Sixty foot failure - Why are magazines afraid to measure in sixty feet?

Recently Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained calculated a clever theoretical zero to sixty miles per hour best-of time using the extreme threshold braking measurement. He used the sixty miles per hour to zero braking distance to calculate the time from 0 to 60mph. The braking shows the grip threshold of the tires. There are some problems with this. First the sixty foot should be the launch measurement. Second 0-60mph is only half the picture with too many variables and becoming moot with all-wheel drive.

Real world results of drag racing with street cars are obtained with the most participatory motorsport in the United States. Hundreds of drag strips across the country host hundreds of racers each on any given weekend or evening weekday. Whether minivans and Honda Civics, Prius or Porsches, and ever-present Camaros and Mustangs, they are all raced and the drivers get a timeslip with their results for each pass.  And on that timeslip is the sixty foot time showing how good the launch was. The magazines don’t do this. Dragstrips don’t measure the 0-60mph time. We have a discrepancy.

The 0-60mph measurement is becoming essentially moot among all wheel drive vehicles. Add more power and the time drops. With 8, 9 and now 10 speed transmissions, more aggressive gearing is even easier to make a vehicle quicker without negating overall mileage. Imagine hitting redline in first and second gear before hitting 60mph in under three seconds. So for all those AWD performance cars, does a 2.2 or a 2.4 second 0-60mph time really matter? Only in a stoplight race across the intersection. And assuming launch control is active, conditions are ideal and if an EV, has a nearly full charge.  But a sixty foot time tells the launch potential. Tesla now has the production car record 0-60mph. And the new 911 Twin Turbo S lifts the front wheels at launch per Motor Trend. What is the 60ft for both of these?

Rear wheel drive cars are not just limited to their street tires and a theoretical traction limit based on their braking distances. Weight distribution and transfer can vary, that is always a given. But surface and tire adhesion can be increased with substances like VHT which as a result decrease potential 60ft times. Also a very popular upgrade for better traction is street legal drag radials (“DRs”). Dodge is making history by equipping the upcoming Hellcat based Demon with DRs for the very purpose of better launch traction and hence a quicker elapsed time at the track.

So the NHRA and dragstrips across the country have been measuring the 60ft, the AWD cars are making the 0-60mph a secondary data point and now a car is coming from the factory with drag radials. A special mention should be made for the Mustang GT which comes with a line lock for allowing rear tire spin to clean and heat them up to make them more sticky. And of course Tesla, despite the only performance metric they excel at, for now having the 0-60mph record and bringing such attention to production car drag racing. Bottom line, the 60 foot time is long overdue for the magazines and needs to be incorporated in their testing.

Footnote:

An initial appeal was originally published on February 3rd, 2013:  http://cartruthblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/what-car-magazines-should-measure-part.html

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

2011 BMW 335is - Are the Changes Enough?

BMW recently announced the 2011 model 335is twin turbo will have power, transmission and cooling enhancements vs. the prior year 335i. I question if these enhancements will enough to sway the enthusiast to purchase the standard 335i with the single turbo. Not giving the car a limited slip differential remains a huge disservice.

The 335is will have 320 horsepower with its revised twin-turbo 6-cylinder engine, up from 300hp. Also 7 seconds of overboost will be available raising the torque figure from 332ft lbs to 370ft lbs. This isn't really an improvement over existing aftermarket tuners such as Dinan (which offers a warranty) and Burger Motorsports Juice Box series.

Potentially bigger news is the Non-S model now has a single turbo instead of the "twins". Likely significantly larger in size than the twins in the "S" and last year's model, this will mean greater potential for adding power in the aftermarket.

The 6-speed automatic is replaced by the 7-speed dual clutch transmission which probably won't mean turbo boost levels will fall off since the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Twin Turbo manage. But if the gear ratios are the same from the M3, the 6-speed manual has been shown to be the quicker car once the speeds are above 120mph. Will the DCT transmission withstand higher-than-stock power levels?

An upgraded radiator and motor mounts are included as well for track duty. What is really questionable is the decision to leave out a limited slip differential. Making a car more track ready with more power, a fast shifting automated transmission and cooling enhancements without adding an LSD is like making it a better burnout competition entry. Check out this article on the new McLaren MP4-12C supercar not having an LSD and the problems this poses.

While improving the breed, BMW potentially makes the base 335i the enthusiast's choice with a single turbo system and the "S" model still doesn't have a key performance element. Still world class, will the 335is meet sales expectations vs. the non "S"? Will the automatic transmission, now no longer available, be the desired transmission at the 75,000 mile mark? And will the need for an LSD make itself even more apparent?
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Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!
BMW 335i Coupe

Will the single turbo 335i be the model to choose vs. the 335is? Is the lack of a limited slip becoming a bigger detriment?
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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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Drag racing tips for your street car

Many amateur drag racers already know the tricks, tips and techniques to help their car go faster and more quickly at the dragstrip. However, there could be a few you're not aware of. Additionally, there is one potential major misconception and a technique for automatic and perhaps manual transmission cars that could be key as well. Listed are some obvious old-school and some not so obvious tips due to rampant electronics in modern cars.

Weight reduction - easily established by racing with a low tank of fuel. Modern fuel injected cars won't run lean with less fuel - don't worry. Remove the spare tire, etc. Removing rear seats (if equipped) is not uncommon. However, a totally stripped interior, if a daily driver or even weekend car, just really looks cheap and junky unless the interior is purpose built and finished for racing. Edit: Extra weight in the rear may allow for a lower 60-foot time and hence lower ET while making only a minor difference in trap speed. Experimentation is the key. 

Run cooler - icing the intake manifold. Cold air is denser air which translates to more horsepower. A hot engine will heat incoming air. There isn't much that can be done with the ambient air temperature, but running extra hot doesn't help. Without going deeply into modifications, a lower temperature thermostat is used for this reason. Push your car if feasible instead of the stop-n-go in the staging lanes. There are handheld tuning tools and even fusebox modifications that allow the cooling fans to start and run at lower than factory-set temperatures. Being the only guy pushing your nearly 2-ton car gets old real fast.

