For years Hotchkis Performance has been a leader in aftermarket performance suspension setups for a variety of vehicles across the automotive spectrum. While on a recent trip to Southern California, I stopped by their Santa Fe Springs headquarters and met with Mark Rossetti to get an inside look at how Hotchkis produces their performance suspension components.

Hotchkis recently moved into their current facility, bringing multiple facets under one room in an effort to improve productivity.

When I first walked in I was greeted by this beautiful Porsche 962 owned by the companies founder John Hotchkis. If you’ve never had the chance of meeting me, know that I am a Porsche fanatic so seeing this gem front and center was a nice surprise.

To Support a 962 vintage race car requires many spares, as these cars are still raced in many vintage series throughout the world such spares become increasingly sparse. Stockpiled behind a locked gate were crates full of everything imaginable for the car, including a spare tub!

In front of the wall of spare parts was a complete spare engine,these turbocharged 3.2L engines make approximately 740hp an incredible feet in 1986 for endurance racing. It was amazing to see how much modern technology was used on these power plants, including carbon fiber shrouding, something I can’t imagine the cost of in the mid 80s.

When I got back to Florida, this gem of a video was waiting in my email inbox, it’s an in car camera view from the Hotchkis Porsche 962 with John Hotchkis behind the wheel.

GTP: Hotchkis Porsche 962 In-Car, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from GrandTouringPrototype.com on Vimeo.

I’m still drooling on the vintage Porsche Race cars, but back to the tour. In the back corner of the shop is a huge R&D area where test vehicles have prototypes produced and fitted. Most cars are then torture tested and re-checked before any product is sent into final production.

There were many great displays showing off the brands products for various vehicle and applications.

Their warehouse was filled to the brim with product ready to be shipped out to anxious customers, and a staff ready and willing to make sure that happens as efficiently as possible.

The Hotchkis Performance E-Max 1970 Challenger in the parking lot is used to test and demonstrate the companies commitment to the muscle car market. Their suspension systems have been designed and manufactured to give muscle car owners twenty first century handling without the need to hack up their vintage chassis.

I want to thank the whole team at Hotchkis for taking the time to show me around their facility, Titan Motorsports is a leading distributor of Hotchkis Performance Products and can supply you with any of their premium components, from Modern Muscle to European car and everything in between.

Aeromotive has just announced the release of their newest EFI fuel pressure regulator. With a highly competitive price point, the new Aeromotive EFI Bypass Fuel Regulator is proof that you do not have to sacrifice performance and precision control for the sake of your budget. This regulator encompasses features and benefits found on all Aeromotive regulators, yet in a new smaller and lighter package. Capable of supporting applications up to 1000 HP, the 13129 EFI Bypass Regulator can handle the most aggressive street machines but is docile enough for your daily driver. The new regulator is ideal for those looking for a cleaner, lighter solution where performance is critical and space is a premium.

The Aeromotive EFI Bypass Fuel Regulator was designed to work with EFI engines like the GM LS, Ford Mod Motor and Chrysler HEMI in mind, as well as most Sport Compact performance applications. The 13129 Regulator features a bypass design and provides (2) ORB-06 inlet/outlet ports, (1) ORB-06 return port, vacuum boost reference port and a 1/8’’ NPT gauge port. Base pressure is adjustable from 30-70 PSI and fuel pressure rises on a 1:1 ratio with boost.

As with all Aeromotive regulators, the 13129 EFI Bypass Regulator incorporates CNC-Machined 6061 T6 billet aluminum construction and a convoluted diaphragm utilizing proprietary elastomer materials for precision pressure control. In addition, this regulator features a bright dip black anodized cap and stainless steel mounting bracket.

As if running a double header weekend wasn’t going to heat things up as it is, the weather in Texas decided to contribute in this department as well, bringing track temps as high as 150*F! The weekend’s festivities began with the completion of the canceled ADRL Dragpalooza VI from back in March. As things stood, we were to resume our #3 qualifying position ran in March, with all elimination races to count toward qualifying for the Texas Drags, to be held the very next day.

The first elimination round for Dragpalooza had Gary White lined up against Patrick Collins. The Scion spun off the line, and Collins shook. Gary tried to reel him in but left a rod on the track in the process, ending in a first round elimination right off the bat. Not exactly the result Team Titan imagined going into the weekend. But that’s racing.

The first round of Dragpalooza eliminations was also the beginning of qualifying runs for the Texas Drags, a round the Team would soon like to forget. After a replacement motor was fitted, the crew was ready and determined to make up the lost ground. The second and third qualifying runs were more like test runs, where the crew just eased into things, making sure everything on the new motor was running soundly. On these “test runs”, Gary managed a 4.512 at 166.83mph to make sure the team stayed in the runnings. Then in the final qualifying session, Titan turned it up, throwing down a solid 4.131 at 183mph to claim the #2 spot going into eliminations.

The first round of eliminations pitted the Scion against H.T. Wilson. Wilson flinched and Gary got a free pass to round two. The second round had Titan lined up against Todd Moyer, a highly anticipated match up, as both teams have been running strong as of late. In the end it was Gary and the Scion that prevailed, running a 4.113 at 183.57mph, the quickest of all elimination runs. In round three, it was Jeff Naiser who stood between the Scion and the final round. Naiser left early, but it didn’t matter. Gary was determined to get to the finals again and ran a 4.103 at 184.85 with a .001 light!

The finals look unsurprisingly familiar, with Gary White’s Scion once again going up against the likes of Billy Glidden. Billy had been tough all weekend and put down some good runs. Gary, after the motor swap, had also been progressively getting quicker approaching the final round. With the two cars lined up and the lights dropping, Gary got a little excited and left early, handing Glidden his second win of the weekend.

