CategoriesNews Racing

Race Review: 2012 Racing Recap

Oscar Jr. piloting the Team CRE Catfish in the early morning hours of the 2012 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
Oscar Jr. piloting the Team CRE Catfish in the early morning hours of the 2012 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

2012 was again a very busy year of racing for the “Jackson’s”. Racing has always been and always will be a part of the DNA here at Jackson Racing. Whether it’s Oscar Sr., Oscar Jr., Landon, or Spencer; one of us or a combination of us are racing to perfect our product and certify that “we race what we sell”.

SCCA Nationals 2012
Oscar Jr. was very busy in 2012 so finding time to get his SCCA National Championship races in to qualify for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs proved to be a challenge. Because of scheduling conflicts Oscar Jr. missed both of the local SCCA National events at Buttonwillow Raceway and California Speedway and had to travel to Portland International Raceway in July and to Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah in August to get his needed points and races completed.

Oscar Jr. seems to adapt to new tracks pretty quickly and it showed at the July 13-16, 2012 race at PIR by setting a time quick enough for Pole Position in the Super Touring Lites (STL) class and finished the weekend with wins on both days of the Double National event.

Three short weeks later Oscar Jr. was on his way to the lovely Miller Motorsports Park for another SCCA Double National event. Miller Motorsports Park is a World Class facility with excellent garages and a very challenging racecourse layout. When you add the 100ºF temperatures common in August to the challenging layout and 40 other screaming cars all vying for the same piece of tarmac going into the first turn the outcome doesn’t always turn out good. Fortunately for Oscar Jr. he easily navigated his way to the front, and scored two wins and two new track records over the weekend in the tough summer heat. Combined with his double wins at the Portland round, Oscar Jr. was awarded the SCCA Divisional Championship for 2012.

Unfortunately the SCCA decided to demote the fresh STL class to an “Exhibition Class” for 2012 just weeks before the Runoffs, which would make it a Non-National Championship race. We decided it was not a wise decision to make the trek back to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin to compete in a class that didn’t award the National Championship. Oscar Jr. had a good, if very quick, year of SCCA Racing and came away with the Divisional Championship. Maybe this year he can go all the way and win the big one!

SuperStreet Magazine FF Battle 2012
Each year SuperStreet Magazine invites some of the best tuners of front drive Honda’s to compete in their FF Battle Championship. This year Oscar Jr. was hired by Sportcar Motion to drive their Honda CR-Z with a K20 engine swap. Sportcar Motion did an extremely gorgeous engine swap on the car and it looked like Oscar Jr., the 2011 FF Battle Champion, had a chance to repeat as champion in 2012. Unfortunately some wiring issues kept turning on the VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) in mid-corner and kept the little CRZ from it’s full potential.

AMA Endurocross Series
Like his father, Oscar Jr. is a very good motorcycle racer as well as a great car racer and will jump at any opportunity to race a motorcycle or a car. Enter the new sport of Endurocross and Oscar Jr. was hooked. Endurocross is a motorcycle race held inside sports arenas with huge obstacles like logs, boulders, sand and water crossings. Riders compete on motocross bikes that have been highly modified to be able to conquer these extreme obstacles. Oscar Jr. had a great season learning this new sport on a new machine and is looking forward to competing again in 2013.

Oscar Sr. about to head down the salt in the twin Rotrex supercharged Hondata/Jackson Racing Acura RSX
Oscar Sr. about to head down the salt in the twin Rotrex supercharged Hondata/Jackson Racing Acura RSX

Bonneville Salt Flats Land Speed Racing
The third week of August every year is the date for the worlds fastest cars and motorcycles to test their engineering against the laws of physics at the great Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah. Jackson Racing was again teamed up with Hondata in an attempt to capture even more World Records just as they have since 2008. But this year things were different. Doug Macmillan of Hondata decided it was time that Oscar Sr. see what two Jackson Racing/Rotrex superchargers on a K20 engine and 800whp felt like at 200+mph. So this year Oscar Sr. climbed into a borrowed Bonneville legal driving suit and went out and drove to 198mph to receive his unlimited Bonneville racing license. The Hondata/Jackson Racing Acura RSX already holds numerous speed records and has gone through the speed traps at over 236mph, but for licensing purposes Oscar Sr. wasn’t allowed to go over 200mph during his license runs. And although any speed over 175mph but less than 200mph would have qualified him for his unlimited license, the racer in him pushed the envelope to reach a speed of 198.84mph! Oscar Sr. proved there is still a lot of Racer left in him and he still wants to race what he sells even if it means driving at 200+ mph!

