Fast Lap with Billy Johnson: Willow Springs International Raceway
by Billy Johnson
With the Redline Time Attack series debuting this weekend, now is a good time to give you a refresher on the proper technique and line through the “Fastest Road in the West”.
Willow Springs International Raceway (WSIR) is the oldest purpose-built road course in North America and has remained virtually unchanged since its creation in 1953. The 2.5mile nine-turn track earned its nickname from its medium to high-speed corners including the infamous Turns 8 and 9.
By Billy Johnson
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, previously known simply as “Laguna Seca” was built in 1957 on the land of Fort Ord; which was a maneuvering area and artillery target range for the US Army. World-renowned (by the help of Playstation video games for the younger generation), the track has hosted Champ Car, ALMS, Grand-Am, Moto GP, World Superbike, Formula 5000, Trans-Am, Can Am, and has been the site for several very memorable races. In 1988 the track was increased to its current 2.238 mile, 11-turn configuration with 300 feet of elevation change and the world-famous “Corkscrew” Turn 8.
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Keeping Up with FX Motorsports!
We'd like to take a quick second to congratulate our Billy Johnson on his overall win at Super Lap Battle in Las Vegas, dominating over the next closest competitor by over FIVE seconds! Billy's time of a 1:43.145 was also good for a Super Lap Battle track record for the Las Vegas Motor Speedway outdoor road course. If you wanna read the full press release, see inside. Otherwise, take a minute (or nine) to watch Episode 1 of FX Motorsports' 2010 season--I guess they're gonna be doing several of these! Shot at the Redline Time Attack back in April when Matt Andrews was driving the NSX, John Naderi hosts a walkthrough of the recent changes to the car and talks with several members of the team. ...but they had me at the Asian strippers! :) MOAR!
MotoIQ Staff Report
Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. overcame a qualifying penalty, which forced them to start at the back of the field, to score an amazing win in the Miami Grand Prix, Round 2 of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Homestead Speedway. This was the duo’s second Grand Sport (GS) class victory together in the 2.5 hour, 91-lap Homestead 200 in the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT. This was Johnson’s second consecutive victory at the 2.3-mile, 11-turn road course, in a car that advanced 33 positions from start to finish.
The race will be airing on SPEED Channel: Homestead-Miami Speedway March 13 (Sat.), 1 p.m. ET
www.BillyJohnsonRacing.com
By Mike Kojima and Billy Johnson
If you follow Time Attack at all you are probably very familiar with FXMD's Acura NSX Unlimited RWD killing machine piloted by our own Fast Lap Editor, Billy Johnson. In the 2009 Time Attack season the NSX has given the competition the business in every event it has entered for an undefeated 2009 Redline Time Attack season. Lets take a deep technically based look inside the fastest Time Attack machine in North America.
FX Motorsports Development is proud to announce their entry in the 2010 World Time Attack Challenge at Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney, Australia! Many of the top teams around the globe will be attending this event to find out who is the fastest in the world! Eastern creek is renowned as a horsepower track and with the highly experienced Billy Johnson doing the driving they will certainly be one to watch on the 21st 22nd May!
Auto Club Speedway, previously known as California Speedway is a relatively new track built in early 1997 and has been the host for many racing series including NASCAR, IRL, Motorcycle, Grand-Am, and even JGTC. This D-shaped oval incorporates 11-degree banking on the front straight with 14-degree banking in NASCAR Turns 1 and 2. This track also has a series of infield road-course combinations with the largest and fastest utilizing the oval’s front straight and first two turns before going back down into the infield. This 2.88 17-turn "roval" is a common configuration for everything from Grand-Am to track days.
MotoIQ would like to give a hearty congratulations to our very own Billy Johnson for his smoking lap time of 1:36.106 at the Redline Time Attack 2009 season finale at California Speedway last weekend. Billy's time was good for:
1st Overall 1st Unlimited Class 1st Unlimited RWD New RTA track record (and track record for a production-based car).
The win sealed Billy's Redline Time Attack Championship's in both Unlimited and Unlimited RWD classes.
MotoIQ's master Tech Editor Eric Hsu helped Sierra Sierra win the overall victory at Source Interlink's Superlap Battle Time Attack with their locked and loaded EVO VIII. Eric's contribution is supporting the Cosworth Powertrain that propels the potent EVO.
MotoIQ's professor of race craft, Fast Lap Columnist Billy Johnson was victorious last weekend in the Salt Lake City 200 Koni Grand Am Cup race at Miller Motorsports Park. In an exciting knockdown-drag-out battle with the defending race winner Bill Auberlen, Johnson passed Auberlen in Turn 1 of Lap 46, the final lap of the two-and-a-half hour race to win by a narrow 1.095 seconds. This was Johnsons second Grand Sport (GS) victory of 2009 and the first ever for co-driver Jack Roush Jr, son of the legendary Jack Roush Check out the Video here!
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