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In 2020, I decided to make the jump from amateur to professional racing. This led to many new challenges throughout the year. At times, it was very tough and it wasn't clear if I was going to have any success. Watch the full video to see how my debut TC America season played out.
Shout out to Flying Lap Media for all the great shots this year.
In 2020, I had the opportunity to race a HPD Turn-key Civic Si in the TC America Series. I plan to make a short series of videos that gives you a closer look into what makes this car special.
The focus on this video is the brakes. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.
This year, I had the opportunity to race a HPD Turn-key Civic Si in the TC America Series. I plan to make a short series of videos that gives you a closer look into what makes this car special.
First up: The engine. Check it out in the video, above. Let me know if the comments if you have any questions.
I have driven some incredible Honda race cars in my life, but I will remember this day for the rest of my life. The Honda Civic Type R TCR is the top level, most extreme, fastest, factory built Front Wheel Drive race car that Honda has ever built. It comes with 340+ HP, around 2800 lbs with driver, gigantic brakes, splitter and wing straight out of a wind tunnel, paddle shifted sequential transmission, and a widened track that requires massive fender flares. I was very surprised when I was asked to jump in. What a dream come true. Ride along with me around Indy Motor Speedway in my new favorite race car.
What do you get when you combine cool morning temperatures with a turbocharged Honda Racing / HPD Turn-Key Civic Si? Fast laps! Fast enough to start in pole position for the first race at the September 2020 race weekend at COTA. Ride along to see what it takes to start up front in TC America.
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.
Boehm joined up with the Operation Motorsport team to add racing commentary for the eMotorsport iRacing event at virtual Daytona International Speedway. The event featured a 30-minute open practice, a 10-minute qualifying session, and a 30 lap / 70-minute race. The race can be watched above or on the Operation Motorsports YouTube channel.
Our friends at Operation Motorsport are celebrating their third anniversary! Check out the video for a special update what they've accomplished over the past three years and what they plan to do, next.
Last weekend, Boehm joined up with the Operation Motorsport team to add racing commentary for the eMotorsport iRacing event at Laguna Seca. Operation Motorsport declared the event a success, with fans tuning in to watch two hours of racing, including a 30-minute open practice, a 10-minute qualifying session, and a 45 lap / 70-minute race. The race can be watched above or on the Operation Motorsport YouTube channel.
Operation Motorsports is a non-profit serving Canadian and American service members. The organization is supported by the SRO America series and is partnered with CrowdStrike Racing. To keep beneficiaries engaged during these difficult times, Operation Motorsports created an eMotorsport league on iRacing. Participants can join as a driver or as a spectator. Click here learn more about their eMotorsport Diversionary Therapy Program.
In TC America, all the race cars are equally matched. However, each car still has its strengths and weaknesses. As you can see, the Mini JCW was faster in the straights, but I could make up that difference in drafting and turns. Unfortunately, those were not enough to get past the Mini JCW at COTA. What a fun battle! The race ended with the Mini JCW in P1. I finished in P2 in the CrowdStrike Racing / AWS Turn-key Civic Si.
Get an in-car view of the first race of the 2020 TC America season. This event was my first TC America race at COTA and the first time my CrowdStrike Racing / AWS Honda Civic Si race car was driven on track. I was conservative at the start of the race and lost a few positions. Watch to see me fight to gain them back over the course of two laps. Ultimately, I ended up with a third-place finish.
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.
Here is a quick look at the brakes on the Honda Racing/HPD Turn-key Civic Si race car. In this video, I'll show you the front mono-block 6-piston calipers and also show you how easy it is to change the pads.
Everyone in the TC America series must use an Optima Yellow-Top battery. Fortunately, changing the battery in the Honda Racing/HPD Civic Si race car is super easy--watch to see how I did it.
 Excited to announce the launch of the Boehm Racing Facebook Page. At first, I was resistant to the idea of having a Facebook Page for my motorsports work, but I've recently realized the advantages of having both a personal page and a business page. Hope you will give it a like and join me as I continue to document my race car adventures.
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.
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KEVIN BOEHMTips, tricks, wins, and learnings. Go behind-the-scenes at the race shop and the track with Boehm Racing. Archives
September 2023
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