NJ-GT

Ian won both the ProSolo Nationals and Solo Nationals in SuperStock driving a 2005 911 GT3 owned by Peter Lier (85Gold) .

This team has been working hard on bringing the Porsche to the top level, in the most competitive class, in what could be the biggest MotorSports event in the World.

Tristan Kotzian won in the Super Stock Ladies class in a GT3 as well.

Excellent job. Thanks for helping my car to keep a good value on the used market.

Dr. Car

And Super Stock, the class in which Ian competed, was probably the most competitive class at the SCCA Nationals. That class had a total of 67 competitors! That is a big field, and I can tell you that this event draws the best autocrossers from around the country, with very well prepared cars. Kudos for making the 996 GT3 look so good!

PedalFaster

On top of that, Ian's huge margins of victory -- almost 0.8 seconds over second place at both events, with similarly large gaps further back -- were remarkable at this level. Amazing...

Mussl Kar

I guess we now know the best Porsche for autocross.

J P Stein

I think you know the best driver......but you make a good case..

As a side note, Tom Kotzian finished 4th in SS driving the red GT3 that got balled up at PIR earlier this season......the same car that his daughter Kristan won SSL in.

Comeback of the year?

kabel_Boxster

Ian has been runner up two years in a row so he was due to finally take it. Ian is one of those natural talents behind the wheel.
Great car yes, but equally if not better driver behind the wheel.

I get to see Ian work his magic frequently at our local autox events, and he was one of my first evo school instructors. And Peter, well Peter is a simply a fantastic guy, and very smart to have Ian as a co-driver!

85Gold

Ian has finally gotten consistant and super fast in his driving. He had suffered in the past from an ability to recover from anything he did wrong and thusly he tended to overdrive the GT3. By the way in 3 years of driving the GT3 he NEVER spun the car in an AutoX while driving on the edge.

It was his year and I had no doubt he would win it all as his consistancy has been fantastic. Ian only drove the GT3 @ the Dixie NT and the DC Pro Solo + a T&T in Dixie before Topeka but his new found love of WTW racing and the track has helped him tremendously. No if only I could drive 1/2 as well

Sprortscar Was Wrong

Peter

Dr. Car

Not to worry green grasshopper, I bet that if the 997 GT3 was legal in SCCA Super Stock, that would be the car to have in that class. As it stands now, IIRC, the 997 GT3 goes straight to ASP.

There has been some talk about whether the right C2S or C4S with PCCB, X51 and the optional 8.5"/11.5" wheels could rival a 996 GT3 for Super Stock supremacy. The PASM is a good suspension, though its lack of adjustability in ride height and front camber is a problem. OTOH, the 3.8 significantly out-torques the 996 GT3's 3.6. The 997 weighs a lot more but the extra wheel width helps. Likewise, the 997 lacks an LSD, but a C4S would probably work very well in the sandy lot where SCCA nationals is held.

Ian has shown what we knew - the 996 GT3 is a great car and he is a great driver. Don't assume the GT3 is the uber *** laude of Porsche autocross. Also keep in mind that his particular GT3 has been carefully tuned for this application - ride height, alignment, tire pressures ... maybe also fancy shocks ... all of which make a difference.

85Gold

Interestingly enough the car is on stock shocksnot Moton CS as most of the other GT3's. It is not lowered and not running camber shims.
Weight at Nationals was 2994 #'s. A lot of people gave us grief in 2006 as we were running 285 rears instead of 315's but our testing showed the 285's were faster and now almost every GT3 in AutoX is running 285's.

Alignment
Front Camber -1.8
Front Toe 0 degrees

Rear Camber -2.4
Rear Toe .10 degrees toe in

Front bar 1 off full stiff
Rear bar full stiff

Motto is Get In, Sit Down, Shut Up, and Hold On

Having Ian Co-Drive Priceless

Peter

NJ-GT

Peter,

Thanks for sharing the alignment information.

What I consider remarkable is that your car has been running with stock shocks, while the Lotus and Corvettes are running modified suspensions.

All,

Peter's alignment settings are great for autocross, not so great for the track. A car with this alignment on the track will be very sensitive on the rear axle.

