How do we beat TomP at Parade 07 ? Options

[Brad Roberts]

I like Tom. Great guy. Got to spend time with him while I lived in NorCal.. but it doesnt mean I'm going to lay down for him at an AutoX..LOL

I have the chassis and the LSD gearbox. I dont even have to drive (I'll put a SCCA National Champ in the seat if need be)

What kind of HP/TQ will it take to beat him. I'm figuring the course is going to be VERY fast since it is being held here in SD.


Thoughts on this?

This will probably be my last "hurrah" with owning a 914 race car.


The car is GUTTED. No windshield.. very little to NO steel in it. Goodyear R430's on 7's+8's. Full cage. It will end up with alum floor pans with small tubes. Shifter/seat/steering wheel. 3 gallon tank.


B

[jhadler]

Regarding NO2 bottles and SCCA events...

Having been a member of the National Solo Safety Committee for the last 7 years, this topic has come up a number of times. Now that I'm no longer on the SSC, I think I can talk about this without needing a disclaimer or anything... Okay... disclaimer: I'm not a member of the SSC, nor do I speak on behalf of the SCCA or any officials of the SCCA.

There a couple reasons for dissalowing NO2 at SCCA events.

The main reason is safety. It -is- a pressurised gas cylinder, and it -does- present a hazard as such. Have you seen what a 2000 psi bottle can do if the valve is sheared off? I have, it becomes an unguided missile...Yes, mounting hardware, heaters, check valves and all that can be regulated, but who is going to check all that? Tech inspectors at Solo events already have enough to think about, and for the 0.1% of drivers that show up with NO2, it's not worth the overhead to train the inspectors to make sure the system is safely designed and installed.

You've probably seen the pictures from the moron who installed a NOS system in his car with the heater blanket wired to a permantently hot circuit and promptly blew the rear end off his car while it sat in his garage (along with the garage door). This is obvioulsy a worst case scenario, but if an incident like that were to occur at an event, it becomes VERY visible, and VERY sticky (from a litigation standpoint). It's one thing if some unfortunate sap leaves a gas can in the trunk of their car and then goes out on course, breaks open the gas can, and combusts their car (saw it happen). It's another thing if a gas cylinder explodes in grid or in the paddock around people.

On course safety is, of course, the main issue. And most people who run NOS systems, run them for the Friday night drags. They aren't accustomed to the kick in the rear it can provide on a course where you actually have to TURN. This is a big concern for the safety of course workers. You may know what the NOS is capable of doing, and can manage it. But I would wager that >90% of people who run NO2 systems would be quite unprepared for its effects on an an autox course, especially if they trigger it in a turn and can't compensate. Course workers can run, but not as fast as a spinning camaro...

The risk to benefit ratio is too extreme. I don't think the SCCA is worried about dissenfranchising less than 1 out of 1000 potential drivers for the increased level of risk that NO2 systems present.

In my home region (probably one of the ten largest in the country), we have had -1- person in the last 8 years show up with Nitrous. He was asked to go home and come back without the bottle. He did so, and everyone was satisfied.

Secondly, the manditory rules dissalow any oxygen bearing additives that are not available from pump gas. This includes alchohol, nitrous, and other more extreme additives. All of these are power adders in one way or another, and are not legal in any class. If you allow NO2, do you then allow Nitromethane? Alchohol? Where do you draw the line then? The line is drawn at pump gas.

Okay, I've rambled on... Let's get this thread back on track and figure out how Brad is gonna build a TTOD winner at the parade...

Gotta add this (regarding the building of the super teener). Aero.

Nationals this year was the year of the wing. Door slammers at atuoxes are getting fast enough now that wings on full bodied cars actually have an impact. So start looking into some good aero for the car as well.

I love it when aero factors in. Now, when you get loose in a turn, you weren't too fast... you were too slow!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

-Josh2