Times certainly have changed, and it looks like teams keep finding faster methods of dispatching tarmac. This year, the little brother to the Skyline, the 240SX, set a 1 minute 54 second lap. If you read our Global Time Attack/Super Lap Battle Preview article then you would remember that just eight years ago, a 1 minute and 54 second lap time was enough for a dedicated Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R time attack car with racing tires to claim victory. However, after a full day of lapping, the record remained this isn't to say that there weren't other impressive times set at this year's event. In a surprise absence, FX Motorsports Development and their record-holding NSX were nowhere to be found, leaving an open opportunity for other teams to step in and take the crown. Looking at the class restrictions, you would think it would be easy to pick which class would set the fastest lap of the day, with history favoring the machines with the “Unlimited All Wheel Drive” tech sticker on their windshield, but what's a good event without a good old-fashioned upset? This year's surprise champion would not only come from a lower class, but would also be sending power to half the wheels – definitely unexpected, but it goes to show how some creative builds and strategy can yield impressive results. This freedom has led to some truly impressive cars lining up on the grid, ranging from surprisingly mild daily-driven cars to fire-belching machines with more body modifications than some of Beverly Hill's finest inhabitants. Global Time Attack regulations allow for a high degree of freedom with class restrictions being much lower than those used by other sanctioning bodies. This year's event had the highest entry numbers of any prior Global Time Attack/Super Lap Battle event, with 59 competitors looking to convert horsepower into lap times by way of melted rubber. When an Enthusiast class car is capable of demolishing an Unlimited class record from just a few years back, it's easy to see that Time Attack is taking hold in America, much to the chagrin of oval track lovers and mullet owners everywhere. As with every running of the Global Time Attack/Super Lap Battle finale, drivers took aim at the standing lap records and sought to put their own name next to the newest and fastest lap, but what differentiates this year is how drastically lap times have fallen. Buttonwillow has been regarded as the birthplace of American time attack and has been used as the proving grounds for some of the fastest cars in the world.
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