Informative Morning Full Of Expertise And Knowledge
CLUB MEMBERS PACKED THE GARAGE BAYS of Oakville’s Mantis Racing on Jan. 25 for an incredible tech session — a morning of presentations ranging from specialized track-prep for a Cayman, 944 and 968, through to in-depth engine and gearbox maintenance for everyday use of a 944 and 968. Several road and track cars were in the shop to support the presentations, along with an engine on a stand and an opened gearbox.
First up, everything we ever wanted to know about the whole front-end maintenance on the 944 and 968 engines — seals, belts, sources for oil leaks, how-tos and work-arounds, things to line up, and things to inspect and replace. It might be out there somewhere on YouTube but nothing beats having an expert walk you through and show the process on an engine sitting on an engine-stand.
Next, gearbox. With the hardware opened and on the bench and a super-knowledgeable technician alongside, we all got to know way more about how to protect and sustain our gearboxes, what to watch out for, and what it means when certain unwelcome things start to happen. Some of us are kind of familiar with the engine side of things but the inside of the gearbox was new territory for many, and very interesting.
Then we moved over to the high-performance side of things. The Mantis Dynapack equipment was used for a dyno run on a 944, showing the insight this equipment gives to engine performance and the effect of fuel octane on power output. This was followed by a demonstration of Mantis’ highly-accurate alignment equipment on a track-prepped Cayman, reflecting Mantis’ long history of racing Caymans since claiming the first race win for a Porsche Cayman S back in 2006.
First up, everything we ever wanted to know about the whole front-end maintenance on the 944 and 968 engines — seals, belts, sources for oil leaks, how-tos and work-arounds, things to line up, and things to inspect and replace.
Two Mantis-prepared 944 racecars were available for viewing with their happy owners and drivers on hand to talk about their recent track success. Jon Dunski and his SP2 944, affectionately named the Purple People Eater, had an action-packed 2019 season — with a win at our home Club Race, second place at the national championship race, and a regional win for the Canada cup. Mike Mallais and his 944 had a great season and won the 944 Cup SP1 northeastern national championship.
Canadians took three podium steps of the nine available at the 944 Cup — and all three cars were from Mantis!
Special thanks to Mantis Racing and owner Ernie Jakubowski for making this a truly great and engaging tech session, content-rich and high on expertise and knowledge for those wanting to optimize their Porsche for the track (Driver Education or race), and for 944 and 968 owners wanting to improve the quality and reliability of their drivetrain.
