Stephen Ellis is an amateur racing driver with 38 recorded laps across 5 vehicles on LapMeta, averaging 7.6 laps per car—high concentration ratio indicating focused commitment to mastering five specific platforms. Over seven laps per vehicle builds profound knowledge transcending typical driver-vehicle relationships, revealing nuances impossible to discover through brief exposure. This exceptional focus demonstrates specialist philosophy prioritizing depth over superficial breadth.
His LapMeta data shows testing with 7 laps at 13CW configuration, 6 laps at Streets, and 5 laps at Streets-CCW. The selective 5-vehicle portfolio suggests curated testing balancing comparative education against deep platform understanding. Each car received over seven sessions revealing how tire performance evolves, how brake feel changes with temperature, optimal techniques for specific chassis characteristics, and extracting maximum capability as conditions vary. This depth often allows dedicated amateurs to outperform professionals conducting brief evaluations through intimate vehicle-specific knowledge. With 38 laps concentrated across five vehicles averaging nearly 8 laps each, Stephen Ellis exemplifies the focused specialist who treats motorsport as pursuit of perfection through systematic development and intimate platform expertise.
What a weekend.
Thursday at SDC I wanted to shakedown the car with aero. Two laps into my day and 4th gear decided to take a dump and with it went my MFactory geared transmission. Immediately got it off track and started looking for a transmission. Found one that night but could only get it the next day meaning I would need to miss my GTA practice day to get the car working again in time to make the event.
Friday morning I rented a truck and trailer , drove up from West LA, got the car loaded, drove down to East LA to pick of the transmission with the car in tow, and then on to Santa Fe Springs to @ConceptIIIPerformance . They performed a miracle and got the car working later that night.
Having only slept a few hours I made my way back up to Buttonwillow to make Tech and Registration for Global Time Attack. I had signed up for Enthusiast Class but miss interpreted the rules about the interior for the class and couldn't find rear seats in time, not the end of the world, but that put me in Street Class.
The goal was now to finish out the weekend and hopefully get a new PB. With the shorter 4.67 final drive and the stock gear ratio transmission I was running out of gear most of the track, still I was able to get fairly close to my previous PB.
Later in the day my airbags decided to deploy as I went over the bump in turn 2; it caused the passenger a pillar to dislodged and pulled the airbag deploy tab. Not the end of the world car still runs fine.
I can't wait to come back next year and make another attempt at Enthusiast Class. Going to put the factory 4.3 Diff back in the car and start planning for a turbo build. 2024 is going to be a fun year.
Build:
Stock FA20 Motor
Intake/UEL Headers/ Exhaust
ECUTEK Tune from Counter Space Garage
Shaftworks USA 1Way Coilovers
AP Racing Sprint BBK
Counter Space Garage C21(Front)/C11(Rear) Brake Pads
Apex Wheels VS5RS 17x9 +35
Michelin PS Cup 2 Connect (240tw) 255/40/17
9 Lives Racing Wing
APR Carbon Lip
Trackspec Hood Vents
91 Octane