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June 30, 2006
MyChron4 Steering Wheel
After rejecting the first couple of designs from outside firms, our own design team came up with this beautiful new steering wheel design for the MyChron4. This new wheel is expected to be shipping in early August in a variety of exciting new colors.
Posted by Mike Jaynes at 06:13 PM | Comments (2)
June 29, 2006
Ballistics Testing: VIDEO
Posted by the AiM Sports Ballistics Research Department:
So, I bought a tennis ball machine ... and bought Scott a sweatband and a jockstrap.
Our tests showed that an 85 MPH tennis ball will in fact, break a face shield of a motorcycle helmet.
The Official AiM Sports Ballistics Research Department Video Report.
Posted by aimsports || erik at 06:59 PM | Comments (0)
New Guy
New guy "Feel" shows us how to properly wire up an RPM clip at Johnston County Speedway.
Updated: This weekend Feel will be with Chad in Michigan for the WKA Gold Cup. Devan will be in Riverside, NC for the Junior Kahuna race while John will be in Willowsprings for the Gatorz Challenge.
Posted by aimsports || erik at 05:01 AM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2006
Another Busy Weekend
MyChron Mike will be in Chapel Hill, NY supporting the WKA Pavement series.
Update: Devan will be in Amelia, VA supporting the VDKA state race.
MyChron Chad and new guy "Feel" will be in Cecil, Georgia helping out junior drag racers at the LB Trailers Junior Drag challenge.
On the auto racing side, Mario Trujillo will be at Infineon supporting SCCA World Challenge, and Scott Jessup (along with Joe Hullet from Digital Competition Systems) will be at Mid-Ohio for Grand AM. See the full schedule on our events page.
Above, an old picture showing Mike and Chad when they were but wee youngsters.
You tell us who's winning!
Posted by aimsports || erik at 01:30 PM | Comments (1)
June 20, 2006
We Get The Drift
Check out this video of AEM's Nissan 350Z drift racer. You'll have no trouble spotting the MXL digital racing display - it's sexy glow lights up the dash - and check out the shift LEDs flashing.
The MXL digital displays and race data loggers have been a hit with import racers and tuners since they came on the scene a few years ago. Even the "Fast and Furious" drift racing guys (and gals) are choosing the MXL for its performance, value and good looks. Previously we've mentioned nods from Modified and DSport, and the great work by AMS on their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII (pictured above).
Posted by aimsports || erik at 09:17 PM | Comments (1)
June 19, 2006
AiM Sports Wideband Lambda Controller
It looks like we are close to shipping our Lambda Control Unit, something we have been excited about since we saw the first prototypes last fall. This unit utilizes a Bosch sensor to monitor air/fuel ratios in your engine, also known as lambda. The unit is intended mainly for automotive use as an expansion to our MXL Pista and MXL Pro data loggers, though other uses including standalone seem possible. Pricing and availabililty are not yet set. Look for more information soon!
Posted by aimsports || erik at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2006
AIM MXL Race Data Systems Take Charge in the Grand Am Cup Series
Contributed by Neel Vasavada of Apex Speed Technology
The 2006 Grand Am Cup competition has been great for AIM. Since introducing the first MXL digital displays and racing data loggers into the series last year, the AIM MXL has quickly become the dominant data logging/driver display system in the series. At VIR, the Synergy Porsche 997 with Pat Long at the wheel led the race and set the fastest lap before a final-lap incident.
The Synergy-built Marcus Motorsports 997 of Spencer Pompelly/Andy Lally finished 3rd. At Laguna Seca, our 997 finished 2nd bested only by the Porsche 996 of Bernheim Racing, which also features an AIM dash installed by our good friend Joe Hullet at Digital Competition Systems. At Phoenix, Apex Speed Technology AIM installations finished 1st, 3rd, and 8th.
Apex Speed Technology follows our custom approach with these systems. All wiring is custom and integrated with the chassis wherever possible for neat, tidy and reliable installation. We run a variety of custom sensors, such a fuel level (featuring a low-fuel light) and ABS warning/disable indicator off standard MXL channels. Not only do they feature common components like shock pots and brake pressures, but they take many of their values straight from the Porsche ECU via the “CAN bus” connection.
