Monthly Archives: April 2016

Troy Dontas lined up in a brand new look VE Ute Backed by Oaklands Built. Another new partner presented also for the #5 Holden was XFORCE Performance Exhaust. “It is fantastic to have the support of our sponsors and backers; I can’t thank them enough for their investment they have submitted” a very excited Troy Dontas mentioned.

Friday morning presented the team with Practice 1 where it all started well with Troy starting to settle into the new look Holden. His times were showing true promise until a high speed off at turn 4 resulted in returning to the pits mid-way through the session with a power steering failure. “The car was at the top of 4th gear doing approximately 160kph when the power steering line blew apart and through oil everywhere, it was a seriously scary moment” said Troy.

The team returned the car to the garage and with a very tight turn around manage to get the car back on track by a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, a damaged power steering rack ruined another session.

Qualifying took place on Saturday morning and with a fear of rain, the team coached Troy to set a lap early to secure a spot on the grid.

For race 1 the Oaklands Built Holden started from P14 with rubbing and racing as per the V8 ute category Troy managed to move the #5 Commodore up into P12.

Race 2 saw a grid shuffle take place which saw the Oaklands Built/XFORCE Commodore started off the front row. Richard Mork jumped the start leaving Troy to have an advantage and get through turn 1 by himself and take lead of the race. A mid-race altercation with another car saw damage to the front of the car. Unfortunately, the damage caused from the accident was too severe to finish the race as the car suffered engine power loss and overheating issues.

Race 3 was looking good until an engine issue caused by race 2 incident didn’t show through until the vehicle was on track, unfortunately due to a string of bad luck and equipment issues we withdrew from the last race.

“It was a very disappointing to have the bad luck we did. Last time I checked I never ran over any black cats” said Team owner Mathew.

The Australian V8 Utes are next on track at the Winton SuperSprint May 20 – 22.

Turbosmart USA’s Ford Mustang EcoBoost featuring XForce’s brand new 3″ Turbo-Back System and Twin VAREX Mufflers. Have a listen!

XFORCE STAINLESS STEEL 3″ TURBO-BACK SYSTEM WITH VAREX MUFFLERS

Suits: FORD USA Mustang 2.3L EcoBoost 2015-
Part No: XF-ES-FM16-VMK-TBS
RRP: $1499.00
Diameter [in]: 3
Product Type: Turbo-Back System

FIND YOUR LOCAL XFORCE STOCKIST: https://xforce.com.au/where-to-buy

Here’s our very own VFII Commodore fitted with the latest 7-series system featuring 1 7/8″ tuned-length headers, twin 3″ cat-back and rear VAREX mufflers!

Suits: HOLDEN VE/VF SS SEDAN / WAGON 2006+
Part No.: ES-VF73VMK-EBS
RRP: $4041.00
Product Type: New 7-Series System
Diameter [in]: 3

 

FEATURES:

• 1″7/8 Tuned-length Headers;
• Dual 3″ 100Cell Metallic Cats;
• Twin 3″ Cat-Back System;
• Twin Hot-Dog style Center Resonators;
• Dual Oval Rear Varex Mufflers;
• Quad 3.5″ Tips.

Here’s our latest video showcasing our exhaust systems for the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8! Unleash the rumble of your SRT8 with our Engine-Back or Cat-Back system. Have a listen!

For more info on available options, click HERE.

After grabbing his first victory with Team TEKNO and capturing the points lead in the second round of the 2016 V8 Supercars Championship season, Darrell Lea STIX driver Will Davison was ready to push hard to maintain his lead coming into Round 3 at Phillip Island.

“I still feel like I’ve got a bit of learning to do in this car but we’ve shown what we can do,” said Davison.

“But it’s tremendously satisfying to be properly competitive again, to score a win early in the season, and to know we can race the best of them.”

                                    

“It’s nice to come off of a good run in Tasmania, but we’re still heads down, staying focussed, making the car quicker every weekend and getting Will more comfortable so that we’re still there at the end,” added TEKNO Autosports’ team owner Jonathon Webb.

The practice sessions on Friday afternoon were a chance for Will and the team to test the limits of the #40 Holden Commodore around the 4.45km circuit, one of the fastest on the V8 Supercars calendar.

“We ran one set of tyres for the whole session, trying to get a read on the race car and always pushing the limit,” he remarked following Practice 1.

“We’re a little limited on rear grip but […] the car balance feels pretty good and we were certainly hanging it out a bit in the rear.”

A promising P5 result followed in Practice 2 as the second quickest Holden Commodore in the field, which would set the standard for the weekend’s first qualifying session on Saturday.

“We got a good run in there at the end. The car’s doing all the right things,” he said.

However, it wasn’t to be, with Will qualifying in P20 for Race 6 and finishing in P16.

He would later start the 200km Race 7 on Sunday in P16 after a fouled qualifying session.

