Tuned In

This week's episode of the HPA Tuned In podcast features one of the biggest names in the motorsport aerodynamics world — Andrew Brilliant of AMB Aero . This conversation is an absolute gold mine of information for anyone who's interested in the aero world — whether you're considering adding a package to your car, wondering why your times have got slower after fitting your new splitt...

We love a good Starlet, and they don’t come much better than a turbocharged KP61 with some severe aero. Originally a drift school car back in Japan, Angel of Horsepower Techs KP61 Toyota Starlet has had more than a few changes over the years. After running the supercharged 4agze at 180HP Angel wanted more power so turned to a turbocharged Honda F20C engine he already had kicking around. The new F2...

The saying "do what you love and you'll never work another day in your life" is an accurate one, but there are a whole lot of cold, hard truths that need to be carefully considered before turning your passion into a career. To shed some much-needed light on the subject, this week we invited Reid Lunde of Kaizen Speed to sit down with Andre and talk shop — both in the literal and fig...

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed James Deane gives us a rundown on some of the grip aspects of drifting which see 900HP to 1100HP hit the ground in the race to the first corner before getting sideways. Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson James also talks about his switch from the Nissan S-Chassis to his BMW E92, and why it is Toyota 2jz powe...

On this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast, Andre is joined by an absolute legend of the import scene. John Shepherd has been around since the very early days of import drag racing. Through campaigning his AWD Eagle Talon, John lead the first charge and pushed the boundaries of just what was possible with a Japanese performance car. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off you...

With a 6.921s at 200mph run at Texas 2K19, this alleged 2500HP 2JZ-powered 1995 Supra easily caught our attention. Jay Meagher of Real Street Performance gives Andre Simon the goods on this build, including the fact that although data etc has indicated the car is pushing 2500HP, he believes it is closer to 2200 or 2300HP. No matter that number, the car is a performer and with owner Geo Castillo pe...

This week's High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast guest comes to us all the way from Oslo, Norway. Fredric Aasbø is the winningest driver in Formula D history, with a bunch of championships under his belt and the chiselled jawline to match. Fredric recently took some time out of his busy winter ice drifting schedule to sit down with Andre and discuss all things drift — the driving, the ca...

If you haven’t heard of Rob Dahm and his Mazda FD RX7 build, you have now. This has been many years in the making so far with lots of ups and downs as well as plan changes along the way — we caught up with Rob a couple of years ago at SEMA and took a good look at this incredible build. Want to learn how to EFI tune? Start with some free lessons right here: hpcdmy.co/efilesson Brotherly rivalry led...

Is modifying a rare and desirable vehicle a really stupid idea? What's the secret to building a great street car? What makes a good engine swap? Can you actually make a career as an automotive 'YouTuber'? On this week's episode of the High Performance Academy 'Tuned In' podcast, Andre is joined by Dave Pratte and Peter Tarach from Speed Academy to help answer all thes...

Even when budget is not a limiting factor, why might a team choose to use a factory block over an aftermarket billet one in a Time Attack build? With a 2.2L stroker 4G63 MIVEC build featuring a custom billet crank, rod and pistons, Benjamin Perry of Benchmark Solutions explains why a billet block was not a consideration for this build along with covering some of the upgrades the Global Aircraft Se...

On this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast, Andre is joined by Time Attack and Pikes Peak veteran Cole Powelson of Lyfe Motorsport. Cole has a lot of experience when it comes to making all sorts of vehicles go as fast as possible through chassis, suspension, engine, and aerodynamic development and as such, has plenty to say on what makes a quick car and how to ach...

2000-3000HP GT-Rs are not uncommon in today's performance car world, and Tony Palo of T1 Race Development runs us through some of the nuances that go into tuning these highly strung, modern beasts and ensuring that power goes to the ground. Discussed is how the MoTeC M150 ECU controls the torque via a variety of parameters such as speed, boost, knock throttle etc. Also discussed is how the ge...

