Robi, are you saying you still prefer Dec, but wish it was BW instead? I haven't attended Cal Speedway or BW to know what could or couldn't be done, but we might be able to restructure portions of the track to reduce speeds and keep things a bit safer.

I think that's a bit harsh to say. We're talking about the top tuners in the country showcasing their Evo as well as customer Evos in an all out time trial for the fastest lap time. These cars will be reaching speeds that some of us only dream of and pushing the Evo in every aspect... cornering, braking, acceleration, etc.

We're planning to have a driver available for those who would opt to use him. That way things are more even and we get to see what these cars can really do.

Mark

 

My thoughts for what they are worth (not much I imagine):

#1-Have a shoe available, but not manditory. As has been posted, a car is usually going to be set up for the person who usually drives it the most. We have seen this to be true in our EOC events. We'll get 40 EVOs to the track in one event and EVERY SINGLE ONE is different. There is even a small amount of variation amongst the STOCK cars that are there. Some tuners may have access to a fast driver, others may not, so have one or two there IF NEEDED, but don't make it a requirement, and DEFINITELY don't have just one guy driving all the cars.

#2- Don't have it be a 1 lap TT. It's been done...AD NAUSEUM...and like many have said, doesn't really exhibit a tuner's or a privateer's ability to set up a car that will work and keep working. 25 laps may be a bit much and hard to organize considering traffic, mishaps, wrecks (yeah, they happen, and will screw up the schedule if your'e shooting for 25 laps). How about a compromise? Run the whole day, 5 sessions or whatever, and add the participants BEST say, 10 laps together (or 6 or whatever). This will weed out all the "Dyno queens" and "Internet/Magazine racers" that post an amazing 600+ WHP number but can't tune a car to run safely at 400+ WHP for more than 10 laps.

#3- Open the event to EVERY car that can meet the criteria, with no distinction between "Tuner" and "Privateer". The way I see it, a fast car is a fast car...just look at the people who have come out of the woodwork to be successful in other sports...motorsports is no different. If a car can meet the criteria (and the criteria should be there for safety reasons only...i.e. a 200 whp car would be unsafe running with 500+ whp cars) I say LET THEM IN!

Have an event like that, and you'll not only do something that people will be interested in seeing the outcome, but give people a better idea of what racing and "tuning" is really about...not just the HIN or Show/magazine stuff. It will also be completely different from anything that has been done with EVOs to date. The EOC would be honored to help out with anything you need, just ask! I really hope this event goes down, but keep it simple and people won't have any excuses to hide behind, and the simplicity will make it more FUN, which is why we all are doing this to begin with, remember?

 

I forgot to mention, and I think it's important to remember that whatever the format, the goal should be "bettering the breed". Build something that EVO owners can get excited about, and that will give them a chance to feel proud to be an EVO owner in general, not just a customer of a certain "Tuner". While it was awesome for Shiv's customers to see him do well in the OLA, or for Dave B's customers to see Robi win the OTC...IT was even better for the normal EVO owner because they got to see a version of their car kick ***!

Yeah, all the tuners need to be talking smack, it helps bring business to the door and makes the phone ring! But if we can strengthen the entire breed, everyone will have customers for a longer period of time, and people won't simply jump off the EVO bandwagon when the new "hot ****" car shows up on American soil!

 

KK,
I posted this in Al's forum

You guys need to understand something BASIC about road racing some tracks ARE MAJOR CAR EATERS and California speedway is one of them. At the last event there were TEN sheetmetal "events" and EIGHT mechanical "events"(dead puked motors) that's alot of $$$'s posted by these owners and they (the Speed Ventures guys ARE FAST!) know their cars and know how to prep and them drive too.

So I can understand Al's concern add the $3,000.00 (AFTER MODS no travel) this day will cost anyone who is serious about doing well AKA TOP FIVE (it will prob. take 5K + to insure a top three) and you can see where bragging rights will be more expensive than they are worth to many. Also some "tuner" shops have little to NO reputation so IF they do well it's a BIG bonus IF they do bad it's easy to explain away and they haven't lost anything they didn't have so the odds are in their favor. And they will take a shot at the "free" publicity.

So yes I would Love SOW or BW much better than the Cal Speedway... (Either one would imho would be much easier...safer and less $$$'s on any privater entrys too.).

 

I'm going to agree here as well. I'd like to see everyone's roofs still clean after the event. Mechanical failures (and offs for that matter) are a part of racing, but an event is so much better when these are not ingredients. Do it at a track that is a little less risky, especially for an event that champaign and million dollar checks AREN'T thrown around afterwards!

 

Thanks for the feedback! I placed my answers below each quote:
I agree and the plan is to have a pool of drivers available for the tuners to select from (if they would like to).

You're right about the time issue for this. I would love to see something like this, but coordinating the traffic could be a nightmare. I'm not sure how much passing experience the drivers would have and it could get ugly. If you have ideas on how to set this up, we could look into it though. Just shoot me an email and we can look into it. Worst case, the next event could be something like this. The more cars on track, the better for entertainment

The event will definitely be open to privateers. The goal is to combine the times, but classify people for clarification. This way we can see how the tuners did against each other and then throw in the entire group to find out who was the overall winner of the event. The major reason to split in grouping is to allow room for each session, but I would consider each participant competing against the other, whether tuner or privateer.

The schedule is still being worked out right now, so I'll see if we can formulate some other ideas prior to finalizing things

Mark

 

I've noted your points If the costs and risks for Cal Speedway are just too high, we'll probably restructure everything for BW instead. Both slots are available right now, but I want to set the date ASAP so we can get things rolling. We're also tossing around ideas about reducing speeds with a small kink on the banking to reduce top speeds.

Mark

 

If the drivers, privateers or shop cars, dont know how to pass I would suggest they pass on this event (pun intended ), or try to get as many track days in as they can from now until the start of this shootout. You could potentially be a hazard to those out there. Either get some track time elsewhere first or find another driver. This shootout likely isnt going to be like any other track event, it's going to be rough and competitive. The Evo is a tool, and for something like this you need to know how to really use it , or get someeone that does.

I think what should be done is open passing (passing anywhere on the track).....i would assume the drivers that want to enter this event are experienced enough to race like pro's. I know Robi, the RRE crew, and other shops have this experience. IMO this event should be hardcore. If you're not experienced enough to race I dont think it would be a good idea to enter in the event.

Imagine having a silver RRE car on your tail and you're getting nervous, next thing you know your in the dirt sideways because you lost your focus...or sideways and the car behind you hits you. It could be hazardous. You've gotta be ready to deal with a lot of pressure. And have some track experience. Hopefully at that track.

That's my 2c heeheh

 

I've run the ROVAL with a exit to the infield in the middle of turn 1 in a laydown 125cc shiftercart (heels, butt and shoulders 1" off the ground at 130 mph) the problem is that everyone trys to come in too hot and they spin off as they hit the banking transition. What about running it clockwise that way the banking corners are increasing speed and radius MUCH safer...imho (Aaron any imput?)

 

I'll run that by Aaron. Also, I have some prelim pricing info listed in the voting thread now:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=89027

Mark

 

Date?

 

We're between two dates right now. You can vote here:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=89027

Mark

 

What's going on with this? Update please...

 

Let's do this in November at Streets instead of Buttonwillow! Safer, more technical track...guys will have to have their cars setup well to stand out!

 

So did everyone lose their hard on for this or what?

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=91004

Just all my cars and some XS car...

[poke&prod]

Mike W