Something you may not know regarding running cooler. Some cars actually make more horsepower due to fuel programming when coolant temperatures are below 180 degrees vs. the normal operating temperatures of 200 degrees or higher. The balance of engine temperature, fuel economy and emissions is altered when seeking maximum power at wide open throttle.

Tires - lower tire pressure may very well be worse for two reasons. Losing traction from lack of grip means sitting and spinning while your opponent is accelerating. Also, if there is an increase in the rolling resistance of the tires, that is a parasitic drag. Every little bit counts when counting in tenths of a second or miles per hour.

When equipped with high performance low-profile tires which have stiff sidewalls, a common misconception is that if you lower the tire pressure significantly, you'll have more traction. This is because racing slicks use lower tire pressure to soften the sidewalls and increase the size of the contact patch. If the modern low-profile tires have structurally stiff sidewalls, less air will mean less contact patch in the center of the tire while the sidewalls maintain their stiffness. What is very important here is knowing how your tires respond to air pressure. Unless there is an established technique that is getting 60ft times below 2.0 seconds, try starting with pressure in the high 30s and work your way down. You may find a range that your car performs the best is far higher than those that are running 22psi in their low-profile 35 or 45 series high performance tires.

One last point regarding tires. The smoky burnouts look and sound fun, but do it for too long and a street tire can become slippery rather than sticky. A general rule used for non-drag radial street tires is do it just long enough to see smoke, then stop.

Fold your mirrors inward. Minor I know, it sounds silly, but trapping at 109.9mph vs. 110 can be frustrating. The competitors at the Bonneville Salt Flats who use duct tape to seal body gaps wouldn't laugh. Do you think that's allowed at the Texas Mile?

If equipped with adaptive shock absorbers, the "comfort" mode may allow for more weight transfer to the rear, facilitating better traction and a better launch. Conversely, "comfort" mode may also trigger a slower shift from the transmission with more slippage and even at a lower rpm. Who the heck drag races a car with a "comfort mode" anyway? Well, Mercedes Benz E55 owners with smaller-than-stock supercharger pulleys have been known to run 10-second quarter mile times. Crazy but it really pays to know how the various electronics influence the behavior of the vehicle.

Use a toilet brush to scrape debris off the tires. Buy a new one at the grocery store (please) and before you get in the staging lanes, a quick scrub will remove some of the larger debris. Does it work? Well I'd say it doesn't hurt. Pebbles in the tread can cause voids in the contact patch.

Related to the toilet brush, VHT track bite traction compound helps immensely for traction off the line. Spray after taking off the debris and preferably by crew member after doing a brief burnout on your street tires. Granted, if track prep is fresh, this probably isn't necessary. At some tracks, it's essential for street tire cars. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the street tire equipped cars that run fantastic times do this during track rental days.

Adaptive transmissions and electronics can be the most confusing and impactful of the various necessary steps to run the best times. It's important understand your car and how it reacts. Read up on the forums from other owners for their techniques. Others may do certain routines not even realizing why they seem to work. I'll list examples of how some cars respond to various inputs.

A slow diagnostic transmission shift may occur after start-up. Not noticed during daily driving, but at full-throttle, it could be painfully apparent, hurting trap speeds. One resolution I'm aware of is to drive over 20mph before lining up at the lights so the initial 2nd to 3rd gear shift is done. Even a single or dual clutch automated manual might do this. At some dragstrips like Infineon Raceway at Sears Point, the staging lanes are so close to the "christmas tree" this occurs.

Manually shifting the automatic transmission, while not as consistent, may make for firmer shifts. On the other hand, another car may shift better if simply left in "Drive". Further complicating things nowadays some mechanical tachometers actually can't keep up with the engine speed which means easily "banging" off the rev limiter when manually shifting while trying to judge the optimum shift rpm. Hitting the rev limiter means blowing your run and maybe losing. Lexus actually has a digitally simulated tachometer for this very reason in the new LF-A. Remember, this can apply to automatics, dual clutch and single clutch automated manual transmissions.

Lastly, when you sometimes pull the fuse to the transmission, it resets the "adaptives". What this means is some types transmissions will "learn" how you were driving previously and mimic that. For example, if you're idling at the stoplight waiting to enter the track, slowly driving to tech inspection and finally in the pits, your transmission could possibly store this and repeat this in the form of sluggish yet smooth shifts. Pulling the fuse will reset it to the default setting and the wide-open throttle will signal faster and firmer shifts. This can really make for a literal checklist.

Modern cars with all the electronics that make our lives easier and safer also are a pain in the butt to extract the maximum performance they are capable of. Keep in mind the basics - keep it cool, learn how your tires react to air pressure changes and finally learn how the electronic nannies hurt or help your car.
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Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!

How fast? And is it stock? Bone Stock defined

How quick and is it bone stock? That is the question among fans and owners of various cars with lots of debate about who is faster. Top speed is easily measured by magazines and meaningless in terms of acceleration. Zero to 60mph sounds good but doesn't tell the whole story. The 60-130mph timing is growing in popularity but many don't have the means to measure it. My article about that here. It all comes back the the 1/4 mile drag race.

The trap speed is the real indicator of which car is quicker once rolling and takes out the factor of a bad start (launch). In this age of the internet, claims and scanned timeslips can be seen across the country causing instant rivalries and debates. But the question remains, is it stock or modified? Is it just as it was off the showroom floor or has it been secretly enhanced?

The following examples are trap speeds that push the envelope of believability and all of them have the these factors in common: Great driving, proper vehicle preparation and cold, crisp air for maximum horsepower output. Examples such as: Corvette ZR1: 132mph, Dodge Viper ACR: 130mph, Corvette Z-06: 129mph, Dodge Viper 4th gen: 129mph, 03/04 Ford "Terminator" Cobra: 115mph, SRT-8 Charger/300C: 111mph, 05/06 Pontiac GTO: 110mph, 98-02 Camaro/Trans-Am: 110mph, Dodge Challenger R/T: 108mph and many more. Funny thing in the realm of "who is faster debates" is that in most cases, subtract 1mph from many of those and there are suddenly multiple examples.