The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Endurance Race
The 25 Hours of Thunderhill is the longest race in North America, and is now legendary in road racing ranks as among the toughest, most challenging endurance races in the world. It is the greatest challenge to man and machine that you can imagine. Drivers are pushed hard for up to 5 hours at a time; the crew deals with a lack of sleep as they have to be ready for a pit stop at any moment during the entire 25 hours of racing and the Crew Chief has to endure the entire race with no rest whatsoever. In 2011 Oscar Jr. drove and Oscar Sr. was Crew Chief to the rookie team from 949 Racing and brought them a commanding win in their first attempt.

For 2012 Oscar Jr. and Oscar Sr. teamed up with AIM Tires to campaign a brand new “kit car” called the Catfish under the new Team CRE/Jackson Racing/Achilles Tire banner. The Catfish is a tube frame racing chassis with a flowing fiberglass body powered by a stock 1999 Mazda Miata engine, transmission and differential. Although the car only had 140whp it was very light, nimble, went hours on a single tank of fuel. The new Achilles racing tires that were being used for the first time proved unstoppable and provided excellent grip deep into a long driving stint. Because this is a purpose built car and not a production car it was required to run in the Unlimited ESR class against ultra-fast Radicals, LeMan type cars like the Norma, and other exotic racecars. When the checkered flag finally fell, the Team CRE/Jackson Racing/Achilles Tire Catfish CB01-R had finished a very respectable 3rd place in its first outing. For 2013 Team CRE/Jackson Racing/Achilles Tire will be racing the entire WERC Championship and the 2013 25 Hours of Thunderhill. We look forward to another dominant season as we smooth out the rough edges of this great new car and vie for the WERC Championship and a win in the prestigious 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

2013 will be another action packed year for us at the racetrack! Follow along on Facebook and Twitter to receive all the track updates!

-Jackson Racing Team

CategoriesNews Press Release

Jackson Racing Civic R18 Supercharger System Released

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Jackson Racing releases their new supercharger system for
2006-2011 US 1.8L Honda Civic MT and AT

Yorba Linda, California (February 18, 2013) – World leading Honda Supercharger experts Jackson Racing are proud to announce their next generation supercharger system for the Honda Civic R18 is now available from $3495USD. The power and torque delivery of the Jackson Racing Civic R18 is simply amazing. The Rotrex supercharger provides the perfect drivability and fuel economy you’ve come to love from the Civic R18, but with a huge load of horsepower and torque! The Jackson Racing R18 supercharger system is ready to take down big brother Civic Si! The supercharger system delivers an impressive 45% increase in HP and 38% increase in TQ over stock. The Jackson Racing R18 intercooler system is standard issue in each system! The intercooler system has been engineered and tested for optimum efficiency and includes fitment for both Manual and Automatic transmission R18 Civics!

The Jackson Racing Civic R18 supercharger system has been extensively tested in all weather conditions to ensure factory drivability, excellent fuel economy, and proper emissions are retained while giving a substantial boost in performance. And just like our CARB-Legal CR-Z system, the Civic R18 system meets CARB emissions standards!

“After engineering and emissions certifying the CR-Z supercharger system, the 2006-2011 Civic R18 was the next step for Jackson Racing in our quest to produce powerful, fuel efficient, emissions legal supercharger systems,” said Oscar Jackson Sr., President and Chief Engineer of Jackson Racing. “There are plenty of companies that release products with little to no testing done on them and with no emissions compliance. That’s not our style. When you buy from Jackson Racing you get over 30 years of experience in building high quality performance products and Championship winning engineering.”

