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At TX2K17 Gidi Chamdi became the first driver to break into the 6-second zone behind the wheel of a Nissan GT-R with a 6.93-second blast at over 196 mph — that set into motion a new arms race in the GT-R world where shops from all around the globe were trying to be the next to break this magical barrier or own the record. Michael Roark and the team at Extreme Turbo Systems (ETS) are going to try and put their stamp on the GT-R record book at TX2K19 by lowering the record once again.
The GT-R record has bounced to different parts of the world and is currently held by the Alpha Logic GT-R in Dubai with a 6.58 at 232 mph. In just two years GT-R racers have shaved nearly four tenths off the first 6-second pass and that number could drop even more in 2019.
Roark will be the first one to tell you that these gains have come at the cost of more than just cubic-dollars … the path to and through the 6-second zone is littered with piles of broken parts.
“There are only three or four GT-Rs that can run in the sixes right now all over the world. To push one of these cars into the six-second zone it takes over 3,000 all-wheel horsepower and a ton of development of parts. A lot goes into one of these setups to go this fast; the problem is finding parts that can stand up to the power we’re putting down. You just can’t buy an off-the-shelf transmission for one of these, you can’t just buy an off-the-shelf engine and run consistent six-second passes. Everybody running this fast has their own proprietary parts inside to make the car perform at this level.”
To reach the sixes at TX2K19 ETS has put together a 2013 GT-R sporting a 4.3-liter engine it developed in-house based around a Willall Racing billet block. A pair of Precision Turbo & Engine 8685 turbos pump boost through an ETS front-facing drag racing turbo kit and air-to-water intercooler. A factory GR6 transmission has been specially prepared by Shep Transmissions with Dodson Motorsports gears and Willwall billet parts to take on the 3,000 horsepower coming at it.
Even with all of the best parts possible, a six-second GT-R will need a total rebuild on the engine and transmission every 8-10 passes. In some cases, shops are swapping out transmissions two or three times per event just to make it through the weekend. That kind of thrashing tells the tale of just how hard it is to dip into the sixes with a GT-R.
“We’re pushing everything so hard that just a full pull at 3,000 horsepower puts a hairline crack in the crankshaft. From that point on you’ll have cracked pistons and other stuff start to fail. You can only really run one of these cars at one event before everything needs to be refreshed and there are only a few shops that can do what we’re doing to run in the 6-second zone. It requires constant progression, research, and development to see what works,” Roark explains.
Since TX2K19 is one of the biggest gatherings of ultra-fast GT-Rs in the world, ETS wants to use this event to show off what their car can do. To get ready for combat they have put a lot of effort into getting their GT-R prepared for TX2K19.
“We put the car on a diet to shed some weight by using carbon fiber brakes and a lightweight steering column. The World Cup was our first outing with this car and we left maybe 400 horsepower on the table since we were trying to just dial it in. We were able to run in the sixes with the car and now we’re ready to bring the power in. We made some revisions from what we learned and we’re going to go for it,” Roark says.
TX2K19 is going to give ETS the rare opportunity to really turn their GT-R up on a world-class surface. Having that in front of them excites Roark and he’s ready to take full advantage of these conditions.
“One of the biggest things we’re looking forward to is the track prep that will be there. Jason Miller and his guys give you prep you just don’t see anywhere else. We can rule the track out of the equation and just work on tuning the car. At that point, it’s just about trying to go fast. We don’t get a chance to run the car that hard with good weather and everything else so we want to get the most out of it.”
You can see ETS make a run at the GT-R record during TX2K19 by Induction Performance at Houston Raceway Park powered by Pennzoil March 14-17. This is a can’t-miss event because history could be made and it will be live RIGHT HERE on SpeedVideo.com. Special thanks to the presenting broadcast sponsor WELD Racing along with Driven Racing Oil, Brisk Racing USA & Performance Spark Plugs, Speedwire, Texas Speed, Flying A Motorsports, Edelbrock, GForce Performance Engineering, LME, COMP Cams, and Blow-By-Racing.
