GT3 Nut

Now there is a blanket statement or maybe even insult!

I can tell you there are more talented drivers in PCA club racing than you realize! There is many times more "idiots" at DE's than you find at a club race.
And if Arnie thinks a 2:05 - 2:06 in your car on slicks means you could do a 1:55 at VIR - try again! You would be at 2:02-2:03 at best in a cup right now. Remember your car is set up very well right now and you are already on slicks.
Get Chris B. aka RSR Racer and probably many other Club Racers to show you what a fast talented club racer can do at VIR in a cup or even with your car. Trust me, there is a lot more in your car than you can exploit right now. I bet your car could do 2:00 with an excellent driver just as it is now. I am not saying you are not a good driver. You are a good driver. I know you are one of the faster guys at DE's. No offense intended - just a reality check after that comment about "idiots in club racing"!
And you should also try club racing if you can bear to be around the "idiots" there. I know it was/is a humbling experience for me. When you are one of the fastest guys at DE's you think you can drive. Go racing with really good drivers and you quickly realize there is still much more to learn!
Again no offense intended - just didn't care much for your comment.


Rant over. Now back to your regular scheduled program.

Yes a full cage is a very good idea! And as I said in my previous post, PMme and I can share my ideas for the Das Cage.

LVDell

Thanks Matt. We'll chat soon. If anything at least at the Feb member day.

Ouch! Didn't mean to touch a nerve. My comment was in jest and NOT a blanket statement in the manner in which you took it. But seriously, I have seen the club guys and they are NOT in general the "great" drivers you make them out to be. Yes there are some fantastic guys behind the wheel but not the majority of them. There are guys with limited track skill and I wonder why they were even allowed to "race" all the way up to guys that would be competitive in REAL racing if given a sponsor and a ride in a major series. Remember though, you are only as strong as your weakest link and YES there are some real idiots behind the wheel hence my statement calling out the BOTTOM RUNG!

Not sure if you are pissed b/c you think you are the "idiot" in my comment or pissed b/c my comment challenged the idea of club racing or (insert your assumption). But we all know you can handle yourself behind the wheel so the comment wasn't directed at you.

Come on Matt, you should know me better than that.

As for lap times at VIR......I, nor anyone else have said I was the best out there nor think I am at the car's limits. I haven't run slicks but one session of one day and that was a 2:05 fast lap on Yok scrubs so I am fairly certain I could be sub 202 (if not sub 200) in a setup Cup. I have NEVER said what I can or could do out there as I let my driving do the talking. Heck, I was doing "test and tune" with Greg as that was the first time on track with that suspension setup.

Damn, this down time between fall and spring really gets people on edge!

Rickard 993 Turbo

Go for a CS or RS

Rs is the way im going

LVDell

Looks like it has come down to DAS or RS/CS.

Rob in VA

Just for reference, one of the Synergy drivers did a 1:54 in a 997 GT3 Cup at VIR.

LVDell

Another point of reference:

2007 Results from Grand Am/Koni at VIR (Race/Qual/Practice Times were all about identical)
Top Koni Qualifying Time (ST Class) 2:10.3 (GS Class) 2:04.4
Top GranAm Qualifying Time (GT Class) 1:53.8 (DP Class) 1:45.0 HOLY CRAP!!!!

As far as car setup, I assume the GT3 street (track setup) would slot between the GS Koni cars (Street C2) and the GT GranAM cars (Cups)

zoomzoom

Ah, I wasn't aware of this having never seen a DAS bar in person. Is it possible to anchor weld the steel plate to the floor on the DAS?

930man

yes it can be welded to the floor...

930man

im thinking i will be shooting for 2:20s .... that way i have alot of room for improvement

GT3 Nut

Dell, I am not trying to start an argument here. I do know you better and that is one reason I posted a response. Simply put, you are a very nice guy - have helped many people out at the track in various ways - and a very good driver as well. However there are times that you post here on Rennlist that would belie that truth. You at times come acrros as arrogant and cocky. Now in person you don't come across in that fashion. I called you out on a statement that definitely came across as "I am so much better than those idiots in Club Racing". No, I didn't take it as a personal attack. I don't post here very much because I often just say to myself "its not worth getting into this". I should have done the same thing here, but I didn't and I regret that.