A "bone stock" vehicle must be as if it rolled off the showroom floor. There are many ways to "cheat" but no performance modifications are allowed. In another article I'll list some drag racing tips for those looking to maximize the performance from their street car.

The rules of "bone stock" are as follows: The original or similar paper air intake filter must be in place. The stock shifting mechanism cannot be substituted for a short-throw shifter, the tires must not be designed for drag racing (drag radials). The vehicle cannot have weight reduction by removing parts. The spare tire is debatable but that weight difference is easily made up with differences in driver weights so I say it's okay. The exhaust as it came from the showroom floor must remain as well.

When magazines test cars, they may be criticized for not representing the "real world". If you take into consideration they don't do any type of weight reduction, a full tank of gas usuallyy, no powershifting, no "drag prep" techniques, they start to look pretty realistic. Another factor is automated clutch cars (single and dual) and fully automatics (torque converter) will have minimal variance. Finally, taking into account the magazines sometimes have fairly fast times because they do not use a dragstrip where the last 60 feet is used as an average for the trap speed, the results are spot-on for probably 90% of the bell curve. Variance due to condtions alone can be huge. A 50 degree swing in outdoor temperatures can translate to about 5mph.

Really the meaning of "bone stock" is pretty basic and the trap speeds listed are in the extreme minority and a couple are no doubt questionable. Others are verified and it's really a simple rule: The same equipment as when the car rolled off the showroom floor, from the factory, no more, no less.

170mph at dusk: American LeMans racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

The second weekend in October saw the American LeMans series racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California. The weekend was packed with racing action highlighted by the title event on Saturday afternoon. When four hours of top-level racing at speeds reaching approximately 170mph with driver changes and multiple pit stops has a .662 second margin of victory, you know you've seen something special.

This race also marked the retirement of the great racing champion Gil de Ferran who also appropriately won in the Acura ARX 02a race car after being dogged for quite a while by the Fernandez racing Acura from the P2 class, even regaining the lead after a pass into the slowest turn.

The other big story was the fierce battle between the Porsche and Corvette in the GT2 class at the end of the race. The Corvette all over the back of the Porsche lap after lap. An illegal pass by the Corvette by crossing the white line of the pit lane exit going into turn 2 was called back. Then the Corvette tried unsuccessfully to pass again on the next lap, bumping the Porsche before turn 3 and getting a little loose in dust. Finally in the last turn on the last lap, the Corvette bumped the Porsche from behind which ended up with the two side-by-side in a drag race towards the checkered flag with the Porsche forcing the Corvette towards the wall. The resulting contact, either between the two or the 'Vette and the wall caused the Corvette to spin in front of the Porsche, crossing the track and crashing hard into the opposite wall, wrecked and in second place. Check out the video here.

The drivers, Jorg Bergmeister in the Porsche and Jan Magnussen in the Corvette have been placed on a two race probation leading into the 2010 season. More details here. Jorg has been in the position of being squeezed out before, notably at Sebring losing to Ferrari. However considering Magnussen may have had a faster car, he couldn't get a clean pass and Jorg obviously wasn't going to lose the last race of the season due to being bumped in the last turn. If you can't do it cleanly, then don't try it.

There were some unfortunate signs of the economy affecting the event besides a lower entry count. There was no big screen for the main grandstands which actually has the most limited view of the circuit, nor for the stands between turns 4 and 5. Quite unfortunate considering how much occurs on the other parts of the track. The car count was lower as well but isn't as bad as it sounds and I'll get into that later.

The vendor area was also smaller than usual but still offered a great selection of clothing for men, women and children. All racing/automotive themes, of course. Piloti shoes was also there along multiple paraphernalia and excellent model car vendors. A special mention of Sin City clothing and Need For Speed Design with their automotive-themed jewelry and items such as bracelets, wallets, pens, rings, etc. One of the major sponsors, Patron Tequila had an all-day party in the vendor area with a lot of cute tequila girls. After all, for women spectators, the paddock area is full of studly drivers and team members, right? Even though the number of car manufacturer tents was down to one this year, Chevrolet had a nice display with a helpful staff and free Corvette Racing t-shirts for filling out a marketing survey.

Even a first-time race attendee commented on how organized the event was. From parking assistance to the layout, children's play center, go-kart track and even clean bathrooms, it was well done.

Some observations regarding the food and drink. The mixed drinks were a bit weak but the quesadillas were spectacular and right across from a tent with a variety of nice, cold English Ales. Across the Cooper Tires pedestrian bridge in the vendor area, their were other food and drink areas also. How much better could it get?

The sounds of the cars were simply extraordinary. The Corvettes and Panoz were thunderous going around the racetrack. The pushrod V-8 motors were a stark contrast to the screaming fury of every other high revving overhead camshaft motors of every other car on the track. The difference between the pushrod Ford powered Panoz and the overhead cam, 4-valve per cylinder Ford GT was especially interesting. Oddly, the Rahal Letterman Racing (yes that David Letterman) V8 BMW M3s seem to sound not unlike a street-legal M3 with aftermarket intake and exhaust modifications. Perhaps the closest resemblance of the race cars from a sound standpoint.

Driver access: As usual with the ALMS, the driver and team access is excellent. Autograph sessions with lots of posters and/or "hero cards" were common sights with many fans. Unheard of in the past, fans were allowed on the starting grid before the race, standing next to the cars and drivers with great photo opportunities.

