|
There was no shortage of battles on track in Race 3 with TC America at Road America. Ride along as I fight my way to the front. Due to a crash in another class, I had been shuffled back to 6th place and needed to fight my way back into podium position. I finished in P2--and about a week later, was moved to P1 due to a competitor's disqualification.
Qualifying on pole in the rain at at Road America is hard enough--and not being able to see makes it even more interesting. It was the last lap of the session and I had one last chance to finish on top. Watch as the visibility through the windshield gets worse and worse throughout the lap as I work to post the fastest time in the TCA class.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (Aug. 4, 2020) – CrowdStrike Racing is gearing up for its biggest weekend of competition in SRO America – its home event at Sonoma Raceway just north of San Francisco. A new-look way of hosting guests in a virtual environment, exclusive online content and other special features will be part of the CrowdStrike experience from August 7–9. All this will be available, virtually, to CrowdStrike and AWS staff, guests, supporters, fans and executive conference attendees throughout the GT World Challenge America Sonoma 2020 Powered by AWS and Sponsored by CrowdStrike. It’s the most advanced experiential program by CrowdStrike at any motorsports event since it became active in SRO America in 2017. “This is the most unique weekend for CrowdStrike that we have ever had,” said CrowdStrike CEO and co-founder George Kurtz, who also drives for CrowdStrike Racing in the premier GT World Challenge series. “Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a break in our racing, we quickly began planning how best we can educate and entertain our clients and supporters in new and interactive ways. I think it’s safe to say that what we have planned sets a new standard in exclusive, interactive content anywhere in SRO’s global platform. We are excited and proud to be associated with this historic weekend at our home track in Sonoma.”
Maintaining precision and control while pushing a car as hard as it can go is a magnificent challenge. Ride along as I attempt to do just that in the July 9th, 2020 qualifying session at VIR with TC America.
ALTON, Va. (July 13, 2020) – CrowdStrike Racing celebrated its return to SRO America competition in the best way possible: its first victory in GT World Challenge Powered by AWS. George Kurtz and Colin Braun claimed a win in Sunday’s 90-minute, two-driver endurance race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) – the first victory for CrowdStrike with Mercedes-AMG in SRO America’s highest category of racing. Not only did they claim victory in the Pro/Am class, they were overall winners as well against top-level competition. The result capped a fantastic return to racing for CrowdStrike – a competitor in three SRO America categories and the Official Internet & Cloud Security Provider for GT World Challenge. Virginia International Raceway is site of the program’s first motorsports event in more than four months. The SRO weekend will took place with CrowdStrike Racing and all series participants supporting and adhering to strict local, state and federal guidelines on medical screening, social distancing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). 
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (July 7, 2020) – Following the industry-wide pause in its racing schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CrowdStrike Racing returns to competition this week as SRO America and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS. It will be the second of six events on the season with CrowdStrike reaffirming its full-season commitment as an entrant and official sponsor of GT World Challenge. Virginia International Raceway (VIR) is the site of the program’s first motorsports event in more than four months. The SRO weekend will take place with CrowdStrike Racing and all series participants supporting and adhering to strict local, state and federal guidelines on medical screening, social distancing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The CrowdStrike Racing effort returns to VIR in force with a trio of race cars in two different SRO America series and three classes. Hopes are high following a stellar opening to the 2020 season at Circuit of The Americas in Austin during early March, when CrowdStrike Racing claimed three podium finishes to start the year.  The June 2020 TC America race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) has been rescheduled for July 9-12. This event will be the first race to take place since the season was temporarily suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am very excited to return to the race track with the Crowdstrike Racing/AWS Civic Si in July," Boehm says. "VIR is one of my favorite race tracks. Extremely grateful for all of the hard work TC America, VIR, and the state of Virginia have done to make sure this event can take place safely." During the temporary suspension of the race season, Boehm has been participating in GT Rivals, a sim racing series organized and managed by SRO America, TC America's governing body.