Every AIM customer we’ve spoken to is very impressed with their power, performance and value, and word is getting around. Looking up and down the grid, there are many other cars with AIM products, from MXLs to Davids to lap timers. We’re already sold our first AIM systems for the more advanced Grand Am ROLEX series, and there’s no doubt in my mind that more and more of those teams are going to see the value and performance of AIM systems.
The ease of installation and flexibility makes AIM an ideal choice for a wide range of customers. Club racers can benefit from the same features that the pros use, without paying pro-racing prices. Having the Race Studio Analysis software standard across the range means no matter what your project or budget, there’s an AIM system for you with room to grow!
Special thanks to Mario @ AIM and Joe from Digital Competition Systems for all their help and support at the track!
Posted by aimsports || erik at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2006
LeMans
World Cup Soccer seems to be on a lot of minds around the world right now. But if you're like us, besides your local racing, you might be thinking more about another sporting event - LeMans.
The 24 hours of LeMans is the ultimate endurance race for sports cars. AiM Sports is proud to be a small part, as a DaVid Stand-Alone video and data logger, providing race data acquisition synchronized with 2 video camera views, will be in use by car 66, driven by no less than Borcheller, Mowlem and Fittipaldi under the Acemco Motorsports banner.
Posted by aimsports || erik at 05:55 PM | Comments (1)
June 08, 2006
MyChron Data Systems Give Pocket Bike Racer Austin DeHaven His Racing Edge
We got a great email from proud dad Eric DeHaven about his son Austin DeHaven. Austin, a 12 year old pocket bike racer from Los Angeles, is off to a great start this year, building on his Junior 2.5 championship last year. He races in the SCminiGP group, riding a BMS 6.2 (going for the 6.2 Semi-Pro Junior championship) a Yamaha YSR50 shifter and a Honda RS125. Austin races with Team Smoking Pocketbikes and SavaWest Tires. He also runs CMRRA 50cc and 125cc national and invitational events.
Eric says, "We are in a big Championship battle this season, as Austin and another kid are very close and have just checked out on the rest of the field. The 2 of them are each others shadows trading wins and the lead almost every corner."
Austin, his brother Anthony, and his dad race at Calspeed Kart Track in Fontana (SCminGP's home track), Grange (their common practice track) Buttonwillow kart track, Streets of Willow, Adams Kart Track, Amago (recently closed), and Stockton raceway park.
Austin uses a MyChron2 on his pocket bike; it's a key part of the race program. Eric explains: "First off, lap times are very important and I work with Austin on being consistent and not to worry about being fast. Speed comes with consistency, so having the lap time right there onboard helps him keep a smooth flow and pace and lets him see how small errors or hitting all his marks will affect his lap times. When he is leading a race by a bit of a margin he can actually tell how much to back off to save tires and the bike."
"We use the RPM record and playback feature most of all. As these pocket bikes have only 1 gear, choosing the right gearing is 90% of making the bike fast. Seeing what RPMs he is pulling (and where) is very important. As opposed to what many may think, it's not always about keeping the bike from overrevving. We've found that a compromise between good corner drive, top end and overrev is a fine line and the RPM playback from the MyChron gives us the information we need to make an informed decision."
Eric continues: "I really feel that the future of racing is all about the engineering and the data, and the kids coming up now, if they can't speak with the engineers and know how to interpret the data, then they are going to get lost, or at least not have that edge, by learning it now, I think its only going to help them in the future as they move up through the ranks."
"For example, we use the the data from the MyChron to talk over the laps with Austin, as he tells me where he is braking and using the throttle. We can look at the playback and discuss if he is letting the revs drop too low or even braking too early for corners. This has helped him learn to carry lots of corner speed as he can actually see his revs replay after a lap."
"I use the EGT (exhaust gas temperature) and CHT (cylinder head temp) for carb tuning as his bike is a 40cc air cooled motor and its VERY sensitive to climate changes. Seeing the temps on playback, I can see not only what the jetting changes are doing while he is riding, but also what effects they have on race distance as the motor heats up. With this information I can plan the jetting for the motor to come in say, earlier or later in the session."
