Pirelli World Challenge is the best racing you have never seen

On Sunday, September 13th of this year, the best racing in the western hemisphere concluded its season at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca but few actually witnessed it. Why is it so good? Because the Pirelli World Challenge GT cars are closely related to what is sold to the public, it is a 50 minute sprint, and the action is fierce. The short race duration means it is easy to follow without a
scoreboard, there is no pit stop, driver change or fueling strategy. It is intense and spectator friendly.

The problem is awareness, competition from another series, lack of a timely broadcasts on a major network and overall malaise regarding auto racing in the US. Imagine seeing your favorite exotic and performance cars racing neck and neck in a big group of twists and turns. These are not overweight, under-tired, under-braked special construction cars that go around in circles with no relation
whatsoever to what is on the street.

This series features raced prepped models such as: Ferrari 458, Porsche GT3, McLaren 650S, Mercedes SLS, Audi R8, Bentley Continental, Nissan GT-R, Aston Martin Vantage, Dodge Viper, Lamborghini Gallardo, BMW Z4, Cadillac ATS-V* and Acura TLX*. The last two are notable because of the extreme modifications to allow them to participate and be competitive. The ATS-V is essentially a purpose-built race car with the engine relocated much further back in the chassis. Same with the Acura but all wheel drive is added. So neither translates well at all to the street version, but manufacturer involvement is always good and the racing is close.

For some reason there are no privateers racing Corvettes unlike past years. The base LT1 engine would need modifying and the Z06 LT4 engine is unsuitable for motorsport circuit racing because it is supercharged. Next year will likely see the Lamborghini Huracan making an appearance. And soon the Ferrari 488 GTB will show up as well, but detuned like the McLaren, down to roughly 550hp to
keep parity. Parity is always a topic of debate, the desire to keep the racing close yet still let the cars do the talking. Since the Viper,  McLaren, Ferrari are all over 600hp stock now, and Porsche has had 600hp-plus production engines, it would be a good time to let the cars run at stock power levels instead of de-tuned.

The series had multiple support races occurring over the weekend as well as some vendor booths for the fans that always have some really cool clothes, memorabilia, artwork and more. The Maserati Trofeo race sounds and looks great, but isn’t the fastest. Unfortunately the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) series is diluted with multiple, slower classes that make tracking and caring about the results too complicated. GTS, GTA, TC, TCA, TCB etc. is just too much. Granted amateurs should be recognized as well as the pros, but this many classes just makes for a big, “Who cares?” Most fans just want to know the finish order, not what classes did what. It was purer when it was just GT and Touring Car only.

The final race was an exciting one, with hard charger Olivier Beretta moving up from 12th in his Ferrari 458 GT3 challenging Johnny O’Connell in the factory Cadillac ATS-VR GT3 for 3rd place with 10 laps to go. A bad pass attempt by Beretta spun them both, and a drive-through penalty still had Beretta ahead of O’Connell for the series championship but unfortunately contact with the wall 4 laps before the finish gave the championship O’Connell and Cadillac, their 4th consecutive one. Just shows what a great race car Cadillac built and what a great race car driver Johnny O’Connell is. Even if you scoff at a factory effort, special construction car competing against the exotics, it is still a notable accomplishment.

Next year Nissan will be involved with the GT-R (one of the taller race cars), the aforementioned Ferrari and Lamborghini will appear as well as the Mercedes AMG GT. The Pirelli World Challenge series will be in the Bay Area twice in 2016. First at Sonoma Raceway the weekend of September 17th & 18th and back at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca October 8th & 9th. Don’t miss it this time!

Album pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.983483338423044.1073741899.378354382269279&type=1&l=b3d71b5fec

Porsche Panamera - why is it so quick?

