BR's 2006 Eclipse GT

[David Buschur]

Hey guys,

Time has come to head to the track again. I started road racing a few years ago and got seriously bit by the road race bug. I've used a few different cars, our Subaru WRX TR which had shifter problems and only lasted a day. The EVOX for a 3 day weekend, all racing was done in the rain and of course the 2006 Eclispe.

While it's not turbocharged it's respectable for sure. Originally all stock other than our filter kit and axle back exhaust the car has run 14.6's. Not bad.

It makes a really fantastic road race car. I don't know how many of you have taken the time to drive one but it's a great car. The V6 has a ton of torque, great response and it handles well.

The first time I went to Mid Ohio with the car I was running 2:05's. After three days of being there I really wanted to get under 2:00. Yes, I realize this is slow. I put an instructor in the car to show me how it was done and he ran a 1:54. The very last session I managed a 1:59 and was happy.

Last year I put some Megan coil overs on the car and a set of Rotora front brakes. I ran the car on the 19" wheels and Toyo all season tires. I've had some experience now and have moved up to HPDE4. I was able to run a 1:46 before the rotors cracked completely in half the first day. Back to the shop I grapped the EVOX and headed back for Saturday. One 20 minute session and it overheated, done for the weekend and wasted money..

This year I am back at it. I've done more work to the Eclipse. I put a better set of Rotora front rotors on it, pulled about 75 pounds of weight out of the car. I've got new 18" wheels on it and a new Toyo performance radial. Last week I pulled the a/c condensor, a/c pump and all the lines off the car. This should help with cooling and it dropped about 30 pounds off the nose of the car. I also built a straight through exhaust, no muffler, in mandrel bent 2.5" stainless tubing from the y-pipe in the front all the way out to the tip in the rear. It sounds great.

I liked doing this so much and my step dad has always wanted to try it I signed him up for Friday too.

Leaving tomorrow night for Mid Ohio. Friday him and I will both use the Eclipse and then I'll be running it solely on Sat/Sun.

I'm hoping to get my license this weekend and move up to the TT classes.

If any of you are down there in the area stop by and say hi.

[blackout]

Sounds like a good time. I think the eclipse needs some forced induction in the future! 2 evo9 turbos maybe. : )

[Rogue]

Video?

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[vwjeff]

It is a cool car! Great loaner car to

When I had it for that week the l/f caliper was hanging up really bad, did you fix it?

Best of luck getting your license!!!!!

[David Buschur]

It would be a retarded car with a turbo on it. A tire fryer.

Yes, all the brakes are fixed Jeff, bigger on the front and new rotors/pads in the rear.

License should be no problem. I've got the forms filled out and ready. I just have to weigh and class the car when I get down there to get it into a TT class. It looks like, if I am really-really lucky it may end up a TTE car, which I actually think I can be competitive in. We will see.

[Admin]

Good luck to you and Rick. Be safe and have fun!

[David Buschur]

GREAT day for the most part. It was cold as hell this morning and raining, which turned into snow. So the first two sessions for myself and Rick (my step dad) were both run in a mix of rain and snow. Let me tell you how slippery it was..................FREAKING SLIPPERY!! The best thing about it, it really makes you slow down and pay attention to technique, your line and your braking. It was actually pretty fantastic racing on a surface that bad. Very little traffic as most guys were smart enough to just skip the sessions. I figured it was a great time to concentrate and improve.

Rick did great. By the end of the day in his 5th session, first time ever on a road course in his 66 years, he ran 4 back to back 2:03 laps followed by 2 back to back 2:00 laps. Very good for the first day. I was hitting him with a stop watch.

He has a stop watch that will only record one lap, so he timed one lap of my last session which was a 1:48. I've gone low 1:46's in the car and felt atleast that fast a few good laps today.

My first time ever doing this I had a fantastic instructor by the name of Larry Ellis. His son J.D also helped me out. I asked J.D through Facebook if he or his dad would be interested in helping Rick out and they took time out of their day to come down and instruct him. I know they won't see this here but I have to say, these are two top notch guys. Super nice people, great instructors and I am surely in debted to them for their help when I started and again today. Had it not been for the two of them I probably wouldn't have gotten bitten by the bug as hard as I did. Great people are hard to come by and these guys are two great people.

Two more days of this. I can't wait.

[talondsp]

Sounds fun!

[mullen]

man i need to come to one of these when i get back, this sounds like a blast

[David Buschur]

Another day down, great day. Started out this morning running in Group 4, was doing very good. Just a few cars quicker, one a 700 hp Mustang, a 996 style Porsche and maybe another but I don't remember. I wanted to be timed but the only option now with NASA for being timed is to move to Time Trials. So be it. Instructor signed me off with high marks, I classed and weighed the car and am on a provisional entry in TT. After tomorrow if all goes well I get my license. So far, as has been since I started this, no real incidents.

The car is in TTE. I am on Ecsta's, 245-45-18's. The wear rating is 180. Not the best race tire. Currently I am in 4th position in TTE, good enough for my first real day in TT. The top TTE car is running 1:42.xx which from what I am gathering is close to or the record for that class. Two other guys in the 1:45.xx's. I'd like to move up a place or two.

The grid procedure works very-very good in this class. There is a listing of where you ran in the group and you are suppose to put yourself in that position on the grid. I was 20th in the entire field. I started in 20th and ended in 20th, I was passed once by the #1 TTU car and that was it, so it works out really well.

The best thing I can do now is work on my driving more but I can't help but wonder how much better the car can get. I'm sure there are gains in alignment and such so I'll be working on that after this event.

