The Underdogs documentary is back with an intense 2nd episode highlighting the recent Redline Time Attack event at Willow Springs.  Watch as brothers Adam and Noah Levy prepare the Takata Time Attack Impreza for battle.  This episode also provides some background into the brother's humble beginnings, and the creation of LIC Motorsports.  Is their experience enough to translate into a win as they push for perfection at Willow Spring's fast and unforging track?  Tune in to find out.

To leave your feedback about The Underdogs and find out about future episodes, visit The Underdogs on Facebook.

Takata Time Attack recently celebrated Independence Day with participation in Redline's fourth west coast event of the year dubbed The Liberty Grand Prix. Willow Springs Raceway of Rosamond, California set the stage for a challenging contest as temperatures exceeded 90 degrees and average speeds on the course exceeded 100mph for Modified class cars. The LIC Motorsports crew was busy in the weeks preceding the event preparing for the challenge.

"Chassis development has been and continues to be our focal point for development of the car" said Noah Levy of LIC Motorsports. "Based on feedback from our driver and the advice of some of our partners we have made some changes to the car to improve its high speed stability. Along the way we have also removed some weight from the car. We were hopeful for dramatic improvements in the handling of the car."

As driver James Elterman took to the track on Saturday, he immediately found new confidence in the car at high speeds. Development continued throughout the weekend with alignment, spring rate, aero, and rear differential changes. With each change came reduced lap times and by Saturday evening it was looking as though a podium finish was attainable.

The serious business of racing took pause on Saturday night as the main straight of the raceway was converted to a drag strip. Street cars, prepared drag racers, as well as some Time Attack cars raced the 1,000 ft. drag strip as the sun set. The Takata Impreza made an impression on the fans as it posted the fastest trap speed of the evening at 112mph. After nightfall the fans and racers were treated to a 22 minute fireworks show.

In Sunday's first Time Attack session James claimed 4th position just 1 second out of 3rd. The final session again proved to be a critical one.

"Going into the final round of the Time Attack we all felt the car had the potential of reaching the podium." said Elterman. "We made some minor changes going into the final round but unfortunately we took a small step in the wrong direction. Despite this I was pushing for an improved time. The first lap offered no improvement, and on the second lap I had in incredible off in Turn 1. Fortunately the damage was contained to the front splitter, but it forced our retirement from the session."

With no improvement in the final session, the team retained 4th place in Modified AWD. After some quick repairs by the LIC crew to the front splitter, the Takata Impreza was ready for the Super Session sprint race. James started in the second row of grid in 3rd for Modified AWD. After the race's first lap, the 034 Motorsports Audi in 2nd position retired due to a mechanical issue, putting Elterman in 2nd. Four laps later the Cobb Nissan GTR of Brian Lock crossed line first for Modified AWD, with Elterman in 2nd.

The intense battle for the Modified AWD Season Championship continues with James Elterman and Brian Lock standing out from the rest of the pack. After 4 events Elterman retains a small lead over Lock with 150 points to his 149 points. With three races left in the series the Championship may likely come down to the final event.

Videos
1,000 Ft. Drag Race
Record Assault Time Attack Session
Super Session

More Photos by Gabriel Zavala

The first episode of The Underdogs has been released!

The Underdogs is an episodic journey into the lives of brothers Adam and Noah Levy, owners of LIC Motorsports, the company behind the build and preparation of the Takata Time Attack Impreza.  Watch as they prepare the Takata Impreza for battle in the Redline Time Attack race series. In each episode, they will stand face to face with teams many times their size and funding. Will they fall behind the competition, or can they accomplish the unthinkable? The odds are against them. They are the underdogs.

Episode 1 introduces the brothers and their shop, and follows them as they prepare the car for the next race at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.  You will also meet driver James Elterman and watch as he attack the track from some of the most dynamic and unique camera angles imaginable. 

Episode 1 is only the first of this multi-part documentary.  For more information on The Underdogs, visit TheUnderdogsDoc.com.

The Takata Impreza was honored recently with a spot in the Nitto Tires booth at the Sport Compact (SPOCOM) event held at the San Mateo Convention Center on Saturday May 1, 2010. Adam and Noah Levy of LIC Motorsports were on hand to answer questions about the car. For more photos from the event, visit LIC Motorsport's gallery.

Following an impressive finish at the Redline Time Attack season opener, Takata Time Attack was anxious to carry the momentum to another strong finish in Las Vegas for Redline's second west coast event. The LIC Motorsports crew made small adjustments to the Takata Impreza prior to the event including a new set of Black and Green Rota wheels from Wheeldude to match the new livery, as well as a new Aeromotions wing.

"Our car was generally very reliable for the first event", said Noah Levy of LIC Motorsports. "Many cars at the first event had failures and we were able to capitalize because our car was reliable and consistent, despite the fact that James had never driven the car. The only significant issue we had was problems with the brakes overheating and locking up under heavy braking."