Anyway, yes there are some club racers that are not very good at all. There are MORE guys at DE's that run in advanced run groups that do not have the awareness that even some bad club racers have. I didn't say that ALL club racers were GREAT drivers. I said that there are SOME great drivers who club race. I know I have learned and will continue to learn a lot from being on the track with such ones. And the best club racers are most likely better than 75% of the guys who pay to race in the Pro series. (I am surely not one of them. I HOPE to continue to improve and get there though). Many guys in the "pro" series like Grand Am have A LOT more money than they have talent. I remember a few years back when I first started doing DE's and I was talking with Cole from Synergy and he said to me that there is probably more talent overall in PCA Club Racing than in Grand Am. It is just the Grand Am guys have more money and can afford to run there. That doesnt mean that all club racers are better than "pro" drivers - OBVIUOSLY that is not the case. But if you take the more talented Club guys and pay for them to run in a "pro" - or "real racing" as you referred to it - series like Grand Am, I think you would see them running up towards the front. Maybe not as good as drivers like Pobst, Murry, Long, etc. etc. Heck, a lot of those guys got started in club racing! And some still go out at the bigger club races (Leh Keen, Dominick Farnbacher, Dino Loles, etc.)
Yes some club racers should not be allowed to race. AND some "advanced" drivers should not be allowed to run in the highest run groups at DE's either. When you referred to "idiots" in club racing, you didn't say the guys at the BOTTOM RUNG. It would be like someone saying that guys who do DE's are a bunch of talentless idiots.
All I am saying is sometimes you should think about what you say before you say it. I think most guys here really like you, but I have seen you **** some people off with your abrubt reponses/posts. I like you and I am not saying you are a bad guy. I know you are a good guy from seeing you at the track!
Like I said earlier, NO OFFENSE intended. And I am not on edge either.

Oh and by the way, I still don't think you would be sub 2:00 at VIR in a Cup. I had a car very much like yours and I expected to get in the Cup and drop 5-7 seconds immediately. That was not the case. I ran 2:05's in my 996 GT3 like yours. I can do 2:02's with traffic at VIR. I hope to get sub 2:00 soon, but it is not as easy as you seem to think. Maybe I am wrong on this, but I think your car on slicks as it is set up - similar to my old 996 GT3 - is about 3-4 seconds off a 996 Cup at VIR. Your car is extremely capable! Heck I was able to do a 2:06 in my stock RS on old Hoosiers. These cars are incredible. I bet that RSR Racer could do 2:02 or better in my RS. I want to get there too!
I MAY be inclined to let you drive my Cup and see how much faster you are in that. I will think about that a little.

Please remember I am not trying to create any ill feelings here. Contrary to that I hope you see my post as a constructive observation from a friend.

See you soon. Please call if you want to chat about that Das Cage.

GT3 Nut

RIGHT Matt.
I am looking forward to seeing that black beast out there!
I know one guy in a stock 996 GT2 was doing 2:04's on Hoosiers at VIR.
I just hope I can hang with you in my RS.

LVDell

Matt (E).....I don't think for a second you are trygint to create ill feelings at all. I have VERY thick skin and appreciate ANY criticism as long as it is intelligent. YOu my friend, post a very intelligent rebuttal

I think my posts come across wrong to some at times is that I really have a low level of tolerance for ignorance and in this environment it is very easy to let you emotion get the best of you. At the track, I am probably 180 degrees different. Heck, to instruct you have to have patience and tolerance. Maybe this place is one that promotes responses and banter like we see. I am not sure though. Internet conversations in an asynchronous manner are really hard to gauge. Like my club racer comment. It's not guys like you that I worry about as the idiots, it's the ones that REALLY ARE idiots. Those are the ones I would prefer to stay clear of.

I probably need to just hurry up and get a Cup and be done with it but I just love my car so much and it doesn't help that everytime I see you (about once a month ) you talk about how much you miss your speed yellow GT3 like mine and should have never sold it. IU mean, check out your avatar! I don't think I could ever part with mine. I think that 02-03 is realistic in capable hands in the street and sub 200 is in the Cup. Honestly, I don't know and don't care but I know that I am not far off and I don't have the car even close to setup yet. I am just very confident in my abilities and I have guys like Chris to chase to keep me moving toward that sacred time.

