Underground Racing

Underground Racing is synonomous with twin turbochargers and supercharging systems for exotic sports cars. Kevin and KC Howeth began tuning up muscle cars in the 90's and then they turned their attention to supercars.

What's more awesome than a supercar? A supercar with twin turbochargers! Underground Racing builds custom twin turbo intake systems for supercars ranging from the Dodge Viper to the Lamborghini Murielago, putting these already fast cars toe-to-toe with the Bugatti Veyron. With their top performance kits squeezing out as much as 1,600 wheel horsepower, its no wonder they're breaking records in drag racing and top speed challenges.

This Charlotte, NC-based tuner shop specializes in custom-built turbocharging and supercharging systems for exotic sports cars.

If you're a racing fan, you can tell from the location that this company probably has something to do with NASCAR, and you'd be right: Their core business is fabrication of engine components for cars racing in NASCAR, NHRA, Busch, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA, and IHRA.

Brothers Kevin and KC Howeth got their start tuning muscle cars in the 1990s. After building a reputation on supercharged Saleen Mustangs, they extended their reach in the domestic market by opening Underground Racing in 2003, building supercharging and turbocharging kits for the Dodge Viper and Ford GT.

Over time they noticed that Lamborghini Gallardos were hitting the used market at prices far lower than the Viper, and with its four wheel drive and even weight distribution it seemed like an ideal candidate for tuning. Over time the shop's kits expanded to add the Murcielago, Ferrari F430, and Audi R8 V10. UR will soon add to this list, debut tuned versions of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Lamborghini LP670-SV at the SEMA show this November, with performance packages available soon after.

The company's original supercharging systems are still available for the Dodge Viper from $10,000 to $35,000, but their focus has moved on to turbocharging. Performance packages are available in four stages: Stage 1 and 2 kits leave the engine untouched, adding turbocharging equipment and remapped engine computers. Stage 3 and 4 require engine and drivetrain modifications. Cost for Stage 1 turbocharging systems start at around $40,000, with Stage 4 kits in the $110,000-$120,000 range. The shop partners with Pro Line Race Engines for engine block work, but everything else is done in-house.

All kits are designed to run at full boost on 117 octane race gas or at reduced pressure burning 93 octane Super Unleaded, making the modifications usable on the street as well as the race track. Conversions come with a 2-year, 24,000 mile warranty, and the exterior remains untouched, keeping these cars usable as daily drivers. However, a lot of owners ask for the rear engine cover so they can show off the polished exhaust and intake piping covering their engines.

Kit installation takes anywhere from four to six weeks. For people who want one of these exotic tuner cars without having to find a suitable base vehicle and wait for modification, the shop has recently added a used car lot that sells both new exotics and used vehicles that have received UR's performance upgrades. The shop also sells performance parts and modifications ala carte, and can build custom suspension systems using Penske racing equipment.

The company is already making a name for itself in racing with UR's own Richard Holt broke 250 mph at the March 2010 Texas Mile top speed race and customer Jonah Yokubaitis' Lamborghini Gallardo and Gallardo LP560 taking the top two spots in the October 2010 race, with both cars exceeding 240 mph. Their most powerful vehicle, the Stage 4 1600hp Dodge Viper, has been clocked doing a quarter mile in 7.98 seconds, passing the finish line at 183 mph. At these speeds, these cars are within reach of the Bugatti Veyron at a fraction of the price.

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Inside the Bull’s Pen: A Small Glimpse at F1’s Red Bull Racing Operation

Understanding the family connection between Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury car brand, and Formula 1’s Red Bull Racing is easy, really.

Here’s how the story goes: Red Bull’s 2010 championship winning racecars driven by young superstar and reigning F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and veteran Mark Webber are powered by custom 650-plus horsepower 2.4-liter Renault Sport F1 RS27 engines. In the road car world, Renault and Nissan are like peanut butter and jelly. Since 1999, they’ve often shared platforms, engines, and future tech as part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

So when Nissan recently needed a globally renowned outlet from which it could spread the word about Infiniti – especially in Europe where it is just now getting a foothold — it quickly devised a plan to badge the reigning championship cars and driver’s suits with giant Infiniti logos.

It is this cleaver multi-year marketing tie-up that recently brought me to a quiet industrial park near Milton Keynes, England. The town serves as the home base to RBR and is the sole spot where the team’s innovative technology is cultivated, not to mention guarded with the utmost seriousness and secrecy. Considering the competitive lot that includes juggernauts Scuderia Ferrari and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, this should be no surprise. The three are some of the wealthiest and cutthroat teams in all of motorsport.

Merely walking into RBR’s front reception area, I got an immediate feeling of secrecy, cleanliness, and technological richness. (A recent Independent report emanating from Europe estimated Red Bull spends close to $300 million per year on its two Formula 1 teams, RBR and Scuderia Toro Rosso.) I liken the headquarters to those of NASA; our small group was required to have a legitimate reason to enter the compound and was asked not to not snap photos unless instructed to at designated areas. Top secret is the norm.