Race cars: The major manufacturers represented in the ALMS were Acura, Lola, Porsche, Chevrolet, Panoz, BMW, Ferrari, Ford and Jaguar. The lone Ferrari dropped out due to a mechanical problem and the Dodge Viper was missing from this event. The Jaguar was basically testing for next season and it looked great. Also missing were Audi and Peugeot who only ran a few races this season in the US. Thirty-two cars on the starting grid was actually a somewhat low number but since there were 4 classes of cars running, the passing and dicing was frequent. Also, since this is the last race of the season and on the West Coast which is far for many teams to travel, not everyone was there. Next year the race will be in May which should mean more participation due to being earlier in the season and hopefully a better economy. More teams, more car counts.

Car corrals, while a little smaller than previous years, are always good display for fans of Corvette, Porsche, Audi and BMW. Even the Acura NSX club had a huge turnout in the past and I spotted some cars this year too. On the forums, it's common to read complaints that high-end car owners rarely drive their cars hard. Besides track days during the work week, owners of such are supporting the racing efforts of "their" cars. Not only were there two Ford powered cars in the ALMS race but 3 Mustangs in the Speed GT race, including one driven by Boris Said. Are you a "Said Head"? So I'm calling out Mustang and Ford GT owners to come check out the racing action too. And since Viper is heavily represented in Speed GT, where were you guys too?

Speed GT is one of the best racing series in world. High horsepower street-related sports cars compete in a 50 minute sprint which was a great conclusion to the weekend and racing season. The best bet next year is to attend the race (obviously) and record it on the DVR. Then you can watch what you missed to really get the big picture. Don't miss it, in person or on TV.

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Got a question about cars you would like answered? Performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!

The Ride of your Life at Laguna Seca

Combine the philanthropy and resources of Club Auto Sport with the participation of Hooked On Driving for a Community Appreciation weekend that is free to the public, and it's a great time for everyone. Add the opportunity to bid for a ride at speed in an actual NASCAR, one of which driven by Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan or a Bugatti Veyron or Porsche Carrera GT around Laguna Seca and it truly becomes the Ride Of Your Life. The beneficiary of the bidding for the "Ride of your Life" at this event was the SPCA for Monterey County.

Arriving on Sunday morning, if I hadn't have known better from the level of organization and professionalism exhibited, I was attending a major professional racing event. Considering the variety of cars present and it was free to the public to attend, one could argue it was even better. In my case, I was a passenger in a car driven at speed and currently raced in the Historic Stock Car Racing Series.

Other groups that were racing or hot lapping included Porsches with many GT3 Cup Cars, the Formula Mazda Challenge and Formula 2000 series, 600cc & 1000cc Supersport Motorcycles, Intermediate and Advanced hot laps for street cars and Advanced for race-prepped cars. Street cars included Ferrari F430s, F430 Scuderias, and Nissan GT-Rs. The advanced class included a fully modified late 60's Camaro, a Speed GT eligible Corvette and I think I spotted a former GM Racing CTS-V. The variety was excellent.

The specific car I rode in was Alan Kulwicki's 1992 Ford Thunderbird, chassis #007 that won at the Ford City 500 in Bristol and the Champion Spark Plug 500 at Pocono, PA. Powered by a 358 cubic inch V8 originally producing 720hp+ and weighing 3400lbs, it was fast. Very fast. First we had to make sure I fit inside. I did, but it was tight. There is no door so you literally have to climb in through the window and sit down low in the little seat surrounded by roll cage tubing. If you tend to be a little claustrophobic, note how much easier it is to climb out to ease your mind. Then climb back in so you get some familiarity with it. The five point racing harness secures you to the point where you can't move your torso. This is a good thing considering the g-forces involved. Seeing how the quickly the racing harness releases also is comforting.

Once under way, it sounds glorious. The small-block screaming and thundering at the same time. The acceleration is fierce, the long straightaways don't seem that long in this car. And the elevation changes at this track meant it was like a great roller coaster ride with an unparalleled soundtrack. With the sticky racing slicks the speed in the turns was very impressive despite what you hear or think you know about stock cars. Pushing you in the seat, forcing you to the side, the braking zones were the breather from the relentless forces the car created. It was really incredible no matter what kind of car you like. The Carrera GT and Bugatti surely would have been more elegant and comfortable, but this was intense and truly a race car experience. So how fast was it? About 135mph on the straightaway and low 1:40s for those that know the track. Keep in mind this was with long braking distances which eat up time Who the heck was driving? Mike Cesario of Club Auto Sport. He and his wife Ellie were wonderful host s for me in and out of the car. They make the cutest racing and pit-crew couple - true teamwork. The race was held later and another write-up on the weekend and the results of the race can be found here.

The Boys and Girls Club of America also had a large group of young kids who had a nice tour of the paddock area and we waved to them sitting in the grandstands between turns four and five. I'm not sure if they saw my thumb though - I was sitting pretty low in the car!

The garaged paddock area had some interesting groups besides Club Auto Sport. Trinity Racing Concepts was next door with several excellent racing simulators including one in 3D attached a Lotus Race car, called the Lotus 49 Simulator. There was a display of electric vehicles from the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Network . Next to that was a Nissan GT-R race car with Brian Lock Racing. I've always been critical of the GT-R due to it's weight, so I was very interested to see this, and it was impressive. Still heavy and not yet competitive in it's intended class, but fast by any means. Check out the in-car video of the track. You get the idea right away.

The next HSCRS event is October 24th and 25th at Infineon Raceway (Sears Point) in Sonoma, California and they are offering the Ride of your Life again! This time the bidding benefits the Boost Camp of Sonoma County. Don't miss it if you want a Ride of your Life.

Got a question about cars you would like answered? Performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc? Ask me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!

Interview with a race car driver

Even with great talent, it takes money to get to the professional racing leagues. Champions included. Recently I had the chance to meet a very nice and successful amateur race car driver named Brandon Aleckson at a Club Auto Sport function. Brandon was helping at a racing simulation demonstration for one of his sponsors, Trinity Racing Concepts. Brandon was very personable and I asked him a few questions about his racing experiences that evening. Later I felt complimented when he contacted me looking for help or suggestions for raising funds to continue racing. I then realized there are a lot of things I don't know about climbing the ladder in racing and that we should talk more in depth.

