Hi All,
In November's Fasttrack, The SCCA has classified the Evo as a T1 car. I have been working on the Evo under the assumption that it would roadrace in T2. For reference, The car to beat in T2 is the Z28 Camaro at 3350 lbs. and 300+ hp at the wheels. In T1, it's the Z06 at 3100 lbs. and 350+ hp at the wheels. If the Evo is left in T1, I'll be trying to work up a wishlist of parts to make the car competitive. Having raced with the Z06, this would be no small task. I'll start with a few items:
Suspension - The class allows double adjustable shocks, the Evo would need free springs and swaybars to boot.
Brakes - The Evo would need two-piece front rotors with brake-ducting.
Give it a front LSD.
Give it a clutch.
Give it a weight of 3150 lbs.
Keep in mind that the Evo is still an aerodynamic brick, so at faster tracks like Pocono and the Glen the car would suffer against the slippery Z06.
Now comes the tough one. The class basically allows a cat-back exhaust and ECU mods within the case (no piggybacks). As far as the Evo is concerned, boost should be free. We all run racegas, assume 104 unleaded for the Evo.
Give it some conrod bolts so it does'nt grenade. The car will still need more power due to the practical limitations of boost with regard to detonation. The spirit of the Touring class precludes outrageous mods, so keep this in mind. A lot of what I have already listed probably won't fly. Help me out with suggestions. Even if it goes nowhere (likely), it might be fun.
Cheers,

 

i wouldn't waste the time... buy a Z0-6.

I don't think there is anything you can do to compensate for that huge gap between 4th and 5th gear, and that alone will make you lose a few seconds......

Evo vs Z0-6 at Auto-X would be much closer.

 

Too bad this car was so wrongly classed in the first place. Fear of turbo AWD cars and the Z4 fiasco at the Runoffs were contributing factors. I would love to get the chance to race this car, but it's so outclassed by the Z06 it's unlikely anyone will build one. Look at the M3 in T1. Hopeless! Reminds me of the Panoz in GT1. It looks like T2 will continue to be ruled by cars that are no longer manufactured. Truly a sad situation.

 

Pray for rain

 

From personal observation, a good autoXer in an Evo will beat an average autoXer in a Z06. Head-to-head, equal drivers, dry pavement, the Evo will be playing catch-up.

 

wtz, can you run as much boost as possible (turbo is supposed to be decent to 26psi). Can you loose the cat? It sounds like Pruven's ECU flash would be the way to go w/ A LOT of dyno combined with a (ummm) liberal interpratation of the rules (deburring I think they call it...). What size tire can you run? Your only hope may be out lasting them (do the vettes run out of tires before the end of the race?). Trying to be optomistic here! Good Luck!

 

I'm not an expert, but I'd say that in Auto-X the EVO would fare better than on an open track where HP means "more". Plus you do have the aerodynamic issues...

 

No doubt! The Z06 is a monster. Stock for stock that is and even if modded.

 

an Evo can beat a Z06 to 30 or 40, but beyond that, it's toast....

(my buddy has an 03 Z06 and he picked up a BBY Evo 2 weekends ago - wouldn't it be nice to have that sort of bucks....)

I have a very hard time believing that an Evo with a stock turbo could keep up with a Z06 on anything but a very small track, as meantioned above the top end pull of that LS6 is frightening

 

This really pisses me off. Not that I was planning on running in T2, but it sucks that they continue to overestimate the Evo.

 

They do continue to overestimate the Evo. Yes it is a good handling car with good brakes but it lacks power to compete in some classes. In Solo II the Evo has a tough time against the more powerful 'Vettes in AS. The only "good" classification imo is Solo II ESP. It is a good competitor in ESP with the Camaros, DSM's, etc. BUT I have a feeling it may be reclassed.
This is a quote from Doug Gill (SCCA Tech Manager) to me:

"The Evo is a new listing and can be moved to another class at any time within a year of it's initial classification. However, I can assure you that letters alone will not be the determining factor. The Solo Events Board and the Advisory Committees would not only look at the letters, but examine the results of events around the country.

Since newly listed cars can be reclassed, I can't say for sure that the Evo will stay in ESP. However, I'm sure the Evo will be in a Street Prepared class where it can be competitive"

 

SCCA has been pretty good about evening out the competition. If they consistently see a good quality team running an EVO and consistently doing poor in T1 you will see a rules change. The "T: classes came from the old Showroom Stock classes which were notiously tough on first year cars. Hang in there and pray for rain in the mean time.

 

is this like how base prelude's are put into STS and prelude type sh's are put into STX..or are those slightly different categories? i know in my old car (lude sh) i'd be in STX, so trying to figure out if i'd be in this T1 now or a different class. auto-x classifications still confuses me.

 

Thanks for the input guys. The gap between the Evo and the Z06 is simply too great. With the car being so poorly classed I doubt anyone will run one in T1, and therefore the cars competition potential will never be seen. It will simply languish in the GCR like so many other T1 cars. I'm afraid the SCCA has found a way to not have to deal with FI/AWD racecars. I thought about building the car anyway, as here in the Northeast I could probably qualify for the Runoffs in T1 regardless. However, once you get to Mid-Ohio you've spent a lot of time and money to finish at the back of the pack. And, still with no guarantee that the car will be classed properly. I will probably be running a Z06 for the 2004 season. Hey, if you can't beat em, join em.
Cheers,