Just past the reception area’s elaborately lit race and championship trophy section is the building’s main floor, where 180 young designers sit in large low-walled cubicles. Each Dell flat screen displayed a 3D CAD part image. Minus the French heart, every component on the RB7 racecars — from titanium bolts to carbon fiber gearbox — is developed and created at the U.K. facility and the team’s sister company (which is right across Bradbourne Drive), Red Bull Technology.

The company hires most of its designers and engineers straight from the world’s top university programs. Not only do they call different countries home, some also arrive from the yachting, aerospace, and automotive industries, so specialties are highly diverse but remain closely related. There are also craftsmen, fabricators, carbon fiber/advanced material specialists, race engineers, strategists, and a group of administrative, marketing, and public relations executives that makeup the 560-strong team located at Milton Keynes.

Continuing past the outer-ring offices of chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, and team principal, Christian Horner, we arrive at RBR’s secured race center. The approximate 20-foot by 20-foot room has space for at least 16 engineers seated at individual desks. The desks are tiered in a stadium-seating sort of way, with the first row being the lowest. Again, thoughts of NASA’s Houston launch control come to mind, or better yet, a complex war room where all-out battles are directed.

On the wall ahead of the desks hang four giant flat screen TVs. According to RBR, they are a key element in the three lines of defense applied during a race. The first line is the pit lane engineering team, usually seated at a small enclosed box directly in front of the garage. Next are the back-of-garage engineers that monitor the car’s vital signs. Last is the aforementioned race center group in England connected live to engineers at the race via telephone and the four TV screens.

From these monitors engineers closely watch their cars and those of the competition. They analyze the live video feeds to determine competitors’ racing setups. From spring rates and suspension calibrations, to gearing and fuel load, RBR can make an educated guess as to what their top challengers are doing.

Strategists then plot the best time to schedule their 3-second pit stops and relay all information down to the pitlane. It is an amazing orchestration of analytics, guesswork, and technology that up until my visit, I had never truly appreciated or understood.

Downstairs from race control are massive aerospace-grade wind tunnels, autoclaves, and five-axis milling stations. The mills create part molds for wind tunnel testing by precisely etching materials by laser. RBR’s engineers share many fabrication techniques and technology with the military and space industries. One production process, for instance, creates lightweight metals and plastics from high-tech powders. Yes, powders. On my way towards the break room exit I caught a sight of the carbon fiber clean room/laboratory where parts are hand-built by associates donning long white coats.

Apart from the sophistication and sheer wealth of the Red Bull Racing operation, I walked away taken aback by every employee’s apparent love for motorsport and the ultimate prize — winning. Each is dedicated to providing Seb and Mark (that’s what I call them now) with the fastest open-wheel machines on the planet, no matter how unrelated or closely aligned their workday tasks may be.

I asked a few of the many engineers, designers, and administrators about the successful run they’ve had this season. Each told me they could not wait for their drivers to bring home the 2011 driver’s and constructor’s championships. In their minds, it isn’t if they’ll clinch the championships, it’s when. And after getting an intimate feel of what it takes to go from spiffy energy drink cans to Formula 1 kings, I have to agree.

Special thanks to Nissan North America, Infiniti, and Red Bull Racing for arranging my visit.

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BMW 328 Hommage channels brand’s racing history

Monday, May 23rd, 2011 @ 9:25 a.m.

At the annual Villa d’Este Concours event in Northern Italy last weekend, BMW took the wraps off of its latest Hommage show car – a retro-modern interpretation of its original 328 racing car.

Designed to echo the automaker’s 1930s racing car on its 75th anniversary, the Adrian van Hooydonk-penned 328 Hommage also shows off BMW’s emphasis on lightweight construction. Weighing in at just over 1,700 lbs., the 328 Hommage is positively lithe by modern car standards. To keep the pounds away, BMW made extensive use of carbon fiber – a material it will soon use extensively on production cars, beginning with its i-range of EVs. BMW says that all of the 328's carbon fiber panels have been kept unpainted.

Its wedgy shape undoubtedly recalls the original 328, although the Hommage is noticeably sleeker and lower to the ground. That’s intentional, says designer van Hooydonk, as is the lack of doors – another link to the past. BMW’s distinctive twin kidney look returns, although the Hommage’s grilles are incorporated into the front fascia in an entirely different manner than the original 328's tall openings.

The Hommage’s wheels are, BMW says, a “special interpretation of the characteristic hole pattern of the original rims.” Looking more like Swiss cheese than alloy wheels, these ultra light wheels feature a silver-grey cover made of glass fiber.

Inside, fine leather, high-gloss black polished aluminum and, of course, carbon fiber add a decidedly vintage flair to the modern design.

BMW made no mention of the Hommage’s powertrain in its initial release.

Look for the 328 Hommage to make its auto show debut in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production isn’t likely, although BMW will undoubtedly use the design study to gauge consumer reaction for certain elements – including the lightweight carbon fiber packaging.

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