Anyway, just got done having a Polar Express, Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas, Twas the night before Christmas marathon with the little one and I am exhausted. Time to head to bead.........

See you in Feb a the member day. We'll chat before then about the DAS.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

GT3 Nut

Maybe I am an idiot after all, I have to go look this one up in the dictionary!!! AND I am an Einstein! Go figure. Thanks PROFESSOR Dell, I feel so much better about myself now. Hahahahahahaha.

Anyway, thanks for your response. I look forward to seeing you at the track.
And I do miss my yellow 996 GT3!! I am starting to move on though. Club racing the cup makes it easier for sure! Of course it would be great if I could still have my speed yellow 3 along with my RS and Cup! A guy can dream right?

Sleep well my friend.

ZAPmobile

Geez, I go away to see friends and family for the holidays, and a fun, tongue-in-cheek thing gets blown totally out of proportion! My 1:55 comment about Dell in a Cup car was, as I said, a tongue-in-cheek comment to just tweak Dell about how much faster he could be in a Cup car.

That said, let's set some records straight here. Matt, I have been around racing all my life and a very early Club Racer. While I no longer do Club Racing, I am very, very aware of what the times are at a variety of tracks and what kinds of times are being turned, especially at VIR which is Margo's and my home track.

The other thing that I think we should keep in mind is that the Koni Challenge cars, especially the Mustangs, are factory race cars, and the 997s running in the Koni Challenge sport the X horsepower package, making them around 380. Factor in exhaust and headers, and they are probably producing even more. In addition, the front-runners in the Koni are being driven by top-notch pro or semi-pro drivers. By the way, those cars are totally-built race cars with every trick and tweak there is.

So, Dell's, Chris', and maybe one or two others', times at VIR in well-prepared, street GT3s are exceptional by any standards.

Let's go to the Rolex times at VIR, where Margo and I crew for TRG. Her job is keeping track of the times of the competitors for comparisons and strategy. Andy (Lally), Spencer (Pumpelly), Wolf , Leigh, and a few others qualify these Cup cars in the :53 range and can turn :55s all day long. Race times for them are around :56-57 to conserve the cars. Most of "the paying drivers," a lot of PCA people, usually qualify a Cup car around 2:01 and have a really hard time maintaining 2:03s and :04s during a race.

Matt, you have stated that driving a Cup car is tough and takes a big learning curve. I agree! I have driven one of the fastest out there, Wolf's championship car that now belongs to a good friend of ours; and I must admit that I did not do a very good job in the car. But I only got in and drove it for 25 minutes. Most of the time, I was learning how to shift the sucker!

My honest opinion is that if you want to give Dell your Cup car for a weekend of practice, I think you'll see an under-two-minute lap without much difficulty.

One other thing to keep in mind is that the fastest times set in the PCA Club Race at VIR were around 1:57 or :58. This was done by another friend of ours, Bill Chadwick, in his specially-built 935 with 700+ HP. Bill is an excellent driver. So until August of '08, that is the best a PCA Club Racer has ever done at this track. Remember, that is PCA only, not Koni, not Rolex.

Another thing to remember is that there is possibly a reason in Club Racing or even some of the other forms of racing, the PCA times will not be as good as Rolex times. Most PCA Club Racers don't have two 18-wheelers each with full race crew of engineers, pit crew, etc. to set the car up properly for any particular track and minute-to-minute conditions.

VB997

Hey Arnie, mind if chime in? I feel like I have a horse in this race since I run with most of the drivers you're discussing. I'm not sure if you remember me, I was the guy that came up to you at the Nov. Chin event and apologized for taking a pass in T1 without a point...I still hate that I did that to you by the way. I guess I was thinking "he knows me and isn't going to want me on his ***" anyway, I publicly apologize and it wont happen again!

Just for my clarification... when you mentioned the X package Koni Challenge cars sporting 380 hp...did something change? because when I built my Grand Am GS class 997 racecar it had to be based on the 3.6 engine (325 hp) and the X51 package is based on the 3.8 engine (like Bill Timmerman's Synergy built car)...I was just wondering if there was a rule change since my old car is still being companied in Koni Challenge.