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Key Points:
• Up to 65 horsepower and 50 ft-lbs torque (MT-CARB Legal)
• Up to 100 horsepower and 60 ft-lbs torque (Track Pack)
• Maintains excellent fuel economy when driven normally
• Restores the performance “Honda” engine feel
• Civic Si dominating performance

System Includes:
• Rotrex C30-74 Supercharger
• Rotrex Self-Contained Oiling System with Oil Cooler
• Jackson Racing Supercharger Bracket Assembly
• Jackson Racing Belt Drive System
• Jackson Racing Precision-Engineered Hard Parts and Components
• Jackson Racing Intercooler System
• Jackson Racing Powder Coated Aluminum Piping
• Jackson Racing Silicone Hoses
• Jackson Racing Air Filter
• Jackson Racing 6 Rib Belt
• High Quality Metric Fasteners and Hardware
• Color Installation Manual
• Industry Leading Customer Service and Support

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Pricing and Availability

Tune It Yourself (TIY) Kit – $3495
– Jackson Racing Civic R18 Supercharger System
– Engine Management and Fuel Injectors Not Included

Factory Tuned System – $3995
– CARB EO# D-700-1
– Jackson Racing Civic R18 Supercharger System (+65HP over Stock)
– Hondata ECU Reflash
– High Flow Fuel Injectors

FlashPro Tuner System – $4495
– CARB EO# D-700-1
– Jackson Racing Civic R18 Supercharger System (+65HP over Stock)
– Hondata FlashPro
– Jackson Racing Civic R18 FlashPro Calibration
– High Flow Fuel Injectors

Civic R18 System Options:
– Civic R18 Track Package Available (+100HP increase over Stock)

The TIY kit is ideal if you already have engine management and want to do your own tuning. This system ships at 10psi, like the Track Package.

The Factory Tuned system is our plug-n-play system. This system provides the same power and drivability as the Tuner kit without the added expense of the FlashPro tuning solution or hassle of flashing the ECU on your own. Install and enjoy.

The FlashPro Tuner system includes the Hondata FlashPro and the Jackson Racing R18 calibration. This system is ideal if you are looking for the data-rich features of FlashPro, and to learn more about your Civic R18’s ECU operation.

The Track Package includes new JR Track Pack calibration and 450cc injectors for 10psi of boost. This is the ultimate plug-n-play high performance setup for the R18.

More product details for the Jackson Racing Civic R18 Supercharger System are available online at: 
Civic R18 Supercharger System | Jackson Racing

FAQ

Q: Will I need a clutch upgrade?
A: The Jackson Racing Civic R18 has done over 20,000 miles using the stock clutch. If you have an aggressive style of driving we would recommend a clutch upgrade.

Q: Will performance upgrades be available for the Jackson Racing Civic R18 systems?
A: Yes, our Track Pack will be available upon release and makes 100 HP over stock.

Q: Will you offer a kit for Asian and European owners?
A: International compatibility will be evaluated. We hope to offer an international Civic R18 option for international customers in the future.

Q: Will my Civic R18 pass emissions?
A: Our Civic R18 supercharger system has been granted a California Air Resources Board Executive Order (CARB EO# D-700-1) and is legal for use in pollution controlled automobiles in the state of California. This covers the Factory Tuned and FlashPro Tuner systems ONLY.

Q: Can I get a CARB-Legal system if I already have a FlashPro?
A: Yes! You can purchase the TIY system and the CARB Upgrade Package to make a CARB system with your own FlashPro.

Q: Will I be able to adjust and custom tune the Jackson Racing FlashPro calibration?
A: The calibration provided by Jackson Racing with the FlashPro Tuner system cannot be modified.

Stock vs JRSC R18 MT – CARB System

Stock vs JRSC R18 MT – Track Package

CategoriesArticles News

Temple of VTEC Test Drives the JR CR-Z

Shawn Church at Temple of VTEC got behind the wheel of our Jackson Racing CR-Z after the supercharger system release back in August. After a long weekend with the CR-Z, what was his opinion?

