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Aero Upgrades Propel Daniel Szwarc and the BRT 370Z to the Podium at The Glen
This past weekend, Braci Racing attended the race at Watkins Glen International for the first time since the team’s induction into USTCC. Going into the weekend, the 370Z was sporting a couple of upgrades hoping to improve the car as well as fix some issues the team had noticed in the past few races. One such upgrade were solid aluminum shifter bushings which aimed to reduce slop in the shifter which prevented the car from going into 4th while under load in longer sweeping turns. This problem reared its ugly head several times during the Pitt Race battle with competitor Patryk Tararuj in his BRZ and ended up losing the Z costly seconds in two different laps. The team is happy to report that no such incidents happened during this race and the issue seems to have been resolved.
Another long-awaited upgrade is the front splitter. The Z was in much need of front downforce to compliment the rear wing upgrade from Pitt Race. The team was able to get enough ground clearance to guarantee no curbs would disassemble the splitter. Though there is no data to compare it to, Dan repeatedly stated that the front end was much more responsive on turn in, thanks in part to the downforce on the front tires.
On Saturday, Dan was able to pilot the Z to a first-place victory in USTCC. After a bad start, it took Dan almost 8 laps in order to see the taillights of the BRZ. However, once he saw them, he never let them get away. Slowly, lap after lap, Dan was able to reel in the BRZ. “I had to make it interesting you know? Just like Pitt, I needed to wait until the last possible moment to pass him. I wanted to stress out my friends and family that came to watch.” Dan finished 1st in class on Saturday.
For Sunday’s race, Dan had a change of scenery on the track. Two American Sedan Mustangs blocked Dan’s view for the entirety of the race. He and fellow USTCC racer, Andrew Conner in his BMW were stuck behind the two AS Mustangs as they battled each other in the corners, making it difficult to pass, while using their higher horsepower to create a gap on the straights. Dan even managed to get past the two Mustangs briefly using the aero and grip of the Z’s Hankook F200s, but was quickly overtaken due to the Mustangs sheer power. In the end, Dan finished directly behind the two Mustangs for a 2nd in class finish.