For the second event, the bulk of Saturday's practice session was spent experimenting to improve the braking system. After collaborating with Brembo Brakes via phone, the swap to a different brake pad compound yielded dramatic results. With confidence restored in braking, James immediately dropped over 3 seconds a lap, putting him in the hunt for a podium finish.

"I can easily say that driving the LIC Motorsports powered Takata Impreza is the best driving I have ever experienced. Even with 550 wheel horsepower on tap, the powerband is so smooth and responsive that it is fun and confidence inspiring to drive. Many heavily boosted cars buck and jerk at anything less than full throttle, but such is not the case with the LIC built engine. With our braking problems out of the way, I see incredible potential for this car."

Things were looking up for Takata Time Attack until a wastegate line burst shortly into the first Time Attack session, giving James a signifcant power handicap. The line was easily repaired in time for Session 2, but with track conditions much deteriorated it was not possible for James to match the times posted earlier in the day when the conditions were ideal. Despite the 4th place result, James and LIC crew are excited about the progress made in car development and look forward a better finish at the next event.

After two events, Takata Time Attack leads the Modified AWD class in points.

Playboy Model and 2009 SPO COM Model Search Winner Tracy Nova with the Takata Time Attack Impreza

Photo credit to Gabriel Zavala

As the original Takata Time Attack Impreza prepares for retirement, it is fitting that the many accomplishments of car and driver are documented in print. Takata Time Attack was very fortunate to connect with Richard Fong, photographer and writer for the industry's premiere publication, DSport magazine. The May 2010 issue reached over 600,000 readers and features an incredible 6 page feature by Mr. Fong on the original Takata Impreza. Visit DSport's website at dragsport.com.

March 5th, 2010: Takata Time Attack announced today the winner of their contest to design the livery of the Takata Impreza using the Forza Motorsport 3 video game. Coinciding with this announcement, SEIBON Carbon has partnered with Takata Time Attack to provide the Carbon Fiber body panels necessary for the Takata Impreza to realize this livery.

The Takata Time Attack Impreza Version 1, which has now retired from the Time Attack circuit, was made famous by a livery contest in 2008 involving Microsoft's hit racing video game, Forza Motorsport 2.  The Takata Time Attack Impreza Version 2, currently underdevelopment by Subaru specialists LIC Motorsports, needed a new livery.  Driver James Elterman once again turned to the Forza Motorsport community to design a new livery for the car.

The contest, which utilized the series' latest version, Forza Motorsport 3, generated 262 design submissions, approximately 150 more than the contest conducted in 2008.  Ten finalist designs were announced on February 26, 2010, and included gamers from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.  The winner of the contest, Jason Dakins, of Ontario, Canada, was announced today via a YouTube video of driver James Elterman personally introducing the 3 top designs.

"Jason's design immediately stood out due to his incredible attention to detail in replicating the Takata Racing Harnesses in the livery with incredible accuracy" said Elterman.  "The design also incorporates some of the design elements from the outgoing design, making it easily recognizable to our fans, while still having a fresh new look for our racecar."

For his efforts, Dakins will be the recipient of a Takata Racing Harness, as well as other prizes from Takata Time Attack and Forza Motorsport publisher Turn 10.

To turn Dakin's design from virtual to reality, Elterman turned to SEIBON Carbon, the leader in high quality aftermarket carbon fiber body components.  SEIBON Carbon's doors and other body components will be used to achieve the look of Dakin's design, which included exposed carbon fiber.  In addition, the use of carbon fiber will significantly reduce the weight of the Takata Impreza.

Takata Time Attack, which was recently announced as a franchised team in the Redline Time Attack series for 2010, will debut the Takata Time Attack Impreza at a Redline Time Attack in the Spring of 2010 with Dakin's livery design.

Complete Press Release after the jump...

James Elterman and Takata Time Attack, the 2008 Redline Time Attack Modified AWD Champion and 2009 runner-up, have announced a new partnership with Northern California based Subaru specialist LIC Motorsports to campaign a Time Attack car in the 2010 racing season. Takata Time Attack will field the new Takata Impreza in the Modified/Limited class at west coast Redline Time Attack and Super Lap Battle events where it will be piloted by James Elterman.

"Partnering with LIC Motorsports as opposed to campaigning my own car will finally give me the opportunity to focus on driving and being an excellent spokesperson for the companies that support us." said James Elterman, owner of Takata Time Attack. "I am pleased to have partnered with LIC because they have the same level of commitment and professionalism that I have, combined with the talent to be successful. Additionally it gives me the chance to extend my lasting relationship with Subarus in which I find great pleasure in driving."

Companies supporting the Takata Time Attack 2010 Campaign include

Takata Racing Products
LIC Motorsports
Nitto Tire:
SEIBON Carbon
Solo Performance
Wheeldude
Cobb Tuning
JE Pistons
Deatsch Werks

The Takata Impreza Version 2 is scheduled to make its debut at the Redline Time Attack season opener at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, California at the end of March.  The full press release is after the jump.