Sponsors
Our fantastic sponsors are the foundation of our team, and we are proud to help them further their business by providing marketing traction, media exposure and product awareness to all those in our sphere of influence and beyond!
We are always looking for more partnerships, and would be pleased to talk to you about the possibilities!
Marketing Sponsor
FLIPP.CA is a marketing company, so we will let you read what they say about themselves. We will just say that they rock.
FLIPP is Different. You've never come across a company, group, team like FLIPP before. You've become accustomed to working with your conventional agencies, you've been trained to accept the way that they think, and even if you don't already know it... you're bored and so are they, and your product is suffering for it. FLIPP is offering you an alternative. Something to think about.
We will challenge the way things have been done. We we treat your marketing budget like it's coming our of our own pockets, not going into them. This is why we innovate and create measurable marketing communications plans that are focused on your end results. Sales.
FLIPP has sponsored us with the design on the livery (decal scheme) for Johnny Summers Racing, and are fantastically creative as well as fun, easy and exciting to work with. We look forward to working with them as the team goes forward!
Rally Armor
Rally Armor (R/A) is your primary resource for protective automotive gear. Committed to manufacturing premium quality rally and rally-inspired performance products, our goal is to offer car enthusiasts the kind of automotive wares that not only help modify their cars but also protect them. R/A offers products including Subaru WRX/STi, Impreza and Forester aluminum skid plates and rally mud flaps for both Subaru WRX/STi, Impreza and Mitsubishi EVO owners.
Rally armor is supplying us with their new motorsport edition for the rally car, as well as state of the art front fender liners.
Visit Rally Armor
Disc Brakes Australia!
DBA’s high-series enhanced performance rotor features Thermal Stability Profiling for improved heat handling, Thermo-Graphic paint markings for effective heat monitoring and Kangaroo Paw ventilation which runs cooler, stronger and outperforms traditional straight vane disc rotors by up to 20%.
DBA is providing us with state of the art disc rotors!
Freestyle Designs
With our forward way of thinking and leading edge design center, we guarantee our clients will get the corporate exposure they need to compete within the competitive marketplace. A formula designed to create increased product awareness and profitability.
A combination of over 20 years in our field and the creation of a "One Stop Shop" experience, that in our opinion, will ultimately lead to your success.
We look forward to being part of this process from concept to completion.
Freestyle has applied the most fantastic livery (vinyl) design on our rally car!
Visit Freestyle Designs
With our forward way of thinking and leading edge design center, we guarantee our clients will get the corporate exposure they need to compete within the competitive marketplace. A formula designed to create increased product awareness and profitability.
A combination of over 20 years in our field and the creation of a "One Stop Shop" experience, that in our opinion, will ultimately lead to your success.
We look forward to being part of this process from concept to completion.
Freestyle has applied the most fantastic livery (vinyl) design on our rally car!
Visit Freestyle Designs
Shop Sponsor
VEX Performance is a full automotive and high performance shop located in Red Deer Alberta. Specializing in Japanese and Domestic vehicles, VEX provides superior service, parts, knowledge and pricing. They are a trustworthy shop, that will help you build your dream ride.
VEX Sponsors Johnny Summers Racing with high end mechanic and parts support. JS Racing is truly powered by VEX Performance.
OS Giken, In 1975, made it's memorable entry into the racing world with the its unparalleled Four Valve DOHC TC16-MAII/TC24-B1 engine and firmly established itself as one Japan's most innovative race engineering companies.
Because all of OS Giken's designs and concepts are based on sound engineering and quality manufacturing, their reputation for reliable performance and durability is unparalleled.
OS Giken has sponsored Johnny's Open Class Subaru Rally car with a front and rear super-lock LSD and a twin plate racing clutch and movement alteration kit. OS Giken products will make a competitive difference in the car!
Read Johnny's Review of OS Giken twin plate clutch, and Super-Lock Limited Slip Differentials see below!
Tech Works Engineering technicians use the depth of knowledge gained through formal mechanical/electronic engineering training, and countless hours on the racetrack, in our never ending quest to obtain better components. Our engineers use these tools to design superior products that meet our stringent demands and requirements. These are the same products that we offer to you, our customers.
Tech Works Engineering has sponsored Johnny's Open Class Subaru Rally car with a strong, and purpose built 2.0L turbo boxer motor. The strength, reliability and power of this engine will prove to be a rock for our racing goals!
Lightspeed Innovations operates a dyno room which houses not just one but two dynos. Test your vehicle on either our Dynapack AWD Dyno or our in floor 2WD Mustang MD250. Our dedicated dyno room will let you test your vehicle under controlled conditions. Tune your own vehicle or let our tuner set your vehicle up for you. With over 15 years experience, and 10,000 hours of dyno tuning time we know what works.
Lightspeed has sponsored Johnny's new rally car by graciously making their AWD dyno available for us for tuning the race car! It's fantastic to use such a fantastic facility!
Johnny's review of the OS Giken Twin Disc race clutch and the front and rear Super Lock Limited Slip Differentials that are utilized on the Subaru Impreza Race Car.