Here's some in-car video of the CrowdStrike Racing / AWS Honda Civic Si during Qualifying at the 2020 TC America Circuit of the Americas event. A bout of rain just before Qualifying made for challenging conditions on track. There was a lot of confusion between all of the drivers, teams, and staff--did we need slicks or dry tires? I decided to stay on slicks--and fortunately, the rain stopped. The track was very slippery at first, but it finally began to dry near then end. This video shows my final lap, where I am trying to use all the available grip on the track to go fast.
 Boehm's HPD Turn-key Civic Si Race Car Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Kevin Boehm of Boehm Racing is making the transition from club/amateur racing to pro racing in 2020, driving the Honda Racing/HPD Turn-key Civic Si race car in TC America.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to race in TC America this year," Boehm says. "With the support of long-time partners, new sponsors who believed in the vision, family, and friends, we were able to make the jump from club to pro. I look forward to getting out onto the track with the HPD Turn-key Civic Si this season."
Listen up for an audio hint as to what I am doing in 2020. Can you guess what it is? Hint: It's in partnership with Carbotech Brakes, Red Line Oil, RV6 Performance, Weds Wheels, 4 Piston Racing, and Honda Racing/HPD. Excited to share more news, soon.
 I am excited to announce that I am participating in a new racing series in 2020. More details on the series and the race car to come over the next few weeks. Make sure to subscribe to Kevin Boehm Racing YouTube to get the latest details.
 My award-winning, Civic Type R Engine Swap race car was featured in the January 2020 edition of Super Street Magazine. Super Street is a Motor Trend publication focused on tuner / import vehicles. The article tells the origin story of the Type R Swap. Read all about it on the Super Street website.
 For the fourth year in a row, I joined Team Honda Research West at the grueling 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race. We claimed a third-place finish in the E0 class with the no. 18 Honda Civic Type R. It was a difficult event, with incremental weather and fluctuating track conditions.
 Noted motorsports magazine Speed Sport covered the pole results of the 2019 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, mentioning my Tire Rack Pole award win. To achieve this, I broke two minute barrier with the Type R Engine Swap, taking pole with 1:59:948. Read about it and other Runoffs pole winners in the article.
When I started building the Civic Type R engine swap in January 2017, all I had was a K20C1 engine, a Civic Si white body, a lot of spare parts, and hope that I would finish it before that year's race season ended. By summer the car was driving--and the rest is history. It's now coming to the close of 2019--looking forward to another year (and perhaps another look) with the race car.
A few weeks ago, I headed out to California to help Team Honda Research West test out the team's Honda Civic Type R at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. We are preparing for this year's 25 Hours of Thunderhill, one of my favorite endurance races. The Honda Civic Type R loves the fast, winding corners at Buttonwillow and so do I. During this lap, I am testing out some new improvements to the race car. Watch the lap thru a 360° camera, mounted to the passenger side of the vehicle.
I like to tune the engine on track versus using a dyno. It allows me to better control temperatures so I can recreate the conditions I see when racing the car. This improves the robustness of the tune and still allows me to maximize power. Plus, it allows me to collect more accurate data and look for any potential issues before I head to a race.
#TBT: With three Qualifying sessions complete at the 2015 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Daytona International Speedway, I was sitting in the second position. I was about 0.2 seconds behind the number one qualifier. Did I have a chance to gain the Pole position? My odds did not look good.
Your speed on a straight isn't only determined by your horsepower. It's also influenced by the speed you went through the turn leading onto the straight and how soon you go to full throttle. Here is a perfect example, (illustrated by passing a Porsche), aided with just a little bit of a draft as well. This video was filmed in my Honda Civic Type R Engine Swap at Road America.
Watch a documentary of Honda Research and Development's associate race team at the grueling 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race in Northern California. At the event, we raced two Civic Type Rs. The team comes together from around the world--the United States, (Ohio and California), Canada, and Japan. I'm in the video too, talking about this exciting endurance race, my great teammates, and the engineering behind the Type R.
|
KEVIN BOEHMTips, tricks, wins, and learnings. Go behind-the-scenes at the race shop and the track with Boehm Racing. Archives
August 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed