Today was a test day to prepare for the big race weekend with NASA at the new Thompson Speedway in Connecticut.



We rented a 1/2 mile stock car speedway in Vermont to test the car. Number one was working on lowering the cars ride height to the minumum.



Charlie North (Function First Motorsports) has been developing the car with me for the last few years. He lowered the car till we have the side skirts just touching the tarmac while under hard loading in the moderate banking. This banking was plenty for a sports car! I could only do a 4 or 5 hard laps before the brakes would smoke when I stopped for tire temps. I did 18 second laps were the pro Modified circle track machines do 15. I ran a classic road race line were is they run a higher line to near the marbles were there is no room to catch the car!



The best thing about testing at a private stock car session is you can stop right on the track to take temperatures. On a road course you change the readings by hitting the brakes before pitting, usually down a long pit lane which alters the cornering temps.



Next was practicing rolling race starts to determine best rpm in 2cd and 3rd gear.
Tuning has finished and the final performance is fantastic. 385hp with 374 lbs torque. We finished by scrubbing in a couple new sets of tires. Look out Corvettes here we come!

 

Are you running all weekend? I'll be there on Friday for HPDE.

 

Good luck!

 

We will be at Thompson all three days. I am racing ST-2 and in TTU. Today we have to check toe after a little camber change from yesterdays test. Install a new FIA Hans harness. Then the splitter has to be removed because tomorrow NASA is requiring me to give dyno #'s from a Dyno Jet instead of the Dyno pack we use for tuning. If the Jet numbers are equivilent to the Pack I will not be silent regarding NASA Northeast self imposed rule outside of the national policy. It is a added expense and time I did not need but I will jump through this hoop to make the show in ST-2.

 

I'll be at Thompson this weekend. Unfortunately I won't have my evo, it's still at CBRD under the knife. I'll have my buddy's crx which is also a fun car to drive.

Your evo is looking good. You going to national this year?

 

Haha good stuff, I always wanted to run a 1/2 mile just to see what I could get my G's up to. What compound/size tires are you going to end up racing on? I see a variety there.

My bearings went out in qualifying last weekend at the June Jam, bad enough it was pulling the car hard to one side or the other so I didn't get any kind of reliable results.

 

Devils bowl?

 

Yea Devils Bowl Speedway and it was god awfull hot! I am sorry I forgot to emty the data card. We worked on the data system back at the shop and it should be ready Friday. The OBD adapter was bad so RT sent a new one last week , no charge. I scrubbed in a set of A-6 and my new Continental Grand Am rain tires. Now its off to a 4 wheel Dyno Jet tomorrow.

 

Car looks great. Good luck this weekend!

 

this car shoots awesome fire...will post video tomorrow.

 

Tough day but we finished 4th in class. Ran a 1:17.2 in the race which was the 2cd fastest lap in the ST-2 race. 2 Corvettes and one very well driven Cobra replica bested me. Unfortunately I pushed myself way to hard to make this race and threw my back out at the dyno shop Thursday. In bad pain all weekend but I refused to miss these races. The track is a total blast. Very dangerous with lots of concrete walls and armco but I love it! You will never be bored on this track. Good main straight then a very technical flat section, then the stock car section which is a blast, then a rhythm flowing section leading to the final right over the flying crest down onto the main straight. We contacted the rear of a Corvette in qualifying. He got lose in a left hander then lifted. I could do nothing but lock the brakes before punting him. No damage to his Vette but my right front corner got smashed. We fixed it up with duct tape and ran the race. Good driver, he apologized after he saw the damage to my car. Great guy! All the super touring drivers are class acts, and capable of running hard in close racing. By the last third of the race I had no brakes and mooshy tires. The Hoosier A6 tires can't handle this grippy new pavement. The Corvette that won was on Hoosier slicks with less hp. He had the right combination to get the job done.....

 

Looking good! Have fun and good luck!

 

Must be fun checking out a new track, how long were the races where the A6 overheated?

 

Nice sounds like fun. Ill be racing with COM there on July 27th and 28th but in my miata. I was watching some video of the track layout and I was looking at one corner in particular. Where the new road course breaks off from the circle track (left hander) looked kind of sketchy on the incar vids. It sorta looked off camber, plus the pavement change.

 

David, any thoughts on how Joe found a couple more seconds than you with a worse power to weight ratio?