612 WHP : 10.99 @ 132 MPH
Al Friedman is proof that, even in 2005, an enthusiast can take his passion for performance, in-depth knowledge and a little initiative and mix it with experience to create a business. For Al, the combination was all-wheel drive turbo-four power, an understanding of ECU technology and a silver EVO with a purple flame job. Dynoflash was the end result.
At its core, Dynoflash is an ECU reprogramming specialist and Al tests the goods on the track, dyno and street. Recently, he was summoned to Puerto Rico to tune some of the islands many EVOs and WRXs. We told him to pack a camera and come back with some shots chronicling his exploits.-EG
Puerto Rico's Quickest, Fastest And Most Powerful EVO VIIIAs car fanatics, we all share love for fast cars and the pursuit of the "perfect car." Few car hobbyists are as totally absorbed and driven by car mania as the owner of our featured car, Ivan "Evo" Bareaga. His Mitsubishi is the quickest, fastest and most powerful Evo VIII in Puerto Rico, and the first to run in the 12s, 11s and 10s.
During a recent visit to Puerto Rico I met Ivan at a San Juan dyno shop/social club for boost-addicted, power-hungry speed freaks called Sporty Dyno. In Puerto Rico, the dyno shop is both a tuning center and a meeting place to share ideas and patiently watch as fellow hobbyists try out their newest modification combinations. A nerve center for the Puerto Rican aftermarket car community, dyno shops are open during the evening hours so as the heat of the day cools off, the horsepower club comes out to find new ways to make power and to cheer on each other as new dyno records are set.
Where sessions are conducted in secrecy in America, dyno tuning is more of a spectator sport on the island. I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than downing a few beers, smelling the fumes of race gas, listening to the roar of engines and the excited talk of tuners sharing ideas and dreams. While watching an 850-whp twin-rotor RX-7 pound the dyno into submission with about 50 other car fanatics, I met Ivan, the owner of an amazing daily-driven 600-whp 10.9-second Evo VIII.
What captured my eye about Ivan's car was the amazingly clean and attractive setup in the engine compartment, combined with very good parts selection and carefully calibrated tuning. It takes great effort and talent to make a modified car that is both brutally fast and fully functional as a daily driver.
Ivan is one of the most Evo-crazy guys I have run across, hence the nickname "Evo Ivan" bestowed upon him by his pals at Sporty Dyno. Ivan was one of the first guys in Puerto Rico to pick up an Evo VIII and like us on the Mainland, it was a new experience to enjoy the famed Evolution. Ivan wanted to maximize the enjoyment factor of his high-performance machine but had no big plans other than using it as his daily commuter car and for an occasional trip to the dragstrip for fun. On his first trip to the dragstrip, Ivan ran a 14-second time and was laughed at by some rival owners of significantly modified STis. Ivan decided then and there to turn the tables on the STi camp and undertook a tuning journey that culminated in this amazing record-setting machine.
What really impressed me about Ivan was his lack of a specific ending point, goal, budget or time frame at which to call his Evo finished. This machine is a continual work in progress and Ivan intends to "go all the way," however far that takes him and his Evo. Every so often you meet a guy who enjoys what he is doing so much that the journey becomes more important than the destination. This is Ivan's first modified vehicle and he is really enjoying the process and learning a lot as he progresses.
Ivan and his friends Julio "Papotec" Rodriquez (mechanic) and rising tuning star Gadiel Gonzales of Maximum Performance (also tuner of Puerto Rico's quickest and fastest STi, 10.2 sec. at 142 mph) got together and set a course to craft a machine that could not only rule the dragstrip but could also handle daily commuting duties in comfort and style. The well-respected Evo tuning shop Ultimate Racing of Toronto, Canada was contacted to supply the basic performance upgrades such as exhaust, intake and e-Manage computer which got Ivan into the 11-second range back in December.
Reaching that milestone only intensified Ivan's lust for speed and triggered a move to acquire Ultimate Racing's Garrett GT35R turbo kit, which required a whole new series of modifications and improvements to support the upgrade. The GT35R has become a very popular turbo for Evos due to its mild lag and huge power potential; around the 600-whp range. Choosing to go with an off-the-shelf bolt-on Ultimate Racing turbo kit simplified the buildup and kept costs down. An Ultimate Racing upgraded front-mount intercooler and intercooler pipes deliver the boosted charge to a highly-crafted BJ's custom intake manifold.