Monthly Archives: September 2009

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2:14pm NDT (9:44am PST)
First day is going well.  We were hoping to come down yesterday to do some final touches on the car but unfortunately our flights got messed up and we did not get in until six or six thirty.  No worries though!

STILLEN GT-R Being Prepped for Tech at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally

Oneill Motors has been great to us and let us come in early to perform our nut and bolt check.  Special thanks to Brian and Dave for all their help!!!

Next we will be taking the GT-R over to tech.

Tonight I will be sending a full explanation of a top secret part of the car.  Coilovers!!!

Check back soon for more info and pictures.

5:05pm NDT (11:35am PST)
Video of Steve Millen discussing the changes needed to the STILLEN GT-R after reviewing some of the roads on the rally.

Changes have been made, and the car is leaving the shop.

10:15pm NDT (4:45pm PST)

Well we’re here in our hotel room after another long day.  The nut and bolt check and ride height adjustments went great.  After that we went to tech inspection and put the car into the overnight parking.

Earlier in the day I mentioned a new product that we will be offering for the GT-R.  Well that new product is the Penske/STILLEN R35 GT-R Coilover System brought to you by STILLEN.  After months of development and testing we are very proud to be able to bring these to the public.  They are adjustable on both rebound and compression as well as offer complete height adjustability.  We have a lot more technical details on the shocks which will be released shortly.

Penske came to STILLEN in early 2009 after three years of collaboration on the STILLEN Ford GT Supercar campaigned in numerous events including Targa New Zealand.  They knew that we would have big plans and wanted to be a part of it.  Penske manufactures shocks for Formula One, Indy and NASCAR race teams.

Thank you very much to the guys at Penske and Eibach race springs for their assistance in the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally!

Our only concern is the weather. You can clearly see that the weather is rolling in:

Concerns of weather at Targa Newfoundland 2009

Here’s a couple of shots of other vehicles ready to compete in this years Targa event:

Targa Newfoundland 2009 Mustang

Targa Newfoundland 2009 Subaru WRX STi

Targa Newfoundland 2009 Camaro

Targa Newfoundland 2009 Porsche GT3 RS

EDIT: 9/13/09 – Added Photos From the Day

See All of the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Coverage:

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  • RT @bentoboxx: 2 out of 3 Chipmunks agree…The Datsun 240Z has TONS of storage space! http://bit.ly/IBncP -JB #
  • Air Canada needs new planes.. this one is having electrical issues.. sitting in it for an hour turning things on and off.. -KM #targarally #
  • So the delay at LAX getting a new plane caused us to miss our flight in Toronto.. 2 hours before next possible flight.. -KM #TargaRally #
  • Our plane is having a “mechanical” problem…apparently that means we need to change to another plane!! -KM #
  • The crew has left for Newfoundland for the rally.. look for tweets directly from Kyle Millen at the event! http://bit.ly/171Gbd #
  • RT @jalopnik: You’re Doing It Wrong 6.0: That Will Buff Right Out Edition http://jalopnik.com/5356117 #lolcars #fail #
  • http://twitpic.com/h3pmn – Luckiest memory cards ever.. for the ChaseCam in the STILLEN GT-R at the Targa Rally #
  • Luckiest memory cards ever.. for the ChaseCam in the GT-R at the Targa Rally… http://twitpic.com/h3pmn #

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Well, the car is ready to go.  Steve flew out a few days early to get the STILLEN GT-R across the border and all the spare parts into the service van.  Mark (Lead Mechanic) and I (Kyle Millen) are in the airport waiting for our flight to Toronto where we will board our second flight into St. John’s.

STILLEN Crew Headed to Targa Newfoundland

We’re all excited and looking forward to a great week. I will be posting information, updates, and hopefully video interviews throughout the next week. I will also be posting comments to the STILLEN Twitter account, I encourage you to follow along there as well for daily updates.

STILLEN Crew Headed to Targa Newfoundland

I’d like to take a minute to explain the Targa Newfoundland Rally format.  As you may know, “Targa” is a tarmac rally that takes place on public roads that are closed only for the few hours necessary to complete these stages.  They let the cars go at the start line and each car must travel through the stage as fast as possible (while obeying some rules*) and the fastest car wins.

Targa Newfoundland
Here’s where it’s a little different at Targa Newfoundland.  Targa Newfoundland sets a goal time for each stage that varies depending on which class you’re in.  So basically, before the driver/co-driver team get to the stage they have an approximate “goal time” of what they should be able to make in that stage.  If you exceed that goal time, then you take a “penalty” of time added to your overall.  So, if you arrive to a stage with a 7:00 minute goal time, and you complete the stage in 6:55 then you did a good job.  If you complete the stage in 7:05 then you take a five second time penalty.

This is where it gets REALLY unusual/tricky.  Each class has a different goal time.  The fastest (modern) cars might be expected to complete a stage in 7:00 while some of the other cars will get around 8:00-8:30 minutes depending on the class.  So basically, if Steve and Mike cross the finish line at 7:05 through a stage, and another car in a slower class crosses the finish line in 8:00 flat…The slower car wins the stage.

The idea behind this timing format is to give all of the competitor’s an “equal” opportunity to win.  The  challenge for us, is that a modern car has never won this race before.  There are a lot of great competitors and fantastic drivers, for example (Andrew Comrie-Picard), who take their modern rally cars to this event but they’ve never been able to bring home a win.  We hope to be the first modern team to win the event!

Previous vehicles that have won this event:

  • 2002 – 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback
  • 2003 – 1972 BMW Bavaria
  • 2004 – 1972 BMW Bavaria
  • 2005 – 1972 BMW Bavaria
  • 2006 – 1979 Porsche 911
  • 2007 – 1969 BMW 2002
  • 2008 – 1969 BMW 2002

This is going to be a fun week and we look forward to doing our best.  The car is running great, the team is very optimistic and we’re going to push hard for a great result!

*Rules – There are two speed rules for the entire event.  There is a top speed for each stage of 200 KPH (kilometers per hour) this is a safety thing and is a great idea.  There is an average overall rally top speed of 135 KPH per stage, this is an F.I.A. rule.  Another good rule and good idea for safety.

See All of the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Coverage:

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We’re happy to introduce our lightweight standard and underdrive crank pulleys for Nissan’s 4.0L VQ40DE. Now 4.0L Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder, Xterra and Suzuki Equator owners have a lightweight pulley available in standard or underdrive ratios.

STILLEN 4.0L Lightweight Underdrive/Standard Pulleys

These CNC machined billet aluminum pulleys are much lighter than the factory steel setup. The Lightweight Standard Pulley keeps the factory drive ratio intact but provides an astounding 83% weight reduction (1.32 lbs v. 8.19 lbs), the Lightweight Underdrive pulley is a full 87% weight reduction (1 lb v. 8.19 lbs) while also providing an approximately 20% underdrive ratio.

The lighter weight means that your VQ40DE 4.0L V6 will rev more freely and allow more power to reach the wheels. An underdrive ratio allows even more power to be uncovered as the drag from accessories is reduced.

STILLEN 4.0L Lightweight Underdrive/Standard Pulleys

Get more info on these and the rest of the STILLEN Performance Lightweight Pulleys product page.

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Founded in 1986, STILLEN is recognized as one of the premier tuners in the world. With Engineers and a full R&D department on location, STILLEN has long been engineering big brake kits with Brembo and AP Racing, developing superchargers with Magnuson, Edelbrock, Whipple, Vortech, and under the leadership of championship race car driver Steve Millen, trusted by thousands of enthusiasts, manufacturing STILLEN branded products and upgrades, as well as wholesale distribution and retail partners.
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