Hans Ruiterman has owned his Nissan Silvia for a number of years now. It has been featured in NZ Performance Car magazine, been drifted, and now — in its latest guise — it’s a Prowear NZ Superlap contender — or should we say destroyer. So, what does it take to dominate Superlap here in New Zealand?
To get to the pointy end of NZ Superlap, you need grunt, and plenty of it. It’s not often we hear of a low-powered vehicle cutting quick times here in New Zealand. Thankfully, the SR20VET in Hans’ Nissan Silvia S14 produces plenty of grunt. With a high-boost tune capable of 500kW-plus, it’s no slouch, however Hans runs a conservative tune of 400kW at the wheels. We’re told this helps reduce engine-bay temperatures and prolongs the life of the turbocharger. Hans also created a cooling duct, which runs from the front bumper back to the turbine housing on the Borgwarner turbo, which Hans tells us has reduced firewall, exhaust-tunnel, and engine-bay temperatures considerably. Reducing the rev limiter down to 7500rpm has also resulted in less mechanical failures over the last year of competition.
Another vital component to any serious time attack machine is mechanical grip, and aero. Hans is competing this season with a full-slick, as opposed to other competitors that are running a semi-slick tyre in various compounds. The aero on Hans’ Silvia is fairly minimal, however it seems to be quite effective. A large GT-style wing on the rear, a front splitter, and various canards, all help in the creation of downforce. Hans mentioned that he’s not too keen to widebody the Silvia at this stage to fit a larger tyre, as there was a lot of work that went into shaping the rear guards to what they are now. Maybe when there’s some serious competition breathing down his neck he’ll make the move.
Hans has always stressed that without a team, there’s no point in heading out for the weekend. Hans’ crew for round one of Superlap consisted of Alicia Hancock, Scott Withers, and Ben Coombe. Scott (pictured) has been a long-standing team member of E&H Motors, and always gives his best come competition time. We’ve been told Scott has plans to compete too, but I highly doubt Hans will let go of one of his most vital team members this season.
We’ll keep you updated on Hans Ruiterman’s Superlap machine as the season progresses. Hans told us he’ll be buying another set of tyres this season, so will he make the switch to semi-slicks as per next year’s rules? Only time will tell and you’ll be the first to know!