“Qualifying didn’t go to plan this morning. [We’re] still struggling with the balance of the car, but I also didn’t do a good job. I didn’t get a run on the last set of tyres and shot off at T1,” said Will.

“It’s been a tough weekend, but it’s not over.

“It was really promising late in the race (Race 6). You’re in the corners for such a long period of time and the difference between hero or zero is nothing, so hopefully we can get more of what we had at the end of yesterday.”

A good race strategy from Team TEKNO helped Will Davison move up in the mid-pack throughout the race to ultimately finish within the top 10 in P9.

“I enjoyed the race, I thought we executed it really well, I thought we did the strategy well, and I thought we did a really good middle stint [with] very good consistency.

“We jumped quite a few cars in the pits and I was able to pass some cars on the track, so we were moving forward.

“The race certainly went to plan.

“It’s nice to finish with a good solid points haul, and it’s been a tough weekend so we’ll spend a lot of time debriefing after this weekend and trying to understand our weaknesses, but certainly knowing we moved forward in the end is something to walk away from.

“There were glimpses of brilliance in the car, but we just haven’t been able to put it all together over the course of this weekend like we showed in Tasmania, but no doubt we’ll get back to those ways soon.”

For Will it’s all about moving on and looking toward the next round in the Championship.

“I enjoy Perth. It’s the complete polar opposite to this track (Phillip Island). It’s slippery, it’s sandy, and I’ve had great results there in the past with good memories from last year.

“Our car’s got good tyre life and that’s generally the key to success around there, but it’s probably one of the most critical circuits on the calendar for chassis balance and setup.

“I’m absolutely looking forward to it.”

Catch Will Davison and the Darrell Lea STIX team at the next round of the V8 Supercars Championship for the Perth SuperSprint at Barbagallo Raceway on 6-8 May.

 

 

 

 

V8 Supercar driver Will Davison has just taken delivery of his new Tekno Performance Holden Colorado fitted with our stainless 3″ turbo-back system. Take a look!

For more info and available options for your Holden Colorado, visit: https://xforce.com.au/bolt-on-systems-for/holden-colorado-rg-2012-to-onward/cid-1063040043

Tekno Autosports’ driver Will Davison has started his season strong, grabbing his first race win and the championship lead in only the second Championship round with his new team.

The stellar result came following the news of team manager Steve Hallam’s departure from the team just prior to the Symmons Plains round.

TEKNO team owner Jonathon Webb said the loss changed the team’s operations coming into Races 4 and 5 of the Championship.

“There was always going to be a different environment without Steve around, but all the boys in the crew have been around a long time,” he said.

“We are a small group so we’re relying on each individual but they’ve done a great job and picked up the slack.”

After scoring his first podium for TEKNO Autosports in Race 4 of the 2016 V8 Supercars season, Davison took the win in Sunday’s 200km race in what could only be described as a dramatic finish.

Oil on the track at the T4 hairpin forced the front runners Shane van Gisbergen and Mark Winterbottom off the track.  Meanwhile, Davison held his composure and sailed through the drama to take the lead of the race and the eventual chequered flag.

“I’m a bit blown away by the way that finished,” remarked Davison.  “I was pretty happy with the way the race was going anyway.”

“We had to stay calm and disciplined for the tyres, but obviously the Safety Car went against what our original plan was.  We put in a lot of fuel in at the first [pit] stop and lost track position.  It’s always tricky there doing quite a long stint behind a couple of cars and brakes are cooking and the tyres go off more that you’d like.  It wasn’t entirely a comfortable situation, but the last stint we had a great stop…

“I was thinking a podium would be great, the top-4 would be a good consolidation from yesterday.  It’s never over until it’s over and the car came alive and I was able to sneak under Craig who lost his tyres there in the closing stages.”

Davison also commended his team for their communication at the race’s frantic final stage.

“I got a really early warning as I came through T3.  I saw them lock up and it was really hard to know what line to pick.  I grabbed it, locked up and fortunately was able to sneak inside them.”

Will Davison is looking forward to working with the Darrell Lea STIX team for a strong and consistent 2016 season.

“We do this sport and it’s pretty serious, but races like that is what I’ve missed in the last couple of years.  It’s good fun and very rewarding.  It feels good to do it with the team,” he said.  “Hopefully this is the first of many.”

But what does he think of championship talks this early in the season?

“It won’t start taking shape until halfway through the year.

“There’s a long way to go so I’m not going to talk championship, but it’s a nice feeling.

“We’ve had a great weekend but we’ve got to keep backing it up at other circuits.

“Getting a win early is a big relief, it takes pressure off, but consistency is what it’s all about,” said Will.

“The race pace is there.  It’s a good boost for Will.  A good boost for all the boys to know we’re still here and still in the hunt,” added Jonathon Webb.

“A lot has gone on in the off-season, but we’ve shown people what we can do and what we’ll continue to do for the remainder of the season.”

Tekno Autosports head to Philip Island for the next round of the V8 Supercars Championship on 15-17 April.