting pot of automotive talent. Pro drivers battle it out with privateers. Workshops face off against each other. Aero is restricted and the Yokohama A050 tyres are limited in numbers for this class to a maximum of three sets for the entire weekend. The focus is on mechanical grip, tyre strategy and driver ability.



This is a class that many purists say follows the “true spirit” of time attack, with sequential transmissions allowed but they must be shifted by a lever (no paddles) and big horsepower engines the absolute norm.

We have seen times tumble year after year in this class. The racing is close as well, with only 3 seconds separating the top 10 cars. It really is a class that any of the top cars could win on the day.

However, in 2014 there was one clear winner. Dean Lillie took the victory for the second year in a row, this time in Steve Ka’s stunning R34 GTR. We caught up with Steve recently to reflect on how they did it in 2014 and what the plan is for WTAC 2015.



WTAC: Hi Steve thanks for taking some time out to talk with us. After all of your hard work, was it a big thrill taking the win in Open Class in 2014?

Steve Ka: Thrill? It’s like the type of thrill you get when you back a horse and it’s running last at the turn but somehow finds a way to win the race. The team put in so much work because we all wanted the win so bad!



WTAC: Tell us a bit about your team. How did you decide on this?

SK: I traded in my previous GTR for a engagement ring, then came back to the modified car scene 5 years later. I realised that good honest help is hard to find. Unfortunately there are some questionable operators out there and people who will try things out on your massive investment. Which is not cool when all your hard earned money goes into a project like this.

I decided to go to Powertune for an engine package. They were the only ones in Sydney that would warrant a race engine package. I loved that confidence and their courage to back their own work. I’ve never looked back, they are like part of my extended family now.

And of course thanks to the sponsors who help out with supplying great products and support.
Haltech, Hypertune, Albins, Topstage, Performance Exhaust, V-Sport and Nulon.

It was good to have Dean in the race seat. He is a gun driver and easy to get along with. The team morale was certainly boosted in 2014.



WTAC: Your relationship is as strong as ever with the Power tune guys. They obviously play a big part?

SK: Their commitment and expertise is second to none. They still give me full commitment without fail. When I asked Chea whether he prefers track work to the drag scene, he replied instantly “Track work all the way baby!”

This is great for me, he is a man who loves the challenges from a mechanical, tuning, and fabricating perspective. He is continually thinking of new ways we can improve the development of the car.



WTAC: That motor must be making a ton of power?

SK: Engine wise, we are not running at max power. The 2.8l stroked combo has served its purpose well. Even though the power output was restricted at 33psi on the EFR 9180, it was good enough for 1st place in 2014. For 2015 I am super excited because Kyle from Hi Octane Racing found me a big daddy 1.45 rear Indy housing for the turbo. This will definitely see the power pickup as it will expel the gasses a lot better. Chea believes the engine will love this.

I will also be extending our relationship with Kelford cams and will be upgrading to the Mac Daddy of all RB26 cylinder heads. Complete 5-axis CNC porting with custom shim-less valve train and custom PowerTune/Kelford spec camshafts. If the fastest drag GTR in the world uses it, then it’s good enough for the Open Class title holder!

On the driveline front, it has been pretty boring actually. There have been no mishaps or breakages. Credit to Albins for producing such a high quality product. The inline sequential ST6 gearbox has been faultless all year. The box is coupled with Quaife differentials.

This is the sort of reliability from manufacturers that is required to ensure development of the car goes smoothly. We are very mindful that if we chase greater front torque, the transfer case and the front ring and pinion gear will suffer. These are the the weaker links in the GTR. Something we cannot improve on as it’s just a size to task scenario.



WTAC: Calling in the very experienced Dean Lillie to drive must have been a contributing factor. He obviously knows how to properly set up a time attack GTR. What role apart from driving did Dean play?

SK: Dean has had a lot of experience with Open Class GTRs, having won the class in an R32 in 2013. So when he approached me about a seat in 2014, he still had the taste of champagne in his mouth.

Dean has been around motorsport for quite some time, so I believed that he would fit well into the team. He helped a lot with setup and testing for the car which made a big difference for 2014.

From driving, and then being able to interpret the adjustments needed to improve the car’s setup on the fly Dean’s help was definitely a luxury to have in 2014.



WTAC: We hear you have an exciting new partnership with a very special suspension company. Tell us a bit about that.

SK: If you follow V8 Supercars then you know who Supashock are. I consider myself lucky that Oscar Fiorinotta has taken some interest in my car in mid 2014. His racing schedule is crazy and I’m glad he has made time to help develop our car further.

Although Dean has done a superb job thus far with the off the shelf BC coilovers that we used in 2014, even Dean admitted, this is an area we needed to develop further. It is also an area that you can be easily mislead in with so many people claiming they know what’s best. I personally believe there is seconds to be gained with the right advice.

We sent the car down to South Australia to do a full chassis simulation. We now have crucial measurements and data on the car to establish information on the car’s setup. This surprisingly goes against info that is currently believed on the GTR chassis that is floating around the forums, web and some workshops.

Good thing I like to learn and make informed decisions to ensure I’m not chasing my own tail.
We now run a full set of Supashock dampeners for the car, with correct valving and adjustments, custom sway bars front and rear. Crucial geometry changes to stiffen the car and custom brake pads.

All the above points are based on the car’s weight, power output and of course the Yokohama Advan A050 tyre which we also have data on.

Initial testing went great. We are definitely on track to be the first Open Class car to break the 1:30s around GP SMSP circuit.

I have set a team goal of 1:27s! Some people chuckle and think it’s a pipe dream. I say if you want P1 in Open Class of WTAC 2015, you will need to be running these times or pretty close to it. Outright top 5 would be awesome in Open Class trim (like a middle weight boxer mixing it with the heavy weights). That is a big call and perhaps not this year. But 7th overall was pretty cool in 2014.


WTAC: What other changes will you be making for 2015?

SK: Fine tuning the suspension over the next few months is our number one priority. Then upgrading the EFR turbo will give us more power and seeing us going even faster.

Powertune are also working on a new RB engine. It’s still in its development stages but I’m hoping it ticks all the boxes and we can use it this year. The engine will be seeing an engine dyno soon and might make 10,500rpm possible around the whole track!

Aero is also something we will be fine tuning. Even little adjustments can yield massive gains. Oscar is doing an analysis on the aero so we can just tidy it all up and make everything work efficiently.

I am also working with Scott from Haltech on expanding our data acquisition system. We are planning to put shock-pot sensors, wheel speed sensors, and a steering input sensor to improve our data on the car’s setup.



WTAC: What are your long term goals for the GTR? Do you think you will ever compete as a driver one day?

SK: We have discussed a flat floor option and the introduction of nitrous into the Royal Purple Pro Class is very tempting! But it will all come down to how committed and eager the team is in the future. For this year, we will focus on conquering our goal of defending our title.

If you take a look at the top 10 in WTAC 2014, there is no way my part-time driving is good enough against these full-time professionals! I love steering it during testing and other low-key events, but come money time, I’ll leave it to the pros!

I am toying with the idea of a Just Car Clubsprint class GTR that I can pilot myself. We will see if we can get that together for 2015.

WTAC: Thanks for taking time out to speak with us. See you in October.


LINKS:
www.yokohama.com.au
www.worldtimeattack.com

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