racing916

Anyone have results from the first club race during the Grand Am Weekend? I would love to know how some of the club cars compared to the GS and ST continental cars.

Thanks,
Steve

ZSA Motorsport

no idea about the pca racing, as i sat that out, but our ST boxster with a 2.7l, 245hp motor was anywhere from 1:37s to 1:34s.
on thurs, fri, the track was hot, greasy and slow, and we softened up the car every session.
then saturday morning on a cooler track, cleaned, everyone found grip. the GS pole was like 1:29.x, most GS cars were in the 1.30.x and 1.31.x range.
the ST cars were like 1;33.x to 1:35.x in qualifying.
i think the conditions were so variable, its really hard to draw a conclusion.
could also have been that an early run group laid down good rubber for the ST qualifying. or every team go their setups right finally, finally showed their full hands, and were 2 seconds faster than their very best the night before.
i know we tried oru best every sessions and were magically 2seconds faster saturday am due to conditions.

the ST cars are probably evenly matched with F class cars. the 3.2 boxster motor in a 2004 S is probably that same 245. the ST boxster has a paltry 2.7, which frankly has no big *****, no torque..but with a nice tune , you can squeeze out the same 245 hp-ish kind of power. the real problem is that a 2.7l has like no torque, that 3000 to 4000 rpm range hurts you coming out of turns, so we end up popping 2nd a bit more than we'd like. but the ST and F class cars shoudl be near identical if driven by the same driver.

other difference is that the pca R6 is probably 2 seconds faster than the sand-paper-like continentals, that gain offset by the fact that the g/a guys drive without real fear of contact or an inevitable 13/13. but overall, ST cars should be a wash with 3.2l F class boxsters less driver experience and skill.

racing916

Thanks for the info. Interesting to find out F class and ST are close together. Will Grand Am not allow you to run the 3.2, or do they make you add a ton of weight? I am surprised that the continental slicks are so slow.

Steve

ZSA Motorsport

the 2005/06/07/08 2.7 is stronger than than the previous 2.7s so the later edition 2.7s with a nice aftermarket tune get close to the 3.2s from 2001 to 2004, those found in the F class boxsters. the F class boxsters have more motor , but with the tune, it gets close, or close enough. infact with the tune, you might be able to extract more torque though having less HP. soits close.

the grand am boxsters were 987s so they had slightly wider rear ends, and have better aerodynamics than the 986s. so that too evens it out.

at monticello, if i put hoosiers on the 987 grand am ST car, nothing else changed...it runs times that are only about 1 second slower than my previous best in an F class car. and it s along lap so its not that much. like 2:36, 2:37 in my old F class boxster, 986, 3.2 , hoosiers...vs a 987 2.7l tuned, hooseris....that would be like 2:38, 2:39.
you put the continentals on, maybe for 2,3 laps you can turn 2:39 , 2:40s. 4 laps later its 2:42, 2:444 and there she'll remain for a long time.

its an endurance "slick". not meant , i dont think to give max grip for 30,40minute sprint, but to last a long while.

at daytona, due to a failed set of lugnuts, we rwan the same set of tires for the entire race, took 10th, and had the two fastest laps in the race in the last 20minutes. the tires , on a gentle car, can last. a hoosier would never last 2 1/2 hours at daytona. me no like them, but everyone has the same sand paper.

bobt993

I was running at the race. The cups were down to 1:28s even a 27. We saw 30,31s in GT4s. I blew a wheel bearing at the start of qualifyng Saturday, started 33rd and moved up to 8th overall. Very hot in the cars, everyone was short shifting. Today was still hot Q'd 6th 31.x but a shift rod went in the trans with only 3 laps left. Healy, Dan Y, and I had some fun for a good 10laps before a GT1R car got in the middle of our class race. Bummer the car broke first time back to GT class and still sorting the car for PCA. There were about 6 cars that ran 31.x or better. The heat was ridiculous. Changing the bearing in the sun, I must have lost 3lbs of sweat in 2 hours. Track conditions were pretty tough yesterday the marbles left less than a car width onto the front straight. If you did not hit the inside curbing you were in the clag through the entire turn.

93 FireHawk 968

Incredibly hot race weekend, 100 plus temp on Friday and Saturday, high 90's today. It's always interesting racing with huge disparities of horsepower sharing the track. You've got to be well aware of the higher hp cars approaching and lower hp getting in the way.

I had a great experience despite losing my right front brake line on lap 5 and had to bump brakes pretty good to make turn 1, certainly plenty of pucker moments as the race progressed. I thought it was typical brake fad due to the heat. Found out after the race when I saw the inside of the wheel and fender well covered in brake fluid. If that was not enough, my brand new power steering rack blew a seal and spewed fluid all over the underside. I'm just glad the fluid did not get to the track surface to make a slippery track even worse.

Kudo's to my fellow F, G and SPB racers for a fine race weekend. Had to settle for 3rd Saturday and 4th. today. Hopefully my next race we'll have less mechanicals.

esscape26

How many sessions did you get, being mixed in with the other groups?

Paul 996

Great weekend, my first time ever at NJMP, I like to overall flow. The T1 through the exit of the Chicane really suit the Spec Boxster.

Firehawk, great race Sunday. That was some battle until the last lap.

NJcroc

Two practice sessions on friday, qualify and race both Sat and Sunday. Race was 23 minutes flag to flag on Saturday and 25 minutes green to checker on Sunday. The emergency crews were at thier best all weekend and pull cars with local yellows to keep schedule rolling.

Mike R.

It was a great race weekend. Good seeing a lot of familiar faces and cars. A lot of you guys were really fast!

Streak

Mike you didn't do too bad yourself. Great weekend!

Thanks for being a good sport as well. You were being a gentleman and giving me room and I almost took too much. Close call! Really close call

KnowSomeStuff

PCA results?

Musche

Results now up on MyLaps.

analogmike

This thread needs some pictures!

My new RSR wing, I got a 2" extension (down there)



2nd race Podium, RJ Valentine, me, and Vern Chevalier



It was HOT, like last year, but a lot of fun.

DDun911

Dirt Tracking @ Rolex