I'm running

Front: 0.10 Toe-Out per side. -2.7 Negative camber
Rear: 0.25 Toe-In per side , -2.4 Negative camber

For not highly experienced autocross drivers, I would start at:

Front: 0 Toe. Negative camber: (maxed out for SS -1.6 to -1.8, or add shims and run -2.7)
Rear: 0.25 Toe-In per side, -2.4 Negative camber

As you gain smoothness with the autocross driving experience, you can reduce rear toe-in to 0.20, 0.15, 0.10 degrees per side gradually. I've driven my car at 0.15 degrees toe-in per side, and spinning out of control becomes a norm (driver's error, not the car).

For SS and ASP, the lack of power on the GT3 down low on the RPM, and the long second gear require the Hoosier A6 on 285/30R18 instead of the taller 315. Ian and Peter tested both rear tires, and the times were faster with the 285. This is a great tip from them.

If you run in SM2 or FP, the shorter R&P from the 996/997 GT3 RSR/Cup allows 2nd gear to be on the spot. In this case, you can run a 335 A6 on 12" wheels.

Given the gap between the 996 GT3 at Nationals this year and the rest of the cars, I doubt the SCCA will allow the 997 GT3 in SS next year. The 997 GT3 has PASM, wider rear wheels and tires, more torque, a shorter 2nd gear, and an improved suspension geometry. The 997 GT3/GT3 RS should be faster than the 996 GT3 for autocross, once it gets set up properly.

85Gold

Yes the rear toe is aggressive and no way I would run it for the track. It is even a little much for the street. i just wish we could change the rear toe links as it is always getting out of alignment At our T&T in GA before Nationals the car was loose and when I aligned it before Topeka the left rear toe was .25 degrees Toe in and the right rear was .10 degrees toe out. Can you say rotation

The politicking for the new Supercharged Elise, non intercooled, was going on very heavily. My comment to one of the SEB members was I guess that means the 997 GT3/RS will get reclassed to SS. I saw shear panic in his eyes What was impressive was the Maxcy's Viper. It is quick and when Stuart gets a handle on driving it things might get very interesting. Stuart reminds me of Ian a few years ago, great car control skills, but a little loose in his driving.

Rad we missed you this year @ Topeka. I am not sure I will go next year except maybe for the Pro Solo Finale.

Peter

AllanJ

Thanks for the alignment numbers, guys. I'm running about -1.85 camber up front and -2.2 in the rear. Rear bar 2 from full stiff due to a previous oversteering problem. I'll try bumping up the negative camber in the rear and making the rear bar stiffer.

...then work a bunch on my driving.

Cheers,

Mussl Kar

OT but I only took my 997C2S once to autocross and it felt very strong where I could put the power down. This is with my limited experience, and the C2S on the stock Pzeros. C2S had PASM but not X51.

ssgt3

After watching your car rotate so easily in some of the tighter corners at both the Pro and the Solo II, I suspected the rear toe was set near zero. Ian has become a master at using this to point the car and then go right to throttle while the rest of us waited (im)patiently for the front to turn.

I was running 30' total toe (.50 derees), which resulted in some annoying power-on push even with the rear bar full stiff and front in the middle. Normally this setup works really well for me, but not on that bizarre surface.

Ian was stomping us so badly at the end of the first day of the Pro that I stupidly gambled on some major setup changes for the second day - big mistake

I might add that for Ian to index 8th out of 1150+ entrants at the Solo II is quite a feat, especially given the drying and dirty condition SS ran in on the first day. Congratulations to both of you!

Gary

NJ-GT

Hello Gary,

My car is currently getting a rollbar installed, and I have requested an alignment change:

F: 0 Toe, -2.5 camber
R: 0.125 degrees toe-in per side, -2.5 camber

I'm going to test this new setup.

Most of the 996/997 GT3 Cups and street cars are set to 0.50 degrees total toe-in at the rear axle. Greg Fordahl recommended me to use 0.15 degrees toe-in at the rear (0.30 degrees total) 3 years ago, but when I tested it, it was kind of difficult to control the car.

After almost 4 years of seat time with the 996 GT3, I'm curious about my ability to drive on this aggressive setup at a fast pace.

I hope to see you at an AutoX event on the West Coast,

Regards,

Rad