132: The Best Stock Turbo System?

Tuned In

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He co-invented one of the top (and earliest) standalone ECU companies on earth, helped develop unique V10 F1 engines, created ignition systems for top-tier motorsports, and finished it all off by producing stock-frame turbocharger upgrades that push the limits of what a factory turbo is capable of.

Mark Boxsell has had a varied and fascinating career in the performance industry, and he’s ready to unpack it all in this episode of Tuned In.

Use GTPUMPS100 to get $100 off HPA’s Tuning Starter Package: https://hpcdmy.co/starterb

Having grown up on a farm in rural Australia that instilled a drive towards resourcefulness and ingenuity, by his early twenties, Mark Boxsell would latch on to the emerging EFI revolution and create his own fuel injection system for his personal Mazda rotary. And that was just the start.

Mark went on to invent one of the world’s first aftermarket standalone ECUs, which we all know today as Haltech. In this episode, we get straight into the mind-blowing history of how Haltech came about, discussing what was involved in creating it, the incredibly basic tools he had at his disposal to make it happen, and how it actually worked.

We next discuss Mark’s stint developing a unique V10 Formula 1 engine that used rotary valves instead of the traditional poppet valves. Mark goes into detail about how it worked, and why we never saw it on the grid. Then it’s time to talk about ignition systems, which Mark knows a lot about as one of the founders of M&W Ignition — which supplies series like Australia’s top-tier V8 Supercars.

We finish the episode off by moving into Mark’s current venture, GT Pumps. This company specialises in stock-frame turbocharger upgrades, which are currently aimed squarely at the WRX and Evo markets. This gets into some heavy turbo tech, covering the benefits of journal-bearing turbos, stock turbo system capabilities, and more.

If you’re into tuning history and love a dose of nostalgia, this episode with Mark Boxsell is an absolute must-listen.

Follow Mark here:

IG: @gtpumps
FB: GTpumps
WWW: gtpumps.com.au

Don’t forget, you can use GTPUMPS100 to get $100 off HPA’s Tuning Starter Package: https://hpcdmy.co/starterb

Timestamps:
0:00 The Best Stock Turbo System?
3:43 How did you get into the automotive industry?
7:57 Why did you decide to try and make your own EFI? And how?
12:53 How did that first EFI system perform?
15:13 How did Haltech start?
23:47 How does the HC11 chip compare to modern ECU chips?
26:49 Once you got the ECU working, how did you sell it?
28:52 Why did you decide to use bar graphs for the interface?
33:23 What were the biggest challenges building those first ECUs?
36:28 Marketing first Haltec ECU continued.
43:15 Why are there so many ECU manufacturers from Australia?
46:05 When and how did you leave Haltec?
53:52 Can you explain the different ignition systems?
59:05 M&W ignition system.
1:00:43 Transition from electronics to F1 engine development
1:05:04 Had the rotary valve been tried by other competitors?
1:09:10 Why did this rotary valve never make it to the track?
1:12:25 How did your current business GTpumps come about?
1:13:25 Why focus on a stock frame turbocharger?
1:17:52 Are journal-bearing turbos dead?
1:21:53 Are you looking to produce stock frame turbos for different models?
1:28:12 Final three questions.

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