Wendover, Utah
While competing at the 53rd Annual Bonneville Speed Week event, Team
Progress/Vortech made automotive history by becoming the World’s Fastest
Civic and the first Honda Civic to exceed 200 mph. The team currently
holds six SCTA speed records, and earning a 200 mph time slip has been a
project goal now complete. The car runs in the G/BGALT class (2.0 liter,
blown, on gas only), and has exceeded the current record by over twenty
mph.
History was made on the last day of the meet, as the Progress/Vortech
Civic, driven by journalist-photographer and Bonneville veteran John
Thawley III ran an incredible 204.287 mph in the last mile of the course.
Owner and Crew Chief Jeff Cheechov says, “This one wasn’t easy. We
struggled all week with a list of tuning issues**. This place (The
Bonneville Salt Flats) is really unique in motor sport. When running
five-mile passes at wide open throttle with high boost levels, the entire
package must be absolutely correct. We hurt a set of pistons on Tuesday,
rebuilt the engine here on the salt, and spent the last two days of the
meet breaking in the new engine and carefully tuning a revised fuel map.
We were only able to make full five-mile passes on the last day of the
meet. Determination and great teamwork made it happen.”
The engine package is a sleeved B18C with Eagle rods, Arias pistons and a
DPR Stage 6 B16 cylinder head. Vortech Engineering provided a prototype
“race only” supercharger and standard aftercooler unit. The Progress
Group then developed a blower mount and crankshaft-driven cog-belt drive
system to spin the supercharger. The blower feeds a Vortech Civic Si
aftercooler. Add RC Engineering injectors and ECU modifications by
Hondata.com. Our unique combination benefits from a Hy-Tech custom header
and Magnaflow 3.5” racing exhaust. Jeff comments, “We calculated that
we needed 490 whp to run 200. We have exceeded our horsepower goals, and
feel that the car has even more potential left.”
Team Progress/Vortech would like to thank American Honda Motor Corp.,
Magnaflow Performance Exhaust, Landspeed Racing, and Denso Iridium for
their support. More information is available on the web at:
PHOTOGRAPHY AVAILABLE FROM
Thawleyphoto.com
MEDIA CONTACTS
The Progress Group, Inc.
1390 N. Hundley Street
Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone 714-575-1193
Attn: Jeff Cheechov
Vortech Engineering, Inc.
1650 Pacific Avenue
Channel Islands, CA 93033
Phone 805-247-0226
Attn: Gil Cormaci
A detailed story covering this incredible event will be available
shortly
** The spec fuel at the course was not suitable for the engine.
This fuel, coupled with an effective water/air aftercooler lowering the
air intake temperature, was not vaporizing correctly, which resulted in
engine damage on Tuesday, and tuning issues for the rest of the week. |
