Team ZEN
Follow the exploits of Team ZEN: Bioethanol Powered Time Attack Impreza
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STOP PRESS: ZEN to contend 2009 Time Attack Series
Posted on April 25th, 2009 3 commentsTeam ZEN have been stringing you all along a little bit, as on the 1st of this month we decided we would build up the car and contend the 2009 Time Attack series in full.
I think, for the most part, we managed to hold on to the secret! As ever, it has been a herculean team effort over the last 24 days and my most sincere thanks go to the following people (in no particular whatsoever)…
Paul Blamire, Tim Farmer and Richard Cope - Team ZEN.
Andy Tregarthen, Fred Walton, David Wallis, Roy Kunz, Steven Darley, Steve Fullbrook, Duncan Graham and Gary Butler - great friends of Team ZEN.
AET Turbos / Turbosmart, EXE-TC Competition Suspension, NAB Water & Environment, R J Morris Services, Design Dynamix and Jon Moss Photography for their continued support.
Cosworth, Compbrake, Rays Wheels, Solaris and Volans, Leach & Schofield for coming on board as new supporters.
I have endeavoured to keep a diary of the build over the last 24 days and wherever possible taken photos of progress. Below this post, that diary appears as a series of blog entries, so you can share in the agony and the ecstasy of deciding to enter Time Attack with just 24 days to sort engine, ECU and loom, brakes, wheels and body / aero!
I will Twitter updates throughout the day tomorrow from Oulton Park, which can be followed directly on Twitter, or viewed on the right hand sidebar of the blog… Thanks for your support!
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April Fools?
Posted on April 1st, 2009 No commentsToday the emails are starting to come back. I haven’t found our Richard Branson yet but every little helps! A couple of small deals are already done and within another week we should have a solution for some shiny new wheels, get in! Andy Taylor, MD of AET Turbos will be giving us an extra cheer at Oulton Park, his local round of Time Attack and this year our car will be sporting Turbosmart decals. The ZEN car has run twin Turbosmart wastegates since 2007.
I have had a few to and fro emails with Tom and I am gutted that he can’t make Knockhill. Tom is a great driver and a top
bloke, he fits right in with the team mojo (work hard, play hard that is :)) The ideal is to have one driver and stick to it. It takes time to build up a relationship with a driver and it takes him time to get to grips with the car. Believe it or not even the most experienced and seasoned ‘racing drivers’ find Time Attack pro cars difficult - how many race series have tarmac munching 700+bhp, 4wd, turbocharged cars in them after all?! But we haven’t managed a year yet with the same driver throughout due to various other commitments. So anyway, I am pondering who to ask to drive (Phil Glew is unavoidably detained trying to win the Renault Clio Cup for the first 3 Time Attack dates.) Tom is thinking too…
After hours Paul has been pondering and thinking whilst looking over the car. He has whipped out all the perspex windows and rear screen. He has been playing with wheel sizes / measurements. The super duper carbon fibre front splitter is out and the challenge of how to make it fit has begun. That’s it - it has started 
Meanwhile, I have done a billion spreadsheets for budget, expenditure, build list and timeline… And most importantly ordered a new webcam so I can record the build via time lapse
Gallery