“So what is it like to drive a supercharged CR-Z for a week? Well, I put about 500 miles on Jackson Racing’s development car. I traversed Los Angeles rush hour traffic. Hit the highways for 2 hours of straight line cruising, blasted the back roads and the canyons and commuted back and forth to work on city streets…

…First, let’s cover the tuning of this kit. One of the biggest issues with aftermarket forced induction is that you’re usually depending upon someone of questionable skill to recalibrate the factory ECU to handle boost. And that’s if you’re lucky. Some kits come with piggyback computers that trick the factory ECU. In either case, usually something suffers and poor calibration tends to show up in the worst situations – like stop and go traffic, or trying to start from a stop going uphill, or during extreme hot or cold start scenarios. At some point, you’re going to be reminded that the factory engineers put one to two orders of magnitude more time into their calibration work than whoever sold you the kit did into theirs. Unless its the Jackson Racing CR-Z kit. As a tuner, I’m particularly sensitive to tuning issues and I was, of course, on the lookout for anything on the CR-Z. Worst case scenario would be that I could give Doug MacMillan at Hondata a gentle ribbing if I found something. Except that I didn’t. Really. Absolutely nothing. All that time spent getting this car to pass EPA and CARB testing means that it drives just like OEM, but with more power. Might there be more power if you don’t have to pass those tests? Probably, but in reality, for most owners, this is a set it and forget it kit. My hat goes off to these guys for a fantastic job…

…In the canyons, the JR CR-Z powertrain continues to shine. Smooth predictable power means that you can modulate power to limit wheelspin from the inside tire (no LSD) when powering out of corners. Heel-toe downshifting was intuitive and simple (again, no throttle lag and Honda doesn’t interfere with brake/throttle overlap – yet). The Rotrex blower makes its presence known audibly, but it speaks quietly instead of screaming in your ear. And when the canyons turned into city traffic, the JR kit was nearly transparent, except for the light breathy sound of the supercharger’s recirculation valve when lifting off the throttle at low speeds. Oh and the occasional chirp of the front tires as boost builds in first gear when you give it full throttle to execute a pass. In fact, the factory tires, with 25k miles and a couple of track days, were probably the biggest impediment to speed with the JR kit. From a low speed roll, mashing the throttle in first gear would result in copious wheelspin starting at around 4500 rpm if you didn’t modulate the throttle. With fresher (or simply _better_ ) tires, acceleration at low speeds would be dramatically improved. And speaking of acceleration, with 250 lbs of driver and gear, our best acceleration time to 60 mph as recorded by our Racelogic Driftbox was 6.9 seconds starting with a full 8 bars of charge. Our average time was around 7.2 seconds with 6 or 7 bars. With a better driver (I’m definitely not the fastest drag racer at TOV) and better tires, I think consistent 6.5 second 0-60 times are quite reachable. And while we didn’t have space to run a full 1/4 mile, I would predict a 14.9-15.2 second elapsed time with a 92-94 mph trap speed.

By now, some of you are probably muttering to yourself, “What about fuel economy?” since this is a fuel sipping hybrid with a touch of sport. Well, I think you’ll be impressed. Despite a heavy foot and extensive canyon running, our average over 500 miles was 34 mpg. Excluding the canyon runs, our 60% highway/40% city average was just over 37 mpg. And keep in mind I’m no hyper miler. I set the cruise control at 75+ mph on the highway when I could, I drove the car in sport 90% of the time, and I like to mash the gas around the city. I think that 40 mpg will be easily achievable for most people on the highway which basically means that you’re not really giving up any fuel economy if you don’t want to (IOW – restrain your right foot). In fact, even under our most brutal abuse in the canyons, we were hard pressed to go under 25 mpg. Of course, you are required to use 91 octane with the JR kit, but if you’re looking for the extra power, that’s a small price to pay in my opinion.”

Read more here: The Temple of VTEC: Jackson Racing CR-Z Supercharged Test Drive