Sector 111 Ariel Atom 2 @ Cars & Coffee

I got a chance further test our Ariel Atom 2's numerous upgrades this weekend while taking it to the huge weekly car gathering in Irvine, CA, Cars & Coffee. As C

alifornia's only Ariel Atom dealer, this also gave me a chance to meet some local Atom owners.

The trip over the famous Ortega freeway gave me a chance to feel the full effect of the front and rear aero. Ortega is a near-15-mile road twisting through the mountains in a series of long sweepers. The car felt extremely planted and just ate up the curves.

Once over the mountains, I was able to experience Steve from Secant Vehicle's amazing engine calibration. The car was very easy to drive at low speed around town AND through the very crowded Cars & Coffee parking lot! Our power upgrade and new intercooler allowed the engine to stay strong even as the air heated up throughout the day.

The performance of this Atom 2 is unquestionable along with the attention it gets. There was constantly a crowd around the Atom even in a parking lot filled with Ford GTs, Mercedes Gullwings, a Ferrari Enzo and a Lamborghini Reventon. It even drew the attention of an upcoming car show that will 'air' on AOL.com. Look for our appearance on the show when it airs.

After spending the morning with the Atom, it is a sportscar that continues to thrill me unlike anything I've ever driven! It is a showstopper no matter where you are at - even Cars & Coffee.

Sector111 Spring Track Day - NEW DATE!

Location: The Streets of Willow @ Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond, CA

Date: April 15, 2010

Price: $300

Contact Bill Forelli to reserve your spot on the grid! Bill@Sector111.com or (951)296-6762 x206

This track day includes in-car instruction, a catered lunch at the track and lots of track time! Enjoy taking your car to the limit in a controlled environment on one of Southern California's best road courses.

For those of you living outside of California and Southern Nevada, contact us for a R3-Motorsport-prepared Lotus racecar rental for both our Sector111 Track Day on April 14th AND the Lotus Challenge Series races the following day, April 15th. You can now experience a Sector111 Track Day and the Lotus Challenge Series first hand! Escape the snow or rain and enjoy the bright Southern California sun in a fully prepared Lotus racecar. This service is available for all LCS events and Sector111 Track Days.

LCS Round #2 @ Big Willow

It was a great weekend at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park for the second round of the Lotus Challenge Series. It was a busy two days in the Sector111 garage. We were supporting racer Kelley S. and her Union-Jack-wrapped Exige Cup car AND testing numerous parts, including our new Katana2 supercharger kit, on our own Project Nirvana Elise.

We were running the 2.5 mile, 9-turn Big Willow track that is commonly referred to as "the fastest road in the West." This weekend it was especially fast. Like we saw at Buttonwillow last month, the times across the board were far faster than they have ever been. Robb B. had the winning Time Trial lap at a blistering 1:30.88 in his Nitron GT3 & Monolite-equipped Exige S.

We escaped the threat of rain and it ended up being gorgeous all weekend. The entire field of cars proved to be equally as reliable as the weather. There were no earlier retirements due to mechanical failures. The wheel-to-wheel race, also won by Robb, was clean and really fast. The side-by-side rolling starts never get old!

Congratulations to Robb for his TT & Wheel-to-wheel wins!!!

LCS Round #1 is in the Books!

The first round of the Lotus Change Series at Buttonwillow Raceway Park was quite exciting. We couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend weather wise.

All of the drivers were excited to get their year off to a good start. Despite varying results, everyone seemed to have a fantastic time. A particular participant, Kelley S., came off the track after every session with the biggest smile!

The mood in the Sector111 garage was equally elated. Patrick, the driver we supported for the weekend, had the best time. Not only did his car run perfectly, but our data acquisition and driver coaching helped him improve his time significantly. His final time from the time trial was in the 1:57s (about a second off the fastest overall time of the weekend). We'll post some more detailed information on how data acquisition helped Patrick achieve this time over on our Tasty Innovations Blog.

The next event is coming up fast (Feb 20-21 @ Big Willow). Hopefully we'll get to see some of the drivers that were unable to make it to this first event. It should be another great weekend with a full grid of exceptionally fast Lotuses.

Special thanks to Jim Navarro for putting on another stellar, professional event. For more information on the Lotus Challenge Series and for full timed results, visit www.LotusChallengeSeries.com

Preliminary ... Podium Results by Class for the Race:

ULTRA:
1st: Jack
2nd: Andy
3rd: Patrick

CUP:
1st: Robb
2nd: Kevin
3rd: Mike B

SS:
1st: Glen
2nd: Roy

Preliminary ... Podium Results by Class for the TT:

ULTRA:
1st: Andy
2nd: Jack
3rd: Patrick

CUP:
1st: Mike W.
2nd: Robb
3rd: Mike B.

SS:
1st: Glen
2nd: Victor
3rd: Roy

Fast Times at Buttonwillow

The last session of the day just finished and the times have been posted. At least four drivers broke the 2:00.00 mark and a few think a time in the 1:57 range is doable. Like I posted earlier, 2:05.00 was the fastest time anyone could achieve two years ago. Its amazing how these cars have advanced and how much more experienced the drivers are. Tomorrow's time trial and wheel-to-wheel races look like they will be VERY exciting and competitive.

Action Continues at Buttonwillow

Its been a great day so far here at Buttonwillow. The sun is out and the engines are blaring. The times are very impressive for morning practice sessions on a cold track. Many cars are hovering around or just dropping below 2 min. Those are very fast times considering 2 min 5 seconds was a blistering time not too long ago. The drivers and their cars are noticeably getting faster!

Patrick, who's 2-11 we're supporting, started to put down some impressive laps. His first two sessions were run on R-compounds to get warmed up. We've now switched him to brand new slicks and are starting to dial in optimal air pressures.

A crop-duster making low passes over near-by fields provided a slight distraction for the drivers but made for some cool pictures!

Special Guest at Buttonwillow!

We've brought a special guest to join us this weekend at Buttonwillow. Our partner, Ralph Provitz from V2 Motorsports, flew out from Detroit to be here and provide driver coaching and AiM data support. Ralph's company, V2 Motorsport, has partner with Sector111 to develop tasty bits like V2arms, V2linx, V2 Fuel Tank & more.