Three letters in the March 2010 Car & Driver question the 3.3 second 0-60mph time of the Porsche Panamera Turbo that was tested the December 2009 issue. That makes it potentially quicker than many cars with much more power and less weight including the McLaren F1, Ferrari Enzo and Porsche's own GT-2. Weighing 4409lbs with 500hp, on paper it shouldn't beat any of them. There are three reasons it's so quick.

All-wheel drive, the dual clutch transmission and gearing that is probably more aggressive than any performance car in history make it accelerate quicker than much more powerful and lighter cars. The Panamera Twin Turbo is in 3rd THIRD! gear by the time it hits 60mph. Many extreme cars like the Bugatti Veyron, Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 and others go over 60mph in 1st gear. Check out the Bugatti Veyron road test with the top 10 quickest cars they have tested.

The all-wheel drive ensures no slippage unlike the others where power delivery has to be managed with available traction. I eluded to this challenge in my 60-130mph article. A 1.2 second 0-30mph time is extraordinary, on par with the AWD Veyron and GT-R. I would guess this translates to a 1.6 second 60ft at the dragstrip given the previously mentioned gearing.

The horsepower deficit is apparent in the trap speed in the 119mph range vs. the 125-130mph or higher times of the other cars. With excellent track preparation, technique and usually drag radial tires, a few have been able to match the launch of the Panamera and therefore run a much quicker quarter mile. Modern-day street car drag racing legends such as "Ranger" and "Furman" are examples of Corvette and Viper drivers who have done this.

Finally the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission means nearly uninterrupted power delivery. As one clutch disengages, the next engages with a speed and consistency that can't be humanly repeated. With 5 non-overdrive gears, it's fierce.

There is no other-worldly driving skill excuse or strongly suspect fudging of power levels in any gear with the Porsche Panamera Twin Turbo, unlike the Nissan GT-R. The car doesn't defy physics but it's transmission sure tries to make it seem so. Just wait when the new 911 Twin Turbo is tested.

The 2010 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo assuming the gearing is the same as the Panamera is that it will accelerate even quicker since it's about 800lbs lighter than the Panamera. So besides still not matching the GT-R's "factory" 'Ring time, it still won't accelerate to 130mph 1.6 seconds quicker than production models nor accelerate from 120 to 130mph in .9 seconds either in production form.

A great link for various automotive calculators courtesy of Wallace Racing. There are several for 60ft translations and various speed indicators.
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Does Nissan know something Porsche doesn't?

Nissan announced it will not move forward with the GT-R powered 4-door flagship model.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/2009/04/2009-new-york-auto-show-infiniti-news----gt-r-powered-flagship-is-dead.html while Porsche, Lamborghini and Aston Martin moved forward with theirs.

I find this interesting for several reasons. First, doesn't this reinforce the notion that the GT-R should have been marketed and sold as an Infiniti? After all, how many other $82,000 cars are there in Nissan dealerships? That was a mistake in my opinion. The level of service and atmosphere, in my experience of calling on over 200 dealerships of all makes, is incomparable.

Also, Porsche has moved forward with the Panamera sedan and it arrives shortly. Granted the timing doesn't seem great, but Porsche is the most profitable car company per model at a whopping $28,000 per car sold. http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/354/C11441/ No wonder they have a controlling interest in Volkswagen, the 3rd largest car company in the world. So I think they know what they are doing, and it shows low volume sales can be profitable with a high price.

Nissan would have much of the R&D worked out already, having the GT-R platform to expand on, especially the powertrain. The GT-R couple is already a large platform, my guess is it could be shared. Very similar to the Challenger (also an overweight 2-door) and the Charger. It would obviously carry a $100,000 price tag, especially badged as an Infiniti. I think this is a missed opportunity. They benchmarked Porsche once, can't they do it again?

Notice how closely the Infiniti looks like the Panamera? Is Nissan conceding defeat to Porsche this time?

Motor Trend Car Of The Year - Wrong Choice

Found a few problems with MT's COTY choice. And as always, their photo resolution is lacking.

