^^ because he don't slow down for corners, just holds on. It was fun working with him on his techniques.

 

Good point Mike. I don't have a lot of seat time at other tracks with my new Peter Dawe 3.8L as I just had it installed right before the PCA Glen Race last year. I ran a 3.4L in 4S prior. My best lap time during the whole weekend last year was only high 1.59 on a suspension set up for DOT's (not slicks) from my old 4S class. I will be there this year and my aim will be 1:57's. Summit Point is my home track and I can really get it on there, but I am always leaving some on the table at the Glen and other tracks b/c my lack of seat time and confidence.

Remember, all I am saying is these older cars can be competitive, I am not saying they are better. I know one thing though, no power steering, no power brakes, no sequential gear boxes, clutching every gear, etc... you have to work a lot harder and be twice as on your game to make them go real fast. Tiring but rewarding.

 

That is for sure!!! I still love the old cars more, but my '73 "RS" with 8x15" turbo wheels on the front is too much work for this old guy!

The worst part about racing in Atlanta last week was the full course yellows. I had to work MUCH HARDER to keep the tires warm at the ridiculously low speeds behind the pace car, than I do in a race. Bracing myself for constant accel/decel/swerving was painful and my legs STILL hurt! And I got sick due to lack of airflow and almost quit the race. I felt much better after a few fast laps.

Good luck at the Glen, I love the track but am allergic to PCA races there.

 

Mike, how slow was the pace car going? Reason I ask is that I see this way too much. Last year I was chief steward for the televised pro Viper Cup races, and I purposely instructed my pace car drivers to go no slower than 65-70 MPH on the straightaways.

 

It's almost worthless to compare PCA track records for different classes because a lot of the track records are many seconds off what that car may be capable of. Then in the other class there might actually be a truly fast time set by a good driver in a good car. Cervilli's TWS PCA track record shows just that, it's not the fastest car.

I would say 40's, I've been told by a reliable source that a non sequential 996 cup can do 42's.

 

It is not worthless at all. It is the only true measure we have of performance, rather than guesstimates and "reliable sources" talking about cars with uber-hot rod motors. Until one of us here does it, none of us really knows what any car is capable of.

 

PCA pace cars are always painfully slow, even on the warmup lap. Cars and drivers get overheated and tires get cold

2nd gear was too low so I guess about 50 max...

 

Yup, saw that recently at the Club Races at TWS. Pace car (Cayenne) could not have been doing more than 35-40 MPH in the first race. Stewards must have told them to pick it up, as it was slightly faster in the 2nd race....but only slightly. This is what happens when you don't use a racer as the pace car driver.

 

Would saying 'take those times with a grain of salt' make you feel more comfortable?

From what I understand the 42's have been done in a 996. This reliable source posts on here and you're good friends with him, so doubt him, not me. My only point is that a lot of the time PCA class track records are well off of what a car is really capable of.

 

Agree with all this, and I also know the driver of the hot rod 996. My only point is that track records in various cars, in one racing sanctioning body, are a fairly accurate relative guide of where the cars stack up. I am sure Pat long could knock out a 1:40 in a brand new 2011 Cup...but he doesn't race PCA, so for not Chris Cervelli's 3 year old record stands.....and proves that old cars can stick it to newer ones.

 

Dave, how can you say that and then say that Cervilli still holds the record in the same paragraph? I guess it's 'fairly accurate' to say that a 993 RSR is faster than a 997 cup then.

What are the GTC3 and 4 track records at TWS?

 

Look for yourself: www.rennpoints.com

TWS GTC3 BEN McCRACKIN 1:44.788 2005-03-19 Qualifying
TWS GTC4 DAVID BAUM 1:45.556 2010-03-19 Practice
TWS GTA JAN A I RASK 1:44.648 2005-03-20 Enduro Race

 

And if you do some searching around you can find other races where those drivers have been 2-3+ seconds off of the pace of other drivers. Consistently.

And yes, I have witnessed a 1:42 at TWS in a 996 Cup.

 

I think you're missing the point...and the point of this thread.

 

Me ? Ok, I'll be more clear.
I think when comparing old car vs new car, or even hp to weight on cars, there are way too many variables, with the driver being the largest variable to realistically compare the two.

Now if you could get Cervelli or someone else of that driving caliber that owns one of each to drive back to back then that would be a more valid comparison. Yet even then you still may get a condition where a track is better suited to one car or another. I just think it's a hard comparison to fairly make.