Brandon has quite a list of accomplishments highlighted on his website including the 2006 national championship for Formula SCCA cars and received the Motor Sports Press Associations 2006 Open-Wheel Road Racer of the Year Award http://www.brandonalecksonracing.com/ He also saw noteworthy success in '07 and '08. Take a look, Brandon has more accomplishments in amateur racing than most could dream of.

He used to race Go-Karts but it became too expensive needing 2 chassis, 2 motors, parts, rebuilds, etc during the season. This is also became very time intensive as you can imagine. Buying a Formula FE spec racer turned out to be the way to go. Back in 2003, it was "only" $28,000. Now it's about $50,000 to buy a new one. Start adding up all these figures, you'll see the dilemma, if not already!

The one difficult part of the racing for Brandon is dealing with the parts, despite the 160-170hp 2.3 liter Mazda engine being sealed and lasting 4-5 seasons. A huge bargain. But there are wear and maintenance items or updates to be competitive such as floating brake rotors, and they are not cheap. There are not a lot of sources for these parts and they are obviously not massed produced.

This means during the season, figure about $15,000 - $20,000 maintaining the car. For instance, tires are $650 for a set and they last a weekend Entry fees are $300-$400. Run multiple weekends and suddenly the decimal point starts moving the wrong way in the checkbook and the commas disappear, if you were fortunate enough to begin with.

Asked about the most trying aspect, the answer is the logistics, as you can imagine. Leaving California four days before a race in Atlanta. But Brandon's crew chief, chassis set-up guru and driver is also his source of his funds: His Dad. Being a business owner that can gladly spend the money and time away from the office with his son is a enviable situation. Having a racing background himself has obviously paid off. But keep in mind Brandon's winning seasons are with himself, his Dad and sometimes an assistant versus teams of 2-3 cars with a full staff.

When asked what are his most and least favorite tracks, Miller Motorsports Park in Utah was his top pick. The track, the facilities, everything according to Brandon there is top-notch. Previously it was Road Atlanta, one of the faster tracks in North America. His least favorite is Button Willow in California. Granted it is personal taste, but one interesting observation is that it doesn't have "character corners". In other words, turns that make a track unique and memorable. For those that that are only able to go to Button Willow and feel dissed, don't. You are still in an eviable situation doing something many cannot afford due to time, funds or both.

Looking at his winning record, I asked about confidence. He was obviously consistent and that is a study in concentration in itself. Brandon usually qualified on the pole so confidence level was always high.
Asked what the important piece of advice, the answer is to network. Get to know people and sponsors because it's all about the funds. The next move up for him would be to Star Mazda. But to "try out" means over $5,000 and most likely $10,000 for one day of testing. Not only that, a season runs about $750,000 and Indy Lights would be $1 to $1.2 million dollars. For one season. This means there are drivers in the pro ranks that are there due to having money, not talent.

Brandon impressed me when I first met him and when we spoke on the phone. He is obviously very talented and his accomplishments are very impressive. If you would like to sponsor Brandon or know someone who wants to help fund a top-notch driver, contact him here: AlecksonRacing@hotmail.com. 

NO to 200mph on the shore. Alameda mile proposal denied

After reading about and seeing what looks like a really cool and fascinating type of racing in Florida, Texas and Utah, I thought, why in the world can't we do it here locally? The airstrip in Alameda, California is under utilized but well known.

Alameda Point is along the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. These are old Naval air strips are where the TV show Mythbusters films many of their vehicle experiments. http://www.alameda-point.com/ and http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Alameda+Point,+CA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.66491,78.75&ie=UTF8&ll=37.785436,-122.317743&spn=0.031814,0.076904&t=h&z=14 The movie Matrix Reloaded had it's highway scene filmed there as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Reloaded

One mile racing is gaining in popularity and notoriety. What is it and why is this happening? I'll explain and give a few theories. A one-mile race is exactly what it says. It isn't so much of a test of the elapsed time like the quarter-mile dragstrip, but rather what speed can the solo running vehicle can obtain. So how fast can a production car go in a standing mile? Less than 200mph for all practical purposes, possibly excluding the Bugatti Veyron and maybe the Koenigsegg CCX. A great Top Gear episode had the Dodge Challenger SRT-8 hitting 150mph, the new Cadillac CTS-V 160mph and the 638hp Corvette ZR1 170mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Why is becoming more popular? I've got a few ideas. First, as I've written before, traction management is an issue with powerful cars. When drag racing, in order to to achieve the best result possible, traction is absolutely essential. Since the one mile is about speed, tire spin and a prolonged, spinning standing start are not as detrimental. It isn't about quickness, it is about speed obtained. Many times the fastest trap speed obtained in the quarter mile doesn't have the quickest or best elapsed time.

Related to traction management, the skill needed to shift quickly is also reduced in importance for a good result. We can't all shift like "Ranger". http://www.rangeracceleration.com/, and access to a dragstrip is sometimes a challenge. Many owners of the cars entered would rather not wait around to get a run in that is abusive to the clutch and tires while having to wait next to a punk kid whose ghetto'd-out Mustang has a challenging and crude profanity for a bumper sticker. I've personally seen it, and you get my point.

Another factor is the magic question, "How fast can it go?" You get a pretty neat answer in one mile. While it isn't the vehicle's top speed, at least bragging rights are documented. Exceeding the speed limit for over 7/8ths of a mile with the "go" pedal buried is pretty cool too. You may have seen the show Pinks! http://www.speedtv.com/programs/pinks with more than a few of these older muscle cars having various mechanical failures. Imagine what would happen if some of these less-than-optimal aerodynamic machines go wide-open-throttle (WOT) for 30 seconds or so instead of 10? The likely change in their overall gearing in itself would be interesting.

