jlanka

I'm only a DE driver (so far). I purchased one of Bill Rudtner's Cup cars last April (2017) (997.1) and have been DE-ing it for a while. I also have a Spec Boxster that he built for me which my son tracks at events. So early July he had an off with the SPB at Thunderbolt, the car is still in the body shop. I let him try out the Cup the next day and he was beside himself about how good it was.

So now we have a DE at LRP on Monday and Tuesday. We decided he would use the Cup and I would track my 2015 GT3 (I had tracked it a few years ago but haven't since we have the 2 track only cars). I have to tell you the 991.1 GT3 was hugely underwhelming for me. It felt like a Cadillac.

Once you get used to a real race car, going back to a street car doesn't cut it. I now liken the Cup to a surgeons scalpel, and the GT3 is a butter knife. Still a lot of fun on the street though.

Some video of him having a blast (get a few laps under 1 flat, stayed pretty consistent). Alas, he is a better driver than me even with less track days. The benefits of youth...

AlecG

Great video and nice driving! Limerock is a fun track, just wish it was a little longer.

Cup Cars are awesome machines. I've considered getting one but, like you guys, I am a DE driver and as the video shows, you are ALWAYS in traffic with a Cup Car at a DE event.

For this reason I'm staying with my GT3 for DE events...for now.

Cups at DE's are like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

I suspect you guys will graduate to some sort of racing with your Cup.

Thanks for sharing and cheers for enjoying your cars as they were meant to be driven.

MarcD147

I had a similar experience. after driving a GT4 on the street and lots of track days I bought a 996 cup as I wanted to go racing. After doing a few track days in the cup and a few races i got in my GT4 street car...

first I thought the clutch was broken as it didn't engage till very high after getting back used to that in a traffic light or two the GT4 is slow, doesn't rev etc... cup cars really spoil you

wrt point bys: yes you are in traffic in a cup car but I had the same issue in my GT4 at least with the cup car in full race livery they realize they need to pull over and point me by so it is reasonably especially in groups that allow passing in corners. in the white GT4 they always try to stay ahead of till much later in the day.

spg993tt

i have my 2017 cup and have had a few race cars over the year. used to have street cars. now i have a ram 2500 and a Chrysler pacifica minivan which is home to my road bike.
anything on the open roads feels dangerous, unsafe and like kissing your cousin.
though the pacifica is aa great machine, wide body, low to the ground , has a full floor and has the jeep motor in it. pretty snappy car.
save it for the track.

haulinkraut

I like this. My daily is a Hyundai. While my car is also street legal, a humble regular car keeps your appreciation.

spiller

uscarrera

Hey as a fellow Long Islander that ran away to Florida many years ago was fun to watch your video. I take my Cup to DE once in awhile great way to setup, sort and get cheap track time. I think when you get to race the car it will open up a whole new world to your car's potential and fun, in fact get that car down here this winter and do a Sebring DE with us.
Rich

93 FireHawk 968

jlanka

This is why 997 was my dream cup. That sequential is just a blast. Good friend of mine replaced his with paddles... yeah I get it - it will extend the gearbox etc. But working that big stick... Intoxicating.

spiller

RobT 394

Four words of advice. Don't race the cup. LOL Once you do DEs start to feel boring and then your wallet gets a lot thinner. Slippery slope of addiction that takes hold quickly.

analogmike

Agreed!

p.s. teach your son how to blip on downshifts, or better yet get the auto blipper. I heard about $5k worth of wear in that video (if it were my car and my luck).

jlanka

It has the auto blipper you don't hear it? I'm wondering maybe he's not banging it hard enough to make the auto blipper effective?

CRex

Looks like you've got some goodies installed on your 997.1. Enjoy! From viewing your vid, I might suggest a couple improvements:

1. Program your SLM light bar to show brake pressure and wheel lockup. Managing BP and lockup is perhaps the single biggest challenge to 997 and 991 cups. If you're not encountering lockup, you're simply not exploring the car's envelope.

2. The sequential shifter requires deliberate and crisp action. Pull with your fist closed vertically, with the strength of your whole arm. Push also with your fist closed vertically, against the base of your palm. The hole at the top of the shifter is for you to "locate" your grip with your thumb. All this may seem OCD when you have a brand new gearbox, but you can delay the onset of wear & tear by being firm+crisp with your whole arm (as opposed to grabbing with just fingers or bumping with palm/wrist). You can't break the shift linkage with human inputs even if you tried. In fact, I used to log the strength of my gearshifts in Motec, to make sure I'm shifting clean and sharp (see next point).

3. Do not touch the shifter until the moment you're actually shifting. In fact don't even look at it. The reason is there's a strain gauge in the lever which cuts throttle when there's pressure applied. You do not want that sensor to register anything until you actually intend to shift. This is one of the main reasons you want to be clean and sharp with your sequential inputs.

Hope the above helps. I think the 997.1 without blipper is one of the best training platforms there is. Congrats on taking up the challenge and trust you'll be advancing through the ranks in no time!!

spg993tt

watching the video...agree with mike, have them check the blipper and bring the percentage of blip up; the upshift and downshirt shoudl be more forceful you're taking too long, not pushing or pulling it forcefully enough or quick enough. and dont leave your hand on the shifter. there are strain guages that tell when you're pulling the lever. somone once told me you shift that thing down and push it almost like youi're going to break it. not gorilla force but very forcefully push forward release i might hae a video or two someplace.
heres a video, which also has mike in in, showing some of that but also it will get smoother as you go faster that trans likes being at higher rpms and if you shift when the rpms are down lower, it makes that clunk lugging sound. since you're still getting up to speed ,maybe also shift a bit earlier. a 6 speed manual like in my cayman you shifted a smidge later. there is obviously a more perfect rpm to do that shifting but speaking in generalities, earlier while the rpms are up and ...once you're flying a bit faster, then adjust. and turning up blipper will help also, you're off the gas for a bit longer , so the engine rpms are falling faster than the trans rpms, gotta zing it a bit more. more blipper will help.