One Lap of America: So, what would you run?

tpwalsh wrote: I think we can agree that a miata is NOT the answer for this one. not enough motor, not enough space. Hollis has it close to right. Big motor, light car with lots of room for the week. I think to be close to the top you need to be under 7lbs/hp. I think Andy's in the 9 range, but he's an exceptional driver AND setup man.

Via a post on another board, Hollis was lamenting the lack of space after the car was packed. Spares, wheels/tires and stuff for a week's worth of travel and racing do take-up some room

He also reported breaking into the 12's on the drag strip in addition to routing competition elsewhere.

But there's an all motor miata that cant be making more than 160hp thats into the 11's (on drag radials) on cut stock springs and a "full" interior. Its all about the suspension setup, pack alignment gear if you want to do well at the drag strip in the miata.

There is no way that is possible.

Unless that "all motor" 160 hp engine also happened to have about 150+ more hp from nawz.

Rob R.

Bobzilla wrote: You know.... a 3.8 Gen Coupe would make a great OL car. tune it with a good exhaust etc, suspension and tire. Enough room inside to make the highway jaunts disappear etc. Done. LSD, brembos, manual. Someone buy this and I'll be your transport driver.

My buddy just finished his licencing school for road racing in his Genesis. It has sway bars and monster stick max-performance summer tires. All of the instructors were blown away by it (and the 330whp it had from bolts ons and a tune).

Only car that will touch a genesis smiles per dollar and overall value will be the ecoboost mushtang.

A worked over CTS-V wagon would be swell to cover the country in.

Although I can't really think of a less attractive event to waste $5k on from my perspective. Lets drive thousands of miles in the middle of the night to be tired and cramped up when I get to a new track - then TT a road legal car on it with some goofy rules around tire choices?

Why would I want to do that when I could just take my time and tow my race car to each track in my comfortable truck and race on it against other drivers with a good night's sleep under my belt?

Depends on if you just want to show up or win. If you want to win overall, you'll need far more than 400hp. If you want to win your class, and have fun doing it, I think Andy is schooling all of us.

Personally, I think a Caterham with a support vehicle would be the ticket! Oh, wait, do they allow that?

wvumtnbkr wrote: There is no way that is possible. Unless that "all motor" 160 hp engine also happened to have about 150+ more hp from nawz. Rob R.

The car was significantly under 2000 lbs.

MadScientistMatt wrote: C4 Corvette with the Z51 sport suspension. They're underpowered on the stock TPI, but are good at both long highway stints, have plenty of luggage room, and handle great. Pretty much just need good shocks and fresh bushings when it comes to suspension. Power can be fixed with an LSx swap.

You could go with a 92-96 C4 with the LT1 engine with 300 hp stock. Good aftermarket heads, cam and full exhaust could get you to around 370-400hp.

An E36 or E46 turbocharged or LS1 swap would be good too.

Or a C5 base or Z06, maybe hitch a small trailer to it.

racerdave600 wrote: Depends on if you just want to show up or win. If you want to win overall, you'll need far more than 400hp. If you want to win your class, and have fun doing it, I think Andy is schooling all of us. Personally, I think a Caterham with a support vehicle would be the ticket! Oh, wait, do they allow that?

If you want to win overall you need a very seriously built GTR and a professional driver.

1. in my dreams: CTS-V Wagon
2. in more realistic fashion: small, light FWD honda with motor from bigger, heavier front-drive honda.
3. in the running for awesomest: new mazda5 with speed3 stuff.

Leafy wrote:

wvumtnbkr wrote: There is no way that is possible. Unless that "all motor" 160 hp engine also happened to have about 150+ more hp from nawz. Rob R.

The car was significantly under 2000 lbs.

Even at 1700 lbs, 160 whp would only be good to run 106 mph, which is no where near 11's capable.

The guy i'm pretty sure he's talking about is running nitrous, and is set up specifically for drag and would suck hairy balls around a road course. Also: carbs.

I would enter in the Classic Imported class with a Jag S-Type (the original) if I could afford it.

Budget version would be a E21 or MGB GT or if I was really brave, 1st generation XJ6.

HiTempguy wrote:

Bobzilla wrote: You know.... a 3.8 Gen Coupe would make a great OL car. tune it with a good exhaust etc, suspension and tire. Enough room inside to make the highway jaunts disappear etc. Done. LSD, brembos, manual. Someone buy this and I'll be your transport driver.

