My Weekend at the Korean F1 Track

Well, I cleverly ran out of money and couldn't partake in the race, but I did go with my Korean friends at Turbo Spark Racing Team to help out in the pits, carry equipment and make grammatically "innovative" comments about racecar setup.

Probably the best part is that I got to scope out what will be my competition and get a better idea the classes I can run in. It turns out it was a very good thing I decided against turbocharging the Nubira. That would have bumped me into a class with new M3s, Skyline GTRs and Porsche Turbos. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have swapped out the 1.5 L for the 2.0.

Not a big deal, though, I'm pretty sure I can run in the TT200 class with the turbo diesel cars and the 2.0L NA gasoline cars. Tiburons are probably the most common car in this class, but not really front runners. I have a theory why and we'll see if I can convince the team owner to do a suspension overhaul on his wife's TT200 racecar. Second place in my prospective class went to what Americans would call a 2003 Hyundai Elantra GT - this one belonging to a member of our team. There were a couple of other Elantra GTs and they all seemed to do pretty well. First place went to a Chevy Cruze diesel. I think victory, in their case, had something to do with the fact a Cruze can fit 285/35/18s (!!!!) on the front. The good news is that my Nubira is the same platform as a Cruz (I intend to steal a junkyard Cruze's hubs, brakes and aluminum control arms for my Nubira, in fact), the bad news is I'm rubbing with 215/45/17s. We'll see how much my weight advantage ends up meaning, I guess. Either that or we'll see how good I am at making fiberglass front fenders.

Our two other team members were in the TT300 class - a couple of second generation Tiburon V6 turbos. The green one was on the slow side of mid-pack, the silver one was an also-ran before it blew up. I'm not, it's safe to say, a huge fan of these as a race platform. Both guys said, if they could start over, they'd rather use the 2.0L four cylinder version of the Tiburon.

If you want to see pictures and read more of the story, I posted it online here. http://bengarrido.com/2013/10/20/photos-from-the-yeongam-race-weekend/

some info that reached me said that the Chevy Cruze diesel was only coming as an automatic ... is that what y-all have there ? or is the info I got incorrect ?

There were several at Yeongam, and they were all sticks. Interestingly, the only non-diesel or non-stick Cruze I saw appeared to be a hybrid in the early stages of race prep.

I would imagine the main weak spot on the EGT's would be the front brakes. the rears are used on the heavier Tiburon and are appropriately sized. The fronts are under 10" on a 2900lb car (for the sedan, 3000+ on the hatch). That can be fixed with a set of 2004 Sonata V6 rotors and Tiburon calipers/pads up front to step it up to an 11" front brake setup. Suspension stuffs are plentiful because they share suspension with the Tibs.

I would imagine they will be a pretty decent setup to beat.

This has me interested....

That critter is running 5 bolt hubs with rear disc.... neither of which were ever available on the Accent/Excel platform. Are they using GK Tib knuckles on this one?

Bobzilla wrote: I would imagine the main weak spot on the EGT's would be the front brakes. the rears are used on the heavier Tiburon and are appropriately sized. The fronts are under 10" on a 2900lb car (for the sedan, 3000+ on the hatch). That can be fixed with a set of 2004 Sonata V6 rotors and Tiburon calipers/pads up front to step it up to an 11" front brake setup. Suspension stuffs are plentiful because they share suspension with the Tibs. I would imagine they will be a pretty decent setup to beat.

The Elantra GT on our team was running Brembo aftermarket brakes, so no fade for him.

I'm not sure why, but the EGTs seemed to have much more favorable camber curves, bumpsteer and roll centers than either generation Tiburon. I don't know if the Tiburons I happened to look at were all over-lowered, if people run the EGTs higher or if they just came from the factory with better geometry. Regardless, they seemed to have significantly higher cornering speeds.

That red one I showed was supposedly making 200 hp at 7,500 rpm out of an overbored Beta.

Bobzilla wrote: This has me interested.... That critter is running 5 bolt hubs with rear disc.... neither of which were ever available on the Accent/Excel platform. Are they using GK Tib knuckles on this one?

I would imagine so. I didn't get a super close look at this Accent, but there were a lot of neat details even in my cursory once over.

You can't see it in the picture, but there's a big intercooler in the front grill. This is especially interesting when you consider the WRX hood scoop on the stock Accent hood.

Also, the tires weren't that big (235s if I remember correctly), so I don't think this car is running the stock a-arms. It was significantly wider than any other Accent I've seen. This might not mean anything - although considering how common beta swaps are in Korea I doubt it means nothing - but I also saw a 6-speed shift nob of the type you'd normally see in a second generation Tiburon.

Interesting, because IIRC the Beta never came backed with a 6-spd and the bellhousings were different between the beta and the Delta. Possibly a Theta-swapped car? THat would make since with the hood scoop feeding air into the turbo because the Theta exhaust is on the back side of the engine.

235's on a car that size/weight would be hugenormous. COnsidering it would have weighed 2200-ish stock before gutting, I could see it sitting around 1900-2000lbs with a 235 tire is impressive.

I definately want to know more about this one if you see it again.

DaewooOfDeath wrote:

Bobzilla wrote: I would imagine the main weak spot on the EGT's would be the front brakes. the rears are used on the heavier Tiburon and are appropriately sized. The fronts are under 10" on a 2900lb car (for the sedan, 3000+ on the hatch). That can be fixed with a set of 2004 Sonata V6 rotors and Tiburon calipers/pads up front to step it up to an 11" front brake setup. Suspension stuffs are plentiful because they share suspension with the Tibs. I would imagine they will be a pretty decent setup to beat.