Wow, what a weekend. Between the heat of the track and the heat of the compition, coupled with the implication of a double header, it has been quite a weekend of racing. Team Titan will inevitably be testing and tuning in the weeks to come, hoping to dial in the new set-up before heading to St. Louis on August 6-7th for the Gateway Drags III. We’ll see you at the races!

*Photos courtesy of Chris Harrington

HRE Performance Wheels has unveiled a series of forged centerlock wheels for 2010 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo and GT3 models. HRE centerlock applications include the three-piece Competition Series C90-C and C93-C and the one-piece Monoblok P40-C.

The latest HRE centerlock wheels for 2010 Porsche cars are precision engineered for ultra light weight, maximum strength and exclusive style for Street & Track applications. All HRE wheels are engineered to stringent German TÜV specs in HRE’s TÜV-approved manufacturing facility.

HRE’s three-piece Competition Series C90-C and C93-C three piece centerlock wheels are available in 18? and 19” diameters with OE widths and offsets, or HRE can supply custom widths and offset for modified fenders or race-prepared cars. These wheels are extremely lightweight, starting at 17 lbs depending on the size. All HRE Comp Series wheels are manufactured from aerospace grade 6061-T6 aluminum, titanium hardware and feature precision engineered lightening pockets on both sides of the wheel center and spokes as well. A variety of finishes are available: centers, outer rims and inner rims can be finished in custom colors independently for a unique look to match any street or race car. Standard finishes include black, charcoal or silver powdercoated in gloss, satin or textured finishes. Brushed with tinted clearcoat is also a new finish choice.

Its race day again, as the team has arrived in Houston for the ADRL Texas Drags. Wow, 4 races in 4 weeks, technically, as this weekend’s race will be a double header. Now, not only will the Texas Drags go down, but also the completion of the rained out Topeka race, where Titan was left with the #1 qualifying position. To keep up with all the action and to track the Team’s progress, check out ADRL’s Live Feed.

Developed in a joint effort between Titan Motorsports and PPG, comes the new PPG V160 Center Case for your Turbo Supra, and is available exclusively through Titan Motorsports. This piece was developed to address the weaker stock center case that can often crack from main shaft flex. This center case will work with the V160/V161 transmissions, with the stock transmission case, and can be used with either the stock gear set or the PPG offering. This is a nice replacement part as Getrag and Toyota no longer sell a separate center case replacement. Click Here for more info on this Titan exclusive.

Titan Motorsports has been a long time distributer to UK based Garage Whifbitz, who specializes in Japanese and especially Supra performance. So when we found out that they were running a pair of Supras in the UK Time Attack Series, we were eager to find out how we could help. We pick up on the action in the third round of the UK Time Attack Series:

-Time Attack Round 3 – Brands Hatch, UK-

Unlike the previous rounds, the team chose not to do a trackday the day before Brands Hatch as this is our local circuit, and the one on the calendar we are most familiar with having done lots of testing and trackdays in the past. Paul Whiffin’s car had to undergo quite substantial surgery following the broken cambelt tensioner pulley bracket at the last round in Scotland, as removal of the head showed damage to 12 valves which had been bent when the bracket broke. In addition to replacing the valves, Paul had to have all the valve seats re-cut as these were also damaged. The replacement tensioner pulley bracket was supplied by our newest sponsor Titan Motorsport, who are… jump to full release.

Drag racing has had its ups and downs over the past few years. From the glory days of sport compact and NHRA racing, to the inevitable evolvement of the ADRL, Team Titan is still here, still racing, and still finding our way to the winner’s circle. For those of you not familiar with the American Drag Racing League (ADRL), it comprises one of the most competitive environments in drag racing, fueled by passion and filled with diversity. The Titan Team has been battling in the Extreme 10.5” class (XTF) and competes against motor programs that have nearly tripled the displacement of our little 2JZ. We love the challenge of ADRL and the crew has definitely stepped up, recently becoming the first Import to break into the 3 second barrier (1/8th mile). Since being inducted into the Mickey Thompson 3 Second Club, we have consistently ran 3’s at all three of the last races, winning both the U.S. and Summer Drags, and claiming the #1 qualifying position for the rained out Independence Drags, which will be resumed in Texas next week.

Be on the lookout at your local newsstand for the September ’10 issue of Drag Illustrated. To follow Team Titan’s progress, check out ADRL’s Home Page, where you can follow along LIVE with all the action.

“That’s No Moon…It’s A Space Station!” Ok, so the turbo may not be the size of a space station, but it’s pretty friggin big. The Precision 47-88R is a billet ball bearing turbo, and is spooled by a TMS 3.4L Stroker Motor, TMS Stage 3 Head, and TMS 272, 9.9mm lift cams, just to name a few. With the addition of a 100 shot of nitrous, this customer’s car is making over 1200 to the wheels!

ContourHD is the World’s First (and lightest) HD Helmet Camera. ContourHD is the ideal wearable camcorder to shoot and share HD video of your active lifestyle. The ContourHD combines amazing video quality (choose between crisp High Definition or smooth High Action SD), wire-free wearability, and one button simplicity (single button to shoot and share online). This compact and rugged helmet cam makes HD-quality video affordable to capture and publish online and at only 4 ounces, it’s light enough to fit comfortably on your goggles, helmet, bike, boat, car or anywhere.

To check out the ContourHD and all of its goodies, Click Here

For product review, check out DC’s Contour HD 1080 Camera Testing