My buddy just finished his licencing school for road racing in his Genesis. It has sway bars and monster stick max-performance summer tires. All of the instructors were blown away by it (and the 330whp it had from bolts ons and a tune). Only car that will touch a genesis smiles per dollar and overall value will be the ecoboost mushtang.

I haven't been following the GC for a few years. I didn't realize that they were picking that much power up off the simple crap. The first gen cars were only rated at 306hp at the flywheel. to bump to 330whp with I/H/E and a tune is amazing.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote:

MadScientistMatt wrote: C4 Corvette with the Z51 sport suspension. They're underpowered on the stock TPI, but are good at both long highway stints, have plenty of luggage room, and handle great. Pretty much just need good shocks and fresh bushings when it comes to suspension. Power can be fixed with an LSx swap.

You could go with a 92-96 C4 with the LT1 engine with 300 hp stock. Good aftermarket heads, cam and full exhaust could get you to around 370-400hp. An E36 or E46 turbocharged or LS1 swap would be good too. Or a C5 base or Z06, maybe hitch a small trailer to it.

But you're still stuck with the cramped confines of a C4 for 4k miles in 7 days. While I could think of a few punishments that would suck worse.... it's not many.

LS swapped Jag

Swank Force One wrote: The guy i'm pretty sure he's talking about is running nitrous, and is set up specifically for drag and would suck hairy balls around a road course. Also: carbs.

He's aiming for 9's on N2O, and 10's N/A once he finishes the next round of weight reduction. He already has time slips in the 11's. He might be closer to 180, but I assumed low because carbs.

alfadriver wrote: +1. A trailer is a good replacement for the space. But I'm not the one spending time and money on this project.

I think the trailer would be a good idea no matter what because of the time you save not unloading and loading the car at each event.

I would go with a Corvette with as much tire and power as I could cram into it.

Wally wrote:

alfadriver wrote: +1. A trailer is a good replacement for the space. But I'm not the one spending time and money on this project.

I think the trailer would be a good idea no matter what because of the time you save not unloading and loading the car at each event. I would go with a Corvette with as much tire and power as I could cram into it.

I towed a trailer around for Drag Week for this very reason...and it was well worth it. That little Coleman Versa Trailer made it so all we actually carried in the car were our own asses and our clothes bags. All tools, tires, spare parts, tents, chairs, etc...everything went in the trailer. Get to the next track, unhook the trailer, change the tires and go.

That being said, even if I had that CTS V wagon I've been salivating over for the last couple years with all that room in the back and did One Lap, I'd still probably tow a trailer.

Leafy wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: The guy i'm pretty sure he's talking about is running nitrous, and is set up specifically for drag and would suck hairy balls around a road course. Also: carbs.

He's aiming for 9's on N2O, and 10's N/A once he finishes the next round of weight reduction. He already has time slips in the 11's. He might be closer to 180, but I assumed low because carbs.

Yeah, pretty sure that slip was on the juice.

racerdave600 wrote: Depends on if you just want to show up or win. If you want to win overall, you'll need far more than 400hp. If you want to win your class, and have fun doing it, I think Andy is schooling all of us. Personally, I think a Caterham with a support vehicle would be the ticket! Oh, wait, do they allow that?

Apparently its' been done. A man/wife team donned motorcycle gear and hit the road. Observers noted they looked miserable, stored fuel in the trailer, hooked-up a fuel line to the car to minimize stops and even caught naps in there. The trailer was coincidentally (if not appropriately) described as a looking like a rolling coffin.

That seems way too hardcore to be fun for the full event.

Just a heads up, a six-ish foot tall person can lay down comfortably in a CTS-V wagon with the back seats folded down. I checked.
I was just driving home yesterday thinking about how much fun One Lap would be. I wouldn't be competitive but that doesn't really have anything to do with the car.

mazdeuce wrote: Just a heads up, a six-ish foot tall person can lay down comfortably in a CTS-V wagon with the back seats folded down. I checked. I was just driving home yesterday thinking about how much fun One Lap would be. I wouldn't be competitive but that doesn't really have anything to do with the car.

I call dibs.

My driving skills ensure that anything I do is just for fun.

Wally wrote: My driving skills ensure that anything I do is just for fun.

And........now I'm nervous about riding the bus.