Post your best lap times!

Post your best lap times. Please record the time, track, date, car, tires, any special mods.
(This is the track forum after all).

Sebring:
2:22
2013 Ferrari 458 Spider with street tires (Mich CUP 2 Tires). No modifications to the car. 1/3/15

2:28
2009 Cayman S race car. Slicks, 3 pedal, full race mods but still with in GTB1 specs. 1/2/15


Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR):
1:25 Ferrari 458 Spider with street tires (Mich CUP 2 Tires). No modifications to the car. 1/8/15

Homestead (infield):
1:41 Porsche Cayman S race car. Slicks 12/20/15 (lots of DE Day traffic)

 

1 minute flat, lime rock, stock 13 gtr

only one I can remember because its so simple. Have to research other tracks

 

stock 195hp Lotus elise.
1.03 LRP
247 Monticello same car.
2.18 at the Glenn.

 

VIR full course- 2:03.05
SRA Ariel Atom
Course record at the time.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=883Gl9_wunI

 

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway:
2:03.8
458, unmodified, 1/4/16 11:00, Pirelli Trofeo R

 

1:24 Streets Willow, 991 GT3 completely stock.

 

1:21, VIR South, f355 GTB (conti extreme DW's)

 

Homestead infield
991 GT3 Cup 1:28.6

Homestead roadcourse using Nascar turns 3 and 4
997 GT3 Cup 1:20.6

Palmbeach
991 Gt3 cup on pretty dead tires 1:19.4

 

Summit Point - Main

991 GT3 - stock MPSC2
121.36

997.2 GT3 - toe links, minor suspension mods, RA 888
121.77

 

Awesome times! Do you ever goto Sebring?

 

Sebring Ferrari 458 challenge December 2015 - 2:08.8 on damp track with puddles. Maranello Cup qualifying

 

Come on Rotary.... it couldnt be that damp to post a 2:08!!! That's all out even in a Challenge car Great time, that is flying!

 

If u were there you know it pissed rain for three days straight. Track was completely green and cold. Challenge car can easily do a 2:07 and probably 2:06. I do 2:12s in my 360 challenge

 

This was the day before
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Track: Continental USA
Race: Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
Date: October 1971
Lap: New York City, NY to Redondo Beach, CA
Car: '72 Caddy Sedan de Ville
Time: 36:56
Place: 3rd (lost 2nd by 9 minutes, race won by the Gurney/Yates Ferrari Daytona)

 

You just won this thread.

Only thing better is if Dan Gurney posted and Brock Yates came back from beyond!

Cool. That Caddy must have been flying!

 

I dont know if it is true, but I hear that some of the fastest times come after a hard rain (but once the track is dry) -- it cleans off the dust and dirt and you get better grip. What do you find to be the best track conditions for a fast lap? Cool air obviously helps the engine but what conditions are better for grip and overall great lap times? What temps?Cool surface or hot surface? Sunny or cloudy? Morning or afternoon? I'd be curious to know what conditions to look for when seeking a hot lap time.

 

The conditions you should look for a fast lap are whatever Mother Nature gives you lol. Gotta Dance with the girl that brung ya. Anyone who tells you a track that has just been rained on is going to be fast isn't very fast. Yes it can wash away dirt and marbles but more importantly it washes off rubber too. A hot track that's not too hot with lots of matching rubber down on a cooler day with low humidity is ideal.

 

It did fly. The Caddy's speedo was resting on the 120 peg the entire race, including a hailstorm when we passed the Ferrari. Our 36:56 time included 6 police stops, 2 at gunpoint, and our average speed, excluding those stops, was higher than the Ferrari's despite Gurney bringing the Daytona up to 175 mph to seal the win.

 

You gotta tell us more about this.

 

"1971 Cadillac Sedan deVille: Driveaway Special—Drivers, Larry Opert, Nate Pritzker, Ron Herisko, all of Cambridge, Massachusetts. As this trio rolled away at 12:14 a.m., they had to be strong candidates for the Style Award (if there could be such a thing in an event of this nature). Lawyer Opert, brother of racing car dealer Fred Opert and himself a club racer, plus his law partner Herisko and engineer friend Pritzker had no car that suited the demands of the Cannonball so they found one in the stygian pages of The New York Times. They answered an ad from a stuffy New York businessman who wanted his new Caddy transported to California. Our three heroes got the job, provided they did not drive the nearly new (2500 miles) sedan before eight o'clock in the morning, did not stay on the road after nine in the evening, and under no circumstances exceeded 75 mph. Putting the owner's mind at rest, the Cambridge team snatched up the car, stuffed some visor, a set of binoculars in the glove compartment and screeched off toward the Red Ball...."

Opert, you are one bad MF!

 

Damn, I've been exposed. I'll try and post some stories and photos tomorrow.