Is there something in the water? Is it a cultural thing? Maybe it's the 9 months of cold and dark per year that forces enthusiasts into their garages and workshops that results in some of the world's most extreme race car builds.  Whatever the answer, there's no denying that Scandinavia is rich with incredible DIY engineers, fabricators, and engine builders, and Sweden's Karel...

Are piston coatings going to save you from a bad tune, and if not, what’s the point? MAHLE Motorsports engineer Eric Grilliot answers these questions and more during a Performance Racing Industry Trade Show visit. Discussed are how different coatings can look identical to the naked eye but will often have different purposes and intents between manufacturers and also locations on the piston. Top Fu...

How much power is hiding behind a factory diesel tune? What are the traps a gasoline tuner can fall into when dipping their toes into the diesel world? And what's a sure-fire way to create a nifty inspection hole in your diesel block on the dyno? If you want the answers to any of these questions, as well as many more, check out this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned In...

Want your GT86 to rev out to 9,000 RPM? Here’s one way to do it. The 570HP 4.5L Ferrari V8 powered ‘GT4586’ of Ryan Tuerck was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and we caught up with Brian Hartsock of Unicorn Garage to get a few more details of one of the more unusual GT86 engine swaps you’re ever likely to see. The engine hails from the F136 V8 family and originally was housed in a Ferrari 458. O...

We've got an absolute banger for this week's episode of the High Performance Academy Tuned In podcast, as the legendary Ben Collins sits down for some quality chats with Andre about all things driving and, of course, being the Stig. You may not know the name, but you'll definitely recognise the white overalls and helmet. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https:...

Running 80 PSI of boost and in excess of 2500HP Croyden Racing Developments 'JUN II' is one of the quickest GT-R Skylines in the world with a 6.86 1/4 mile pass at 204mph at the time of recording, most impressively with a street-legal chassis and the weight that comes with that! This interview with Con from CRD was filmed at Sydney Jamboree where unfortunately race day was rained off but...

On this week's episode of High Performance Academy's Tuned In podcast, Andre is joined by a legend of the Australian tuning scene, Micks Motorsport's Michael Baghdadi. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Mick has been a long time friend of Andre and of HPA, and comes into the conversation ready to lay down a wealth of knowledge when...

More and more late-model vehicles are using CAN bus to help control almost every function in a car from engine-related functions to touch-sensitive door handles. While on the surface this technology is great, when we want to start modifying a vehicle for track use it can cause complications. Want to develop your own skills further? Start with a free live lesson! Claim your spot now: https://www.hp...

In this week's episode of High Performance Academy's Tuned In podcast, Andre reaches out to Finland to talk billet, big horsepower, and engine building with Elmer Racing's Oskar Elmgren. Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Elmer Racing is best known for its incredible bespoke billet engines and its success with the PR Tech Racing Po...

Jett Racing recently reset the world record with a 6.20 at 229 mph with their 2200HP, 110 PSI compound turbocharged 4g63 monster. Want to develop your own skills further? Start with a free live lesson! Claim your spot now: https://www.hpacademy.com/free  

After a week off for the new year's break, we're back and starting off 2022 strong with an interesting and very informative chat with HPA's wiring and motorsport electronics tutor, Zac Perston.  Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in Although Zac currently spends most of his time working for a prestigious university here in New Zealand...

Ever wondered what it would take to build a 10,500RPM, 500HP V8 motorcycle-based engine? Wonder no more as the RPE RP-V8 is just that. Want to develop your own skills further? Start with a free live lesson! Claim your spot now: https://www.hpacademy.com/free  

The 2.3L 4G63 in this EVO 6 can produce up to 590HP, but why is that not necessarily a good thing? Benjamin Perry of Benchmark Solutions runs us through the Evolution Racing Spares EVO 6 which took out first place honours in the Clubsprint Class at the last World Time Attack Challenge. Running up to 590HP from 37 PSI (440KW at 2.5 Bar) the team actually turned down the boost from the Garrett GTX35...