I found numerous problems and omissions with your recent COTY issue. Some of them inexcusable. The COTY process, Ferrari California and photo quality are the three items that need addressing.

Was the criteria for the Contenders and Finalists listed? The "Contenders" included a Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. Why in the world were both "corporate twins" included? That made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Was there ANYTHING of significance revised regarding these cars?

Regarding the Challenger R/T. Why wasn't the SRT-8 model considered instead? It has more power, handles better, Brembo brakes, also now available with a 6-speed transmission AND limited-slip rear differential. Additionally, SRT-8 models offer the SRT-8 Track Experience.

If performance criteria was a factor, there were many other cars missing from the list which should have been finalists, especially reading their reviews in the same issue. For example, the ZR1 Corvette and the 7 Series BMW. Why weren't the following models considered: 370Z, BMW M3, Pontiac G8 GXP (vs. the GT like the Challenger R/T), Viper ACR and Solstice GXP (please, leave out the Saturn - corporate twins, you know?). These were serious errors of omission.

While the GT-R is an amazing car for the price, it is also a street-only car. It will probably never see a green flag in a sanctioned racing event, especially due to it's numerous driver's aids and undoubtedly because of it's excessive weight. If no longer AWD for racing, no DCT, no driver's aids, is it still a GT-R?

Notations about it's weight savings are laughable for a car with only 2 usable seats that weighs 3900lbs. It never set a record at the Nurburgring as quite a few sources have already exposed Nissan's 'Ring time that was obviously done in a more powerful car and the street tire question not entirely disproven either. Also, falsely representing the production car's ability in terms of power by not matching the pre-production model's 1/4 mile trap speeds in all the magazines. Remember the ZR1 #001 fetching over $1 million at Barrett-Jackson? How much do you think GT-R #001 would go for? And why is that?

Car & Driver magazine had an excellent article about the "real horsepower" of the GT-R. Funny thing was, their conclusion was WRONG. Their May '08 Road Test model (pre-production) hit 130mph 1.6 seconds quicker than the next fastest model (12.1 vs. 13.7) tested in September '08. That is an enormous margin. Clearly the pre-production model tested at the Nurburgring was much more powerful than what is for sale in the real world.

Also, what about the Ferrari California? Numerous "firsts" for Ferrari: dual-clutch transmission that is probably the best on the market, a folding hardtop, direct injection and a front-engine V8. How could that be passed up for consideration? Pricing? A $75,000 Nissan that should be sold at Infiniti dealers isn't exactly affordable either.

But the worst part about the Ferrari California? The statement that it looked better with the top up. And not ONE photograph with it's top up! Inexcusable!

This brings me to the final observation. It's quite obvious MT has a lower resolution photographs in numerous articles compared to your competition. This have been happening for a long time. I suggest MT bring it's visual quality back to a competitive level.

Nissan GT-R sets record at the 'Ring. Oh Really?

The Nurburgring in Germany is the long, fast and incredibly varied track that is used by manufacturers for performance and reliability testing. Elevation changes galore. Check out the recent Road and Track magazine for a nice write up.

Nissan claimed they clocked a 7:29 with a GT-R. I don't doubt it was a GT-R. It was NOT a production-level powered GT-R.

While the variance at the 'Ring in lap times can be huge, others parties are finding 7:29 is not realistic for a 480hp, 3900lb car. AWD or not. Even on production tires. My guess is this monster was making close to 600hp to test the durability and effectiveness of the cooling, braking, suspension and transmission components. After all, check out some other 'Ring times: http://www.supercars.net/PitLane?viewThread=y&gID=3&fID=0&tID=10073 a great reference.

Porsche said they couldn't come within 25 seconds of Nissan's claim. Other sources seem to lean more heavily in Porsche's favor.

Edit: Perhaps it was stock, but the 7:08.679 was from a non-stock, non-production equipped car with a special package that isn't street legal and dealer installed.