"We now have a Drack system which we are installing on Austin's Honda RS125 (which has 70cc motor). We are really excited about this system as we can create our own track maps. Further, this bike has more complicated suspension and more tuning possibilities, so we have added sensors for suspension travel, throttle and brake so we can really start looking at the effects of his riding on the data and how his comments and changes affect the bike and the readouts."
Austin enjoys working on his bike, working with the MyChron and learning how the data can improve his riding. He says: "the MyChron helped a lot for the race on the 3rd saturday. Without it we would have had a really bad set-up."
This ties in with something that we see often in the pits in all forms of junior racing, whether it's bikes, karts or junior dragsters. Too often, Dad is wrenching on the kart feverishly, while Mom is making food or looking after other kids. If it's not Dad, it's a hired gun tuner. The junior drivers are often bored, playing video games or sitting around, waiting for dad and/or the tuner to finish.
Mike Burrell's "Tuner" editorial in the June 2006 issue of National Kart News addresses this issue: "is the 'Super Tuner' robbing karting's youth of the opportunity to learn racecar dynamics and develop mechanical skills? Possibly."
By not involving junior drivers in the decision making, tuning and prep, you miss a golden opportunity for learning. Involve them as early as possible in what is happening on the vehicle, in the engine, on the track, etc. Working with the data from a data acquisition system is a great start. Ask them to review the data and determine what adjustments should be made. Don't be afraid to let them experiment with some parameters. The DeHavens understand this all too well, and encourage their sons to learn as much as possible.
Eric and Austin also had kind words for Scott Jessup and the AiM Sports support team: "Not only do you have the best products out there but your customer service and support are truely second to none." Check out Austin's progress at www.austindehaven.com.
Photos courtesy of Eric DeHaven.
Posted by aimsports || erik at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2006
MyChron4 "Freeze-Fix" Update *Updated June 5th*
We have identified a bug in the MyChron4 firmware that can cause the screen to freeze under certain circumstances, though the data continues to record. The quick-fix is to turn off the 'Hold Peak RPM' feature, the best solution is to update the MyChron4 firmware, which requires the data key.
1) To turn off the RPM Hold feature:
Press the Menu button on the MyChron4
Select 'Control Panel', press 'Enter'
Select 'RPM Setup' (default), press 'Enter'
Select 'Hold Peak RPM', press enter until you see "OFF"
(see screen shots at right)
2) To fix the problem for good, download the firmware update and load it into your MyChron4 with the Data Key. Download the update from the MyChron4 downloads page. You should read the release notes before use.
This firmware update also fixes some issues with the "Best Rolling" and Split features. The split feature now works correctly for tracks with 3 or more magnetic strips.
Posted by aimsports || erik at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2006
MXL Display for AEM Engine Management Systems Getting Some Attention
Recently we announced that our MXL digital displays and data loggers now supported AEM's programmable engine management systems. This means that if you're using an AEM system to control your car's performance, you can easily plug in an MXL system and add a stunning display and powerful data logger.
Modified Magazine has listed the MXL under "Hot Products". SEMA has listed the MXL and AEM integration as a hot product. If you're tuning a performance car, involved with import tuning, the AEM/MXL combo is one of the best value for performance packages you can get.
As we posted earlier, the AMS Motorsports team Lancer EVO 8 ran the MXL/AEM combo in the One Lap of America, finishing 3rd overall.
Posted by aimsports || erik at 04:31 PM | Comments (0)
A Busy Weekend
The AiM Sports support team is out in full force this weekend. Look for Scott at Buffalo Bills in Primm, NV supporting the Stars of Karting West. John will be in Fontana (California Speedway) supporting the Pro Kart Challenge. Not to be outdone, AiM Sports SE is sending Chad, Devan and new guy Phil to Amelia, VA for the WKA Dirt National. Click here to check out our complete race support schedule. Keep it safe and have fun!
Above, MyChron Chad is spotted helping out a young up and coming driver in Charlotte a few weeks ago.
Posted by aimsports || erik at 04:08 PM | Comments (1)