We put our newly VEX Performance built, OS Giken sponsored, open class Subaru rally car on our dirt test track for the first time on March 16th 2010.
Knowing I was to give feedback I was prepared to bring my "A" game when it came to schmancy writing words, and observations from a drivers perspective. But all that I could say after even the first lap was.... wow, unbelievable, awesome, unreal, wow.... etc etc etc etc. Which probably wouldn't really be that helpful. So I will try to calm my crazy excitement and put this in phrases far more understandable. The best place to start, as with any spec race car, is understanding the purpose of our race car build!
We have built an open class Subaru that will compete in the 2010 Western Canadian Rally Championship and the Canadian Rally Championship in 2011 and beyond. We needed a build that would suit the classing and rules of the Canadian Association of Rally Sport (Cars) and be competitive in its top open class. We started with a GC8 Impreza chasis stripped it bare, and began seam welding and caging the car. This provided a rigid and safe chassis as our foundation. We added GD (04 Sti) subframes for a wide, strong stance, and began adding Sti and race components to the car. The car will run roughly 300hp and 300 torque to the wheels, and weighs the minimum 2500lbs required by the Cars rulebook. In addition to Pro Rally, I will be driving the car at rally cross, time attack, and autoslalom events. Because of this, we wanted to keep the competitiveness of the other styles of racing in mind while planning.
When we started talking to OS Giken about using their clutch and prototype Subaru front and rear Super-Lock LSD's our team's head Tech was very excited. He was beaming about it for days! After receiving the components we were all amazed at the quality of design and manufacturing, and the install was a perfect fit.
Now, after 40 minutes on our test track, let's talk clutch. The quality was immediately apparent. The friction point is so gentle that it's more street-able and easy to drive than a stock OEM clutch, yet when you run up the revs and launch the power is immediately yet smoothly applied to the ground. I have driven many different clutches in many different cars and in many different situations. Daily driving, track, dirt, snow, etc, in cars from a Neon to a Porsche, and I have never found one so easy to drive. I have also had many different performance clutches, and most resemble a light switch. Power on, or off, not very comfortable, and usually have a steep learning curve especially with heel-toe downshift in order to drive smooth and not upset the weight transfer of the car. The OS Giken twin disc race clutch was so comfortable even when double-clutching, that I took to it right away like a "Trekkie" talking smack about Star Wars. Here are my main points this clutch is worth every penny from a drivers perspective.
#1 In order to be fast you must be smooth.
#2 You need a clutch that can hold strong power and torque.
#3 Lighter flywheels make your car more responsive in the throttle
#4 The more relaxed and less you have to work the better you will drive, especially after a long day of racing!
#5 rebuildable clutches save you $$$which means you can enter more events and get better as a driver.
#6 You will abuse your clutch, and you want one that can take it.
#7 Chicks are impressed when you say "yeah... I only buy the best for the things I love" as you point to your ride.
The OS Giken clutch delivers on all these points.
Let's talk traction. What is the number one mod you can do to your car, and what should everyone do first? OK it sounds like I am going to say LSD but... I am going with tires. Why tires? Because they are the only part of your car that touches the road, and traction is everything in not just racing and performance driving, but in handling and safety on the road; not to mention mending bones, which has nothing to do with tires, I digress. With traction you can control your lateral G's when cornering, your braking and of course acceleration and all the ways those 3 go together. Now, let's talk about the best way to control the traction that you have available to you through your tires. Everyone will go straight to suspension here, and they should, however differential setup doesn't get talked about enough in my opinion. So let's talk diff's.
Remember this "all limited slip differentials are NOT created equal!" After the initial time on the track in dirt conditions with our OS Giken Super lock LSD's installed in the front and rear of the Subaru, I know this to be true. My amazement at the control I had over the car literally left me speechless, well sort of. All I could yell was amazing, unreal, unbelievable, wow, amidst the laughing in sheer joy. The best way I can put it is this: In rally, I find that I need to change from corner to corner using both understeer and oversteer slides depending on available traction and all the varying elements on a stage. With STOCK suspension, sway bars etc., the car became as easy to handle as the clutch was to drive. This is before we add the upgraded suspension, sways etc., and start to tune the suspension. To be a little more descriptive as a driver I was able to control the car very comfortably on corner setup, entry and exit by using mainly the throttle. At every turn, tight hairpins, and fast flowing turns the OS Giken diff's afforded me an incredible measure of control. I was seriously knocked off my feet like nothing I had felt in a car before. I started to change my driving style and my lines, experimenting with early, neutral and late apex, extreme oversteer driving and understeer to traction styles on a variety of corners and the outcome was always comfortable, consistent, predictable, and smooth. Even when I threw the nose of the car into a hard left with intense positive camber on the road the back end still rotated exactly how I wanted it to under acceleration. Because of this I am even more excited for the new car this season, and I am now a firm believer that these products are well worth every penny spent, and I will joyfully recommend them to anyone that wants their car to be competitive, fun, comfortable, smooth and consistent.
I look forward to honing this fantastic Subaru platform with the stability that the OS Giken products afford us. And I wholeheartedly recommend these products as essential to any build, with great tires and suspension, even before adding power!
