Once a year for the last 13 years Norwalk Raceway Park has been the home of the Buschur Racing Diamond Star Shootout. What started out 15 years ago as a few friends getting together to race their Eclipses and Talons on a Friday night has grown from eight guys attending the first year to 1,618 spectators and 208 racers in 2004.
With the battle growing between the Mitsubishi and Subaru camps for supremacy of the AWD platform it just makes sense to give them an arena to battle it out on.
Al Friedman, of DynoFlash, attended an EVO VS WRX event that was held in Englishtown, N.J. in 2004. The event had a good turnout but Al didn't feel it had the laid back, friendly feeling that he got while attending the DSM Shootouts. One phone call later and Al and David Buschur were in partnership to bring a new event to Norwalk Raceway Park.
This first-year event had a surprisingly large turnout. The event was held Friday, April 15th. Normally, getting people to attend any first-year event is tough enough, but to pull one off on a Friday is even harder. The event turned out to be huge success. The weather cooperated with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 60s.
There were 84 racers that showed up for their chance to set some records. 524 spectators came to cheer them on and from the looks of the parking lot every one of them showed up in either an EVO or WRX!
As always, Norwalk Raceway's preparation of the track was top notch and the record setting performances were proof of that.
AMS's 2003 Evo VIII set a new personal best of 10.11 at 141 mph, without the use of nitrous. Also in a 2003 Evo VIII, Al Friedman ran a new personal best of 10.22 at 138 mph, also without nitrous. Al asked Kevin Lawson, driver of Buschur Racing's 8.60-second Conquest, to make a pass in his Evo. Kevin laid down a 10.18 at 141 mph in his first and only pass.
Dan Buschur, from Buschur Racing, fought traction problems by running on the stock Advan tires in his full-weight, fully-optioned 2003 Evo VIII. After multiple 134 mph passes through the traps, Dan finally found some traction at the cost of a poor 1.84-second 60-foot time but it was enough for a 10.94 pass. He was then overheard challenging some of the other Evos to a road trip and then to a handling and braking challenge. His words were, "This one is still an Evo, it handles, brakes, drives AND runs 10s at 134+ mph."
Curt Brown brought out his Buschur Racing Stage 4-equipped Evo VIII. On race gas with an AEM EMS for fuel management his stock turbo'd Evo ran an amazing 10.94 at 124 mph! With some serious traction for the DOT radials the car was able to pull off a 1.50-second 60-foot time.
David Buschur was also there making some shakedown runs on his 2004 Evo RS. His car is being prepped for the Car and Driver Super Four Challenge coming in June. The event tests a car's acceleration, handling, braking and timed top speed to 150 mph. In other words, it has to do everything well and do it on 93-octane fuel. On pump gas using Buschur Racing's Stage 4, stock turbo, AEM EMS for tuning, a DMS suspension and StopTech big brakes the car laid down an 11.79 at 116 mph!
Kevin Lawson, piloting the Buschur Racing Conquest, came out and ran back-to-back 9.2s at 150 mph before a faulty electric water pump sidelined it for the rest of the event.
Slowdown Motorsports brought out their new AWD DSM for some shakedown runs. Their day ended with the complete destruction of their car. Within seconds of leaving the starting line fire surrounded the car. The driver escaped very quickly and threw his helmet at the rear of the car, this did nothing but enrage the fire. 14 fire extinguishers were emptied but had no effect on the fire.