Launching Project Precision: Building the Ultimate Time Attack Skyline
Can I turn my street driven R34 Skyline into a full-fledged Time Attack Weapon?
Project Precision is my mission to take my beloved street-driven Nissan R34 GTT Skyline and transform it into an unbeatable machine built for one thing: Dominating the track.
Background and Inspiration:
Attending All Japan Day in 24 February 2019
The R34 Skyline is a JDM classic and my first ever turbocharged car. Despite the classic RB engine being restricted by the Gentleman's Rule, its body and design are timeless. I've participated and spectated in many different forms of circuit racing, including the 24hr Kei Car Endurance race, where I not only learned a lot about racing, motorsport, and teamwork but also about myself. I thrive on chasing the clock, perfecting my racing lines, and continually pushing my limits. Attending my first WTAC event that year aswell, seeing the calibre of race cars there, and how they just stuck to the track like glue, solidified my desire to enter. Despite door-to-door circuit racing being my favourite form of racing, the allure of Time Attack was irresistible.
Lets turn back the clock for a moment.
When I first started modifying this car, I initially wanted something with enough power for fun and with the practicality, functionality, and reliability to take to the occasional track day.
Photo from my first ever track day at Mallala Motorsport Park in South Australia
However like any Petrol Head I wanted more power! (I'll save that story for another day).
The Journey So Far:
Fast forward to 14 September 2023 where I started "Road to WTAC 2024." This series marked my first 'attempt' at the time attack build, but to be honest, it was barely that. I didn't do nearly half the research I've done now nor had the aim, drive, or willingness to sacrifice certain things on the car and myself to achieve my intended goals.
End of Ep 2 of "Road to WTAC 2024" YouTube Series
With all of that in mind, those experiences under my belt, and a long pause from any work happening, I spent a long time researching, budgeting and outlining the build and what is required. Have I missed things? Probably. Will this plan change? Highly likely. But that's just cars. Things come up, we learn more, see opportunities to do, fix, or upgrade something while in the process of upgrading something else, or face simply issues like parts taking forever to arrive.
Goals and Objectives:
Yes, the goal is to transform this car into a time attack car but.....a winning one. Building the car is only half of what's required, if that. I need to learn to drive it in its new form and master the track at Eastern Creek Motorsport Park, where I will make my debut. This will require the Skyline to have everything dialed in, lots of aero, along with my driving skills honed and refined. To assits all of this I'd like to squeeze a bit more power out of the forged RB25/30, increasing its current power of 574 kW/770 hp to the 800 hp mark.
This will be difficult as I can't wind the boost up anymore due to the head studs not being bigger or strong enough – an issue stemming from the previous workshop not building the engine as I specified.
Second to that is track times. I've never raced around Eastern Creek, so I don't have times to work from, but I need to be in the sub-1:30 range at LEAST to make it in the Top 10. The Open Class Division is highly competitive, with cars worth seven figures in development being driven by professional race car drivers. Some say beating these teams is impossible; I strongly disagree.
Current Status:
Currently, the state of the Skyline is completely stripped (engine & drivetrain still in the car) and in primer. This is honestly a good canvas to start with, allowing ease of movement in and around the car and to change/modify body panels.
A little quote I made up is: "Racing a Time Attack car with no aero is like playing football in thongs. It's doable, but it'll be a lot harder, and you'll look like a fuckwit in the process." Pardon the French.
The timeline, I must admit, isn't super concrete yet, though I'm looking at around a 9-12 month process.
There are many challenges I am anticipating and others I'm sure I'll face. One, as mentioned before, is learning to drive the car efficiently. A big part of this build is also shedding weight from the car. This is tough because, despite entering the Open Class Division where there aren't as many limiting regulations, I still want the car to maintain some sort of "street" look. This is why I will be keeping the factory dash. How does this relate to weight reduction? Well, I could cut and tube the front end like most people do, but I'm not sure if I'm there yet. I'll be cutting other parts of the car, but tubing the front end is a big one... let's come back to that.To help with this build, I currently have sponsorship and support from companies like Supercheap Auto and Carbonetics. Their assistance has been invaluable, allowing me to allocate more funds and time to other critical aspects of the project. I look forward to continuing our collaboration and welcoming additional sponsors in the future.
Community Involvment:
What can you do?
How can you be apart of this?
Keep an eye out on my socials, especially Instagram and YouTube, for polls, stories, and in-the-moment updates. Your input is invaluable in making this project a success. Additionally, if you think you have a skill or knowledge that will help me through this build process, don't hesitate to reach out to me via email at info@thejonesyexpress.com or shoot me a DM on social media.
I'm beyond excited to embark on this journey and share every step with you. Project Precision is more than a build; it’s a quest to redefine what’s possible with the R34 Skyline and to prove that you can, build a race car in your own garage!
Subscribe to my email list, follow me on social media, and stay tuned for the first update on the journey to turn this street-driven R34 into a Time Attack beast!
Full episode is now live on YouTube.