Holley HydraMat Helps Mackin Industries Scion FR-S Tackle Pikes Peak
12/15/2015 < Back to Blog Home
Racing from 9,390 feet above sea level to 14,115 feet above sea level over a route that covers 12.42 miles and features 156 turns creates problems that most race teams have never fathomed having to solve. The most obvious is dealing with the increasingly thinning air at those elevations, which decreases horsepower and throws off tuning calibrations. The thin air can also wreak havoc on cooling systems and even aerodynamic aids. Let's not forget that if you screw up at Pikes Peak, the repercussions can quite literally be deadly.
One specific problem that Pikes Peak racers face is fuel supply. This is not a unique problem to them though. Almost all motorsports inherently create high-G situations, whether it is a hard launch in drag racing, hard cornering in drifting, or jumping in Stadium Super Trucks. The Mackin Industries Pikes Peak FR-S had to deal with these same issues. The 156 turns of Pikes Peak push the fuel inside of their fuel cell every which way except for down. While sumped tanks with auxiliary pumps have been used to varying degrees of success, Philip Chase of Mackin Industries wanted to solve the problem once and for all. Despite recording a DNF due to other mechanical issues, Chase had nothing but praise for the HydraMat, stating "We used the 11" x 11" HydraMat as part of our fuel system and it worked flawlessly. The tight hairpin corners and constant climb can make fuel delivery an issue, but our data logs throughout the entire event showed no fuel starvation or loss of pressure. Great product!” We can't wait to see this FR-S make another run at Pikes Peak next year.
One specific problem that Pikes Peak racers face is fuel supply. This is not a unique problem to them though. Almost all motorsports inherently create high-G situations, whether it is a hard launch in drag racing, hard cornering in drifting, or jumping in Stadium Super Trucks. The Mackin Industries Pikes Peak FR-S had to deal with these same issues. The 156 turns of Pikes Peak push the fuel inside of their fuel cell every which way except for down. While sumped tanks with auxiliary pumps have been used to varying degrees of success, Philip Chase of Mackin Industries wanted to solve the problem once and for all. Despite recording a DNF due to other mechanical issues, Chase had nothing but praise for the HydraMat, stating "We used the 11" x 11" HydraMat as part of our fuel system and it worked flawlessly. The tight hairpin corners and constant climb can make fuel delivery an issue, but our data logs throughout the entire event showed no fuel starvation or loss of pressure. Great product!” We can't wait to see this FR-S make another run at Pikes Peak next year.