If dragstrips are closing due to insurance and the need for land, these airstrips tend to just sit unused except in the case of Mythbusters http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html and a few others. The best organized event that I know of, and the most famous and impressive is the Texas Mile http://www.texasmile.net/ for $195. For those with the money but don't want to run their car or are just curious, for $4,495, you can rent and drive among the fastest in the world in a rolling start: http://worldclassdriving.com/events/extreme_events_200mph and reported here: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090410/FREE/904109993

I thought why not use Alameda Point? No riff-raff at $200 plus for participants, lots of fast and exotic cars in the Bay Area that don't see the dragstrip and rarely see the road circuit at Laguna Seca, Sears Point or Thunderhill. And if liability is a concern, limit it to street-licensed and registered vehicles only. Charge an admission fee and suddenly you have a revenue generator.

Well I wrote to Alameda Point and as the title states, I was denied. Below is the response I received from the Property Manager:

"I have been asked by Ms. Potter to respond to your email. Over the years we have received similar requests for use of the runway. In each case we have had to turn down these requests for a couple of reasons. The first is that the Navy has several environmental remediation projects in process in the area, one of which crosses the runway at the west end. Another reason is the way the boundaries between the wildlife refuge currently supporting two endangered species, the California least tern and the California brown pelican, are demarked by fencing which also take up a portion of the runway area, meaning that none of the runways are available for use in their total length. For these reasons, we cannot approve your request for high speed acceleration tests at Alameda Point.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Mike Hampen"

I followed up with a request for a .5 or .25 mile length for a standard or 1/8th mile dragstrip usage. Both were denied.

Photo: One of approximately eighty Bugatti Veyron Targa Editions at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance. Estimated price, $1.9 million. A good choice for attempting 200mph in one mile?

Air Conditioned race cars - where is the coverage and carry over?

Yes it's true. The American LeMans Series, the premier racing league in the United States with a similar series in Europe has mandated air conditioning in the cockpit of the race car during the 2009 season. Where in the world is the reporting about this and the production car usage?

What is the big deal? Did you know virtually all passenger car A/C systems shut off during full throttle acceleration? These race cars spend most of their time at full throttle! This is to address dangerous cockpit temperatures well over 100 degrees which can lead to serious driver errors and fatigue at well over 100 mph running hard for hours on end. These cars, with no insulation and finely tuned engines making in excess of 450hp minimum running high octane race fuel, run hot, really hot. Cool suits are utilized in many race series, but in this series where races run for hours, air conditioning was deemed necessary. A cool suit is a shirt with cooling passages that circulates water to cool the driver during the race. http://www.saferacer.com/auto-racing-underwear/cool-suit/?cat=56&tagarray=29

Most likely these are very efficient air conditioning systems that are powered by an electric motor, rather than a belt spinning the compressor in virtually all passenger cars. There are two exceptions I know of though. The new 2010 Toyota Prius and the Tesla. How is that for irony? Two milestone cars designed for efficiency using the same system extreme race cars use.

So what's the problem? First off, why in the world hasn't this been covered in the media yet? And secondly, why hasn't this been incorporated into production cars that really need it?

This system that has to be designed for efficiency. Ideally, develop the most efficient and reliable system you can in racing and it can filter down to the street car. Here is a system that is functional at full throttle, in an environment that could normally be at well over 100 degrees in an uninsulated environment (no rubber seals, no UV treated or tinted glass, etc), and when is going to show up in the larger engined, lower fuel-economy vehicles?

Obviously the Prius doesn't have this racing pedigree and development, but how ironic that the car that needs it the least has it first. It's time for the media to get on the ball, and the manufacturers to start making some announcements.

Photo: No air conditioning in Wayland Joe's IMSA Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car

In NASCAR the oil is faster than the driver

All the hype surrounding the drivers in NASCAR should perhaps be re-directed at the R&D department and the oil chemists before the rules change. "Witches brew" oil formulations are giving unfair advantages to the big budget teams and further lowers the drivers' influence on the outcome of the race.

Two recent articles got me thinking about this recently. Robbie Gordon was interviewed by Pit Lane, the promotional magazine for Infineon Raceway at Sears Point. Or just Sears Point to all of us enthusiasts. He stated the driver makes up 10-15% of the racing in NASCAR. Pretty disappointing isn't it? Makes it sound like anyone can floor it and turn left. Never mind turn right, threshold braking, hitting the apex and, well you know, actually racing....

Then a recent article in the Wall Street Journal states that the motor oil is the most sophisticated part of the race car and $1million per year can be spent on R&D and experimentation by a team. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123932274269507173.html This is estimated to give a 10hp gain. Even if this number isn't low, during a three hour race, this really adds up, lap after lap.

Disclaimer: Yes, I would love to be a race car driver, even in NASCAR but ONLY at Sears Point and Watkins Glen where they truly race in the purest sense. Otherwise, keeping the busy schedule they have for the "type" of racing they do is admirable, I admit. It must be both exciting and a serious grind.

NASCAR is essentially a spec-racer series. The cars must all be essentially identical with variation strictly regulated. The engines make the main difference, as we know. So if costs are controlled, is it really fair for the big-budget teams to have such an advantage that further takes the driver out of the equation? NASCAR should mandate 3 oil formulations for the season per team, controlled by the oil companies. Lesser budget teams should be able to purchase these formulas for a nominal fee. To use it as an equalizer, teams down on points can acquire a new formulation using a rewards structure throughout the season. If this is too complex, then mandate no changing of oil chemistries for the season or only three times a season. Let's raise the driver equation.

There are teams that are subsidized, only running a few laps of a race for a nice monetary payout. While this isn't ideal, wouldn't it be better if they at least ran more competitively during the few laps they participate in? Wouldn't it be nice if they could actually afford to run the bulk of a race? Efforts should be made for team development. Oil regulation would be one small step.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of NASCAR as you can tell, but I give credit again to the drivers, the hardworking teams and the fact that it is the most popular motorsport in the US. I urge NASCAR to do the right thing and raise the influence the driver has on the outcome of the race.

A clever move for Volvo?

What is every car manufacturer doing these days? Promoting fuel economy, alternative fuel or energy source in current or upcoming models. How many are looking into expanding into a performance oriented market? Very few are doing so. However, Volvo seems to be doing just that.

