Greta, a 2007 Jetta City owned by Ian Madden of Metric Auto in Ottawa, ON, Canada started her racing career in 2008 in the GTA class. Greta found her new home at Metric Auto after being written off by local VW dealership due to a crash during a road test – I guess she really never wanted the role of family sedan. Modification to Greta’s 1.8T included an AEB head, Mahle pistons, “H” beam rods, 630 injectors, 2.5 inch exhaust, and a GT28rs turbo. Engine management was provided by a standalone system tuned to deliver a respectable 262WHP, more power would have been possible but it was decided that it would be best to err on the side of safety and reliability. This setup helped Greta deliver a best Mosport lap of 1:31.968, a 2nd place overall finish in the GTA class and loads of fun getting there.
The 2009 season started without engine changes but midway through the year the stand alone controller was replaced by the original Bosch® ME7 controller and the Maestro 7 Software Tuning Suite®. This change allowed for a more aggressive tune that produced an increase of 52WHP with no other changes bringing total WHP to 314 while maintaining engine reliability thanks to the Bosch® controller’s advanced engine management features and the precision tuning provided by the Maestro Tuning Suite®.
In 2010 the 1.8T was refreshed using the same internals – an upgraded turbo in the form of a GT2868 was added and the Maestro® tune was refined – end result 374WHP! This kind of serious power required upgrades to the transmission in the form of a Samsonas 6 speed dogbox and a Gemini/VW Motorsport differential. The performance of the Gemini diff is obvious in the picture below – looks like fun!
The increased power output brought on the need for chassis changes to help keep Greta on the blacktop – a Hybrid R32 Metric racing rear suspension was added along with Moton 2 way shocks with remote reservoirs. Ian installed 330mm front disks along with AP racing calipers to match the braking power to the go power. All these changes produced a fastest lap of 1.27.848 at Mosport; a full 4 seconds plus faster than in her debut in 07.
The 2010 season ended with a 2nd place overall finish in Canadian Automobile Sports Club GT2 division, a win at Calabogie Motorsports Park and a front wheel drive lap record at Mosport – We wait to see what 2011 will bring.
“Das Auto!”
