BensonHsu.com

Sorry for leaving you all hanging! The engine is now running GREAT… it wasn’t a boost leak afterall… the wiring to the MAFS was falling apart, and it caused the car to idle fine… but the power wasn’t there. After fixing that, the engine is running STRONG. I mean, the car pulls really hard, and if I put the car into 2nd from 1st gear aggressively, the car will start fishtailing and will spin the rear tires for a while – with 215 Bridgestone S-03 on the rear!! There is still a small whining that is in tune with the rpms… I originally thought it was a loose spring on my clutch plate, but since I changed the clutch and the sound is still there, I’ve concluded that it’s something in my transmission. Good thing I got a transmission with my new engine!

The RS-R Drift Festival was great… again, Club4AG has raised the bar, and again, the US drifters stepped up to it. I can’t believe what a great show some of our drivers can put on for the crowd. I heard lots of cheering… as if this was a “real” driving event! It was great. So here’s my story… I started out with a new engine and new tires on the rears… I figured that I would try using my 215 Bridgestone S-03s on the rear – I didn’t like it. I had 3 laps to figure out my new setup… and I just could not predict the tires, maybe because I just need more time figuring out a rear sticky tire. I’m not sure, but I changed them after my first 3-lap session. The 2nd 3-lap session came around when suddenly I realized that my clutch went out on my 2nd lap. D’OH! I thought my day was over.. I brought my car back into the KAAZ booth, feeling kinda sad that I wouldn’t be able to drive for the rest of the day. Richard (JDM RICE) was nice enough to offer me his car for the competition (the next round was the start of the competition). Thank you Richard! My competing mentality was pretty much over for the day, since my car went bye-bye, but I figured that I could still have fun. So I went out… we had 2 laps to compete, which meant I had 2 laps to figure out his 330hp monster – with 275 wide tires in the rear. Needless to say, I couldn’t figure out the car in 2 laps Hahaha. But I did get a lot closer with each lap… it’s hard trying to drift while trying to overcome a handicap (boost lag under 4000rpms). But I am proud of myself for drifting the high-speed back sweeper… I started the slide in the top of 3rd gear and brought it all the way around to connect to turn 1. That in itself was a big accomplishment for me. Richard’s car is like a challenge for me now… I hope he’ll let me drive it again soon :) That’s the end of my story… congratulations to Alex Pfieffer, Andy Yen, and Ernie Fixmer for doing a GREAT job!! You guys are bad-ass! I saw A LOT of other people out there doing great too… you guys are bad-ass too! haha! Keep practicing… keep pushing the limit… and keep having fun and making friends!