A small manufacturer like Volvo, while innovative in certain areas such as safety, and under the cloud of sale by parent company Ford, http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-taking-steep-loss-as-it-trys-to-sell-volvo-2009-3 hasn't gotten the press of Honda, Toyota, Tesla and Chevrolet with the Volt. But what about a NEW market segment for them while they continue along with alternative fuels and powertrains like everyone else? Performance!

Despite a miserable showing by Volvo race cars in Speed GT a few years ago, why not partner with last year's championship winning K-Pax race team with no financial investment (technical data can be free), and see what they can do for the brand. If it fails again, no big deal right? It's a segment Volvo never had foothold in anyway. If it succeeds, great! No investment, it got the attention of the enthusiasts and opens the door for future programs and more sales.

There is no question the guys and girls with high powered sports cars in their garages, or sporty sedans and coupes in the driveway also own a Volvo, and granted an S60-R may be included in that. Of course, we think of them as a conservative product line with safe but boring cars and SUVs. But now, if Volvo succeeds, they capture some more sales that BMW, Audi, Acura and Mercedes may have had. And, the door is open for more performance oriented models.

So while I'm sticking to my prediction of a poor showing during the racing season, the risk to Volvo is minimal. Clever, very clever. But I still say the Speed Touring class would be an ideal choice vs. the faster GT class. Photo of a racing Volvo station wagon of the past courtesy of http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/volvo_850_btcc.jpg

Edit: The Volvos did quite well but Volvo still has virtually no performance credentials compared to the competition (Alfa, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes).

Volvo racing equals mistake repeated

What are they thinking? A championship winning race team built a car based on a product from a conservative company known for safety to compete against the "big boys" in the Speed GT series. They are competing against track stars such as Porsche, Viper, Mustang, Cadillac CTS-V, Pontiac GTO and Aston Martin.

Put it this way: Take the stock, dealership showroom versions of those sports cars and put them on a track racing each other. It would be fun, entertaining and basically 2 groups of close racing action. Adding a 257 horsepower Volvo S60 T5 is like adding a pace car. Disastrous. http://www.volvocars.com/us/models/s60/Pages/BuildYourS60.aspx

K-PAX racing won the driver's championship in the proven, reliable and excellent Porsche 911 GT3s' in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, they also won the manufacturer championship for Porsche. Now they built a race car with a Volvo chassis this year in the same series. Talk about kicking the gift horse in the mouth! http://www.kpaxracing.com/

What is this going to do for Volvo? It isn't going to establish a new market segment. They have virtually no racing presence at all in the states, nor are they trying. This was attempted before as well. In 2006 a Volvo managed one rain-soaked win during an otherwise miserable season. This is another doomed effort this year. http://www.swedespeed.com/news/publish/Motorsport_News/article_915.html

Volvo makes fine cars, but here is an attempt from K-Pax, 3 years after a Volvo race car was uncompetitive against the "big boys" like Viper, Corvette, Porsche and purpose-built domestic monsters like the CTS-V and Mustang Cobra trying to make the 2.5L turbocharged engine competitive. Volvo states they are not involved with this vehicle (comment below). K-Pax states they have support from Volvo. http://www.kpaxracing.com/history.html If I had to guess, this means data and technical support.

It really boggles the mind. Not only must this car be purpose-built, making it totally unrelated to the street car, the engine must be modified way beyond what is even remotely possible on the street and that is without major turbo lag. Turbo lag means a delay in power delivery. Frustrating to say the least. The Viper, Corvette and Porsche race cars are closely related to the street car. And even the previously mentioned CTS-V, a factory-built racer, had a powertrain not too far removed from the street car. The Mustang as some pedigree from Ford racing at least, despite a heavily revised chassis like the 'V' and forgoing the supercharger in the GT500.

I always support more manufacturers in any given race series. It is more entertaining, improves the breed and makes for great conversation and debate. But really this effort should be in Speed Touring. They have bitten off more than they can chew.

Granted, a 12th place finish, up from starting 20th is respectable the first time out, even though the other car had a DNF due to mechanical problems (foreshadowing?). http://www.world-challenge.com/events/raceresults.php?ID=804 . They also have top drivers and K-PAX even states it's still early in development. So even if it works, despite the time and expense to be competitive, the big question remains for Volvo: What will this do for you? Volvo better expand on this effort for the buying public or it will be more egg in their face. Prediction: K-PAX returns with Porsche next year and an opportunity for new market appeal for Volvo fails. I'll explain why in an upcoming article that this may actually be a clever exploratory move on Volvo's part.

EDIT 4/19/2009: If this trend continues, I better get ready to eat a lot of crow: http://www.world-challenge.com/news/story.php?ID=1241 Congrats to all involved on a fine effort and results, although they both loss placings vs. their starting positions...

The Key for more viewers of SpeedTV and Koni Challenge Racing

SpeedTV televised the Koni Challenge Series at Daytona in Florida. The same reoccurring problem with racing coverage was evident for this race. However, it is even MORE essential in this series! Why? Because these cars are the closest to what is sold in the showrooms and driven on the street.

If viewers can't understand how cars can compete against one another, the interest will diminish. If SpeedTV would give a review of each car with some details and Grand-Am provided some information, the viewing audience will grow.

Racing is the most expensive sport in the world. Many can only dream to race, let alone at a professional level. Even a "track day" is about $200 plus thousands of miles taken off the life of brakes and tires. These performance cars being televised are sold based on their abilities. When obvious disparities are reduced and these various cars compete against one another head-to-head, the viewer must be informed how this is done. Not only that, many owners want to make street-legal modifications to their cars to make them closer to what is being raced. Faster is better, right?