 

+1

great story

 

Okay, here's the deal, over the years I've posted pics and stories in other sections of FChat when asked to do so, but instead of just posting links here, I'll just give a quick synopsis for those who are interested. Here goes:

The excerpt that Pete posted in this thread is from Brock Yate's story in the March '72 issue of Car and Driver. The part about our entry being a 1971 Caddy with 2,500 miles and driven to California for a NY businessman was the cover story concocted by Brock to protect us from potential liability. We actually drove a brand spanking new '72 Caddy Sedan DeVille (obtained under false pretenses from a NY driveaway agency) that a doctor from LA purchased from a NY dealership and wanted to have delivered from NY to his home in LA. The rules included not driving after 9 PM (or before 8 AM), not exceeding 75 mph, not eating in the car, etc., all of which were broken between the start of the race at the Red Ball Garage on East 31st Street, just after midnight, and our entry into the Lincoln Tunnel, three minutes later. We hit 80 mph in mid-town Manhatten. NY to Columbus was done in 6 hours flat. As I mentioned, the speedo needle was resting on the 120 peg the entire 2,863 mile trip. Our speeding stops were all for speeds of 110 mph. Thus, unless our speedo was more accurate than police radar, we figured that 120 on the peg was really 110.

Dan and Brock won in a '71 275 GTB/4 Daytona. I passed Dan during the ice storm in New Mexico when he and Brock stopped to deflate the Ferrari's tires for increased traction. Actually, when I passed Dan in the ice storm, the speedo was buried, so we were doing either 120 or 110. Crazy stuff! However our lead, which lasted through most of Arizona as well, was short-lived as Dan, who hailed from California, knew an alternate route enabling him to bring the Ferrari to speeds up to 175 mph. Their winning time was 35:54. Nevertheless, despite losing the race, I think I can safely say that I'm the only FChatter who not only passed Dan Gurney in an actual race, but passed him like he was standing still.

As I mentioned, we finished third in 36:56, losing second place by 9 minutes, despite 15 fuel stops, the 6 police stops and a court appearance. BTW, the first of our 2 gunpoint arrests was for "stealing gas" (not really true, but hey it was a pit stop and we all know the importance of quick pit stops) and the second was for "threatening the life" of a gas station attendant (also not true, threatening to turn someone into a quadriplegic, wheelchair-bound for the rest of their life for impeding a pit stop, is technically not the same as threatening someone's life!).

Tony Adamowicz and Oscar Koveleski were the guys that beat us by 9 minutes. They drove a Chevy van specially outfitted with enough gas on board---five 55 gallon fuel drums holding 298 gallons---linked together by a myriad of hoses so they could run non-stop. The van even had a set-up where oil could be added without stopping. Tony and Oscar were both Can-Am veterans, with 24 hour race credentials (Le Mans and Daytona). Additionally Tony, a graded FIA driver, was an IMSA and F5000 Champ. Yet, I wonder what would have happened if they had been required to make a sudden movement like we did when the Caddy had to be thrown sideways, while running flat out, to avoid hitting a deer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I doubt that their considerable combined experience, and Nomex driving suits, would have avoided a total disaster. As Stephen Smith, the Co-Editor of Car and Driver opined, "If they as much as coughed, it would have made Amchitka (the site of the last US underground nuclear detonation) look like a wet match." Luckily, they ran without incident.

An interesting tidbit: Brock Yates' first choice for a co-driver for the Ferrari was Dan Gurney. However, while Dan thought that a cross-country race was a fantastic idea, he declined Brock's invite because he thought the race publicity could possibly tarnish his image. Brock then turned to his second choice, Phil Hill. Phil also thought it was a great idea but, get this, he told Brock that he couldn't participate because it was far too dangerous. Brock responded by telling Phil that, as a Formula One driver, he risked his life every time he was strapped into a F1 car, to which Phil replied that he still thought that racing over public roads was far more dangerous than driving a F1 car in a more controlled environment. Brock then turned to Don ("Big Daddy") Garlits, the perennial drag racing champion, who was an excellent road driver. Don had to decline because he had scheduled appearances that couldn't be cancelled. Then, on the virtual eve of the race, Dan Gurney called Brock and said he had a change of heart and would do it, and would fly to NYC in time for the start.

I only learned the reason for Dan's change of heart a few years ago when Dan revealed that, after he had turned Brock down, he had gone to the hospital to visit with his terminally ill father-in-law who, after hearing about the proposed cross-country race and Brock's invitation for Dan to co-drive with him, advised Dan that "our time here on earth is way too short, so you should never let ANY opportunities slip by." Dan then accepted Brock's invitation. We should all abide by Dan's father-in-law's wisdom!

As most of you already know, the race was the basis for the Cannonball Run movie and developed a huge cult following. For example, the 40th anniversary of the inaugural race was celebrated at the Amelia Island Concours in 2011. About 1,000 people paid to see the Cannonball seminar, and the line at the table set up for us to autograph Car and Driver cover posters, took about 3 hours.

 

A quick addendum:

Problem was that when we got to LA the Caddy's engine seized so it had to be towed to a local dealership. As we obviously arrived way ahead of normal prescribed driving time, we had to wait three days (after flying back east) to call the doctor and tell him where to find his car. It's a good thing that the doc apparently didn't watch the Johnny Carson or Today shows, or see or read about his car in magazines including the Car and Driver story (Brock Yates was the Editor) or Time, or even read the NY Times or Wall Street Journal. They all covered the race. The funniest part of this entire story is that when the Cannonball race was going to be held again the next year we called the same driveaway agency and, you guessed it, were told that some doctor in LA needed to have his brand new '73 Caddy (this time a Coupe Deville, thus lighter and faster!) delivered from NY to LA...