Honda S2000 AP1 A&J Racing - Track Star

Honda S2000 240 WHP 180 LB-FT Of Torque
Shortly after the annual Long Beach Grand Prix race weekend, we got in touch with competitors A&J Racing to get the scoop on their track star, this white S2000. Having just clocked in at barely over 1:38 in the Limited FR class at the Super Lap Battle event of the weekend, we were all too curious to find out what made this Honda tick.

Sporting all-motor power and scalpel-like precision, it's been making quite a name for itself in recent years. In 2007, it took home First Place at the aforementioned Super Lap Battle. It also finished First and Second Place at the Super Street Time Attack challenge in 2006 and 2007, respectively. At the famous three-mile-long Buttonwillow Raceway, the car has steadily been cutting 2 seconds off its own record each year. In 2007, it ripped around Buttonwillow's 13CW configuration in just 1:54.888. The year before, it finished Second in class, losing to none other than a twin-turbo Porsche GT2. Suffice it to say, this is one serious contender.

While it's clearly no stranger to the track, this S2000 was once a daily driven car. Owned by AJR President Ben Leung since he bought it new in 2003, this machine has been lovingly and painstakingly converted into the dedicated racer shown here. Built entirely in-house at AJR, this car was made possible with the help of Spoon Sports, J's Racing, Type One Racing, and many other sponsors.

At the heart of this car is the venerable F-series motor. It makes its surprising power here without the help of a turbo or supercharger, just as it was born to do. At the wheels, the car puts down 240 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque.

Displacement has been squeezed up to 2.2 liters (a 10 percent increase from the stock motor) by using a stroker kit from Spoon. The crankshaft and block components have been fine-tuned and are counterweighted, balanced, blueprinted, and micro-polished. The Spoon pistons produce a lofty compression ratio of 12.3:1, but the forged internals are up to the task. A Spoon oil pan and catch can helps keep a reliable flow of oil circulating through the delicately tuned motor. By replacing the drive pulleys with lightweight versions from T1R, they reduced the rotating mass, further improving the motor's performance.

Sitting atop the block is an equally worked over head and valvetrain. The cylinder head itself features a full port, polish, and three-angle valve job. The valves themselves have also been polished, with all machine work being done in-house at AJR. Spoon camshafts work the valves as they suck in air through the J's Racing intake and Spoon throttle body, and spent gasses are sent through a T1R header and 70mm exhaust.

Aftermarket parts abound in this S2000's drivetrain. The transmission itself benefits from a lower final drive ratio of 4.46:1, quite a bit livelier than the stock's 4.1:1. It connects to the engine via a twin-plate carbon clutch from Exedy, and sends power to a Mugen two-way clutch-type limited-slip differential via a reinforced Spoon driveshaft. To further reduce the risk of a worn-out driveshaft due to the altered placement caused by the lower ride height, AJR also installed a pair of T1R driveshaft spacers to correct the geometry. To be extra safe, a Spoon magnetic drain bolt helps remove various metallic particles from the oil.