[tackla]

Great approach to going faster,small steps. How's the turn out? Once the grm m3 is back on the road I'll b e out there. Have fun!

[David Buschur]

I didn't sleep good last night. I kept going over what I was doing in my head as I really wanted to move up further in my positioning today.

First time out, we went into the grid like we left off Saturday night. I started in 20th again and ended up in 20th. I felt like I was faster and ends up that I was.

After the first session I took a look at the brake pads, which I knew were getting thin and they looked to be dangerously thin. Not good as I was told I had to finish the weekend to get my license.

I went the the TT director and told him the brakes were getting thin and I could make one more session safely, had no spare pads and told him if I couldn't get my license I understood. He then surprised me and told me that after following me on Saturday, he wouldn't normally do this, but he'd have signed me off on Saturday because I did so well. Made me feel good.

I moved up, I ran a 1:45.61 on Khumo Ecsta's. This also moved me to 18th position in the entire TT field. I know 18th doesn't seem like much but consider I am driving a 2006 Eclipse GT with a BR 2.5" exhaust with no muffler, stock cats, $600 Megan coil overs, BR cold air filter kit, Rotora front brake upgrade, Power slot rear rotors with Yellow Stuff pads and I've pulled maybe 100 pounds out of the car. Now consider that I THINK every car faster than I was had slicks/race tires on it, many were Vipers, Porsche's, Corvette's, Mustangs, race prepped Civic's and a Nissan SER on race tires, which was a TTE car in 19th place.

After my 2nd session I went to see the TT director and he signed me off for the license. While we were talking the #1 guy in TTE was standing there with us and they were talking tires. I mentioned I was running on Khumo Ecsta's and they both looked at me and said, "You ran those times on STREET TIRES?!" I said, "Yes, if I put a race tire on I have to take 2 more points and move to TTD" They flipped out, it was quite a compliment to be honest as up until that point I didn't realize everyone else was running a race tire of some type.

What a great weekend. I'll bring spare pads next time. These brakes work great and so does the car.

I'm extremely impressed with the car to tell you the truth. The first time we hit Mid Ohio with our wide body EVO Time Attack car we ran a 1:38. The first time I ran this car after 3 days, the best time I could muster was a 1:59.

My goal, whether or not it's possible, I plan to stay in TTE and do everything I can, as a driver and with the car to set the TTE record. I believe after this weekend it's a 1:42.xx. It gives me something to shoot for, whether I have the talent to drive it or the ability to make the car do it will have to be seen I guess.

[Bruzewski]

It was cool running in to you this weekend D.B. Sucks we didn’t get to go to dinner but there is always next time. I road in a TTE car behind you one session and you were flying out there! I think it was 1 or maybe just ½ of a lap and you were gone.

[David Buschur]

Yes, it was good seeing you too. I was going to go to dinner, was looking forward to it. My wife called and said she was coming down though.

I thought I saw you in a TTE car at one point, was it a tan'ish colored Honda?

[Bruzewski]

It was a turbo Miata. I’m telling you after about ½ a lap I could not see you anymore, you were gone!

We should meet up at winged warrior! Where you staying?

[David Buschur]

Not sure where I am staying. IF all goes well I'll be staying in the new trailer I ordered.

[Bruzewski]

Oh shit son stepping to the big time! Have you ever thought of having a Buschur racing track day? I know a lot of people that would love to go.

[mullen]

i would be interested in seeing guys get to gether for a track day, doesnt have to be a buschur sponsered day but just a day to go out and hit the track and bs

[David Buschur]

Doing a track day. The best way for us to do this is at Nelson Legdes on a Friday, they run fun days there. It would be fun to just get a bunch of us together to meet there on a day like that. It's generally $125 per car to run all day long, if we do a group I can check on better rates.

As for going "big time" that's not the case. I am trying to sell my current 28' trailer and I ordered a new 36' 5th wheel, it will have a small living quarters in the front that I am building myself. I hope to have it the first week of May to have done by Winged Warrior.

More on the Eclipse:

Today I pulled all four wheels/tires off and the brakes. These Rotora's stop great but the front pads are completely down to metal after one weekend. We called, $400 for a set of front pads and Rotora makes their brakes so only their pads can be used.............thanks for that. I have also found out the EVO8-9 brakes fit on the Eclipse, I wish I had known that before I bought these. Now I have no spares cause I sold them off for dirt cheap.

Going to use Hawk EVO pads and cut them down to fit, I hope it works, it's what was suggested by another Rotora dealer.

I pulled the front steel bumper beam out of the car and the foglights. I need some more weight on the rear and less on the front, that bumper beam should have a good effect. I also pulled the sunroof out of the car. My helmet hit the edge of it and kept my head from being straight. I cut and formed a flat sheet of steel that dropped 13 pounds of weight off the roof. It's being poweder coated in gloss black and I've got it fit. In the morning I'm going to seem seal it and rivet it into place. I think with the bumper beam and sunroof gone I'll be close to my minimum weight for the car.

Once the brakes are back on I'm going to corner scale/balance the car and check the alignment.

We are running at Nelson this Friday if the weather is decent.

[mullen]

david, there are a ton of evo brakes on evom for sale dirt cheap, id buy a pair and put yours up for sale
also maybe a battery relocate to the trunk to move the weight to the rear, my uncle races dirt track and he always makes the car lighter and adds lead weights wherever is needed for corner weighing and to make minimum weight

just my 2 cents

tell jarrod to take the genesis with ya'll, i have heard of any action from that in a while