The Elantra GT on our team was running StopTech aftermarket brakes, so no fade for him. I'm not sure why, but the EGTs seemed to have much more favorable camber curves, bumpsteer and roll centers than either generation Tiburon. I don't know if the Tiburons I happened to look at were all over-lowered, if people run the EGTs higher or if they just came from the factory with better geometry. Regardless, they seemed to have significantly higher cornering speeds. That red one I showed was supposedly making 200 hp at 7,500 rpm out of an overbored Beta.

GK Tib rear struts raise the XD's about 3/4", so you can lower them more while still retaining closer to stock geometry. I'm curious why they're running the Hatch over the sedan though. The sedan's are lighter, and have a stiffer overall chassis than the hatch.

Bobzilla wrote: Interesting, because IIRC the Beta never came backed with a 6-spd and the bellhousings were different between the beta and the Delta. Possibly a Theta-swapped car? THat would make since with the hood scoop feeding air into the turbo because the Theta exhaust is on the back side of the engine. 235's on a car that size/weight would be hugenormous. COnsidering it would have weighed 2200-ish stock before gutting, I could see it sitting around 1900-2000lbs with a 235 tire is impressive. I definately want to know more about this one if you see it again.

I'm interested too! I kept waiting for the guy to open the hood but it never happened.

Bobzilla wrote: GK Tib rear struts raise the XD's about 3/4", so you can lower them more while still retaining closer to stock geometry. I'm curious why they're running the Hatch over the sedan though. The sedan's are lighter, and have a stiffer overall chassis than the hatch.

Honestly, motorsports is new enough in Korea that it wouldn't surprise me if the answer came down to, basically, "GTs are the sporty version."

You're absolutely right about the weight and stiffness, and yet I didn't see a single non-hatch Elantra of that generation.

Actually, the car I really want to see somebody make into a racecar is an EF Sonata. I would bet you dollars to donuts those double A-arms more than make up for the 150-ish extra pounds compared to a Tiburon. If I move on from the Nubira and stay in the TT200 class, I'll probably give it a try for myself.

EF? Hell no. NF? HEll yeah. The Theta's wake up nicely and there is room under those fenders to stuff 255's without flares/bodywork. The NF's wheel bearings are so weak I can't see them lasting a track session without failure with any sort of grip.

Any Forte's out there? Those are the successor (IMO) to the XD/GK platform in regards to weight/power. The 2.4 wakes up well and is only carrying 2700lbs without a sunroof.

In reply to Bobzilla: Really? Aren't the EFs considerably lighter? I know the NF has a better engine, but betas are the b-series Hondas of Korea - cheap, available and easily tuned. Is there something I'm missing with those?

There are quite a few Fortes, the problem with them is that there is no 2.4 offered in Korea and the 2.0L thetas struggle to keep pace with the tuned betas especially the turbo gammas. I did see one that was pretty competitive in the 200 class, but the rest (there were like 6) were way in the back.

How often do they host club racing events there? The F1 broadcast here note that the annual F1 race weekend is the only racing held at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, and that the track is closed for the rest of the year.

In reply to DaewooOfDeath:

Ah, the no-2.4 would definately neuter it.

The EF's curb weight was ~3180lbs while the NF was ~3250. I'm not sure what engine choices y'all got for hte EF, but we got the knockoff mitsu 2.4 (138hp/145tq)and the horrific early 2.5L delta.

Bobzilla wrote: In reply to DaewooOfDeath: Ah, the no-2.4 would definately neuter it. The EF's curb weight was ~3180lbs while the NF was ~3250. I'm not sure what engine choices y'all got for hte EF, but we got the knockoff mitsu 2.4 (138hp/145tq)and the horrific early 2.5L delta.

You are right - the Sirius, I'm guessing, is a 4G64?

I'm not interested in any of the Delta engines.

nderwater wrote: How often do they host club racing events there? The F1 broadcast here note that the annual F1 race weekend is the only racing held at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, and that the track is closed for the rest of the year.

Almost every weekend. I heard that too and I was confused. I think they mean for the street section of the track. The dedicated racetrack part is open almost every weekend. They run 100, 200, 300 class races, SUV races (weirdly popular), these weird prototype thingies, track days and even drifting events.

Does the hatch have better aero than a sedan? Maybe that's why?

It could be that. Another reason I just figured out, is that the GT in Korea came with the 2.0 Tiburon engine but the sedan topped out at a 1.8L DOHC. I mean, it wouldn't be that hard to swap, but a swap is still work and it automatically makes the car illegal for road use in Korea as well.

My favorite car of the weekend ...

DaewooOfDeath wrote: My favorite car of the weekend ...

Looks like they have a class for the construction equipment? What time did they run around the track? Lol

So I was thinking about that Accent last night...... I think they used RD/J2 control arms front and rear with GK knuckles/hubs. IIRC, they were really close in physical dimensions to the 2nd gen Accent arms.

It would make sense from the standpoint of getting better brakes and keeping the wheel bearings alive.

BTW, I just got a bunch more photos from a friend. I'll post them as soon as they finish downloading. There was an all electric Lotus Seven derivative, a bunch of racing SUVs and some Porsches.

Ooohh.... moar photos!

I really like this for some reason.