Knowing I was to give feedback I was prepared to bring my "A" game when it came to schmancy writing words, and observations from a drivers perspective. But all that I could say after even the first lap was.... wow, unbelievable, awesome, unreal, wow.... etc etc etc etc. Which probably wouldn't really be that helpful. So I will try to calm my crazy excitement and put this in phrases far more understandable. The best place to start, as with any spec race car, is understanding the purpose of our race car build!
We have built an open class Subaru that will compete in the 2010 Western Canadian Rally Championship and the Canadian Rally Championship in 2011 and beyond. We needed a build that would suit the classing and rules of the Canadian Association of Rally Sport (Cars) and be competitive in its top open class. We started with a GC8 Impreza chasis stripped it bare, and began seam welding and caging the car. This provided a rigid and safe chassis as our foundation. We added GD (04 Sti) subframes for a wide, strong stance, and began adding Sti and race components to the car. The car will run roughly 300hp and 300 torque to the wheels, and weighs the minimum 2500lbs required by the Cars rulebook. In addition to Pro Rally, I will be driving the car at rally cross, time attack, and autoslalom events. Because of this, we wanted to keep the competitiveness of the other styles of racing in mind while planning.
When we started talking to OS Giken about using their clutch and prototype Subaru front and rear Super-Lock LSD's our team's head Tech was very excited. He was beaming about it for days! After receiving the components we were all amazed at the quality of design and manufacturing, and the install was a perfect fit.
Now, after 40 minutes on our test track, let's talk clutch. The quality was immediately apparent. The friction point is so gentle that it's more street-able and easy to drive than a stock OEM clutch, yet when you run up the revs and launch the power is immediately yet smoothly applied to the ground. I have driven many different clutches in many different cars and in many different situations. Daily driving, track, dirt, snow, etc, in cars from a Neon to a Porsche, and I have never found one so easy to drive. I have also had many different performance clutches, and most resemble a light switch. Power on, or off, not very comfortable, and usually have a steep learning curve especially with heel-toe downshift in order to drive smooth and not upset the weight transfer of the car. The OS Giken twin disc race clutch was so comfortable even when double-clutching, that I took to it right away like a "Trekkie" talking smack about Star Wars. Here are my main points this clutch is worth every penny from a drivers perspective.
#1 In order to be fast you must be smooth.
#2 You need a clutch that can hold strong power and torque.
#3 Lighter flywheels make your car more responsive in the throttle
#4 The more relaxed and less you have to work the better you will drive, especially after a long day of racing!
#5 rebuildable clutches save you $$$which means you can enter more events and get better as a driver.
#6 You will abuse your clutch, and you want one that can take it.
#7 Chicks are impressed when you say "yeah... I only buy the best for the things I love" as you point to your ride.
The OS Giken clutch delivers on all these points.
Let's talk traction. What is the number one mod you can do to your car, and what should everyone do first? OK it sounds like I am going to say LSD but... I am going with tires. Why tires? Because they are the only part of your car that touches the road, and traction is everything in not just racing and performance driving, but in handling and safety on the road; not to mention mending bones, which has nothing to do with tires, I digress. With traction you can control your lateral G's when cornering, your braking and of course acceleration and all the ways those 3 go together. Now, let's talk about the best way to control the traction that you have available to you through your tires. Everyone will go straight to suspension here, and they should, however differential setup doesn't get talked about enough in my opinion. So let's talk diff's.
Remember this "all limited slip differentials are NOT created equal!" After the initial time on the track in dirt conditions with our OS Giken Super lock LSD's installed in the front and rear of the Subaru, I know this to be true. My amazement at the control I had over the car literally left me speechless, well sort of. All I could yell was amazing, unreal, unbelievable, wow, amidst the laughing in sheer joy. The best way I can put it is this: In rally, I find that I need to change from corner to corner using both understeer and oversteer slides depending on available traction and all the varying elements on a stage. With STOCK suspension, sway bars etc., the car became as easy to handle as the clutch was to drive. This is before we add the upgraded suspension, sways etc., and start to tune the suspension. To be a little more descriptive as a driver I was able to control the car very comfortably on corner setup, entry and exit by using mainly the throttle. At every turn, tight hairpins, and fast flowing turns the OS Giken diff's afforded me an incredible measure of control. I was seriously knocked off my feet like nothing I had felt in a car before. I started to change my driving style and my lines, experimenting with early, neutral and late apex, extreme oversteer driving and understeer to traction styles on a variety of corners and the outcome was always comfortable, consistent, predictable, and smooth. Even when I threw the nose of the car into a hard left with intense positive camber on the road the back end still rotated exactly how I wanted it to under acceleration. Because of this I am even more excited for the new car this season, and I am now a firm believer that these products are well worth every penny spent, and I will joyfully recommend them to anyone that wants their car to be competitive, fun, comfortable, smooth and consistent.
I look forward to honing this fantastic Subaru platform with the stability that the OS Giken products afford us. And I wholeheartedly recommend these products as essential to any build, with great tires and suspension, even before adding power!