The following cars were racing each other: Ford Mustang GT, previous generation BMW M3 with a 333hp 6-cylinder engine, current generation M3 with a 414hp 8-cylinder, a Dodge Challenger SRT-8 with 425hp but a very heavy, large car; Porsche 997 - the quintessential race car. Unmodified, the Porsche and V8 BMW would dominate the rest, hands down. And these are just the "GS" or Grand-Sport class cars:http://grand-am.com/koni/schedule/results.cfm?eid=877

In NASA, these cars are spread over 3 to 4 classes due to how much of a difference they are in performance:
http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/Performance-Touring-rules.pdf

While the names of the drivers and teams is good information that must be provided, it is equally or more important for the masses to understand what makes this racing possible.

Car & Driver's mysterious Pontiac Solstice GXP cover story results

The April '09 issue of Car & Driver had the cover story of four best-buy sport coupes. The dominant winner in the last two SCCA National Championships came in last place. The Pontiac Solstice GXP was the car to race in the SCCA Runoffs for 2007 and 2008 in the SCCA T2 class. In this story, it was last against the Mazda RX-8, BMW 135i and the new Nissan 370Z.

What is the SCCA? The Sports Car Club of America. Founded in 1944, now with 114 regions in the US, virtually everyone considering competitive racing at a "grassroots" level has looked into or participated in the SCCA. Some new cars have been sold from the factory with 1-year memberships!

In the Runoffs, the Solstice GXP had multiple podium finishes, beating other notables such as the Nissan 350Z, BMW E46 M3 (the 333hp 6cyl model), Mitsubishi Evolution, Subaru STi, Cadillac CTS-V, Pontiac Firebird and GTO and the Chevrolet Camaro. For the most part these cars are significantly faster than the Solstice in a straight line. The popularity of these cars dictates better and more in-depth coverage.

Now granted the new 370Z, the first place pick, is pretty tough competition. Maybe the best sportscar buy for the money. But there was a key element mentioned but not expanded upon. A $650 dealer-installed package that adds 40 horsepower. An absolute bargain! Was this the key to the SCCA domination? Surely this should have been researched. And if two of the four cars in this test make over 300 horsepower, wouldn't be fair to test the Pontiac with this option? And by the way, horsepower upgrades like this from the dealer with the factory blessing, are very, very rare. Especially a 40hp jump which is significant for virtually any car, let alone one weighing 3080lbs.

Another absolutely key element completely missed was publishing the lap times. There was mention of lapping at Willow Springs, but oddly, no results given. This is one of the most elemental pieces of data for a test of cars such as this. A big error of omission without explanation. After all, they evaluated the cars for five days.

Road & Track recently reported the 370Z experiencing high oil temperatures after 4 laps and needing a cool-down. If this is due to a design flaw, not only is it absurd for the best new sports car value, but it should have been reported by Car & Driver if noticed! Edit: Car and Driver notoriously discovered a severely braking cooling problem....

Granted the ranking of the cars was warranted by the disclosed test data. Digging deeper, is the SCCA T2 two-time dominator allowed to have a horsepower upgrade that makes the rest of the field impotent? Should the car be demoted to the slower SCCA T3 class? Investigative journalism was severely lacking when covering sports cars like these.

New Performance Standard: 60mph to 130mph

The quarter-mile has lost some relevance, especially among modern ultra-high horsepower cars. The 60-130mph measurement is easier to obtain and consistently more representative of the car's capability. The quarter-mile will always exist and rightfully so because of the all-around nature of measuring a cars straight line performance. Of course, it's a lot of fun and its always great to see a large variety of different cars race. But many times its simply easier to get a 60-130mph measurement. I don't condone speeding on public roads but this is the reality.

Instead, a VBOX http://www.racelogic.co.uk/result result of a 60 to 130mph run gives a very accurate depiction of the performance of the car. Traction and surface preparation issues are minimal and heat soak is no longer a factor. The 130mph speed separates the big boys from those that perform better at lower speeds due to gearing or AWD. It also represents what happens in racing on road circuits - a rolling drag race when exiting a turn. And it's much easier to find a stretch of road with no traffic that fits the bill. Again, obey your traffic laws...

Check out these links to see how its structured and the results. All most likely done in Mexico or on private roads: http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996-turbo-gt2/55163-6speedonline-1-4-mile-60-130-mph-standings.html and http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=911116&highlight=130

In this day of 600hp+ cars, low profile tires and intrusive emission controls, an optimal quarter-mile result is becoming more and more elusive. We all want to know how cars are capable of performing. But how many of us can go to a dragstrip with a well-prepped surface for excellent adhesion, a negative density altitude (cold dense air) for highest potential horsepower output, no long waits while idling to approach the staging lights, and time to practice launch techniques with various tire pressure in order to achieve the quickest elapse time and highest trap speed possible?

If you have a modern high performance car, especially in the 500+hp range, it has stiff, low-profile tires and is very difficult to launch. Is your track even open when the temperatures drop into the 40s or below? How is the surface preparation? How many runs do you get in? At 600+hp, it becomes an even greater exercise in power and wheelspin management, especially on stock (low profile) tires that are designed for handling and braking vs. drag radials or slicks.

Magazines must continue to use the quarter-mile as the benchmark for a car's straight-line performance potential. But the magazines have certain benefits racers at many tracks do not. First and foremost, they have easy and open access to the tracks. That is not the case for tens of thousands, especially during the work week. They do not sit in a line of 10, 100 or even 300+ cars while engine temps climb beyond normal operating temperatures, robbing precious horsepower. They are able to practice various launch techniques because they can get multiple runs. Finally, many tracks are closed to the public during the colder seasons. The track should always be our preference, but the alternative is quite frankly, easier.

What about the magazines? They must keep testing, and always test to 130mph, preferably 150mph. That way comparison data can be easily extrapolated.

Drag racing at the tracks is still a blast. The competition, sights, sounds and camaraderie can make a great time even if getting only three poor runs. More tracks should open to address the public demand and street racing should be discouraged.. However, brief a 60-130mph blast in a high performance car on a clear multi-lane road is far safer than the daily 60-70mph commute millions have every day. So now, the 60-130mph is becoming a new standard of measuring acceleration