Zuluracerx

I got to experience my first session ever in a Cup Car. I got hooked on tracking last April, sold my street/track car, bought a 3.2 race car (V3 R5) to run with the POC. Decided to step up to a 07 Cup and got to drive it for the first time this past weekend at Willow Springs. Double bonus, the day I drove was an open test and tun day at WSIR which means I got to pass other cars on track without point by's for the first time too....pretty much overload for a rookie

I had never driven a Cup, let alone dealt with a sequential shifter. The next day (Saturday) I was enrolled in the POC's Cup School with my V3 car to take the first of 2 classes to hopefully get my POC provisional race license. Without that, I would be relegated to time trials and PDS events without open passing - or racing...

I got in the groove pretty quickly in the Cup, but it made driving the V3 (fast) the next day even more difficult as the H box shifter felt funny after the sequential...

The Cup had scrubs with about 50% life and they did not last long, but I did manage to crack off a 1:26.2 tippy toeing around the big track. I can't wait to see what I can do with fresh rubber. Maybe I will have to use my new Cup for the second POC course... Hmmm, maybe I can get pole away from George...yeah right, I have a long way to go but at least I have started the journey! Anyway, here's some footage from my adventure in the Cup.

John

mooty

NICE.
what yr cup is yours? can't tell if you are blipping on downshift or if you had blipper

HJK

Yeah, cool, I'm expecting mine in TH in February, seeing this I just cant wait. Enjoy and good luck with the licencing stuff.

early_grayce

That's an auto-blipper for sure.

Congrats on the Cup! It's quite an experience... and learning curve!

Less than two years from tracking to Cup car to racing license?
Pretty ambitious

Don't forget to be careful

J richard

Awesome aren't they? Still drooling over a sequential...

My advise: DON'T try to save money by running old rubber/scrubs. Put fresh tires under the car and cycle them out per recomendations. Leave running the scrubs and used rubber to the more experienced drivers and after you get plenty of seat time. Cycled out rubber will add complexity to the handling of the car and can be wicked when you least expect it. It's a bitter pill, but that's the cost of admission. After you get a solid sense of how the car behaves on fresh rubber and how it changes as the tires cycle out, you can mess with more economical alternatives...

Congrats on the car and progressing so quickly, wished I had the means to have done it at the time...

Zuluracerx

It's an 07. Yes, it has a blipper set at 33%. My first track event was actually June 2011 at Fontana with the POC in my '70 911T (RSR replica with a 3.8 but it was a license plated street car). I fell down the slope pretty fast for sure, but now it's all I want to do. The street cars just are not fun to me anymore. Loren did a good job coaching me in the Cup and he's the one that started me on the scrubs. I agree with only using new rubber until I get the cycle thing figured out. I could not believe how they fell off once they reached a certain point. It became like driving on ice, but I was smart enough to bring it in and say enough before I wrecked it. Next time I will have a couple of sets of fresh rubber to see what this baby can really do!

James-GMG

John,

Congrats on the Cup car, they are addictive, so what out!
It was great to see you rip around Willow and to have a soon to be new racer in the group.

Drive it in good health........


Cheers,


James
GMG

analogmike

Awesome! Have fun!

93 FireHawk 968

Nice car.....BOL with it.

mobonic

Saw the car in Willow, that car is a beauty and with the 4.0 L engine it sounds amazing (btw you owe me a new right eardrum as I was talking with Loren as you started it and drove away...ear hurt for hours :P)

Probably one of the best looking and sounding 997.1 Cups I have seen with all the cool go fast parts 911 Design put on that beast!

Does the car have Bosch abs?

Did I say how much I love your car already :P

Zuluracerx

Thanks for the compliments, I simply love the car! James, don't forget to send me an invoice for Thursday - that day was critical to get my V3 set up for the class and thanks for inviting me!

No abs on the Cup, but I do have data logging and brake sensors in place. I will get the visual indicator lights next so I can see threshold braking via lights. I thought locking up the brakes on the Cup was going to be an issue for me, but in reality the V3 locks up way easier so I guess I was used to how that feels and never locked the Cup up. Naturally, I will have to learn to really stand on the Cup brakes so I can go way deeper into the corners, but I was pleased with my first session. The next step is fresh rubber, the brake indicator lights as mentioned and more seat time. I still love the challenge of driving the V3 fast and would like to eventually race (if and when I get my POC license) both the V3 and the Cup on the same POC weekends. That might be a little ambitious, but will be fun trying!

jrgordonsenior

Try being passed at WOT on the banking at Cal Speedway. You can hear that thing coming from 100 yards back. Its one of Loren's 4.0 liter monsters putting out in excess of 450 rwhp. I raced both days right behind another of his 4.0 motors and went to ear plugs for Sunday's race. Great car and congratulation on the purchase....

claykos

What is the ECU in this car with the 4.0? Still bosch? Or does loren put motec in?

Zuluracerx

Thanks JR, and yes it is LOUD!

Not sure about the ECU, but I will find out and report back. I know I asked Loren if he could reprogram it to NOT cut the fuel on shifts as I want it to shoot flames on decel. He said not a problem, but huge hours had been spent on the dyno and ECU getting it just right for the 4.0 motor...

Laguna_Dude

Wow John! I had no idea! Congrats! I assume GT1 in that beast? She sounds mean and raspy....perfect! I had a blast out there with you! Looking forward to our 2nd clinic at Spring Mountain.

I learned my scrub tire lesson all weekend. Only drove worn tires and boy was it a struggle... but a great learning experience. My biggest take from the clinic: That I have a lot to learn.

Thanks for sharing the video. You are running smooth and clean... all you need is more seat time and you'll be in the low 1:20's for sure.