By J.A. Ackley
Oct 20, 2025
|
Honda,
honda civic,
Pitt Race,
Jimmy Rauck
In September, we asked this, “Jimmy Rauck breaks Autobahn records. Is Pitt Race next?” The answer is a resounding yes.
Jimmy, in his turbocharged K20 Honda Civic, turned a 1:40.10 lap during last weekend's Gridlife event at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. That shattered the 1:44.366 mark set in Gridlife by Kyle McKiou in a Toyota Supra last year. The time even beat the 1:41.244 lap turned by Brian Faessler in a twin-turbocharged, 900-horsepower Ford Mustang during the 2025 Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge.
With Pitt Race set to close at the end of this year, that Gridlife track record is likely to stand forever.
What’s it like to set a blazing time like that? Jimmy shared in-car footage of his record run.
10/20/25 12:52 p.m.
It also woulda topped the UTCC leaderboard. Not sure if track conditions were better this weekend, or his car/tires/driving were just better this time.
10/20/25 6:35 p.m.
I wish this video had existed before my own ham-fisted attempt at the UTCC. I didn't know my way around the track. Watching the video, I can see a few things I could have done better.
Overall, it was that damned corner 1-2 complex that killed me. I over-slowed every single time.
10/20/25 8:58 p.m.
This dude is an animal, that is seriously moving. I watched it happen on stream and comparatively it did no justice to the in car.
10/21/25 9:17 a.m.
One of the most impressive things about that video is the flexibility of that engine. No shift between T1 and T3? That's crazy.
Also, the whole thing seems rather calm. I'm sure it's anything but in the car, but you kind of expect a 600+hp FWD car to be a little squirrlier from behind the wheel. They have that thing extremely dialed it appears.
10/21/25 12:49 p.m.
I didn't catch the record lap, but this one was pretty dang impressive.
10/21/25 12:52 p.m.
Sorry about some dude's butt (Dan!) but here's a closer look.
10/21/25 1:14 p.m.
And just for S&G, I compared my lap (2:01:5) to see the differences.
This comparison is meaningless of course, very different cars and drivers, but it's a fun exercise.
10/21/25 2:08 p.m.
Wow. Speed is relative, and that puts things in perspective.
10/21/25 2:23 p.m.
Wow. Watching the video, it was so composed that it just didn't look all that fast. If I had watched that video in isolation without knowing the results or lap times, I would not have guessed it was that fast of a lap. Pretty darn cool.
Also interesting to see a few times boost comes on and just completely overwhelms the front tires. Really good throttle control catching those moments without completely backing out of the throttle and losing boost.
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